Brenda Cothern's Blog
November 22, 2015
2015....It's been a long, long, year....
Hello my lovies!
It's been a long time since I posted because it's been a long, busy year! As many of you know, this has been my busiest convention year to date. I had 12 conventions and over 15 appearances at various book related events. Traveling for me was insane. Aside from traveling all over the state of Florida, I also had a great time in Atlantic City and Las Vegas (waves to my girls Sandy & Ann).
On top of all that, I have still somehow managed to have a productive publishing year with 8 releases. As many of you on my mailing list and Facebook already know, I was able to put out 2 more Mad Dogs books: R&R and S.N.A.F.U., the combined Mad Dogs 3 & 4, Fire & Ice (a Guns & Hoses universe novel), and Uniform with several other awesome authors.
I branched out into high fantasy with the first 3 books in a new series. The high fantasy isn't male/male or romance, but it does have some erotic sex between the (in need of anger management) female lead and the (stubborn as hell) male main character. Retrieval, Reunion, & Revelations are all part of my reworked The Goddess of Fate series. Book four will be out early next year for those of you who want to check out a different style from me.
I also had 2 new Audio books released this year, if you are a fan of listening to stories.
These 2 are scheduled to be released on Audio in December. So keep your eyes on your inbox for my newsletter announcement or on my Facebook page for release day!
So, that was the business end of things for me this past year. On to the personal... 2015 was indeed a crazy year for me on a personal level. In the beginning of the year, my husband and I went through some drastic life changes in our relationship dynamic. These changes are ongoing, but we are both much happier now than we were in the first few months of the year.
In August, 2 rooms in our house flooded when Florida was drenched with more rain in 2 weeks than we had seen all year. We are not in a flood zone, but still had a foot and a half of water in our backyard and about 5 inches in our bedroom and living room. It was a disaster that almost caused me to have a nervous breakdown. Thankfully, I have an excellent shrink who prescribed me something to make it through and thankfully, I only needed a few of those 'momma's little helpers' (yeah, my age just jumped out and slapped you with the Rolling Stones!) Everything is remodeled now thanks to my leather family coming to the rescue and helping us. My leather communities in Tampa and Jacksonville also reached out to help by doing fundraisers to help us with the costs. I will forever be grateful to my leather brothers and sisters for their support while we went through this.
Speaking of leather, and kink by relation, I was on several panels (10 out of 14? or something crazy like that) at RainbowCon that were geared toward the kink and the lifestyle. I also hosted a 2 hour workshop on integrating kink into writing. As always, I am educating. I did several tactile demonstrations this year at local events (Leather Weekend (x2) at Sawmill & Fantasy Fest just to name a few) and look forward to doing more in the future.
I also decided to run for the first ever Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride title and won!. I am now Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2016 and you can follow me on Facebook, if you like. For those of you who do not know much (or anything) about leather titles, think Ms. America-ish. There are interviews (which are nerve wracking scary ), a speech, and a third category that contestants are judged on. Highest total wins the title, holds the title for a year (and has many responsibilities to go with it), and can move on to compete at the next level of competitions. The Ms. FLnFP title is a state level title and allows me to run for any national or international level titles should I choose. Things have been super crazy for me this week since winning the title, but I am honored to have it.
My plans for 2016 are not many and that is on purpose. I am scaling back on my book conventions and will only be attending 4. Those are:
Alt*Con in Tallahassee, Florida March 19-20thRT Book Lovers in Las Vegas, NV April 12-17thMegaCon 2016 in Orlando, Florida May 26-29thNecronomicon in Tampa, Florida Oct. TBA
I also expect to be traveling the state a lot to attend various leather & kink events to promote Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2016. Keep an eye on my Facebook title page if you want to know where I'll be and come see me!
Now that I have caught you up on everything (and taken up a bit of your time), I'm going to reward those of you who actually read this entire post! I am giving away a copy of each novel I have written between 2011 & 2014. That's 15 novels! I will pick 5 winners for this bundle. I will also be giving away an audio book bundle to include Guns & Hoses and Fire & Ice to 5 people. So, enter below and give yourself a great gift for the holidays!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
It's been a long time since I posted because it's been a long, busy year! As many of you know, this has been my busiest convention year to date. I had 12 conventions and over 15 appearances at various book related events. Traveling for me was insane. Aside from traveling all over the state of Florida, I also had a great time in Atlantic City and Las Vegas (waves to my girls Sandy & Ann).
On top of all that, I have still somehow managed to have a productive publishing year with 8 releases. As many of you on my mailing list and Facebook already know, I was able to put out 2 more Mad Dogs books: R&R and S.N.A.F.U., the combined Mad Dogs 3 & 4, Fire & Ice (a Guns & Hoses universe novel), and Uniform with several other awesome authors.
I branched out into high fantasy with the first 3 books in a new series. The high fantasy isn't male/male or romance, but it does have some erotic sex between the (in need of anger management) female lead and the (stubborn as hell) male main character. Retrieval, Reunion, & Revelations are all part of my reworked The Goddess of Fate series. Book four will be out early next year for those of you who want to check out a different style from me.
I also had 2 new Audio books released this year, if you are a fan of listening to stories.
These 2 are scheduled to be released on Audio in December. So keep your eyes on your inbox for my newsletter announcement or on my Facebook page for release day!
So, that was the business end of things for me this past year. On to the personal... 2015 was indeed a crazy year for me on a personal level. In the beginning of the year, my husband and I went through some drastic life changes in our relationship dynamic. These changes are ongoing, but we are both much happier now than we were in the first few months of the year.
In August, 2 rooms in our house flooded when Florida was drenched with more rain in 2 weeks than we had seen all year. We are not in a flood zone, but still had a foot and a half of water in our backyard and about 5 inches in our bedroom and living room. It was a disaster that almost caused me to have a nervous breakdown. Thankfully, I have an excellent shrink who prescribed me something to make it through and thankfully, I only needed a few of those 'momma's little helpers' (yeah, my age just jumped out and slapped you with the Rolling Stones!) Everything is remodeled now thanks to my leather family coming to the rescue and helping us. My leather communities in Tampa and Jacksonville also reached out to help by doing fundraisers to help us with the costs. I will forever be grateful to my leather brothers and sisters for their support while we went through this.
Speaking of leather, and kink by relation, I was on several panels (10 out of 14? or something crazy like that) at RainbowCon that were geared toward the kink and the lifestyle. I also hosted a 2 hour workshop on integrating kink into writing. As always, I am educating. I did several tactile demonstrations this year at local events (Leather Weekend (x2) at Sawmill & Fantasy Fest just to name a few) and look forward to doing more in the future.
I also decided to run for the first ever Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride title and won!. I am now Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2016 and you can follow me on Facebook, if you like. For those of you who do not know much (or anything) about leather titles, think Ms. America-ish. There are interviews (which are nerve wracking scary ), a speech, and a third category that contestants are judged on. Highest total wins the title, holds the title for a year (and has many responsibilities to go with it), and can move on to compete at the next level of competitions. The Ms. FLnFP title is a state level title and allows me to run for any national or international level titles should I choose. Things have been super crazy for me this week since winning the title, but I am honored to have it.
My plans for 2016 are not many and that is on purpose. I am scaling back on my book conventions and will only be attending 4. Those are:
Alt*Con in Tallahassee, Florida March 19-20thRT Book Lovers in Las Vegas, NV April 12-17thMegaCon 2016 in Orlando, Florida May 26-29thNecronomicon in Tampa, Florida Oct. TBA
I also expect to be traveling the state a lot to attend various leather & kink events to promote Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2016. Keep an eye on my Facebook title page if you want to know where I'll be and come see me!
Now that I have caught you up on everything (and taken up a bit of your time), I'm going to reward those of you who actually read this entire post! I am giving away a copy of each novel I have written between 2011 & 2014. That's 15 novels! I will pick 5 winners for this bundle. I will also be giving away an audio book bundle to include Guns & Hoses and Fire & Ice to 5 people. So, enter below and give yourself a great gift for the holidays!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
2016....It's been a long, long, year....
Hello my lovies!
It's been a long time since I posted because it's been a long, busy year! As many of you know, this has been my busiest convention year to date. I had 12 conventions and over 15 appearances at various book related events. Traveling for me was insane. Aside from traveling all over the state of Florida, I also had a great time in Atlantic City and Las Vegas (waves to my girls Sandy & Ann).
On top of all that, I have still somehow managed to have a productive publishing year with 8 releases. As many of you on my mailing list and Facebook already know, I was able to put out 2 more Mad Dogs books: R&R and S.N.A.F.U., the combined Mad Dogs 3 & 4, and Fire & Ice (a Guns & Hoses universe novel).
I branched out into high fantasy with the first 3 books in a new series. The high fantasy isn't male/male or romance, but it does have some erotic sex between the (in need of anger management) female lead and the (stubborn as hell) male main character. Retrieval, Reunion, & Revelations are all part of my reworked The Goddess of Fate series. Book four will be out early next year for those of you who want to check out a different style from me.
I also had 2 new Audio books released this year, if you are a fan of listening to stories.
These 2 are scheduled to be released on Audio in December. So keep your eyes on your inbox for my newsletter announcement or on my Facebook page for release day!
So, that was the business end of things for me this past year. On to the personal... 2015 was indeed a crazy year for me on a personal level. In the beginning of the year, my husband and I went through some drastic life changes in our relationship dynamic. These changes are ongoing, but we are both much happier now than we were in the first few months of the year.
In August, 2 rooms in our house flooded when Florida was drenched with more rain in 2 weeks than we had seen all year. We are not in a flood zone, but still had a foot and a half of water in our backyard and about 5 inches in our bedroom and living room. It was a disaster that almost caused me to have a nervous breakdown. Thankfully, I have an excellent shrink who prescribed me something to make it through and thankfully, I only needed a few of those 'momma's little helpers' (yeah, my age just jumped out and slapped you with the Rolling Stones!) Everything is remodeled now thanks to my leather family coming to the rescue and helping us. My leather communities in Tampa and Jacksonville also reached out to help buy doing fundraisers to help us with the costs. I will forever be grateful to my leather brothers and sisters for their support while we went through this.
Speaking of leather, and kink by relation, I was on several panels (10 out of 14? or something crazy like that) at RainbowCon that were geared toward the kink and the lifestyle. I also hosted a 2 hour workshop on integrating kink into writing. As always, I am educating. I did several tactile demonstrations this year at local events (Leather Weekend (x2) at Sawmill & Fantasy Fest just to name a few) and look forward to doing more in the future.
I also decided to run for the first ever Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride title and won!. I am now Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2016 and you can follow me on Facebook, if you like. For those of you who do not know much (or anything) about leather titles, think Ms. America-ish. There are interviews (which are nerve wracking scary ), a speech, and a third category that contestants are judged on. Highest total wins the title, holds the title for a year (and has many responsibilities to go with it), and can move on to compete at the next level of competitions. The Ms. FLnFP title is a state level title and allows me to run for any national or international level titles should I choose. Things have been super crazy for me this week since winning the title, but I am honored to have it.
My plans for 2016 are not many and that is on purpose. I am scaling back on my book conventions and will only be attending 4. Those are:
Alt*Con in Tallahassee, Florida March 19-20thRT Book Lovers in Las Vegas, NV April 12-17thMegaCon 2016 in Orlando, Florida May 26-29thNecronomicon in Tampa, Florida Oct. TBA
I also expect to be traveling the state a lot to attend various leather & kink events to promote Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2017. Keep an eye on my Facebook title page if you want to know where I'll be and come see me!
Now that I have caught you up on everything (and taken up a bit of your time), I'm going to reward those of you who actually read this entire post! I am giving away a copy of each novel I have written between 2011 & 2014. That's 15 novels! I will pick 5 winners for this bundle. I will also be giving away an audio book bundle to include Guns & Hoses and Fire & Ice to 5 people. So, enter below and give yourself a great gift for the holidays!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
It's been a long time since I posted because it's been a long, busy year! As many of you know, this has been my busiest convention year to date. I had 12 conventions and over 15 appearances at various book related events. Traveling for me was insane. Aside from traveling all over the state of Florida, I also had a great time in Atlantic City and Las Vegas (waves to my girls Sandy & Ann).
On top of all that, I have still somehow managed to have a productive publishing year with 8 releases. As many of you on my mailing list and Facebook already know, I was able to put out 2 more Mad Dogs books: R&R and S.N.A.F.U., the combined Mad Dogs 3 & 4, and Fire & Ice (a Guns & Hoses universe novel).
I branched out into high fantasy with the first 3 books in a new series. The high fantasy isn't male/male or romance, but it does have some erotic sex between the (in need of anger management) female lead and the (stubborn as hell) male main character. Retrieval, Reunion, & Revelations are all part of my reworked The Goddess of Fate series. Book four will be out early next year for those of you who want to check out a different style from me.
I also had 2 new Audio books released this year, if you are a fan of listening to stories.
These 2 are scheduled to be released on Audio in December. So keep your eyes on your inbox for my newsletter announcement or on my Facebook page for release day!
So, that was the business end of things for me this past year. On to the personal... 2015 was indeed a crazy year for me on a personal level. In the beginning of the year, my husband and I went through some drastic life changes in our relationship dynamic. These changes are ongoing, but we are both much happier now than we were in the first few months of the year.
In August, 2 rooms in our house flooded when Florida was drenched with more rain in 2 weeks than we had seen all year. We are not in a flood zone, but still had a foot and a half of water in our backyard and about 5 inches in our bedroom and living room. It was a disaster that almost caused me to have a nervous breakdown. Thankfully, I have an excellent shrink who prescribed me something to make it through and thankfully, I only needed a few of those 'momma's little helpers' (yeah, my age just jumped out and slapped you with the Rolling Stones!) Everything is remodeled now thanks to my leather family coming to the rescue and helping us. My leather communities in Tampa and Jacksonville also reached out to help buy doing fundraisers to help us with the costs. I will forever be grateful to my leather brothers and sisters for their support while we went through this.
Speaking of leather, and kink by relation, I was on several panels (10 out of 14? or something crazy like that) at RainbowCon that were geared toward the kink and the lifestyle. I also hosted a 2 hour workshop on integrating kink into writing. As always, I am educating. I did several tactile demonstrations this year at local events (Leather Weekend (x2) at Sawmill & Fantasy Fest just to name a few) and look forward to doing more in the future.
I also decided to run for the first ever Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride title and won!. I am now Ms. Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2016 and you can follow me on Facebook, if you like. For those of you who do not know much (or anything) about leather titles, think Ms. America-ish. There are interviews (which are nerve wracking scary ), a speech, and a third category that contestants are judged on. Highest total wins the title, holds the title for a year (and has many responsibilities to go with it), and can move on to compete at the next level of competitions. The Ms. FLnFP title is a state level title and allows me to run for any national or international level titles should I choose. Things have been super crazy for me this week since winning the title, but I am honored to have it.
My plans for 2016 are not many and that is on purpose. I am scaling back on my book conventions and will only be attending 4. Those are:
Alt*Con in Tallahassee, Florida March 19-20thRT Book Lovers in Las Vegas, NV April 12-17thMegaCon 2016 in Orlando, Florida May 26-29thNecronomicon in Tampa, Florida Oct. TBA
I also expect to be traveling the state a lot to attend various leather & kink events to promote Florida Leather n' Fetish Pride 2017. Keep an eye on my Facebook title page if you want to know where I'll be and come see me!
Now that I have caught you up on everything (and taken up a bit of your time), I'm going to reward those of you who actually read this entire post! I am giving away a copy of each novel I have written between 2011 & 2014. That's 15 novels! I will pick 5 winners for this bundle. I will also be giving away an audio book bundle to include Guns & Hoses and Fire & Ice to 5 people. So, enter below and give yourself a great gift for the holidays!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
May 22, 2015
The first annual M/M Memorial Day Scavenger Hunt!
Hello Lovelies!
I am thrilled to invite you to play the first annual M/M Memorial Day Scavenger Hunt! How you ask? It's easy and you will get to visit some other really great authors and bloggers as you play! Here's what you need to do:
The rules are simple: At each stop on the tour you'll find a military themed picture with a word or words. Collect the words and figure out the secret phrase (HINT: It's lyrics to a song). Once you think you have the correct phrase, enter it into the Rafflecopter at any of the stops. One grand prize winner will be selected from all the correct phrases. Use the other Rafflecopter options to enter to win one of the runner-up packages.
Here are the prizes!
Grand Prize ($45 GC total)-Kindle Paperwhite (VWF) -Swag (VWF) -$25 GC (Jessie G) -$20 GC (Sara York) -2 ebooks (Jessie G & BFD) -Bad Boyfriends series ebooks & print (3 books) from Nya Rawlins
1st Place ($35 GC total) -$25 GC (Nya Rawlins) -$10 GC (Sloan Johnson) -CTR & backlist ebooks from Kade Boehme -Unicorns & Hidden Gem ebooks from Lissa Kasey -Winner's ebook of choice from MMGoodbookreviews -Adventures of Cole & Perry ebook from Amanda C. Stone
2nd Place ($30 GC total) -$20 GC (Aria Grace) -$10 ARE GC (Prism Book Alliance) -Love at First Site ebook from Cardeno C. -Trouble Comes in Threes ebook from M.A. Church -Winner's choice of Felice Stevens ebook
3rd Place ($20 GC total) -$10 Amazon GC (READing is FUN Da Mental) -$10 GC (Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye Candy) -backlist ebook from Annabeth Albert -Winner's choice of Aria Grace ebook -Winner's choice of Andrew Grey ebook 4th Place ($20 GC total) -$10 GC (Felice Stevens) -$10 Amazon GC (Amy Lane) -Undercover Love series ebooks (2 books) from Brendan Cothern -Winner's choice of Susan MacNicol ebook -Winner's choice of Lexi Ander ebook
5th Place ($20 GC total)-$10 Amazon GC (BFD) -$10 GC (Lexi Ander) -Winner's choice of Kindle Alexander ebook -Winner's choice of Susan MacNicol ebook -Winner's choice of backlist ebook from Cate Ashwood
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Participating Blogs/Authors:
May 25 - BFD Book Blog Cardeno C. Kade BoehmeMay 26 - Prism Book Alliance Cate Ashwood Reading is FunN'mentalMay 27 - Lissa Kasey Hearts On Fire Reviews Nya RawlynsMay 28 - Carly's Book Reviews Jessie G. Books Two Chicks Obsessed with Books and Eye CandyMay 29 - Annabeth Albert MM Good Books Reviews M.A. ChurchMay 30 - Amanda C. Stone Amy Lane Aria GraceMay 31 - Kindle Alexander Sara York Taylor BrooksJune 1 - Andrew Grey Divine Magazine Brenda CothernJune 2 - Kai Tyler 3 Chicks After Dark Sloan JohnsonJune 3 - Felice Stevens Lexi Ander Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies Oh My!
April 14, 2015
We all need a tax break!
Hello my lovelies!
Today is tax day (US). It's the day we all hate deep down inside but maybe this will cheer you up a bit! For one day only, get 25% off all my titles.... even the ones currently on sale!
Have you started my Mad Dogs series yet or need to get caught up? Now is the time to check out the Delta Force werewolves!
Or maybe you want to explore your kinky side and check out my two BDSM books that are banned on Amazon!!
Then there is always room for a hot cop & firefighter!
And for those of you who have already enjoyed Tig & Flame....did you know John has his own story? Yep!
So, check out these great deals and more by browsing my All Romance eBooks page! And remember, this sale is only for April 15th!
Today is tax day (US). It's the day we all hate deep down inside but maybe this will cheer you up a bit! For one day only, get 25% off all my titles.... even the ones currently on sale!
Have you started my Mad Dogs series yet or need to get caught up? Now is the time to check out the Delta Force werewolves!
Or maybe you want to explore your kinky side and check out my two BDSM books that are banned on Amazon!!
Then there is always room for a hot cop & firefighter!
And for those of you who have already enjoyed Tig & Flame....did you know John has his own story? Yep!
So, check out these great deals and more by browsing my All Romance eBooks page! And remember, this sale is only for April 15th!
April 8, 2015
My TNEE Experience.... the good, the bad, & the UGLY!
Hello my lovelies...
As many of you know, I booked TNEE as one of my conventions this year (my 5th con of the year actually) and I will admit, a major selling point for me was that it was in Las Vegas and we have a timeshare there. If you were at the convention or likely not, I am sure you have heard of all the 'drama' that is currently flying around. I say 'drama' in quotes because I believe when people are attacked for their opinion - especially by other people they have never met - the situation then falls into the drama category in my book. I don't have time for drama... hell, I barely have time to post this blog since I have another convention this coming weekend.
That said, this post is going to be very, very, long with a lot of documentation screenshots to support my opinions. I know that I am not alone in my opinions and I also know there are others who's opinions fall at the other end of the spectrum. I invite EVERYONE to reply to this blog and share your experience, thoughts, or comments about what happened this past weekend at TNEE. I want all fans, readers, and especially other authors to get both sides of this coin so they can make up their own minds about whether to attend future TNEE events. Read on for both this good, the bad, and the ugly.
I will start off saying that is it my own fault for allowing my excitement to see my colleagues and hang out with them in Las Vegas while meeting new fans & bloggers that blinded me to the first warning sign that something was not right with this convention. What was this red flag that should have been blatantly obvious to me? There was no contract between the producer (TNEE) and the vendors/artists (authors). I do 9-15 conventions a year and even the small weekend kink events at campgrounds ensure there is a contract between the venue and the businesses that will be selling anything at the event. So, shame on me for letting my excitement allow me to ignore this major red flag. It is a mistake, an expensive mistake, that I won't make again.
My biggest issue with TNEE is that the convention dates were advertised as April 3-5 and Sunday was canceled.
Now, I don't know if this was purposefully misleading on the producers' part or if Sunday was canceled out of the blue because it was Easter but regardless, I paid for three (3) days and was denied the third. Not only denied, but not even informed by the producer or staff that there would be no convention on Sunday. If I had not overheard someone mention on Friday that we wouldn't be setting up on Sunday, I would have had no clue that I wasn't supposed to be there. I posted my anger about this on FB:
This is a reply I received:
If there were never any Sunday events, why was this convention advertised as such? Also, in regards to the FB reply I received, I will share the schedule with you as well:
Notice that set up, registration, & panels are the only thing on this schedule. So, if an author isn't one of the lucky few to be selected for a panel, this day is not an actual convention day. Even worse, if you are a fan/reader, you would not even know the convention has started since the dates are listed as April 3-5. I have more to say about this particular scheduled day but will come back to it later.
While we are still near the author badge picture I shared, let me ask.... do you see anything missing from it? Like the author's name perhaps? Never, and I mean never have I ever paid for a convention and received a generic 'name' badge. This is pure laziness on the producers' part in my opinion. However, we were given the reason behind this decision: (paraphrasing here.) "It will force readers to approach you and ask your name which will give you the opportunity to talk to them." I have never heard such a thing in my life. Not all readers are comfortable approaching authors and if a fan is looking for a specific author, this 'system' only causes frustration.
Speaking of frustration.... Let me share some of the other 'last minute' changes that were dropped on the authors (posted on 3/23). Of course for most of us, it was too late to cancel attending the convention when these changes were announced because flights and rooms were booked and books had already been shipped.
According to TNEE, as of 3/23 (and still posted today 4/8), there was supposed to be security provided. I quote: "We have security for the area we are in. They will be watching everything for us while we aren't open. ALL BOOKS that you don't want to LUG can be put in our secure storage room behind registration. We will have a key and it will be the ONLY ONE for that room."Let me address this... a room is not 'security' that will be watching everything while we aren't open. A room is a room. While this was a viable option for many authors, for some of us it was not. It was suggested in the FB group (which I have either been removed from as of today (4/8) or has been closed) that we bring 30-50 books. Now, I took that to mean for each title and since I usually bring 10-15 books of each title to a convention anyway, I didn't think 30-50 was a lot. I brought 20 of each of my titles which came to roughly 350 books.
Let me address the above.... A. The Ballroom.... We were not in the ballroom. Apparently the hotel moved us to the Mezzanine and nothing could be done about it. Really? Nothing? Did TNEE not have a contract with Planet Hollywood? If not, why not? This is why the storage room above was needed. As I said, I brought 350 books with me, every one of my titles, because I was led to believe that the convention space would be locked up for the evening without me having to break down my set up and relocate my inventory.B. The Friday VIP Preview.... Many of you have heard of the author who was not allowed to set up on Sat. because she was not there on Fri. night for the VIP Preview. Let me actually quote part of this section for you. "You are not required in the ballroom for the two hour preview." This one sentence is what opens up TNEE to be sued by this author should said author decide to do so. The author has requested a refund and been denied. In my opinion, TNEE is lucky that the author is only asking for her $200 table fee to be returned and not asking for full reimbursement plus damages. Speaking of this author being refused entry.... another author offered to give away the denied author's books (since the denied author was planning to do so anyway) and not only caught flack for it but is now blacklisted from Romance Inc. events. The worst part of this helpful author being blacklisted is that the producer of TNEE did not inform her themselves but informed the author seated next to her so that the helpful author's table neighbor could do the dirty work of informing her. Where is the professionalism here? Of course, the refusal to allow the denied author entry to set up her table that she paid for and the attack on the author who was kind enough to stand up for her and pass out her books, pissed many of us off and was actually the final factor on why I decided to post a blog about my experience.C. Saturday Morning.... Again, we were supposed to be in the Ballroom. We weren't. In fact, I met two readers who thought the event was canceled because they went to the Ballroom and there was nothing there.... not even a sign stating that the event had been relocated to the Mezzanine. As for the "reader's lining up on time," what readers? The attendance for this convention was horrid and in hindsight, I am sure it had to do with the lack of advertising. Several readers posted to FB that they were in or near Las Vegas and had no idea the convention was even happening. It shouldn't only be the responsibility of the authors to promote the convention they are attending. The convention should be promoting their event as well.D. Author Green Room... This is the sole thing (again, my opinion) that TNEE did right for the authors on Saturday. The food provided by Planet Hollywood was excellent.
Bloggers and reviewers, along with readers, are the lifeblood for authors. I can't stress how important and how much I appreciate and love these people who volunteer their time to promote our work.... 9 times out of 10, for FREE. So, I was excited that TNEE was asking for blogger swag packs. I created 8 that were valued at $50 each (4 audio books, keychains, handmade paracord bracelets, bookmarks, etc,). I was delighted to meet 5 bloggers on Saturday but extremely upset (and later pissed off) when they told me they had not received ANY author blogger swag bags. I could understand if 1 blogger didn't get one of my bags, but all 5? What the hell? I very much would like to know what happen to the swag bags I created for these bloggers but I doubt I will receive an answer, even if I asked.
Let me comment on a few things that hurt the authors and put readers off...
At the VIP Preview (which cost the reader $125 for the preview signing (2 hours only) and VIP party), a reader was talking to an author a few tables down from me. The reader was holding two books and it appeared the reader was about to purchase the books when a TNEE volunteer approached the reader and author. I over heard the volunteer tell the reader that they couldn't be here without a VIP badge and would have to leave unless they wanted to purchase one for $125. The reader looked shocked and the author was horrified that a volunteer was running off a reader. The reader politely declined to purchase a VIP badge and placed the books back down on the authors table then left. Again, What the hell? This con is 'supposed' to be about the readers....How embarrassing for this author to have a potential new fan run off. I have no idea if that reader returned on Sat. but if that had happened to me as a reader, I wouldn't have because the volunteer didn't even mention that Sat. was free to the public. I witnessed at least 3 other readers told to leave after being 'pitched' to buy a VIP badge.
At least three (3) times on Sat. the event producer could be seen, and defiantly heard, screaming at authors over one thing or another. Her angry tantrums made her look very unprofessional and sent readers scurrying in the opposite direction. I was fortunate that I was not one of the authors, or at a table next to one of these authors, she decided to disrespect in this manner. Every convention has hiccups or issues but addressing them in public, around other authors and readers, is unprofessional. Screaming at people is not only unprofessional but extremely rude. Calling authors names, such as "bitch" and "cunt" (yep, she went there) when the authors are the only reason readers come to the event is intolerable. If an event producer can't handle the stress that comes with organizing the event without screaming at the people who PAID to be there when an issue arises, or at least do so in private where the event attendees are not witness to such behavior, than maybe the producer shouldn't be organizing the event to begin with... just saying.
A reader confronted the TNEE producer about several of these issues and recorded the conversation. I am posting this recording (even though I was asked to wait because of potential legalities) because this conversation was recorded in a public venue and there are no privacy violation issues (according to my attorney). The producer's attitude toward this reader and her opinion about the authors who make her event possible is deplorable. I will take full responsibility for making this audio public.
TNEE producer addressing reader concerns
On a personal note... there were several authors in attendance that will be at RainbowCon 2015 in Tampa Florida in July. Since I live in Tampa (and found out on Sat. that there were a few other Tampa Bay authors at TNEE) I decided that I would share the RainbowCon cards with the attending authors. I was not giving out the cards to promote the con but to let other authors know about the con in case their convention schedule is not booked for the year and they might have been interested in attending. I was approached by a TNEE volunteer and told, "You can't hand those out. If Stella sees you promoting another convention, she will freak. You can leave them on your table but not hand them out." Okay... I said that there was nothing stated anywhere that said I couldn't hand out the cards but that I would stop. I have never encountered this before unless there was a 'no-compete' clause in the contract. Oh but wait... there was no contract! So, I told the other authors who would be at RainbowCon and they offered to put cards on their tables. About an hour later, a different volunteer walked by my table with a stack of the RainbowCon cards in her hand. I specifically asked if she picked them up off another author's table and she said, "no, I was just told to collect them from the authors." REALLY? Again, I have never heard of such a thing. This is the first convention where I have encountered this and to say I am shocked at this level of pettiness is putting it mildly.
Now, I did enjoy my time in Vegas even though TNEE was a disaster. I had a blast with many of my friends and colleagues and met tons of new authors and fans who were awesome. I made 4 (yep, I said 4!) trips to the local gay nightclub Piranha and took more authors and readers with me each time! I saw Thunder from Down Under and Zumanity (which was totally awesome and surprisingly better than Thunder!). I gambled at Fremont Street for only 8 hours, easily drank over a case of free beer, hit my 'dead on 8' system 9 times (payout $72 a pop) and only lost $40.I don't think I dolphined (stealing this verbiage which means laughed) so much in years. If it wasn't for all of this, hanging out and enjoying the incredible company of fellow authors and readers, I would have been totally pissed for making the 2 day drive from Tampa for only 9 hours of work at the convention.I don't regret my trip to Vegas at all.... what I do regret is taking a chance on TNEE to become one of my annual conventions.
If you were at TNEE.... as an author or a reader.... PLEASE share your experience. I want every side of this coin for other authors, bloggers, and readers so they can make up their own minds about this convention in the future.
As many of you know, I booked TNEE as one of my conventions this year (my 5th con of the year actually) and I will admit, a major selling point for me was that it was in Las Vegas and we have a timeshare there. If you were at the convention or likely not, I am sure you have heard of all the 'drama' that is currently flying around. I say 'drama' in quotes because I believe when people are attacked for their opinion - especially by other people they have never met - the situation then falls into the drama category in my book. I don't have time for drama... hell, I barely have time to post this blog since I have another convention this coming weekend.
That said, this post is going to be very, very, long with a lot of documentation screenshots to support my opinions. I know that I am not alone in my opinions and I also know there are others who's opinions fall at the other end of the spectrum. I invite EVERYONE to reply to this blog and share your experience, thoughts, or comments about what happened this past weekend at TNEE. I want all fans, readers, and especially other authors to get both sides of this coin so they can make up their own minds about whether to attend future TNEE events. Read on for both this good, the bad, and the ugly.
I will start off saying that is it my own fault for allowing my excitement to see my colleagues and hang out with them in Las Vegas while meeting new fans & bloggers that blinded me to the first warning sign that something was not right with this convention. What was this red flag that should have been blatantly obvious to me? There was no contract between the producer (TNEE) and the vendors/artists (authors). I do 9-15 conventions a year and even the small weekend kink events at campgrounds ensure there is a contract between the venue and the businesses that will be selling anything at the event. So, shame on me for letting my excitement allow me to ignore this major red flag. It is a mistake, an expensive mistake, that I won't make again.
My biggest issue with TNEE is that the convention dates were advertised as April 3-5 and Sunday was canceled.
Now, I don't know if this was purposefully misleading on the producers' part or if Sunday was canceled out of the blue because it was Easter but regardless, I paid for three (3) days and was denied the third. Not only denied, but not even informed by the producer or staff that there would be no convention on Sunday. If I had not overheard someone mention on Friday that we wouldn't be setting up on Sunday, I would have had no clue that I wasn't supposed to be there. I posted my anger about this on FB:
This is a reply I received:
If there were never any Sunday events, why was this convention advertised as such? Also, in regards to the FB reply I received, I will share the schedule with you as well:
Notice that set up, registration, & panels are the only thing on this schedule. So, if an author isn't one of the lucky few to be selected for a panel, this day is not an actual convention day. Even worse, if you are a fan/reader, you would not even know the convention has started since the dates are listed as April 3-5. I have more to say about this particular scheduled day but will come back to it later.
While we are still near the author badge picture I shared, let me ask.... do you see anything missing from it? Like the author's name perhaps? Never, and I mean never have I ever paid for a convention and received a generic 'name' badge. This is pure laziness on the producers' part in my opinion. However, we were given the reason behind this decision: (paraphrasing here.) "It will force readers to approach you and ask your name which will give you the opportunity to talk to them." I have never heard such a thing in my life. Not all readers are comfortable approaching authors and if a fan is looking for a specific author, this 'system' only causes frustration.
Speaking of frustration.... Let me share some of the other 'last minute' changes that were dropped on the authors (posted on 3/23). Of course for most of us, it was too late to cancel attending the convention when these changes were announced because flights and rooms were booked and books had already been shipped.
According to TNEE, as of 3/23 (and still posted today 4/8), there was supposed to be security provided. I quote: "We have security for the area we are in. They will be watching everything for us while we aren't open. ALL BOOKS that you don't want to LUG can be put in our secure storage room behind registration. We will have a key and it will be the ONLY ONE for that room."Let me address this... a room is not 'security' that will be watching everything while we aren't open. A room is a room. While this was a viable option for many authors, for some of us it was not. It was suggested in the FB group (which I have either been removed from as of today (4/8) or has been closed) that we bring 30-50 books. Now, I took that to mean for each title and since I usually bring 10-15 books of each title to a convention anyway, I didn't think 30-50 was a lot. I brought 20 of each of my titles which came to roughly 350 books.
Let me address the above.... A. The Ballroom.... We were not in the ballroom. Apparently the hotel moved us to the Mezzanine and nothing could be done about it. Really? Nothing? Did TNEE not have a contract with Planet Hollywood? If not, why not? This is why the storage room above was needed. As I said, I brought 350 books with me, every one of my titles, because I was led to believe that the convention space would be locked up for the evening without me having to break down my set up and relocate my inventory.B. The Friday VIP Preview.... Many of you have heard of the author who was not allowed to set up on Sat. because she was not there on Fri. night for the VIP Preview. Let me actually quote part of this section for you. "You are not required in the ballroom for the two hour preview." This one sentence is what opens up TNEE to be sued by this author should said author decide to do so. The author has requested a refund and been denied. In my opinion, TNEE is lucky that the author is only asking for her $200 table fee to be returned and not asking for full reimbursement plus damages. Speaking of this author being refused entry.... another author offered to give away the denied author's books (since the denied author was planning to do so anyway) and not only caught flack for it but is now blacklisted from Romance Inc. events. The worst part of this helpful author being blacklisted is that the producer of TNEE did not inform her themselves but informed the author seated next to her so that the helpful author's table neighbor could do the dirty work of informing her. Where is the professionalism here? Of course, the refusal to allow the denied author entry to set up her table that she paid for and the attack on the author who was kind enough to stand up for her and pass out her books, pissed many of us off and was actually the final factor on why I decided to post a blog about my experience.C. Saturday Morning.... Again, we were supposed to be in the Ballroom. We weren't. In fact, I met two readers who thought the event was canceled because they went to the Ballroom and there was nothing there.... not even a sign stating that the event had been relocated to the Mezzanine. As for the "reader's lining up on time," what readers? The attendance for this convention was horrid and in hindsight, I am sure it had to do with the lack of advertising. Several readers posted to FB that they were in or near Las Vegas and had no idea the convention was even happening. It shouldn't only be the responsibility of the authors to promote the convention they are attending. The convention should be promoting their event as well.D. Author Green Room... This is the sole thing (again, my opinion) that TNEE did right for the authors on Saturday. The food provided by Planet Hollywood was excellent.
Bloggers and reviewers, along with readers, are the lifeblood for authors. I can't stress how important and how much I appreciate and love these people who volunteer their time to promote our work.... 9 times out of 10, for FREE. So, I was excited that TNEE was asking for blogger swag packs. I created 8 that were valued at $50 each (4 audio books, keychains, handmade paracord bracelets, bookmarks, etc,). I was delighted to meet 5 bloggers on Saturday but extremely upset (and later pissed off) when they told me they had not received ANY author blogger swag bags. I could understand if 1 blogger didn't get one of my bags, but all 5? What the hell? I very much would like to know what happen to the swag bags I created for these bloggers but I doubt I will receive an answer, even if I asked.
Let me comment on a few things that hurt the authors and put readers off...
At the VIP Preview (which cost the reader $125 for the preview signing (2 hours only) and VIP party), a reader was talking to an author a few tables down from me. The reader was holding two books and it appeared the reader was about to purchase the books when a TNEE volunteer approached the reader and author. I over heard the volunteer tell the reader that they couldn't be here without a VIP badge and would have to leave unless they wanted to purchase one for $125. The reader looked shocked and the author was horrified that a volunteer was running off a reader. The reader politely declined to purchase a VIP badge and placed the books back down on the authors table then left. Again, What the hell? This con is 'supposed' to be about the readers....How embarrassing for this author to have a potential new fan run off. I have no idea if that reader returned on Sat. but if that had happened to me as a reader, I wouldn't have because the volunteer didn't even mention that Sat. was free to the public. I witnessed at least 3 other readers told to leave after being 'pitched' to buy a VIP badge.
At least three (3) times on Sat. the event producer could be seen, and defiantly heard, screaming at authors over one thing or another. Her angry tantrums made her look very unprofessional and sent readers scurrying in the opposite direction. I was fortunate that I was not one of the authors, or at a table next to one of these authors, she decided to disrespect in this manner. Every convention has hiccups or issues but addressing them in public, around other authors and readers, is unprofessional. Screaming at people is not only unprofessional but extremely rude. Calling authors names, such as "bitch" and "cunt" (yep, she went there) when the authors are the only reason readers come to the event is intolerable. If an event producer can't handle the stress that comes with organizing the event without screaming at the people who PAID to be there when an issue arises, or at least do so in private where the event attendees are not witness to such behavior, than maybe the producer shouldn't be organizing the event to begin with... just saying.
A reader confronted the TNEE producer about several of these issues and recorded the conversation. I am posting this recording (even though I was asked to wait because of potential legalities) because this conversation was recorded in a public venue and there are no privacy violation issues (according to my attorney). The producer's attitude toward this reader and her opinion about the authors who make her event possible is deplorable. I will take full responsibility for making this audio public.
TNEE producer addressing reader concerns
On a personal note... there were several authors in attendance that will be at RainbowCon 2015 in Tampa Florida in July. Since I live in Tampa (and found out on Sat. that there were a few other Tampa Bay authors at TNEE) I decided that I would share the RainbowCon cards with the attending authors. I was not giving out the cards to promote the con but to let other authors know about the con in case their convention schedule is not booked for the year and they might have been interested in attending. I was approached by a TNEE volunteer and told, "You can't hand those out. If Stella sees you promoting another convention, she will freak. You can leave them on your table but not hand them out." Okay... I said that there was nothing stated anywhere that said I couldn't hand out the cards but that I would stop. I have never encountered this before unless there was a 'no-compete' clause in the contract. Oh but wait... there was no contract! So, I told the other authors who would be at RainbowCon and they offered to put cards on their tables. About an hour later, a different volunteer walked by my table with a stack of the RainbowCon cards in her hand. I specifically asked if she picked them up off another author's table and she said, "no, I was just told to collect them from the authors." REALLY? Again, I have never heard of such a thing. This is the first convention where I have encountered this and to say I am shocked at this level of pettiness is putting it mildly.
Now, I did enjoy my time in Vegas even though TNEE was a disaster. I had a blast with many of my friends and colleagues and met tons of new authors and fans who were awesome. I made 4 (yep, I said 4!) trips to the local gay nightclub Piranha and took more authors and readers with me each time! I saw Thunder from Down Under and Zumanity (which was totally awesome and surprisingly better than Thunder!). I gambled at Fremont Street for only 8 hours, easily drank over a case of free beer, hit my 'dead on 8' system 9 times (payout $72 a pop) and only lost $40.I don't think I dolphined (stealing this verbiage which means laughed) so much in years. If it wasn't for all of this, hanging out and enjoying the incredible company of fellow authors and readers, I would have been totally pissed for making the 2 day drive from Tampa for only 9 hours of work at the convention.I don't regret my trip to Vegas at all.... what I do regret is taking a chance on TNEE to become one of my annual conventions.
If you were at TNEE.... as an author or a reader.... PLEASE share your experience. I want every side of this coin for other authors, bloggers, and readers so they can make up their own minds about this convention in the future.
August 15, 2014
Setting 50 Shades fans right...
Hello my lovelies!
As many of you who are in the leather and BDSM lifestyle already know, the popularity of 50 Shades has totally misrepresented us. Those of you who were or are fans of the series and are making plans to see the movie (which I sincerely hope Hollywood tweaks enough to make better than the book!) should want to know the reality about the lifestyle so many of us live. And if you don't and want to remain ignorant to the truth, well there isn't much I or anyone else can do about it. I don't say this to insult you. Not by any means. I am just stating a fact.
By the end of this year, my new publishing company will be launched. Tied and Tethered Publishing is the brain child of mine that was birthed from the desire to counter the inaccuracies and bullshit about our lifestyle that was written in 50 Shades. The goal of this company is to provide realistic and factual scenes in any fiction that includes leather, kink, or BDSM. In fact, that will be the only requirement for submissions.
What does this mean?
Any genre: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, mystery, contemporary, romance, erotica.Any character combination: male/female, male/male, female/female, transgender, menage...whatever.All will be accepted provided they meet the realistic and factual requirement and the writing is up to par for publication.
For example: If you have a tentacle character who ties up a human to do nasty and wicked things, the bondage better be accurate!
So, if you are an author who is interested in being one of the debut novels for Tied and Tethered, send your pitch and 3 chapters to us!If you are reader who wishes to be kept up to date on the grand opening of this publishing company and its publications, you can join our mailing list.
Now for some news.
Tied and Tethered is looking for your REAL stories for their debut publication series, Real BDSM. The goal of this series is to provide those curious, and experienced alike, a REAL glimpse into our world since there are so many other books on the market that misrepresent our lifestyle. We are currently looking for true life accounts of (briefly) how you were introduced to the lifestyle along with your first scene (as detailed as possible if you can).
TnT wants REAL accounts, NOT fiction or fantasy. This can't be stressed enough!
No writing experience is required; just send us your story in your own words! Minimal editing will be applied (spelling, grammar, punctuation) if required.
This series will be ‘lightly’ modeled after Larry Townsend’s The Leatherman’s Handbook in that it will include a (very) brief introduction before your actual story. So, please include your community name or indicate how you would like to be given credit for your submission. Email your story to us!
All contributors will receive a FREE digital copy of the book when it is published.
On that note, I will leave you with this funny video... it is worth watching!
As many of you who are in the leather and BDSM lifestyle already know, the popularity of 50 Shades has totally misrepresented us. Those of you who were or are fans of the series and are making plans to see the movie (which I sincerely hope Hollywood tweaks enough to make better than the book!) should want to know the reality about the lifestyle so many of us live. And if you don't and want to remain ignorant to the truth, well there isn't much I or anyone else can do about it. I don't say this to insult you. Not by any means. I am just stating a fact.
By the end of this year, my new publishing company will be launched. Tied and Tethered Publishing is the brain child of mine that was birthed from the desire to counter the inaccuracies and bullshit about our lifestyle that was written in 50 Shades. The goal of this company is to provide realistic and factual scenes in any fiction that includes leather, kink, or BDSM. In fact, that will be the only requirement for submissions.
What does this mean?
Any genre: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, mystery, contemporary, romance, erotica.Any character combination: male/female, male/male, female/female, transgender, menage...whatever.All will be accepted provided they meet the realistic and factual requirement and the writing is up to par for publication.
For example: If you have a tentacle character who ties up a human to do nasty and wicked things, the bondage better be accurate!
So, if you are an author who is interested in being one of the debut novels for Tied and Tethered, send your pitch and 3 chapters to us!If you are reader who wishes to be kept up to date on the grand opening of this publishing company and its publications, you can join our mailing list.
Now for some news.
Tied and Tethered is looking for your REAL stories for their debut publication series, Real BDSM. The goal of this series is to provide those curious, and experienced alike, a REAL glimpse into our world since there are so many other books on the market that misrepresent our lifestyle. We are currently looking for true life accounts of (briefly) how you were introduced to the lifestyle along with your first scene (as detailed as possible if you can).
TnT wants REAL accounts, NOT fiction or fantasy. This can't be stressed enough!
No writing experience is required; just send us your story in your own words! Minimal editing will be applied (spelling, grammar, punctuation) if required.
This series will be ‘lightly’ modeled after Larry Townsend’s The Leatherman’s Handbook in that it will include a (very) brief introduction before your actual story. So, please include your community name or indicate how you would like to be given credit for your submission. Email your story to us!
All contributors will receive a FREE digital copy of the book when it is published.
On that note, I will leave you with this funny video... it is worth watching!
July 15, 2014
Totally blown away....
Hello again, my twisted lovelies!
Since I was part of the BDSM blog tour at the beginning of the month, I did not do a proper book release post for my new title, Guns & Hoses. So, here it is!
Guns & Hoses is my eighteenth title since 2010. I so can't believe I have been an author for 4 years (well, 3.5, actually until Nov. *grin*) already. Time has flown by! I have been extremely successful at self publishing compared to and according to some of my fellow authors. So, successful in fact, that as many of you know I became incorporated in 2012 just to get away from the 28% self employment (1099) tax that was eating up my royalties!
St. Pete Pride 2014Of course, this success is do to several factors, I am sure. I have two Bachelor degrees (Business Management & Marketing) that I jokingly say I gave up to become an author. However, I am sure they play a large part in my success thus far. Another aspect that has contributed to how well my new career is going, is that I am fortunate enough to be able to write full time. My very loving husband (that's him, he's a cutie, huh?) nudged me, well kinda shoved me, into finishing my first novel, Fates, back in 2010 and has encouraged my career. I am beyond lucky that I do not have to work 40 hours a week and squeeze my writing whenever I can.
But finally, my success can be contributed to you, my fans, my readers, and I can't thank you enough! I never planned on or dreamed I would end up being an author (unlike most others), so all I can say is thank you for helping me become so successful at my new career.
So, why am I blown away right now? Well, Guns & Hoses was released on June 30th and has sold over 1600 copies already! *squeeee* It has been on 3 Amazon Best Seller lists since release and made it to number 2 on ARe. Now, I have had other Amazon & ARe Best Sellers but the feeling never gets old. The excitement is fresh every damn time! I can't thank everyone enough for making me feel this rush again!
If you haven't checked out Guns & Hoses yet, here's the blurb and where you can get it.
Tigger Flint and Thomas Flame shared an instant mutual hate for one another since the day they met in sixth grade. Their dislike grew into competition and rivalry throughout high school as they were stuck in the same honors classes and played the same sports. That hatred and rivalry followed them into adulthood as one became and cop and the other a fireman.
Sharing the same haunt, Guns & Hoses, gave everyone from both departments plenty of opportunity to witness their personal war. Being forced back onto the football field for a charity game gave both men another venue for their hatred and rivalry to make an appearance.
But those feelings weren't the only emotions in attendance and the winner of the game could just be both of them.
Amazon Smashwords ARe Paperback Barnes & Noble iTunes
Several reviewers have also chimed in and I have been interviewed recently as well. If you would like to see what everyone is saying (or read my interview), just hop over to my website and scroll down to the book for all the links :)
Thank you all again! Without you, I wouldn't have my wonderful new career!
Since I was part of the BDSM blog tour at the beginning of the month, I did not do a proper book release post for my new title, Guns & Hoses. So, here it is!
Guns & Hoses is my eighteenth title since 2010. I so can't believe I have been an author for 4 years (well, 3.5, actually until Nov. *grin*) already. Time has flown by! I have been extremely successful at self publishing compared to and according to some of my fellow authors. So, successful in fact, that as many of you know I became incorporated in 2012 just to get away from the 28% self employment (1099) tax that was eating up my royalties!
St. Pete Pride 2014Of course, this success is do to several factors, I am sure. I have two Bachelor degrees (Business Management & Marketing) that I jokingly say I gave up to become an author. However, I am sure they play a large part in my success thus far. Another aspect that has contributed to how well my new career is going, is that I am fortunate enough to be able to write full time. My very loving husband (that's him, he's a cutie, huh?) nudged me, well kinda shoved me, into finishing my first novel, Fates, back in 2010 and has encouraged my career. I am beyond lucky that I do not have to work 40 hours a week and squeeze my writing whenever I can.But finally, my success can be contributed to you, my fans, my readers, and I can't thank you enough! I never planned on or dreamed I would end up being an author (unlike most others), so all I can say is thank you for helping me become so successful at my new career.
So, why am I blown away right now? Well, Guns & Hoses was released on June 30th and has sold over 1600 copies already! *squeeee* It has been on 3 Amazon Best Seller lists since release and made it to number 2 on ARe. Now, I have had other Amazon & ARe Best Sellers but the feeling never gets old. The excitement is fresh every damn time! I can't thank everyone enough for making me feel this rush again!
If you haven't checked out Guns & Hoses yet, here's the blurb and where you can get it.
Tigger Flint and Thomas Flame shared an instant mutual hate for one another since the day they met in sixth grade. Their dislike grew into competition and rivalry throughout high school as they were stuck in the same honors classes and played the same sports. That hatred and rivalry followed them into adulthood as one became and cop and the other a fireman.Sharing the same haunt, Guns & Hoses, gave everyone from both departments plenty of opportunity to witness their personal war. Being forced back onto the football field for a charity game gave both men another venue for their hatred and rivalry to make an appearance.
But those feelings weren't the only emotions in attendance and the winner of the game could just be both of them.
Amazon Smashwords ARe Paperback Barnes & Noble iTunes
Several reviewers have also chimed in and I have been interviewed recently as well. If you would like to see what everyone is saying (or read my interview), just hop over to my website and scroll down to the book for all the links :)
Thank you all again! Without you, I wouldn't have my wonderful new career!
June 20, 2014
BDSM... A Continuous Jorney
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Hello my twisted & kinky lovelies! I was excited when asked to join this blog. As many of you know, Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, Masochism, or more commonly referred to by just the acronym BDSM is a lifestyle I have be living for awhile. My journey is ongoing, as anyone who undertakes this lifestyle knows is the case, and for the last eighteen years I have discovered things about myself that were pleasant, shocking, and scary.I want to share with you the highlights of my own journey. But before I do, I need to remind (or educate you) that not everyone's journey in this lifestyle is the same. Not everyone experiences the same interpersonal growth. Not everyone wants the D/s (Dominant/submissive) facet that can accompany BDSM. There is nothing wrong with just enjoying the physical aspects of BDSM without incorporating the mental D/s aspect. Every relationship is different. That difference doesn't mean it's wrong. It is just different from your own.That being said, before I begin my story, let me share some definitions from Merrian Webster.
Bondage - A sexual activity that involves tying a person up for pleasure.Discipline - control that is granted by requiring that rules or order be obeyed and punishing bad behavior.Sadism - Sexual enjoyment obtained by the infliction of physical or mental pain on others (as on a love subject)Masochism - Sexual enjoyment or pleasure that someone gets from be hurt or punished.
More recently the DS in BDSM has been given the duel definitions and identification for Dominant/submissive. So, I am including these definitions as well.Dominant - Commanding, controlling or prevailing over all others; a dominant individual in a social hierarchy.submissive - willing to obey someone else characterized by tendencies to yield to the will or authority of others.
Now, I will share my journey with you.
When I first met my husband, I knew nothing about this lifestyle. Sure, I knew about some kink... hell, I had been handcuffed and tied down before, even spanked and smacked during sex, but that just made me a bit kinky....right? Well, this is true for most people and with the popularity of Fifty Shades, sadly, most people still fall into this category. But, I digress. As I said, I did not know this kind of kink was actually a lifestyle until I met my husband...and his then current wife... when they needed a nanny. Go ahead, make your Fran Drescher jokes. I'll wait.
Okay, not that you have that out of your system, I'll continue.
It was meeting them that I was introduced to the D/s - BDSM lifestyle. It was his then wife who encouraged my husband and I to enter into a D/s relationship. Now, prior to meeting and moving in with them, I had been highly independent, strong minded, and opinionated. The thought of being submissive equated being weak in my uneducated mind. I soon learned not only was I wrong but I was very, very, wrong. As my education began, I reveled in the self challenge to give up the control I had always held onto with an unwavering grip. The same was true for the BDSM aspects that my husband incorporated into our relationship. I took every bit of pain as challenge to not safeword even though I knew that safewording didn't mean I was weak. For five years (three of which were after his wife left him but that's another story), I was my husband's submissive. I can honestly say that these five years were the most challenging, most enlightening, and most educating of my life. That says much since I have earned two Bachelor degrees. Submitting to my husband waned after we married in 2001. This was due to several factors. Our children had become an age where our lifestyle had to change so that our focus was on them. However, as much as I would like to say that was why we packed everything away in the hope chest, the truth is that my Dominant side was growing stronger. I never really fell into my roll as a submissive. It never came naturally to me. Never BECAME natural for me. Every act of submission was still a challenge, it was almost exhausting, and my husband recognized this. This is when my education shifted and changed direction.
Over the years, our children grew and my journey in the lifestyle continued slowly. We had part time subs that we shared. Usually, just weekend encounters and we still do this since neither of us has found a submissive that suits our needs (together or individually.) My husband and I 'played' when we could and I still submitted to my husband in a BDSM aspect. I enjoyed the kink and Hell, I still do. Did this effect my education as a Dominant? No, it actually has made me a better Dominant and through my journey and education, have since learned that most Dominants train as a submissive for a period of time. Now that our children are grown, we have once more returned to the lifestyle that we both realized we missed greatly. The difference now? I sub to my husband for the BDSM kink only. We are husband and wife who happen to be both Dominants. We can also be open and active in our lifestyle community. The freedom to be around others of like mind and to learn from them, to continue not only my journey but my husband's as well, has been liberating for us both and has only made our relationship stronger.
Now, I am going to shift gears, then wrap this blog up.
With the overwhelming popularity of Fifty Shades, BDSM has become "popular." Sadly though, this popularity is hurting our lifestyle. Most of us who have read the trash that was Fifty Shades are insulted at the unrealistic dramatization of what the BDSM D/s lifestyle is really about. Yes, this series is fiction but for the general population who know no better (and the fact that this fiction introduced them to the lifestyle), it has caused many people to bypass the proper training and education in order to explore the lifestyle. They are learning from other (now popular) BDSM fictional novels, youtube videos, and websites that often continue to misrepresent the lifestyle. In their haste to introduce the kink that turned them on from reading a book, they do not grasp the totality of the mental component of BDSM and/or D/s. I feel safe in saying that 90% of the BDSM D/s lifestyles are mental and not physical. It is this facet that those who think this lifestyle is abusive miss entirely. It is also what threatens the safety of new Dominants and submissives.
So, I share this with you.
I mentioned the popularity of BDSM novels and as an author, I have written my own. Did I write them because they seem to be the hottest thing on the market right now and they might push up my royalties? No, I wrote Not for Sale and Highest Bidder to give readers a realistic BDSM experience in a fictional novel. So, that being the case, I am giving away two digital copies of the combined novels, Undercover Love.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you hopped here from somewhere else, thank you for visiting My Twisted & Kinky World. If you are here because you seen my post about the blog, please hop onto see the others on this tour. The tour does not officially start until July 5th so if you are here early, I hope you will come back and hop to the others once the tour is underway.
May 14, 2014
Devon McCormack, author of Clipped stops by!
Hello again, my Twisted & Kinky Lovelies!
Did the hot book cover above grab your attention? Well, whether you are into angels or not, it should have! It is the book cover for brand new author Devon McCormack's first novel, Clipped. And just let me say, if you think the cover is HOT then the pages are surely going to burn you up!I read Clipped when it first was published by Devon and I am thrilled that it was picked up by a publisher. When I was contacted by Pride Promotions to join Devon's blog tour, I was excited to help spread the word about this awesome novel!
Check out the blurb: Though mortals have been convinced that God cares about their souls, nothing could be further from the truth. He created the world as a gift for his lover, Satan. But when Satan left him, he decided to end what he saw as his most grotesque creation.Satan and his army of demons are man's only hope...
The demon Kinzer and his lover, Janka, have been sent by Satan to spy on The Raze, a gang of rogue demons who are working with God to bring about Armageddon. When someone exposes their true allegiances, The Raze clips Kinzer's wings and murders Janka. Kinzer manages to escape. He tracks down Satan's allies to warn them about a mole in their midst when he learns that they've located the Antichrist—a powerful weapon that could prevent the apocalypse. Now, he's on a mission to protect the Antichrist and avenge his lover’s death.
So, without further adieu, let me introduce you to my special guest, Devon McCormack, so you can get to know more about this great new author! Be sure to continue reading after the interview for a giveaway and excerpt, and where to get your greedy little hands on this title!
Hi Devon and welcome to My Twisted & Kinky World! It’s wonderful to have you here!
Hey, Brenda. I just want to take a moment to thank you. You were my first review for Clipped, and you were so encouraging and supportive, and I appreciate that so much.
Awww... you are most welcome. As most know, I don't tend to leave reviews unless a novel total rocks my world and yours certainly did!
So, growing up, who was your favorite author?
In middle school, it was S.E. Hinton. I loved The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, Tex. I wasn’t a big reader back then, but those books sucked me right in. In high school, I became obsessed with William Faulkner, which leads perfectly into your next question--
What writer gives you the most inspiration and/or which one do you aspire to be like?
William Faulkner. Hands down. I adore William Faulkner. I can’t say that I’ll ever be even remotely like him, but I love the way he conveys a story. I love his mind. I love his dialogue. I don’t think anyone who reads this will see any comparison between his work and mine, but it’s because I make no attempt at being anything like him. I know I’ll never be that. I can only be me.
How did you figure out you wanted to be an author?
When I was a kid, I’d write little stories, and my dad would always say, “You’re gonna grow up to be a writer.” But I didn’t like that. It sounded boring. I wanted to go on adventures. I wanted to explore. I wanted to live an exciting life, and I didn’t think I could do that by sitting at a keyboard all day. I’m willing to admit that this was an erroneous assumption on my part.
Eventually, it just sort of took over, and I fell in love with it. I don’t know. I just always gravitated to it. It’s the easiest way for me to express myself.
What was the first piece you ever wrote?
I wrote a story about kid superheroes at like…eight-years-old. I ended up turning it into a novel many, many years later, but it was my first love.
How much of what you write is based on personal experience?
Every single bit of it. I write paranormal stories. Clipped is about angels and demons fucking left and right while battling the apocalypse, but it’s all based on my own life. It’s based on emotions I’ve felt in relationships. It’s based on questions that I’ve had about the nature of religion since I was first exploring the topic.
Do you have any rituals involving your writing? Before/during/after?
For the most part, I always outline the entire story before I begin. It changes throughout, and about 75% through the novel, I go back and re-outline. Then I finish the story. For Clipped, the outline was maybe 30 major bullet points. I just finished a paranormal book with a bit of mystery to it and that had about 80, but it’s not any longer than Clipped. In fact, it might be about 5,000 words shorter. There were just so many components to it that I wanted to make sure that I knew how everything came together before I started. Even then, the story transformed throughout the writing process. As much as I like to believe these outlines will make my work easier, at the end of the day, I still have to beat out the pages, and that can be a daunting task.
What is your writing process?
It’s whatever gets words on the page. Some scenes, they flow easily and write themselves. Others are so heinous that I’m not sure I was ever able to write to begin with. If a scene is really difficult, then I start it off just as bullet points of things that need to happen and work from that until I’m able to flesh out a scene.
Clipped flowed very naturally. It was rare that I found a scene that I needed to force myself through, but usually, that’s the case. There’s this one scene that has to be written, but I don’t want to write it. To me, writing a book is like being in a relationship. If I want to do it, there are some things that I have to be willing to put up with. And scenes that I just don’t want to write are included in those things. It’s not always easy. It’s not always fun. But it has to get done.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you? And how have you overcome it?
A desire to make everything absolutely perfect. I think that’s the fastest way to never write a book. Certainly, I strive to make it as good as I can, but sometimes that means that something isn’t as good as I wished it had been. In the end, no book has ever lived up to my dream vision, but I don’t let that stop me from writing it. There’s a bit of a mind-fuck that I use to get to the end, and it goes something like, “This one is going to be crap. This one is going to be total crap, so just let it be crap.” It frees me from the pressure of having to write something amazing. And usually, it’s not nearly as bad as I think it’s going to turn out.
Are you able to write full time? Is that your ambition or something you want to keep on the side?
No. I’m a poor person. I just do it on the side.
Do you as an author concentrate on one genre? Or do you feel like you should try to find your voice among the genres?
Well, I’m writing several gay books. If we’re going to count that as a genre, then yes. I write a lot of projects, but I’m primarily focusing on those, because I know that there are people out there who will read them. Certainly, I have other ideas and other books that I’ve written. But no one really cares about them. I self published a middle grade novel. No one reads it. No one cares. It’s my favorite project that I’ve ever written, but I think it’s just going to kind of float around until the day I die.
Have you ever based a character on a friend or enemy?
They’re all based on friends and enemies. Some are the teachers that I hated. Some are my current best friends. When I’m writing those pieces where I know friends will catch the similarity, I get a little nervous, but I would rather be called out than stifle the creative impulse, so I always write it.
I bet they love that! On that note, f you had to name one character you have written that was the most like you, which character in which book would that be?
I have a vampire novel coming out with Wilde City Press in October. It’s called The Pining of Kevin Harding. The main character, whose name is surprisingly Kevin Harding, is so much more like me than any of the other characters I’ve written. I didn’t intend for it to be that way, but the more I wrote, the more I knew it was going to turn out that way.
How do you feel when you finish a book?
“This is crap. No one’s going to like it. Why did I waste all my time doing this? I should just delete it.”
Well, I bet the response to Clipped was a big surprise for you!
How long of a break do you take between books?
Recently, I haven’t taken any breaks. I just finished three books during the winter, and I think that’s how I work best. Whenever I take breaks, I get wildly depressed. There’s a sort of storytelling withdrawal that occurs, and I think the best way to prevent that is to move on to the next story.
How do you react to a bad review of your work?
Cry. Throw a fit. Feel sorry for myself. I try to let myself get really upset about it and then I let it go. There are some perks. I’ve had some amazing quotes in bad reviews that I think make my work sound far more interesting than it really is. The best kind of bad review I can hope for is one that is offended and outraged by the book. At least I’m evoking a powerful response. My greatest fear is a review that’s like, “This was meh.”
What is the best thing about being a writer?
I fall in love…over and over and over again. But it’s different, because I know my characters more than I can know a real-life person. I know how they think. I know why they do horrible things. There are some heinous characters that I adore. In Clipped, there’s a villain named Vera. The love of her life abandoned her, and now she does atrocious things to get back at him. It’s hard for me not to relate. People hurt you, and you want to hurt them back, so it’s easy for me to feel sorry for her. I doubt other people will, though.
What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?
In Clipped, there’s this angel with a 20-inch dick. Part of the issue is that he tries to fuck this guy with a very mortal hole, and it’s quite problematic. I think people assume that because I’m writing about this ginormous cock, that I must be a size queen. Truth is, big cocks scare the shit out of me. Most of my life, I’ve avoided guys with big cocks. If anything, the reason I wrote about a 20-incher is because the idea was horrifying, and I largely write about things that scare me.
OMG, Traycore... ummm what can I say about him and that scene? Oh, Oh, I know! Yummmmm. Everyone knows that I am a size queen so that scene was just... *gush*! Yes, I am that twisted! I hope you write more about him and Kid in the next novel!!! Pleeaaaaaaseeeee!
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Besides Clipped, I have the vampire novel coming out through Wilde City Press in October. I also have a young adult novel being released by Harmony Ink Press, Dreamspinner Press’ young adult imprint. And I’m wrapping up on revisions for another book that will surely be released at some point. So…just writing, writing, writing. Oh, and editing, editing, editing.
Where can readers find out more about you and your books?
I have a blog, www.devonmccormack.com, or they can visit my Goodreads Author page. I use Facebook and Twitter, but mostly my serious updates are on my blog or Goodreads. Or at Wilde City Press and on Amazon.
As promised, here is the giveaway for your very own HOT copy of Clipped!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And now the excerpt!
Dedrus scanned Kinzer’s body, admiring his massive biceps, his brown eyes, and his black waves of hair. Even with the wounds and tears that still tainted his face, he was beautiful. Dedrus wanted to press him back against the cushion, rip off his clothes, and provide him with the ease he deserved. But no! He was just wanting it for himself, and he was pretending that it was to serve Kinzer’s pain. “I loved him so much.” The words cracked through Kinzer’s lips. His cheeks and forehead shivered. Tears filled his eyes. “I know we had so much time, but it wasn’t enough.”The sting in Dedrus’s chest intensified. His cheeks flashed red as anger washed over him—anger that he loathed because it made him feel like a terrible, selfish creature.He set his hand on Kinzer’s back, his palm stroking softly across the blue fabric of his polo. He wanted to say, “You’ll find love again.” He couldn’t, because he knew he’d really be saying, “Please find love in me.” He thought of saying, “Everything will be alright.” No. He couldn’t make that kind of promise. “It’ll take time,” felt appropriate, and yet, as an immortal, Dedrus never perceived time as a generous gift as much as a twisted, agonizing punishment.“I wish I could think of something right to say about this,” Dedrus said, “but I can’t. I know how much you loved him, and I know how much he loved you, and I can’t imagine how hard this is going to be for you. But I’m here. As your friend. I don’t know if that means much, but I know the feeling of having something so perfect and wonderful torn from you.”Kinzer’s gaze met his. His eyes were sad. Does he know what I’m talking about? “Tell me you’ve found someone,” Kinzer said.“Of course,” he lied. “I’m just being overdramatic.”“I figured as much. Considering where you work, I'm sure you get a lot of offers.”It was true, but not the way Kinzer was suggesting. There were nights when Treycore dragged some pathetic mortal back to ease Dedrus’s pain. Those nights were the loneliest. Though he could bring himself to climax, it was an empty relief that just stirred the cruel memories of those moments filled with so much more.Dedrus hugged him again. “Let’s get to bed,” he said. “You need some sleep.”Kinzer nodded.“We have plenty to sort through tomorrow. You can have my room. I’ll just sleep here.”Dedrus released him.Kinzer picked the sword up off his lap and stood. He reached his hand out. “Come on. It won’t be the first time we’ve shared a bed.”The upward curl of his lip let Dedrus know that Kinzer was more than interested.Dedrus’s dick swelled. “I don’t think I can.” He wanted Kinzer so bad, and if he put himself in that position, he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to resist making a move—especially if Kinzer initiated something.“I'd rather not disrespect you like that,” Dedrus said.Kinzer’s hand fell, bouncing against his jeans. His head drooped.“Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”Dedrus smiled. “‘Night, Kinzer.”Kinzer knelt, offering a light peck on Dedrus’s lips. Don’t tease me with a taste! “Up the stairs, first room on the right.”Kinzer walked up the stairs, headed down the hall, and slipped into Dedrus’s bedroom.Dedrus had hoped that Kinzer’s exit would provide some relief.It didn't.He ached for him. His thoughts dwelled on Kinzer’s lips tickling his nipples, his gaze appreciating his body, his tongue delighting in his body’s grooves. He wanted to run upstairs and throw his arms around him, to hold him for the night, and tell him that no matter what happened he’d be there for him. He wanted more than that, but he wouldn’t press his friend. He wouldn’t dare cross that line…even if Kinzer insisted.Spreading his limbs across the couch, he rested his head on a lace pillow at the end and rolled so that he was facing the cushions.He closed his eyes.A few moments passed before something pressed against his ass.He flipped over and hopped to his feet, ready for a fight.Kinzer stood before him, holding his hands out, as if showing a cop that he was unarmed. “Whoa, cowboy. Chill the fuck out.”“Sorry.” Every hair on Dedrus’s immortal body stood on end. “You freaked the shit out of me. Did you need something? Another cover? Pillows?”Kinzer wiggled his thumb behind the waistband in Dedrus’s khakis.“Yeah. I need something.” He pulled their pelvises together.His hot breath rushed across Dedrus’s lips, settling in the bristles across his cheeks. The warmth combined with a rush of blood that surged to his face and made him feel like his cheeks were about to catch on fire.Kinzer pressed his lips against Dedrus’s.Amidst the creases in Kinzer’s lips, Dedrus felt the smooth, subtle dip where Kinzer’s cut was healing.He trailed his palm over the rough fabric of Kinzer’s polo. As he reached the smooth flesh of his neck, curly black hairs pricked his fingertips.Kinzer opened his mouth wide. Dedrus eagerly reciprocated, tilting his head and allowing their lips to seal together. A swirling sensation gathered at the back of his spine and rushed to the crown of his skull.Guilt nagged at his thoughts. He couldn’t do this. Kinzer didn’t really want him. He was just vulnerable and ached for a physical distraction from his grief. It would be wrong to take advantage while he was still recovering from Janka’s death.Kinzer’s tongue flicked his.He wanted Kinzer so bad, but not like that. Pressing his hand against the dip between the bulbous, jagged pecs before him, he broke their sealed kiss.
For you authors who may be checking out this interview and looking to do a blog tour of your own, check out:
May 7, 2014
Aredyrah is back!
Tour ScheduleIndie Hoopla Gala (5/5) | Mary's Cup of Tea (5/6)
Siren's Dreamscape (5/7)
Njkinny's World of Books (5/8) | Carpe Diem (5/8)
My Twisted and Kinky World (5/9) | Indie Author How-to (5/9)
Saintz Realm Spotlightz (5/12)
Fated Dimensions (5/13) | My Inner Muse (5/13)
A Saintz Dream (5/14) | The Blood Flow (5/14)
My Fae-void Demon (5/15)
Laki Loves Indies (5/16) | Hell Fyre Risen (5/16)
Series: Souls of Aredyrah
About the Series
Game of Thrones meets Narnia in this epic tale of two boys whose chance meeting leads them to a disturbing discovery: Not only are they bound by blood and prophecy, but their opposing beliefs are founded on similar lies. With adventure and romance, mysticism and cultural conflicts, this coming-of-age tales asks: What would you do if you learned everything you’ve been raised to believe is false—and those in power will do anything to stop the truth?
Book 1
In the world of Aredyrah, things are not what they seem. An ancient Purge has plunged the island into darkness, isolating its cultures by superstition and fear. Dayn lives in the northernmost region of Kirador and knows nothing of the great city-state of Tearia far to the south. All he knows is the Kiradyns are the only survivors of a god’s fiery wrath, and he looks nothing like them. Meanwhile Ruairi, a prince destined for greatness, resents his Tearian obligations, longing for a life he can never hope to have. But when tragedy takes his beauty as well as his name, he finds himself exiled by the very beliefs he once held dear. Both boys long for acceptance in societies that cling to religious ideals, but when fate throws them together, Dayn and Ruairi discover some unwelcome truths: not only are they bound by blood and prophecy, but the teachings they have been raised on are nothing more than lies. Will they reveal what they have learned, risking their lives and the security of those they love? Or will they keep silent, denying their destinies and the future enlightenment of their world?Buy Book #1: The Fire and the LightEbooks: Kindle | Smashwords | Nook | Sony Paperback: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Book 2
The Prophecy has come to life in Tearia, and the Temple wants nothing more than to see it dead. Whispers say the Unnamed One walks amongst them, and there is little doubt as to who that person is. Reiv is oblivious to the hopes turning in his direction, just as he is ignorant of a plot being waged against him. He has no time for rumors or innuendos; he is too busy trying to build a new life for himself. But the life he longs for will have to wait. A rebel movement is growing, and Reiv’s cousin Dayn has joined the insurgents in their cause.Angered by Dayn’s involvement, Reiv reverts to his old self-serving behaviors. He wants nothing to do with prophecies or rebellions, and isn’t sure he wants anything to do with Dayn either. But when tragedy throws Reiv into new turmoil, he finds himself facing a dangerous choice. Someone he loves is dying, and there is only one chance to save him.
Will Reiv choose to be a Transcendor, fated to sacrifice his life for another? Or is he truly the Unnamed One, a hero destined for glory? One will save the life of an individual, the other that of an entire kingdom.
Buy Book #2: The Search for the Unnamed OneAmazon | Smashwords | BN | Kobo
Book 3
The saga of Aredyrah continues as Dayn and Alicine return to Kirador to find things very different from when they left. Their house has been ransacked, their parents missing, and evidence of spell work has put a price on Dayn’s head. Frightened, they go to the nearest place they know of: the homestead of Haskel, a man who has never been accepting of Dayn’s differences, and even less so of his own son’s.
Back in Tearia, Reiv has settled into the quiet life of a Shell Seeker. But while the rhythm of his routine is calm, the longings of his heart are not. He turns to Cora, an eye-catching girl who has also drawn the attentions of Lyal, a man whose hatred of Reiv goes far beyond jealously. But romance is the least of Reiv’s worries. A terrible plague is spreading, and Reiv’s brother, the King, is determined to burn it from the land—even if it means killing innocents along the way.While Reiv risks annihilation by Tearia’s increasingly brutal king, Dayn suffers challenges of his own. His disappearance from Kirador months before not only ended the existence he once knew, but started a witch hunt that threatens his safety and the survival of his clan.
Both Dayn and Reiv find themselves facing a difficult choice: Leave their homelands in order to save themselves and those they love, or stay and fight an evil they cannot hope to defeat.
Buy Book #3: The Taking of the DawnAmazon | Smashwords | BN | Kobo
Book 4
In this final installment of the award-winning Souls of Aredyrah series, Dayn and Reiv find themselves facing an old foe and falling into the trap of a new one. Struggling to make their way home through a bitter landscape, they soon discover they are not alone. A tribe known as the Taubastets has captured them in a life-or-death scenario, and the tribe’s chief is determined that one of them must be sacrificed. When a young warrior named Tyym vows to see them home, they face decisions that will not only affect their survival, but the spiritual salvation of their world.
While Reiv, Dayn, and Tyym navigate a web of conspiracy and doubt, Dayn’s sister Alicine struggles with loss and the impending threat of invasion. The king of Tearia has not abandoned his quest to slay them, and his seemingly unstoppable army is nearly through the pass. But when Tyym enters the scene, hope is rekindled. Even Alicine cannot deny the charisma of the mysterious warrior who has wormed his way into their lives, and into her heart.The game is in play. A traitor is in their midst. Can the souls of Aredyrah hope to defeat a monster disguised as a king? Or will they succumb to a darkness beyond their understanding?
Buy Book #4: The Shifting of the StarsAmazon | Smashwords | BN | Kobo
Tracy A. Akers is a former language arts teacher and an award-winning author. She grew up in Arlington, Texas, but currently lives in Florida with her husband, three naughty pugs, and a feisty chihuahua. She graduated with honors from the University of South Florida with a degree in Education, and has taught in both public and private schools. She currently divides her time between writing, lecturing, spending time with her family, and costuming at fantasy and science fiction conventions.
Ms. Akers has won numerous awards for her Souls of Aredyrah fantasy series for young adults. As a Florida Book Awards winner, she was acknowledged for her contribution to YA literature by the Governor of Florida during the 2008 Florida Heritage Month Awards Ceremony. Books One and Two of the Aredyrah Series are included in the Florida Department of Education’s 2008 Just Read Families Recommended Summer Reading List. In addition, Ms. Akers has been an invited guest author at major book events and writers’ conferences, a panelist at fantasy and science fiction conventions, and was on the steering committee for Celebration of the Story, a literary event held at Saint Leo University.The Souls of Aredyrah Series is Ms. Akers’ first series of novels for young adults.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
GIVEAWAY
$25 Amazon.com or BN.com Gift Card giveaway Ends 05/31/2014. Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com or BN.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kisha from Indie Hoopla Services & Promotions,http://indiehoopla.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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