Hi all!  Life as an author sometimes takes sharp-angled turns we never see coming.  Or maybe I just don’t look far enough ahead.  (That’s Big Tone’s job.  He’s the big picture guy).  Anyway, about a month ago, I received a message on Facebook from Jase Kayrs.  Yeah, that Jase Kayrs.  My hero from SHADOWED.  I was like, huh?  (Sometimes I’m not all that quick—I admit it.)

So I emailed my editor and asked if the publisher had created a page for Jase.  She said no, that it was a probably a fan fiction/role playing group.  Anybody really involved in publishing or cult shows knows exactly what this is.  Anybody in my life like sisters, friends, hubby…do not.  So, for those of you like my family, fan fiction is when fans of a show or book write episodes/scenes from it.  Star Trek, Buffy, Supernatural, Twilight, etc…all have fan fiction.  There are sites all over the web.  It’s perfectly legal so long as the writers don’t try to make money off the stories.  Role playing is just that—playing roles from a series/show.

Fan Fiction fascinates me, and I probably would’ve loved writing it if I’d heard about it before launching my own writing career.  It’d be fun to write a Supernatural scene, right?  Anyway, after a few days, I began to wonder about the other characters in the Realm.  (I know.  Slow, right?)  Turns out Talen Kayrs has more friends than I do on my super-secret family/see-you-every-day-in-my-real-life friends Facebook page.  🙂

I’m incredibly flattered that anybody would like my characters enough to be them on the internet.  And I’m intrigued what they’ll do.  I’m also a bit pensive—we each have our own voices, and no matter what, that’s not me writing those scenes.  What if the characters do something or say something I wouldn’t?  Will fans blame me, thinking I wrote something?  I think there may have been some sort of dustup in the community, and now it may be split into two communities, but I’m not sure. 

The community managing the sites has taken pains to make sure the pages show as RP/Fan Fiction, and I appreciate that.  I’ve also read some of the scenes, and I enjoyed them.  I even received a message from Terrent Vilks from TWISTED on FB offering to take care of somebody who’d wronged me.  Damn if I didn’t get a happy giggle.  Seriously.  I created this guy, and yet, it did make me happy.  My reality and writing lives are blending. 

Although, for the record, I can take care of myself.  Was almost an orange belt in Kenpo.  (Yes, that’s only the second belt, but still).  🙂  Plus, Big Tone is a badass.  And that’s a true statement.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on in my life.  Well, mainly.  It has been an amazing month so far.  RISING ASSETS hit the New York Times Bestseller list, while both TAMED and BLIND FAITH hit the USA Today Bestselling list.  SWEET REVENGE received a Top Pick review from RT Reviews, and BLIND FAITH is a fresh fiction pick by readers.  Also, UNDER THE COVERS and SHADOWED just finaled in the Daphne Awards. 

Things have gone so well lately, I’m just waiting for an anvil to drop on my head.  Life does have balance. 

For now, I’m back to finishing up TOTAL SURRENDER, which is the 4^th book in the Sin Brothers series.  The logo I finally chose for the series is to the left.  Nice, huh?

Everyone have a wonderful weekend, and if you live in the states, a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.  Thank you to those who have served, and may we remember our fallen heroes on every day and not just once a year.

UPDATE:  Congrats to Gail G for winning the drawing!  I emailed you…I know you’re going to love these books!

I’m tired.  Really, really tired.  You know why?  Because I found out last night that OBSESSION had been released, and I stayed up late reading it.  LOVED IT.  I mean, I really, really, really loved this book.  This is the third book in the Plus One Chronicles featuring bad-ass wounded hero Sloane Michaels and sweet, kindhearted, fiercely protective Kat Thayne.  So, make sure you start with the first book, which is THE PROPOSITION.  The second book is POSSESSION, and then you can read the fiery, sexy conclusion in OBSESSION.

These days, with three series going,  I don’t get a lot of time to read.  So when I do take the time, I need to be swept away in a story that’s so good I forget I’m a writer.  I don’t edit, I don’t critique, I just get lost.  This three-part series completely took me away into another world, and I just loved it.  I’m pretty sure I have a major crush on Sloane, but that’s okay.  We won’t tell anybody, right?

To celebrate how much fun I had reading Sloane and Kat’s story, I’m going to give away the three books in digital form.  The winner can let me know if they want kindle, nook, sony, iTunes, etc.  To make this fun, you only have the weekend to enter.  As soon as I get a chance Monday morning (probably about 10am PST), I’m going to randomly draw a name from the comments below. 

So, just a leave a comment, and you’re in.  If you need a prompt, let me ask you this:  Why do you think we love wounded heroes so much?  Or, if you don’t want to think too deeply, how about you tell me your favorite dessert?  The heroine in the Plus One Chronicles owns a bakery, so this question fits, too.  🙂

I’ve been getting a lot of fan letters and new FB likes lately with UNDER THE COVERS about to be released in May, TWISTED in June, and FORGOTTEN SINS in July…and I LOVE it!  There are a few things I didn’t know before becoming an author that I wish I’d known…and here they are:

1)       Authors with NY Publishers have no say in the price point of the books. None-zippo-zilch.  I have no clue how much my book is priced at until I either see it in a store or check online retailers.  🙂

2)      Those of us with traditional publishers don’t create our own covers.  I see the cover after it’s pretty much ready to go.  Having said that…I’ve LOVED my covers!  The graphic arts departments at Kensington, Entangled, and Grand Central seriously rock.

3)      We have no say in whether a book gets printed or not.  Or whether it’s available in e-book or not.  These type of things are never guaranteed in a contract.  Of course we want them in both e-book and print.  Always.  So far, I’ve been fortunate.

4)      We know not to read reviews…yet we do.  And yeah, sometimes we take them personally…and wish year-long yeast infections on the reviewer.  Yeah, I’m talking to you—mean reviewer.  And…we can tell if it’s a personal issue and not something to do with the book…even if somebody tries to mask it.

5)      When someone gives us a poor rating on Amazon or GoodReads because the price of the book is too high…we think she’s a moron.  (See number one above.)

6)      Once we get several reviews…we realize that the EXACT same thing one reviewer just loved is the reason another reviewer didn’t like the book.  This is a great thing…because then we realize we can’t please all the people, and we should just go write the next book…and stop reading reviews.  🙂

7)      We’re taken aback and overwhelmed by the kindness of readers and how they’re willing to go out of their way to help promote our books.  (Yes, FB street team… I mean you.)  It’s very humbling, and I hope I express how much this means to me and how much I appreciate all of my readers.

8)      Reading fan mail is the best part of many days.  Thanks for sending fan mail!

9)      There’s no magical muse.  Honest.  We just have to sit down and write when we’d rather be doing laundry sometimes.  This actually is a job.

10)   We feel an incredibly strong loyalty to our readers and really, really, really don’t want to let you down.  Ever. 

I’m getting ready to head off to the RT Conference in Kansas City later today, and wanted to make sure than anybody in the vicinity knew about our fun giveaway!

First, I’m part of a scavenger hunt where readers will get a sheet, find all of the authors, and then be entered into winning the prizes below.

I’m also going to have fun giveaways for readers who find me after I tweet as part of the Entangled Scavenger Hunt!

To enter to win in the Scavenger Hunt, you’ll need to pick up a game form at our table in Promo Alley or during the Entangled Spotlight and then find all 23 of us so we can affix a special sticker to the game form.

You’ll know who’s participating because our book covers are on the form – and we’ll all be wearing one of our stickers on our nametags to help you pick us out. You’ll want to find author Christine Bell last, because she’s the keeper of the grand prizes – and the first 3 people to show her they’ve gotten all 23 authors’ stickers will win BIG! (Keep an eye on the #EntangledHunt hashtag during the convention for more details!)

PRIZES!

1st Prize: $300 Amazon/BN/Kobo/any e-book retailer gift card. Can be used for anything the winner would like, including an e-reader, tablet, books and more.

2nd Prize: A Kindle Fire & e-books from all the participating authors. Kindle will be given to the winner at RT. Winner will provide an email address so that each author can gift a copy of their e-book via Amazon to them (See all the books included on the back of this flyer).

3rd Prize: $50 Gift Card from e-book seller of winner’s choice.

Spot Giveaways: In addition to the above prizes, each of the 23 participating authors will be doing two spot giveaways during RT. Follow our hashtag on Twitter (#EntangledHunt) as each day, more than a dozen authors will tweet their location at the conference and a directive. Find the author first and follow their directive and YOU WIN! Prizes range from signed book copies, to handmade personalized gifts, from gift cards to fun-filled baskets and more.

UPDATE:  We threw all the names in a hat, and CONGRATS to Laura Fredrickson for winning!  I’ve contacted you with details.  Enjoy!

Hi all!  My deadlines have been crazy with the three series going, and every once in a while I have to take a break and read something that isn’t written by me.  So, I took a break and read a book called The Baby Bargain because I’m a big fan of Jennifer Apodaca’s books.  (The Samantha Shaw series is nothing short of phenomenal.  I re-read those books often).  Jennifer also writes under the name, Jennifer Lyon, and those of you paranormal fans have already read her, I’m sure.  So, anyway, I just fell in love with her new book and thought I’d share.

And I’d like to share by giving away an e-book copy to a commenter here.  Once I pick a winner, just let me know what e-reader you favor, and I’ll email a gift copy from that store.  If you don’t have an e-reader, choose a free computer program from one of the online retailers, and you can read on your computer.  I have the free “kindle for PC” from Amazon, and I read on my laptop all the time.  So, here’s the scoop on the book:

Seeing Adam Waters is the last thing veterinarian Megan Young expects. Ex-Marine. Ex-boyfriend. And still extremely dangerous territory. But Adam doesn’t know the secret Megan has been keeping from him. The secret that was created three years ago, after their last night together…

Adam returns to Raven’s Cove to sell his home in a final break with the town and memories that haunt him. The problem is that his attraction to Megan is as blazing hot as it ever was. But when a vicious smear campaign against Megan turns ugly, Adam learns the truth he never knew—he has a son.

Now the only way Megan can protect her child is to strike a bargain with Adam. And it’s a bargain that looks a lot like blackmail…

This book provided me with such a great escape from reality for a while that I truly wanted to share.  So leave a comment for a chance to win.  I’ll probably choose a winner next Monday, so you have plenty of time.  Do you believe in reconnecting with lost loves?  Or, what do you have planned for this spring or summer?  Or…just say  hi for a chance to win.  🙂