Felicity Heaton's Blog, page 98

Sunday Snippets from my paranormal romance books

As I mentioned yesterday in my first Saturday Snippets post, I have rolled what used to be my Daily Dozen into a weekend affair instead as it's much less time consuming. The same deal applies. I'll randomly grab around a dozen sentences from between one and three of my books and post them with the covers.

I'm kicking off Sunday Snippets with Heart of Darkness and Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel series #4) ! You can grab them both in ebook format for just $3.99 each at Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBookstores, Kobo Books, Sony Reader Store and other retailers.

Click on the book covers to read more about the book, including excerpts.

How about two first kisses?

Aleksandr drew back and looked at her, into her round beguiling eyes that spoke to him of passion and hunger. She held his gaze, her soft breath fanning his face and her body brushing his. She tilted her head towards him and he couldn't resist the invitation in her eyes as they dropped to his lips.

His mouth claimed hers, his left hand cradling her right cheek, keeping her in place so she couldn't escape him again. She didn't respond at first, but then she turned in his arms, pressed her hands to his chest, and kissed him. He closed his eyes, slanted his head, and ran his tongue along her lip. She moaned and opened to him, her own tongue coming out to tangle with his, the taste of her divine.

Her passion overwhelmed him as she stroked her tongue along his and seized control of the kiss. She leaned into him, the length of her soft body pressing against his, and he burned wherever she touched. The feel of her short nails digging into his chest through his shirt, as though she wanted to keep him close to her, thrilled him and enticed him into taking things further. He captured her cheek again with his palm, his fingertips grazing her ear, and she sighed into his mouth, her lips sweeping over his. He slid his hand around to grasp the nape of her neck and deepened the kiss, reclaiming control as he wrapped his other arm around her waist, bringing her into his embrace. She belonged there. His salvation.

She caught him off guard when she broke away and slapped him hard across the cheek.

Marcus stared at her mouth, everything good in him screaming to break away and stop her. He didn't. He stayed stock still and let it happen.

His first kiss in this lifetime was a tentative sweep of soft lips over his followed by the press of her body into his. The feel of her against him sent a flood of feelings surging through him, setting his blood aflame with desire and the need to clutch her to him and possess her. It overwhelmed him and his restraint, crushing the good part that was still struggling to resist, and while he stopped himself from sliding his arm around her back and pulling the full length of her body flush against his, he couldn't stop himself from kissing her.

She moaned softly when he responded, grazing his lips against hers in a gentle caress that fanned the flames within him until he burned for her and for more. Her tongue brushed along the seam of his mouth and he brought his to meet it, tangling softly and luring it into his mouth where they danced. He couldn't remember kissing in his past lifetime but he certainly would have if it had felt like this. Warmth suffused him right down to his bones and every breathy little moan he elicited from Amelia turned the heat up another notch, until he was close to grabbing the nape of her neck and holding her mouth against his.

He breathed hard when she broke away to kneel on the sofa in front of him, her grey eyes wide and hand coming up to cover her mouth.

I hope you enjoyed these Sunday Snippets!

Book reviews - your opinion wanted!

As an author it's never easy to get reviews on books from readers but that's what I would like to do. When you buy a book, I'm sure you take a peek at the overall rating of that book on the site you're purchasing it from and that it affects your decision. Maybe you even go that step further and read some of the reviews people have left for the book. I would love to have more reviews on my books on the main sites such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple iTunes / iBookstore. I think it's really important for people interested in buying the book to have the chance to see what other readers thought about it.

That's where you come in!

If you've read my books and have a few moments, please review them. It doesn't have to be a long review. Just a few sentences about what you enjoyed in the book, your honest opinion, and with an honest rating. I'm not asking for glowing five star reviews. I would rather a well thought out four star than a fake five. Of course, if you do think the book is worth a five, and have perhaps rated it such on Goodreads or somewhere, then go ahead and give it that. Think about what you look for when you glance over reviews. It's really just a paragraph or so about what you felt about the book, or more if you feel like it.

I'd love it if you would review any of my books, as that would be awesome, and it's really important to me to get more reviews on these sites... but if you review more than one, well, I think I would be over the moon!

Here are the books I really would like to see more reviews on but you can review any of my books you fancy.

Hunter's MoonAmazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P5NQ0W/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004P5NQ0W/
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Hunters-Moon/F-E-Heaton/e/2940011207600/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Hunters-Moon-Vampires-Realm-Romance/book-cQYuA1z5a021I8Y-d6Isnw/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/f-e-heaton/hunter-s-moon/_/R-400000000000000351166
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781458120243
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781458120243
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781458120243
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781458120243


AscensionAmazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004X6TWLK/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781458108753
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781458108753
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781458108753
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781458108753
Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ascension/Felicity-Heaton/e/2940011267451/
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Ascension-Shadow-and-Light-Trilogy/mix-eOMlgr3IoEeDmdBmXXi0CA/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/ascension-shadow-and-light-trilogy/_/R-400000000000000525113


Forbidden BloodAmazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055I1LNW/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781458181381
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781458181381
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forbidden-blood-felicity-heaton/1103572024
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Forbidden-Blood-Vampire-Venators-Romance/book-mWkS9umUmkmp2XI4cX_woA/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/forbidden-blood/_/R-400000000000000406450


Her Guardian AngelAmazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781466119529
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781466119529
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781466119529
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781466119529
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-guardian-angel-felicity-heaton/1104775871
Kobo Books: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Her-Guardian-Angel-Her-Angel/book-lVb0k7lC80OOiMBAOa-Ldg/page1.html
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/her-guardian-angel-her-angel-romance-series/_/R-400000000000000468669


Heart of DarknessAmazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WK6E58/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005WK6E58/
Apple iBookstore USA: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore UK: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore Australia: http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/isbn9781466173286
Apple iBookstore Canada: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/isbn9781466173286
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-darkness-felicity-heaton/1106991833
Sony Reader Store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/felicity-heaton/heart-of-darkness/_/R-400000000000000534302



Thank you ever so much if you take a moment to leave a review!

Saturday Snippets from my Paranormal Romance Books

I was finding it hard to keep on top of my Daily Dozen, so I have rolled it into a weekend event. From now on, I'll be posting Saturday Snippets and Sunday Snippets. There will be between one and three book snippets each day, all of them around twelve sentences long.

I'm kicking off Saturday Snippets with Her Dark Angel and Vampire for Christmas ! Both ebooks are available for just $0.99 right now on Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBookstores, Kobo Books, Sony Reader Store and other retailers.

Click on the book covers to read more about the book, including excerpts.

Apollyon stepped back a little, unable to bear the torture and needing a moment to breathe. He was too close to letting go.

Serenity stared into his eyes, hers full of invite, asking him to give in to her. He would do so willingly if he could be sure that this wasn't an act. It was a charade, nothing more than pretend so they would make Edward jealous. That was all it was.

So why did it feel so good to have her in his arms?

She ran her hands down over his biceps, slowly, her gaze following her right hand as it traced the curves of his muscles, and her heart beating faster, as though exploring his body excited her. Her eyes darkened and he could feel the hunger in her, could sense the growing need.

Why did his body burn wherever she touched?

His gaze flickered to her mouth.

And why couldn't he keep his eyes off her cherry red lips and his mind off how good it would feel to dip his head and kiss her?

Shannon leaned forwards to look at the book and the right side of her robe fell away from her neck, slipping down her shoulder. Rafe stared at the pale column of her throat, his breathing turning sharp and harsh as he fought the urge to pull her close and lick her neck.

He forced his eyes away and they caught on something that hit him hard in the gut.

Scars.

On her neck.

He had never noticed marks there before, but then he couldn't remember ever seeing her neck. Someone had bitten her. He frowned at ragged pink scars and heat burned in his chest, coiling into anger that ran through his veins and seized control of him.

He reached out to touch the scars.

Shannon smacked his hand away and jolted backwards, out of his reach, her chair scraping on the floor. She scowled at him, clinging to the bathrobe and quickly covering her throat. There was a frightened edge to her eyes. Fear that he might do that to her too, or that his touch might comfort her and force her to confront the feelings she denied so well?

"Who did that to you?"

I hope you enjoyed these Saturday Snippets! What books would you like to see snippets from?

Paranormal romance novels, colds, and scheduling craziness

My schedule since December began has been rather fouled up in one way or another, or in multiple ways in the case of one week. I managed to claw back a little sanity that week but I have spent the past week stuffed up with a cold that has been gradually driving me crazy (see my emo tweets and facebook posts -- you'd think this cold was the end of the world) and slowing me down. Needless to say, progress has been faltering at best.

I have managed to complete the initial read through of Masquerade (Vampires Realm #10) which is due out at the end of January 2012, and have transferred all my amendments from my Amazon Kindle 3 (I love you) to my word document in preparation for this polish phase of editing.

However, I haven't made much progress other than that and I had wanted this book completed bar a couple of proofing sessions by the end of this coming week. I wanted Christmas off. So sue me. I always plan to have Christmas off and then end up working it. For once I wanted to stick to my guns and read some books that I hadn't written myself and watch some movies.

I think it's still possible, but the life of an author is give and take. I may have to do some work in order to hit my deadlines, as well as spend some time promoting my current offers and latest book, Heart of Darkness . Poor Heart of Darkness has been given a bad run of it lately. I've neglected it because I've been so focused on my paranormal romance books on offer. It's hard to juggle that many balls and not drop some.

If you are looking for a rather passionate, intense vampire romance book, then you should definitely check out the excerpt of Heart of Darkness and see if it's for you. You can download samples from Amazon and Barnes and Noble, or read the excerpts here on my blog. It's been receiving great reviews and a lot of love from readers, and is only $3.99 in ebook.

Now, back to my editing. At worst, I will have to shunt my schedule by a week, pushing Masquerade closer to an early February release date instead. I can't push it too far as I have my second ear operation in late February and want to have completed my blog tour for Masquerade by then and be underway with preparations for my Covet blog tour so I can rest up after the operation and not have to worry about things. Yes, 2012 is going to be another year full of blog tours but hopefully I'll handle it better this time. I think I did well with my tours this year considering that I was new to it all, and I'm looking forward to trying out some new things next year.

I do think that I can hit my deadline if I get my head down this week. I have a lot of marketing activity planned for the week though, so I might have to get my concentration up somehow. Hopefully I'll shift this cold soon and will be able to focus better. At the moment, it's really bugging me and sniffling is rather distracting, along with the constant headache!

I'm also researching some ideas for giveaways and marketing I want to do next year, and want to formulate my plan for the year so I can start putting it all into action. Should be another crazy year!

I promise I'll move Heaven and Hell to get Masquerade out on time.

:D

Winter Warmers - Ebooks from $0.99 to $2.99 on Kindle, Nook, iBookstore and more

Between now and 15th January 2012, you can get your hands on some of my hot heroes at bargain prices! What better way to pass a chilly winter or relax in the sunshine if you're down under, than curled up in the arms of some paranormal heroes, letting yourself be swept along in their romance and adventures?

There are plenty of fantastic reads to choose from, all priced between $0.99 and $2.99 and in a range of lengths between novella and long novels, and a variety of paranormal romance sub-genres including sinful angels, sexy vampires, seductive werewolves, and even a super-hot demon and sassy witch pairing.

In my Felicity Heaton books, you can snap up the first book in my best selling angel romance series, Her Dark Angel, for only $0.99, a saving of $2. Or indulge in some urban fantasy romance with Ascension for only $0.99, a saving of $3. Or perhaps get in the seasonal spirit with Vampire for Christmas for only $0.99. If you like your vampire romances packed with emotion and full of twists to keep you on your toes, then Forbidden Blood is only $2.99.

In my other persona, F E Heaton, I'm offering great savings on my popular Vampires Realm series. You can buy all three books in the epic Prophecy Trilogy for only $0.99 each. That's a saving of $6! What's more, you can get your hands on two more books in the series, Seventh Circle, a vampire romance novel, and Winter's Kiss, a vampire/werewolf romance novel, for just $2.99 each.

These great deals are available at Amazon Kindle Stores, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble Nook, Sony Reader Store, Apple iBookstore and Kobo Books, as well as the author's website! See the offer page for availability of individual books. Some books are still in the process of changing price at certain retailers but you can buy epub ebooks direct from the author or Smashwords for your Nook, Sony Reader or Kobo eReader if you can't wait.

So snap these up quick to avoid disappointment! Prices will change back on 15th January 2012.

Here are some blurb snippets and links for all the books on offer!



Vampire for Christmas
Felicity Heaton
It was one last mission. Shannon, a demon hunter with the agency, is looking forward to leaving behind the small town and the vampire she's been stuck with for the past two years. Things are getting complicated fast and she wants out. A fresh start, free of her vampire partner, awaits her if she can survive their final mission and the lonely Christmas holidays...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords



Her Dark Angel (Her Angel series #1)
Felicity Heaton
An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn't called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it's to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords



Ascension
Felicity Heaton
A witch on the verge of achieving phenomenal power, Lealandra must turn to her half-breed demon ex-lover Taig for protection from the dark force that is after her and also from her own magic. With her Counter-Balance dead and her coven against her, Taig's blood and power is the only thing that can help her control her magic and survive the ascension and gain the strength to defeat her enemy...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Smashwords



Forbidden Blood
Felicity Heaton
In a dark world where vampires exist and where Source Blood, a rare human blood type, can bestow godlike powers upon them, the vampire Venators of the Sovereignty fight to protect the humans by banishing those who drink it to the endless dark. Exiled from his family and with only his duty to sustain him, Kearn has been on the trail of an elusive Source Blood abuser for three years. When he saves a beautiful human female from the vampire's grasp, it turns out she's the lead he's been waiting for. Amber is a Source Blood and the perfect bait, but for who?

Available for $2.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Smashwords



Prophecy: Child of Light (Prophecy Trilogy #1 / Vampires Realm series #1)
F E Heaton
A vampire unlike any other, Prophecy lives life in the dark until the night she encounters Valentine, a gorgeous vampire who is both her enemy and the man who will change her life forever. Convinced that the prophecy about her is wrong and unable to ignore the vision of them that he saw in her blood, Valentine goes against his orders to execute Prophecy and kidnaps her instead. The attraction between them grows as they search for the truth behind the prophecy, battle a dark evil that threatens to destroy the world, and attempt to evade their families and the Law Keepers...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords



Prophecy: Caelestis and Aurorea (Prophecy Trilogy #2 / Vampires Realm series #2)
F E Heaton
The final battle draws closer. Prophecy's world becomes darker and more dangerous, pushing her to the limit and testing her strength and her heart, almost breaking her. Old friends turn their backs, leaving her to fight with the help of an unlikely ally and forcing her to call on the devastatingly seductive and powerful Lord Hyperion for assistance...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Smashwords



Prophecy: Dark Moon Rising (Prophecy Trilogy #3 / Vampires Realm series #3)
F E Heaton
An enemy with unimaginable power and bloodlines with centuries of hatred bred into them, two things that threaten to tear Prophecy and Valentine apart as they fight for their lives and their future together. Their vain attempt to join their houses into one army drains the last of their strength, leaving them more vulnerable than they've ever been. The tension escalates between the bloodlines, and, more dangerously, between Valentine, Prophecy and Venturi. As everything crumbles around them, defeat seems inevitable...

Available for $0.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Smashwords



Seventh Circle (Vampires Realm series #7)
F E Heaton
Born with powers similar to a vampire's, Lilith has spent her life hunting demons for Section Seven. On the same night as she watches a vampire kill her best friend, she is faced with her worst nightmare—a client who is not only attractive but a vampire...

Available for $2.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords



Winter's Kiss (Vampires Realm series #8)
F E Heaton
Their lord drinks blood and they are dead men walking. The tales of the mansion don't stop Nika from falling for one of the guards, but when wolves attack her and he rides to her rescue, she discovers that her knight is anything but saintly. He is a vampire and she is becoming a werewolf, and love between their species is forbidden—the penalty death...

Available for $2.99 from
Author's website
Amazon Kindle | Kindle UK | Kindle Germany | Kindle France
Apple iBookstore USA | iBookstore UK | iBookstore Aus | iBookstore Canada
Barnes and Noble Nook
Sony Reader Store
Kobo Books
Smashwords



Find out more about the books, including excerpts and reviews, and these great offers at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/paranormal-romance-ebook-offers.php

Mistletoe Kisses - Exclusive short story for my Facebook fans!

The time has come! I have added a new Exclusive Content section to my facebook fan page!

If you are a fan of my page, then you will have access to the first exclusive short story, Mistletoe Kisses!

Mistletoe Kisses is a short story based on my Vampires Realm series . Valentine and Venturi conspire to bring Prophecy a perfect Christmas that she will never forget!

To access this new zone, just LIKE my facebook fan page and then click on Exclusive Content in the left menu.

In the New Year, I will be adding some more exclusive things such as giveaways and special offers, as well as sneak previews of upcoming books, so be sure to join in order to be a part of it all!

Members-only section coming to my facebook fan page!

Tomorrow I will be adding a new members-only section to my facebook fan page!

Members (as in those who have "liked" my page) will be able to read exclusive short pieces of fiction or sneak previews of upcoming books. In the coming year, I will also be adding exclusive promotions and giveaways too.

The new members-only zone will be added tomorrow morning my time, so less than 20 hours from now, and the first exclusive will be a short 2500 seasonal story with Prophecy, Valentine and Venturi from my popular Vampires Realm series that I write as F E Heaton.

This trio of vampires has become a firm favourite for many of my readers so I wanted to write something for them this holiday season.

If you haven't already become a member of my facebook fan page, then you can do so by clicking the LIKE button on the box below!

Winter Warmers Blog Tour - Her Dark Angel at Fang-tastic Books!

Today my Winter Warmers blog tour takes me to my final stop over at the awesome Fang-tastic Books where I'm talking about Her Dark Angel , the first book in my best selling Her Angel romance series and also the series in general. I'm sharing a saucy excerpt from the book and hosting another giveaway for some signed goodies too.

Hop on over to Fang-tastic Books to read about Her Dark Angel and enter the giveaway!

Don't forget to check out the previous posts and enter the giveaways there too!





Winter Warmers Blog TourDecember 2nd - Chatting about ASCENSION @ Bookin It Reviews
December 6th - Chatting about WINTER'S KISS @ Madame D's Boudoir
December 7th - Chatting about VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS @ Page Flipperz
December 8th - Chatting about FORBIDDEN BLOOD @ The Enchanted Book
December 9th - Chatting about SEVENTH CIRCLE @ Paromantasy
December 12th - Chatting about PROPHECY TRILOGY @ Fade Into Fantasy
December 13th - Chatting about HUNTER'S MOON @ Satin's Bookish Corner
December 14th - Chatting about HER DARK ANGEL @ Fang-tastic Books

Free seasonal vampire romance story

'Tis the season for reading festive romances so I thought that I would take a moment to share a seasonal free vampire romance story that is part of my A Day In The Life series. All of my A Day In The Life stories catch up with characters I have written in books I have for sale.

In the case of this one, we're catching up with Kassian and Alicia from A Promise of Passion.

You can download this short free vampire romance direct from my site in PDF format .

Here's a little more about it, plus a short excerpt from the book!


A Day in the Life: Kassian
Felicity Heaton
A year has passed since Kassian rescued his vampire hunter, Alicia, from the hands of a powerful elder vampire. Since that night, they have fled the vampires pursuing them, and have ended up in London. Things haven't been easy for Alicia, with the other hunters turning their backs on her because of her love for a vampire, and Kassian sometimes gets the feeling that Alicia still wants to run away from him and their feelings.

With the Christmas season at hand, he decides that Alicia deserves a present to put under her tree, or at least on her finger—one that he hopes will give her happiness and will prove how much he loves her.


ebook price: FREE EBOOK
genre: paranormal vampire romance
length: 4000 words
rating: sensual
released: December 2009
Book 1 in the A Day in the Life series




EXCERPTAlicia was humming.

Kassian's senses had become so attuned to her over the past year that he could hear her through her open apartment window from over found hundred metres away down the quiet urban street.

He focused on the fire escape outside her window, pushed his heels down hard into the ground and sprung forwards. Not a sound broke the silence as he soared through the wintry air, landed on the black metal railing that edged the balcony and stepped down. Kassian walked to the redbrick wall of the converted factory building. The tall panelled sash window was fully open. He leaned the breadth of his shoulders against the wall beside it, drew his long black wool coat back, and slipped his hands into his trouser pockets.

The stars were bright tonight and the air cold as it blew against him, tousling his long black hair where it was tied at the nape of his neck in a ponytail. The world drifted away as he listened to Alicia. The beautiful sound drew a smile up from his heart to his lips.

It wasn't the tune running through his mind, but it was pleasant nonetheless.

The store he had visited this evening had been playing the same song. It had irritated him then, but now it was soothing to his ears. Alicia sung so sweetly. She was his angel on Earth.

"Are you going to stand out there all night?" Her voice drifted through the open window to him, warm with the sound of her amusement. Kassian could almost see her smiling. "It's getting cold."

Kassian's smile widened and he stepped away from the wall. His little vampire hunter never failed to notice his arrival. The window had been left open for his sake after all.

Ducking, he stepped through the window and into her apartment and then shut it behind him. The moment his gaze lit on her, he froze.

Alicia was radiant. Her chestnut brown hair was longer now than when they had met and she wore it down tonight, a sleek mane of shiny silk that he loved to run his fingers through. Instead of her usual jeans and t-shirt, she was wearing a short black skirt and a purple long-sleeved top which hugged her figure and cut low across her breasts in a V.

She was beautiful.

So beautiful that he felt as though he was falling in love with her all over again.

Download it in PDF: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/freeread/aditl-kassian-heatonF.pdf

Ebook sales, Barnes and Noble Pubit and other thoughts

I am perpetually annoyed by Barnes and Noble because of their anti-international sentiments when it comes to their Nook ereading devices and also their Pubit scheme (I refuse to add the exclamation mark and I still read it as pubic). But, as the months roll on and they continue to deny readers and authors outside the US, I have to wonder whether they really are trying to compete with Amazon and Apple.

Let's be honest, there's no way that you can compete with those two major e-retailers when you flatly refuse to be an international company.

I have emailed Barnes and Noble several times since they first launched the Pubit scheme. At first, the responses were positive, telling authors that Pubit would open its doors to international authors in the New Year of 2011. A few months into 2011 and that all changed. They stopped responding to emails from us international authors, ignoring us as though we were plague-ridden peasants. (Dear B&N, I have sold over 110,000 ebooks on Amazon this year alone, and over 20,000 on Apple... and a paltry figure on your own site. You had the power to change that by allowing international authors to sell on your site directly, not via Smashwords. We all know you penalise anyone publishing outside of Pubit and promote Pubit books more to your readers, the sales figures make it clear)

Of course, since then I have seen plenty of authors complaining that Barnes and Noble haven't paid them their royalties for X months and not everything is rosy in the world of Pubit. Seeing that on the forums made it understandable when they changed their Pubit site to say that it's only available to US authors, as opposed to lying and saying it's available to anyone as long as they have a US Bank Account. There's a lot of speculation about the future of Barnes and Noble on the internet and some of it is truly interesting.


Specifically the rumours that Apple might purchase Barnes and Noble to gain itself more power in the ebook market. Personally, I wouldn't complain if that happened. Barnes and Noble isn't worth a huge amount of money so Apple could easily purchase it with their pocket change and gain themselves a larger ebook platform, and they're probably more likely to be inclusive and either open the Nook ereading device and Pubit to international readers and authors, or absorb it into the Apple brand. Whether Apple would do anything as predictable as purchasing a competitor in order to get a stronger foothold on the ebook market is a whole other thing. Still, as I said, I wouldn't complain but mostly because Barnes and Noble's anti-international approach to ebooks annoys me.

The more exciting news I've discovered recently is the increase in ebook sales and ecommerce over the past year. Publishers Weekly talked about this on their blog at the end of October, detailing the increase by comparing quarter two 2010 to quarter 2 2011. Year on year shift in channel market share showed that ecommerce increased from 27.6% of the market last year to 37% this year, and trade stores and chains fell by 3%. Book clubs are almost dead now at less than 3%, but non-traditional and independent book stores gained increases.

In terms of the formats, print paperback dropped 7% to just 51% of the market, hardcover fell to 28.6% but the rising star is still ebooks. Lovely ebooks have risen by 10.5% to claim 13.7% of the market now. That's an astronomical rise and one that is likely set to continue in the New Year as people open millions of new Amazon Kindle devices, Smartphones, Apple iPads, Sony and Kobo ereaders, and Nooks at Christmas.

Read all about the Bowker Pubtrack Consumer Report at Publishers Weekly

Last year sales tripled over the Christmas period and well into February, and have remained far higher than last year, at least for me. Each month was at least double what I did in December 2010, with around half of 2011 running closer to triple. Considering I decided to quit my job and write full time based on selling a few thousand dollars of books a month (I decided in July that I would file my notice in November based on the fact that I had sold over 2000 books in July on Amazon which was enough for me to scrape by on. Little did I know that come the New Year I would be selling five times that!)

I'm a cautious person. I run the figures thirty times over before committing to anything, and I don't believe that everything will be rosy 100% of the time. I see the potential for downswings as well as upswings, so I never count my chickens. The ebook market is booming right now, but to be honest, it can easily go horribly wrong. I'm going to make the most of it while I can, laughing like a giddy school kid because I get to do what I love most in the world -- write -- and people are reading it. I couldn't be happier, but that doesn't mean I don't have targets to challenge me. But more about that in a New Year post!

End of weird mashed up rant / celebration...