Carysa Locke's Blog, page 2

Libraries, e-access, and ebooks

Hi everyone! I know things are scary right now, and many people may be losing jobs, temporarily without pay, or just struggling with boredom in quarantine. There have been a lot of discussions in author circles lately about free books, both marking them down to free and pirate sites. As people go stir crazy in their homes, the desire for entertainment becomes more acute. While I know its easy to turn to nefarious pirate sites, please dont do that. One, it hurts the authors you love. Two, it...

Super secret snippet – Briar’s End

This is from a project I am co-writing with my husband. A fantasy romance loosely based on Sleeping Beauty. At the moment, we have a trilogy planned. I wasnt planning on sharing anything about it until closer to launch time, but given recent events, people can use escapism where they can get it.

So here is a (very rough, unedited) snippet from book one:

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Geralds jaw set, and he eyed the briar with a look Evie knew well. She took a couple of steps back. He gave a signal to his men, and they...

Hunting Ground – Chapter 3

Atrea didnt go to Jaxon right away. She had a life. Training. School with the kids. An awkward dinner with her Dad. 

And wasnt that just the highlight of her day? She was getting really tired of this standoff between them. She loved him, and most of the time she could see the reasoning behind his obstinacy, even when they didnt agree. But not when it came to her Mom. 

For years, shed put up with his silence on the matter, believing his grief responsible. Tess, Atreas mother, was too painful...

The Romance of it All

It’s been quiet around here lately, and there’s a reason for that. My daughter got married this past weekend, and as things led up to the wedding, life got crazy busy, and very focused.

The wedding was beautiful, and the bride and groom were absolutely lovely. Now that they’re off on their honeymoon, life can return somewhat to normal.

That being said, this post is going to address an email I received, which is something I haven’t really done on the blog before. But this keeps coming up,...

Hunting Ground – Chapter 2

For once, Jaxon actually listened to her. She couldn’t feel him shadowing her anymore. And this time Atrea didn’t feel any weird twinge about the lack.

Thank the Mother.

She needed a drink. It wasn’t too early for that, right? This was a pirate ship, after all. In space. Day and night were just ephemeral concepts anyway, out here in the black. She started for the bar, but quickly changed direction. She didn’t just want a drink. She wanted one with her best friend.

By the time she reached...

A new decade

A lot of people are doing end-of-decade recaps. The 10’s were pretty big for me. I finished my degrees, changed jobs multiple times until landing on my current job, which I love, and started my career as an author. We lost our old dog, Zoey, the best dog to ever dog. Now we have two dogs, a three year old Pitbull, and a two-and-a-half year old Shepherd/Pit mix. They are a handful and we love them.

Probably the biggest thing to come out of the 10’s, though, is kids. My husband and I weren’t...

Hunting Ground – Chapter One

The disrupter lay on the counter, the weapon’s matte finish dull beneath the lights. It was new. None of the intricate grip pattern had been worn away by the friction of hands holding it. The barrel was smooth, no nicks or scratches to the finish.

It was as inert as a weapon could be. Innocuous. Straight from manufacture, it held no history. Nothing but test firing for quality control.

But Atrea’s mouth still went dry, looking at it. She rubbed her palm against her leg, then immediately...

Hot Buttered Rum

Release day is tomorrow and I’m a ball of anxiety! So, tomorrow I’ll post all of the things, links, etc.

Tonight, I’m sharing a family recipe for the holidays.

I haven’t made it in years until tonight, but here is the Hot Buttered Rum recipe my Dad got from a guy he worked with at the mill, who got it from his wife. In those days, there was no internet. We valued this recipe like gold.

Be prepared for calorie overload!

1 pound unsalted butter, melted and let cool (you don’t want it hot, but...

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are your favorite holiday foods? I love it all, but I always end up making homemade cranberry sauce, because for some reason no one else seems to care, but how can you not when it is SO GOOD on those leftover turkey-roll-sandwiches?!

I also often make homemade rolls, a cheesecake, and the green bean casserole because my husband says no one makes it like me. (I have a secret recipe. Green beans+condensed cream of mushroom soup+a couple splashes of Worcestershire sauce+a healthy sprinkle...

Writing News Update: Release Schedule + a Bribe Excerpt

Hi everyone! So I have some scheduling news. First, my editor has been ill and that’s made the final edits on Pirate Throne take a little longer than anticipated. For my own peace of mind and hers, I’m going to delay the release of the book by a couple of weeks. I know you’re anxious to read it, and I’m anxious to get it to you, but I do my absolutely best to deliver the highest quality book I can every time, and that includes making sure the manuscript is properly edited prior to publishing...