Amy Lane's Blog: Writer's Lane, page 32

Familiar Demon

 So, tomorrow is the release day of Familiar Demon, and I have to say-- I was SO DAMNED EXCITED to go back to my old stomping grounds of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

The first book-- Familiar Angel--was about Harry and Suriel, and I wanted it to be a cross between Hawaii 5-0 and Romeo and Juliet. Suriel was the Angel Bound to service-- he and Harry had been in love for a century--but Suriel had to trust in the love enough to cut his bonds with heaven, and he had to escape the ties of obligation that literally bound his corporeal form to the other plane.


Harry was a reckless trouble magnet who could beat an entire squadron of bad guys after getting teleported into a firefight naked.

Yeah. I gotta admit. I had fun.

But Familiar Demon was a different story.

For one thing, Familiar Angel was supposed to be a Dreamspun Beyond, but they felt it was too heavy in the world building department (which is funny, because some people complain it's too light. Yeesh.)  It was published as a regular romance, and... well, like with so much of what I write, nobody was sure where to put it. I'm troublesome that way, I admit it.

Anyway, those things that held me back in world building (and sensuality!) when writing Familiar Angel were no longer present in Familiar Demon, and boy did I go to town.

The world building, the sex, the shapeshifters careening around the known universe to have an existential scavenger hunt in the family minivan--oh my word, I had so much fun with this book.

And in the end, I brought it back to my first love, the first world I'd ever built, and one of the things I've written that I'm proudest of. I brought it back to Green's Hill, and the world of the Little Familiar Demon, I also hope it was fun to visit them again.

Goddess. And while I hope Cory and company didn't overwhelm the action in

So Familiar Demon is out--and it's a new peek into the world of the Little Goddess.

And it's a chance to visit Harry and Suriel some more.

And I hope it's a hell of a lot of fun.

Come check it out.










Familiar Angel

One hundred and forty years ago, Harry, Edward, and Francis met an angel, a demon, and a sorceress while escaping imprisonment and worse! They emerged with a new family—and shapeshifting powers beyond their wildest dreams.

Now Harry and his brothers use their sorcery to rescue those enslaved in human trafficking—but Harry’s not doing so well. Pining for Suriel the angel has driven him to take more and more risks until his family desperately asks Suriel for an intervention.

In order for Suriel to escape the bindings of heaven, he needs to be sure enough of his love to fight to be with Harry. Back when they first met, Harry was feral and angry, and he didn’t know enough about love for Suriel to justify that risk. Can Suriel trust in Harry enough now to break his bonds of service for the boy who has loved his Familiar Angel for nearly a century and a half?
Buy Here




Familiar Demon
Familiar Love: Book TwoFor over a century, Edward Youngblood has been the logical one in a family of temperamental magical beings. But reason has not made him immune to passion, and Edward’s passion for Mullins, the family’s demon instructor, has only grown.

Mullins was lured into hell through desperation—and a fatal mistake. He’s done his best to hang onto his soul in the twisted realm of the underworld, and serving the Youngblood family when summoned has been his only joy. Edward concocts a plan to spring Mullins by collecting a series of items to perform an ancient ritual—an idea that terrifies Mullins. He can’t bear the thought of losing Edward and his brothers to a dangerous quest.

But every item in their collection is an adventure in brotherhood and magic, and as Mullins watches from the sidelines, he becomes more and more hopeful that they will succeed. When the time comes for Mullins to join the mission, can he find enough faith and hope to redeem himself and allow himself happiness in the arms of a man who would literally go to hell and back—and beyond—to have Mullins by his side?
Buy Here



The Little Goddess Series-- Start with Vulnerable...
Little Goddess: Book One

Working graveyards in a gas station seems a small price for Cory to pay to get her degree and get the hell out of her tiny town. She's terrified of disappearing into the aimless masses of the lost and the young who haunt her neck of the woods. Until the night she actually stops looking at her books and looks up. What awaits her is a world she has only read about—one filled with fantastical creatures that she's sure she could never be.


And then Adrian walks in, bearing a wealth of pain, an agonizing secret, and a hundred and fifty years with a lover he's afraid she won't understand. In one breathless kiss, her entire understanding of her own worth and destiny is turned completely upside down. When her newfound world explodes into violence and Adrian's lover—and prince—walks into the picture, she's forced to explore feelings and abilities she's never dreamed of. The first thing she discovers is that love doesn't fit into nice neat little boxes. The second thing is that risking your life is nothing compared to facing who you really are—and who you'll kill to protect.

Buy Here 

10 Interesting Things About Working Late

10--You stop needing your nap and time becomes relative.

9--Second dinner becomes a thing, but it's eaten standing up in front of the pantry as you imagine what you were doing.

8--WHO STOLE MY GLASS OF WATER? Oh. Just empty. I'll get it in a minute. (One Hour Later...) WHO STOLE MY GLASS OF WATER??

7-- Is that blanket moving? Why is that blanket moving? OH MY GOD THAT BLANKET HAS EYES? Oh shit--Gibbs? For sweet fucks sake you scared me to death.

6--Squish, why are you awake again? To read a good story to get the taste of the sad one out of your mouth? Who authorized that? Well, shit yeah, that was me. Are we crying anymore? Okay, fine, go to bed.

5--Well, I did a blog tour, some business, and I finished the second Shitty Craft Book revision. I'm going to bed.

4-- I need to do 2K on my actual book? *laughs hysterically* Maybe not.

3--Is it getting colder in here, or is it just because it's 35 degrees outside, I'm sitting by the window, and the heater shut off two hours ago?

2--Who needs a sweater and slippers when you've got a couch blanket and a dog bed?

1--Well, it must be time to go to bed. I can't feel my feet.

Oops! Sorry about that!

I literally forgot to blog last night.

See, what happened there was this...

I spent all day in second revisions for the Shitty Craft Book and saved the evening after the family went to bed to do some serious writing on Fish. And then, at 11:30 pm, I stopped what I was doing and said, "Oh shit, I gotta..." because I had missed a deadline that got moved up a smidge.

And what I had to do was write a little story for Yarn! magazine, and it came out adorable, but there was a sweater attached. I mean, literally a sweater in the story and my editor wanted a pattern for it.

Well, like everything else in my life, this got shuttled to a little bit later--and suddenly, it was late.

So at 12:30 in the morning I was writing a crochet pattern for a sweater I made a little while ago, and people? I will tell you right now-- it involved MATHS.  The terrible, awful, horrible hated MATHS. And counting. And I counted and then counted again and then wrote in crochet-- which is an entire other language, you have no idea, and then I counted and did maths again.

Anyway when I was done with that, I still had to write 2K on Fish on a Bicycle because YO! and then at 1:30 in the morning I went to bed.

And I woke up this morning and thought, "Oh, hey. Nobody will miss me..." And then I felt guilty because blogging has been sort of a habit and a regime for... well, thirteen years now.

So anyway, my brain is full of things. So many things. And tonight, after a nap punctuated by texts and calls and I don't know what, I rolled out of bed and got the kids in the car to go to dance, and I kept trying to think... just think... you know. To like order all of the many things...

And Squish wanted to talk. She wanted to talk and talk and talk and talk and she relaxed the conversation for a moment and two things that had been trying to connect in my head like magnets but had gotten pushed apart like words finally connected and I screamed "OH MY GOD! SHIT! GODDAMMIT!"

And the kids said, "WHAT? WHAT WAS THAT? OH MY GOD ARE WE GONNA DIE?"

And I said, "No, I just have to start my blog tour-- it's late."

And they said, "NEXT TIME SAY THAT! WE THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA DIE!"

No. Not going to die. But I really do need some sleep. And to finish this revision and this blog tour and this book.

And some sleep.

But hey-- Familiar Demon is out next week and Little Goddess fans, beware. There is a sizable chunk of the book spent in the LG.

Heh heh... I had fun with that.

Kermit Flail-- the month of love!

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!

We have a GREAT set of offerings this month--and, may I say it, a surprising number of paranormals for February! It's like everybody who didn't want to write lovely fluffy Valentines Day romance wrote about demons and ghosts instead. It's like Halloween in February--and I am on BOARD!

And our two contemporaries look just sweet as can be--and since the 14th is Christmas for romance readers, we ALL need a little bit of sweet in our lives! Kate McMurray gives us See the Light, a sweet friends-to-lovers story, and Ariel Tachna's adorable Rebuild My Heart gives us opposites attract and a surprise family!

And as for demons and ghosts...

Well, gay romance's answer to Mary Janice Davison, Ms. E.J. Russell gives us Demon on the Down-Low, and yes, it looks adorable! And in Not Dead Yet Jenn Burke gives us the beginning of a hot new series featuring a part-time ghost and his ex-boyfriend and a whole lot of twists I don't give away--but I can tell you I was THRILLED when I realized these guys would be showing up on my Kindle again!

And then there's me, with Familiar Demon, the sequel to Familiar Angel, this book featuring Edward and Mullins and a love story that took 140 years to come true.

So it's beginning to look like a fabulous February--and I hope you think so too!

YAYAYAYAYAYYAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!

See the Light
by Kate McMurray
Up-and-coming Broadway actor Jeremy was given two days to get up and get out. Dumped by his long-term boyfriend and suddenly homeless, he needs a sofa and a sympathetic ear, stat.
Enter Max, aspiring makeup artist and Jeremy’s BFF and former roommate.

Max has been in love with his best friend forever. Now that Jeremy is back in his home, his old feelings are back, too. He’s happy to help his friend, but this time…it’s complicated.
When Jeremy gets his big break in a new show, the message of the play hits home. “Live life to the fullest” means recognizing how he really feels about Max, and that’s not complicated at all. Jeremy’s in love, and wants to move full steam ahead.

But Max has waited too long for Jeremy to look at him this way, and he doesn’t want to risk his heart. If this is just a rebound fling, or if Jeremy is only interested in Max because he’s convenient, it will not only shatter him—it will ruin the best friendship he’s ever known.
Buy Link: 





Demon on the Down-Low
by E.J. Russell
After decades of unrequited love, this kangaroo will jump at the chance for a date. Any date.
Lovelorn kangaroo shifter Hamish Mulherne, drummer for the mega-hit rock band Hunter’s Moon, waited years for the band’s jaguar shifter bassist to notice him. Instead, she’s just gotten married and is in a thriving poly relationship. How is Hamish supposed to compete with that? But with everyone else in the band mated and revoltingly happy, he needs somebody. Since he can’t expect true love to strike twice, he signs up with Supernatural Selection. Because what the hell.
When Zeke Oz was placed at Supernatural Selection through the Sheol work-release program, he thought he was the luckiest demon alive. But when he seems responsible for several massive matchmaking errors, he’s put on notice: find the perfect match for Hamish, or get booted back to Sheol for good. The only catch? He has to do it without the agency’s matchmaking spells, and Hamish simply will not engage.
But Zeke starts to believe that the reason all of Hamish’s dates fizzle is because nobody in the database is good enough for him. And Hamish realizes that his perfect match might be the cute demon who’s trying so hard to make him happy.
Order Here


Rebuild My Heart
by Ariel Tachna
A love built to last. When Derek Jackson is hired to renovate the LGBT bookstore that’s also Owen Hensley’s home, opposites attract. Derek is a big burly blue-collar guy, about ten years older than slight, sweet, and bookish Owen. As they spend time together, it becomes clear that each handsome outside leads to a beautiful interior. Far from the shy twink he appears, Owen has a rock-solid foundation that helped him put himself through college and start his own business. Behind Derek’s strong façade waits a tender heart that’s been battered by a rough family past—something Owen understands. After Owen’s runaway nephew lands on his doorstep, it throws a wrench in their plans. Derek can’t ask Owen to choose, but he doesn’t think he can take second place with his lover the way he always has with his family. Can they find a way to keep their romance standing?  
Buy Here 
And Ariel is offering a chance to win one of three paperback copies by entering her FB Group from the link here:
 https://www.facebook.com/groups/317060318933545/

Not Dead Yet
by Jenn Burke 
Wes Cooper was dead. Then he wasn’t—though he’s not exactly alive, either. As an immortal not-ghost, he can transition between this world and the otherplane, which makes him the perfect thief for hire. For seventy years he’s made a “living” returning items to their rightful owners, seeing his fair share of the bizarre in the process. But he’s never witnessed murder. Until now. 

His latest mission brings him more than he bargained for: a very-dead actor who is definitely going to stay that way. It’s just Wes’s luck that his ex-boyfriend, Detective Hudson Rojas, is assigned to the case. Hudson broke Wes’s heart years ago—and could again, given he’s rocking a hot silver-fox look that shouldn’t be legal.

As they work together to track down the murderer before anyone else gets hurt, it becomes clear Wes and Hudson have unfinished business. And when a secret Hudson’s been keeping threatens more than just their happiness, it might mean the end of their not-life together—permanently.

Buy Here

Familiar Demon 
by Amy Lane
For over a century, Edward Youngblood has been the logical one in a family of temperamental magical beings. But reason has not made him immune to passion, and Edward’s passion for Mullins, the family’s demon instructor, has only grown.
Mullins was lured into hell through desperation—and a fatal mistake. He’s done his best to hang onto his soul in the twisted realm of the underworld, and serving the Youngblood family when summoned has been his only joy. Edward concocts a plan to spring Mullins by collecting a series of items to perform an ancient ritual—an idea that terrifies Mullins. He can’t bear the thought of losing Edward and his brothers to a dangerous quest. 
But every item in their collection is an adventure in brotherhood and magic, and as Mullins watches from the sidelines, he becomes more and more hopeful that they will succeed. When the time comes for Mullins to join the mission, can he find enough faith and hope to redeem himself and allow himself happiness in the arms of a man who would literally go to hell and back—and beyond—to have Mullins by his side?

Buy Here

Surfacing!

Well, I'm ALMOST to the point of not panicking.
Almost.
I do have to admit--I "bailed on Saturday. All of it. All of Saturday. I bailed."  This means that I didn't do soccer and I didn't go to the dress rehearsal at Raley Field for dance on Saturday and we didn't go out. Mate took the kids and then brought me dinner and I knocked one of the things off my list.
But only one. 
So, tomorrow is Kermit Flail-- YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!! But tonight?
Still running!
but I can give you a little bit of family--the kind of thing that ONLY happens when you're concentrating on something really hard.
While I was focusing on an edit, Squish came over to the sliding glass door next to me and PROBABLY had the following conversation:
"Mom, I'm gonna let Gibbs out, okay? Mom, I let Gibbs out, but she's pooping in the rain, okay? Mom, I'm gonna go to bed--I'm leaving the door open until Gibbs come back inside, okay?"
And I probably said something like, 
"Sure, yeah, okay, whatever."
And then she disappeared and Mate was like, "Why is the door open?"
And I was on my last nerve so I said, "I DON'T KNOW!!"  And then I looked and realized that Gibbs was ready to come in, but the cat was sitting in her cat bed staring at Gibbs with judgment in her eyes and I was like, "Jesus, Gibbs, get over yourself, it's just the fucking cat!"
Mate was like, "What?"
"Fucking cat-- the door was open because FUCKING CAT but now Gibbs is inside and I can close it again."
"Oh. Okay. Fine. Why didn't you say so?"
And then, shortly after that, ZoomBoy was standing behind me, trying to get my attention.
"Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mommy. Mom. Mom--"
"WHAT?"
"Oh. I'm sorry. Goodnight."
"What? What did you need?"
"I was trying to wish you goodnight."
Me, feeling like the worst mother ever: "Goodnight, ZoomBoy... I love you..."
So anyway-- THAT'S what my house is like right now.
*headdesk* 
Urgh.

Under water again...

So, WAY underwater this week. Like... *waves while drowning*

But tonight, as I was working, my friend's chat window pops up and I'm like, "Hey, I can talk to Rayna--"

And at that moment, in the dead silence of the house, Mate starts screaming "OW OW OW OW OW OW!!!"

I run down the hallway, dogs clattering at my heels, and he's sprawled in the middle of the bed.

"What--"

"I woke up and had a muscle cramp, and rolled over, and it went away."

So I start to massage it, with Geoffie giving me open mouth kisses, and the other dogs still barking because they're a little bit confused.

He fell back asleep again--but it was my only break for an hour.

Damn.

Excuse me while I go to bed and take a breath.

Yes, it's for you!

So, before the weird  Christmas knitting binge started, I was working on a sweater for Mate.

I've actually made some progress on it--it's in the place where I do the body, so it's essentially around and around and around and around and around until I want to gouge my eyeballs out with a crochet hook.

I had him try it on tonight, just to see when we could get to the eyeball gouging.

He was like, "Okay, not sure it fits... may need to... oh yes. Okay. If I do this it works much better."

I was like, "So you'd wear that."

He was like, "Well who are you making it for."

"You."

"No, before you saw that it would fit me."

"Still you."

"But who else was it meant for?"

"Only you!
But only if you'd wear it."

"But who's it supposed to be for?"

"You. Pretty much since I started it. Do you want it?"

He smiles a little. "Sure."

"Do you mind that it's a little snug on the tummy?"

"Nope."

"So you sure you want a Mom sweater?"

"Yeah. That's sort of cool."

Now I told him this before the Christmas rush, but then I made a thousand other things for other people. I think it's funny, though, how I had him try it on a thousand times, and it's finally hitting him that yes, I designed it all for him.

Not a Brave Little Soldier

Very short entry today--very short stories!

So, this starts on Saturday, which was sort of a magical day in a way. Told my parents Squish was having a soccer game, and they'd been planning to take the older kids out to dinner and we'd been planning to go out to dinner, so we ALL went out to dinner someplace expensive that we don't usually go, but hey, we all had gift certificates.

Did I mention magical?

And after that, we went and saw The Kid Who Would be King which was sort of adorable and fun and left a happy shiny residue, and then we came home and fell asleep because it was 12 o'clock!

Anyway-- while we were with my parents my mom said something about going to get her toes done and we said, yes, we were going to have to go get pedicures together and we made tentative plans.

Okay-- so skip to today.

I see my mom's car in the parking lot and sort of laugh to myself--we share the same dentist, and sure enough, I see her on my way in, but she's getting worked on so I don't say anything.

I'm getting my permanent crown replacement which means they have to jab me with a needle a couple of times to get the temporary off, dry the whole works *shudder*, and then put the permanent back on. Simple, a little squidgy, but generally no drama.

Of course, it took them forever to numb me, and I could still feel it. But I told myself I could manage--I didn't want to be a baby, right? That's what I said in my HEAD, but when the assistant went to open my mouth to pull the temporary off, my neck did a funny thing.

It turned my face to the side.

I swear, I had no intention of doing that.

She tried again, and I almost did a 180 trying to get my jaw out of the clutches of the evil dental assistant (who was totally nice and very helpful.)

"Would you like some more lidocaine, Ms. Lane?"

"Yeeeemmmmmmmmmmmfffff!!!"

Anyway, they got me (mostly) anesthetized, and put in the crown, and near the end of the procedure, while they were waiting for the cement to dry, my mom stuck her head in the room and tagged my shoulder. "Is this the same thing as getting our toes done together?" she asked, before disappearing.

I chuckled to myself--seriously, would have rather had the pedicure!

Things Heard in My House Today

Mate: I am surrounded by dogs.
Me: They're like big furry fireflies. It must be magical to be you.
Mate: So magical.
*  *  *
Squish, barging into the bathroom by mistake. I am there, and so is Steve the cat, and Geoffie and Gibbs, the smollest of smol dogs. 
"Oh. Sorry."  *looks at all the animals*  "I didn't realize it was a party."

*  *  *  
Mate: Did you get your coffee?
Me: Well, that depends on what you want to call it.
Mate: Looks like rat poison.
Me: That's what I call it.

*  * *  
Mate is moving  our old box springs out of our room, because we have bought new ones. 
Mate: Do you hear that?
Me: What is that ungodly racket?
Mate: That's the broken coils in the middle of the springs!
Me: Weren't those supposed to be nine inch box springs?
Mate: Yup.
Me: What are they now?
Mate: About six and a half.
Me: Aint that always the way.
*  * *
Mate, after my nap: So, how was the bed? 
Me: It was amazing. I woke up in the same place I went to sleep.
Kids: Didn't you do that before?
Mate: No. Going to bed was a game of Broken Mattress: Tokyo Drift.
Kids: So you don't drift anymore?
Me: We'll have to see tonight. If I get to bed and he's still on his side of the bed, it was all the box springs. If I get to bed and he's in the middle, it's all him.
*  *  *  
And finally...
Squish: Mom!
Me: What!
Squish: The dogs! They can't jump on the bed anymore! They have to vault off the clothes!
Mate: *rubs hands together* Excellent... now all I have to do is finish folding clothes and my plan is complete....

Regret Me Not in Paperback

Regret Me Not

--Paperback Edition

By Amy Lane

Pierce Atwater used to think he was a knight in shining armor, but then his life fell to crap. Now he has no job, no wife, no life―and is so full of self-pity he can’t even be decent to the one family member he’s still speaking to. He heads for Florida, where he’s got a month to pull his head out of his ass before he ruins his little sister’s Christmas.  Harold Justice Lombard the Fifth is at his own crossroads―he can keep being Hal, massage therapist in training, flamboyant and irrepressible to the bones, or he can let his parents rule his life. Hal takes one look at Pierce and decides they’re fellow unicorns out to make the world a better place. Pierce can’t reject Hal’s overtures of friendship, in spite of his misgivings about being too old and too pissed off to make a good friend.  As they experience everything from existential Looney Tunes to eternal trips to Target, Pierce becomes more dependent on Hal’s optimism to get him through the day. When Hal starts getting him through the nights too, Pierce must look inside for the knight he used to be―before Christmas becomes a doomsday deadline of heartbreak instead of a celebration of love.

Buy at Dreamspinner

Buy at Amazon

Okay-- some of you may know this story.

I wrote the first Regret Me Not as a 40K e-book for Christmas, 2017. And I sort of fell in love with Pierce and Hal. Pierce was broody and sort of pissy and Hal was just a hurt well of optimism.

And I set the book at a Florida condo, after spending some time with my friend Karen at hers. Cause it was gorgeous.

Anyway--I loved the story and I didn't want to let it stop--but there was no sequel bait here.

It did however, end at the beginning of the two characters driving off into the sunset for a planned road trip, and that sounded like fun.

So I wrote about their road trip on the blog, and then sent the extras to my editor, and there was enough to make Regret Me Not into a paperback book.

So that's what we're celebrating here. The paperback version of the original, with the added extras!

Huzzah!

OH! BY THE WAY--

The original is on sale for $2.99 RIGHT NOW! 

OH!!! This ALSO HAPPENED TODAY!

A Few Good Fish is out in Audio! WOOOOOT!!!