Heather Crews's Blog, page 3

PSYCHOPOMP is live! + book soundtrack

I actually published Psychopomp on the 6th, but I haven't been motivated to even try to promote it until now, except for a brief tweet. And mostly this is me procrastinating on picking up another book, since the last one I finished was so dull. And I'm starting a buddyread tomorrow. So.

Anyway, you can buy it on Amazon. It's available for free if you have Kindle Unlimited. Be sure to add it on Goodreads! You can also request a review copy from me at any time. :)

As always, here is the book soundtrack. The theme for this one is "a little weird and possibly futuristic."

"How To Be Invisible" - Kate Bush
"Some Velvet Morning" - Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra
"Nocturnal Me" - Echo & the Bunnymen
"All We Ever Wanted Was Everything" - Bauhaus
"Sahara Dream" - The Bewitched Hands
"Love Song" - 311
"Keep the Streets Empty For Me" - Fever Ray
"Do Your Best" - John Maus
"You Can Take Care of Yourself" - Erasers
"22: The Death of All Romance" - The Dears
"Wires to Flying Birds" - The Veils
"Dance Me To the End of Love" - Leonard Cohen
"Lancer" - Cities
"The Needle" - To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie
"Magnetic North" - Fin Fang Foom
"Slight Night Shiver" - M83
"Bathysphere" - Smog
"They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!" - Sufjan Stevens
"Intro" - The xx

Homework! AGUH!

I was lucky enough to have some trusted friends beta for my current WIP, Psychopomp. It's mostly finished, but I'm working on incorporating the feedback before I do a final round (or two) of editing. So basically I'm doing homework.

Which brings me to this poem I wrote I don't know when. I'd have forgotten all about it if my dad hadn't compiled a binder of my old drawings, stories, awards, report cards, etc. I came across it the other day while using the binder's contents to distract my kids for a bit. As you may have guessed, the poem is called "Homework! AGUH!"

Homework! AGUH!I hate it! It stinks!I can't wash it down the sinks.I can't explode it to bits.I wish my dog would chew it up.It's giving me fits!Mom, Please, can I finish it later?No! You can't! Now hop to it!Bla, Bla, Bla!Finish it now!But I don't now how!Homework! AGUH!
Here's a picture (albeit one of crap quality) so you can see the glorious accompanying drawings.


Despite my dubious spelling of "ugh" or "aaagghhhh" or whatever the hell I was trying to spell, and the fact that I don't even think I had a dog at the time of writing, obviously I could have had an illustrious career as a poet. Besides this, I've also penned the phenomenal "The Hot Superstar Who Sang Slow Songs" and a limerick about a girl who falls off a horse. I'm telling you, I'm a literary genius.
Anyway, now I'll stop distracting myself with any old excuse for a blog post and get back to my homework. Which I don't hate! I've come so far.

This is what comes after vampires...

I've written three vampire books, but it's time to put a hold on them. For now. Because obviously I would never abandon my beloved creatures of the night.

My latest book turned out to be a novella, despite my efforts to make it a full-length novel. It's different from anything I've written so far, and I don't really know who would enjoy it except weirdos like me. Because I write what I want and simply hope people will like what I put out there. The romance is minimal and the bleakness is fierce in this one.

I'm hoping to work on the cover this weekend and maybe get a beta reader or two. In the meantime, here is the super epic synopsis (which I just whipped up like fifteen minutes ago) for Psychopomp: A Novella:


BLOOD AND DREAMS
Sixteen-year-old Marlo has suffered an abusive home life for years. She longs to leave, but in a world ravaged by drought and pollution, she has nowhere to go.
DUST AND BONES
Then she meets an enigmatic man who will lead her on a journey far beyond her wildest dreams. The world is merciless, but Marlo is determined to find happiness in whatever way she can. Nothing will stop her from realizing her desires… not even death.
One who bleeds, one who resists, and one who forgets… Three young women will learn their world takes more than it gives, and just what price they're willing to pay for their desires.

PRINCE OF MISERY soundtrack.

Is this my best book soundtrack ever? It's hard to say. I have a gift, you see.

"My Throat Is an Open Grave" - Demon Hunter
"Etude, Op. 25, No. 11 Winter Wind" - Fredric Chopin
"Demon" - London After Midnight
"Danse Macabre, Op. 40" - Camille Saint-Saëns
"Wormwood" - Callisto
"Butterflies and Hurricanes" - Muse
"Haunted" - Evanescence
"Darkest Days" - Stabbing Westward
"Here She Comes" - Slowdive
"Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" - Ramones
"I Wanna Be Adored" - The Stone Roses
"In the Night" - Cranes
"Nuages Gris (Gray Clouds), S. 199" - Franz Liszt
"Persephone" - Cocteau Twins
"Under the Milky Way" - The Church
"Sinful Nature" - Bear in Heaven
"Doubt" - Bella Morte
"All Is Full of Love" - Björk
"Stabat Mater In F Minor: Introduction" - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

Honorable Mentions:
"Love Interruption" - Jack White
"Love Is A Murder" - The Constellations

Thank you, Karly, for these suggestions! Obviously now I should hire you as a consultant in all my future book soundtracks.

Book links:
Amazon
Smashwords (Smashwords appears to be doing wonky things to my table of contents. WHY??? I worked so hard on it!!!)
Goodreads

PRINCE OF MISERY now available for purchase!

What's this? I've written yet ANOTHER vampire book?

Yes, it's true. PRINCE OF MISERY is my third vampire book (although probably my last for a while).




OOOOH, PRETTEH.
For now the book is only available on Amazon, but it won't be long before I upload it to Smashwords (where it will be available in multiple formats) as well.
Wait, what's it about? I shall tell you!

Vampire prince Theron Vansauvage has spent years in isolation, a prisoner of his own vanity. With the help of his trusted friend Seth, he subsists on the blood of enslaved humans. His world is staid and cold, unchanging as the darkness that mires him.

Then a young woman named Iris is brought to him, and Theron’s world begins to alter. Fascinated by her vitiligo, he intends to use Iris for his own amusement rather than kill her.

But Iris is not a girl easily bested, and Seth is not as loyal as he seems. Driven by obsessive desires, Theron will stop at nothing to get what he deserves.

Even if it means sacrificing all he holds dear.

Gasp! I'm dying from anticipation already!

Buy PRINCE OF MISERY on Amazon!

Add PRINCE OF MISERY on Goodreads!

Review copies are always available upon request. Happy reading!

Cover Reveal: SOULS OF SALT AND SEAWATER by Apollo Blake

She rises up and crests the surface to catch a glimpse of the ship growing closer and closer just ahead. Above her the storm is grey and violent and rolling across itself to swallow its own body again and again, the clouds dying so they can be born from their own corpses.

The storm is here.

This will be the site of their sinking, she decides.


Alice: the prodigal daughter of a powerful councilman. Raised in Nobla, on the continent Brayya, Alice has always been surrounded by politics and privilege. Now she’s leaving it all behind to sail across the Ospian Sea to Nesnor, the City of Spirals. Alice expects to enter a world of ice and enchantment, where Magi—powerful individuals with elemental powers—perform for coin, and Sky Splitters—elemental dragons tamed for riding and protection—claim the skies. Instead she finds herself alone among a crew of dangerous sailors—who may or may not plan to sacrifice her to the goddess of the sea…



Joram: a sailor from the continent of Oskea, desperate to prove himself to his captain and the crew who ridicule him. When his ship sails into the Evergulf—the most dangerous waters in the world, full of vindictive Sirens and ancient Magi traps—Joram finds himself the only one on the ship immune to the Siren’s song. As the dark waves thrash and Sky Splitters spew fire overhead, Joram must rise up and save his crewmates from certain death. If he fails, it will cost him his life…



Rayna: a Drovavian girl who wants nothing more than to inherit her father’s fishing vessel and sail across the Iostian Ocean in search of adventure. Instead she’s been chosen to take a position on the Oslo village guard, protecting her people from Northern invaders. When a travelling show of curiosities arrives in her village with a caged Siren in tow, Rayna takes it into her own hands to rescue the Siren from the magical menagerie—even if it means betraying her village and her own heart…



Souls of Salt & Seawater is an enticing first glimpse at the world of Josmea, where Magi and Sky Splitters rule, and Sirens sing beneath the waves. Pitched as ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ meets ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ this dark young adult collection will leave you lost in the depths of the darkest seas long after you’ve turned the final page.

Add SOULS OF SALT AND SEAWATER on Goodreads!

Yes, I do still post to this blog, thanks for asking!

Well, it's basically been forever since I posted on here. I've been working on my next book, Prince of Misery. It's a rewrite, which is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I originally published it in 2006 with a vanity publisher, and it's horrendously bad. Like, so bad I don't even like to admit it exists (except for right now). Hopefully when I publish it as an ebook it'll actually be good.

Prince of Misery is about an omniscient vampire prince who has spent years locked in his castle because he's really vain. He has only his friend/valet Seth (also a vampire) for company, another vampire, and a whole bunch of kidnapped humans. Then one day a human named Iris gets kidnapped and brought to the castle, and everything starts to change.

It's sort of horror, sort of romance, and I'm trying to incorporate a few sci-fi elements as well. Just to make it interesting, and because I can. Here's an excerpt:

It was only moments before Seth appeared. 

“They’re leaving, I presume.” 

“Not yet. We’re having a masque,” I told him in the brightest tone I’d ever used. 

His brows dropped low and he stared at me for a moment, stunned. “A masque?” he repeated. “After … all this time?” 

“It hasn’t really been so long, has it? I’m afraid I’ve lost count of the years.” 

He turned bitter in an instant. “Well, I haven’t.” 

“Don’t bore me with your discontent,” I snapped. “Do you think I don’t know how many times you’ve contemplated throwing yourself off a cliff into your precious inlet? Is death so preferable to your current existence?” 

He shrugged a shoulder, his long face solemn in the firelight and shadows. 

“If anything, this event should relieve your malaise.” 

“Why are you doing this?” he asked. “I thought you’d have sent them home by now. Are you interested in power all of a sudden? An alliance?” 

“Are you?” I countered. “You seemed so eager to have them here. I thought it was freedom you desired.” 

His jaw tensed. “I desire nothing.” 

I laughed. “I know that’s not true. I know everything, Seth.” 

“Not everything, surely,” he said, barely able to disguise the fury simmering in him. 

“Yes, everything. And I know why you desire freedom. I can send you on an errand anywhere in the world, letting you taste what it’s like out there, and you will always come back. You have no choice. The magic tethers you, and you will die if you fail to yield to it.” 

A slow blink. He tried to appear dead nonchalant. “You do know everything, Theron.”

I'm not sure it's even good at this point, but I feel pretty optimistic. If only I can get the final (and hardest) part written, I can start editing this bad boy.

Christmas interview! (And giveaway.)

The lovely Inge and Karolina over at Bookshelf Reflections have done a Christmas-themed interview with me! I also answered a few questions for the Grinch. There are also copies of my books to be had by entering the giveaway. Enjoy!

Cover Reveal: DECADENCE by Nenia Campbell

“I bet they told you at orientation that Ashgrove wasn't like your old school.”

Rachael Williams is the only black student at the exclusive private school, Ashgrove Heights. Through hard work and sheer luck she's managed to crawl out of the lowest moment of her life. At orientation, she meets a girl who has been driven out through vicious, violent bullying, who warns her to keep her head down: the students aren't what they seem.

Andrew Worth is broken inside. He's considered suicide, but he'd rather stick around and make everyone else feel miserable. His grades are falling, he does every drug that's bottled and sold, and everyone's terrified of what he'll do next.

Daphne Kim is the school's golden girl. When someone fucks with her, she fucks back--harder and better. Her boyfriend knows that better than anyone. She's the only one who can stop Andrew from his downward spiral, but she's having too much fun watching.

When Andrew's father hires Rachael to tutor his son after she's announced as valedictorian, Rachael gets mixed up in the popular kids' Machiavellian hierarchy of sex, power, and scandal. It's a dangerous game, but if she doesn't play they'll eat her alive.

Add DECADENCE on Goodreads.

Find out more about Nenia and her other books!

Giveaway madness!

I made a giveaway for my third novel, Dreams for the Dead, on Booklikes. It goes until early Monday morning (like, six a.m. Pacific Time). There are 10 e-copies available.

(Okay, this isn't exactly madness. But still, it's exciting.)

Since I've never done a giveaway before, this is kind of an experiment for me. My fingers are crossed. For some reason I was afraid of overwhelming myself. I don't know.

Here's the book summary:

Dawn Larkin never expects that an ordinary night out a bar with her best friend will end in a kidnapping. A man steals Leila away right before her eyes, and Dawn is powerless to stop him. 

Though Dawn returns home that night unscathed, it isn’t long before the people who took Leila come back for her. In a house of strange, evil occupants, she becomes the captive of a mysterious man named Tristan. He’s dangerous, and he isn’t just a man—he’s a vampire. 

After each day spent with him, Dawn finds her heart in an ever more precarious position. With constant threats from his wicked vampire family, it becomes increasingly difficult to ensure her safety … and her sanity. Soon Dawn realizes that even if she escapes, she will never be free …

Check it out!

You can also add Dreams for the Dead on Goodreads.