Kimberly Dean's Blog, page 23

Dream Walker Up for Pre-order

Dream Walker will be available Tuesday, September 29!

The book is up for pre-order on the following sites:  Amazon │ Amazon UK │Google Play│Kobo│ iBooks

Dream Walker Cover Reveal

Here it is.  Isn’t it bee-u-tee-ful?

Happy Labor Day

Enjoy the last day of summer.  Take it easy.  Grill out.  Read a book.

Labor Day Weekend Deal

On a Roll: Dream Walker off to Copyeditor

Things are cruising so well right now, I don’t want to jinx them.  I dove head first into Dream Walker, the follow-up to Dream Man, and I love the way it turned out.  I’ve sent it off to the copyeditor to make sure I’ve crossed all my t’s and dotted all my i’s.  Copyeditors are the detail-oriented editors who correct your grammar, spelling, and continuity.  They are super-helpful.  After I’ve looked at a manuscript for too long, I can’t see the forest for the trees anymore.

Keep an eye out here for more information about Dream Walker.  It will be coming your way soon.

Courting Danger off to Copyeditor

I’m so happy. All the content editing has been completed on Courting Danger and it’s off to the copy editor.  Soon, it will be real book.

Just for fun, I’m sharing my flash cards for both Courting Innocence and Courting Danger.  This is a technique I’ve developed to help me organize my thoughts and (knock on wood) prevent writer’s block.  Courting Innocence is on the left.  You can see that some of the cards were labeled “no” and weren’t used.  When I’m writing the cards, I start by creating a card for each idea.  Most of the time, it’s a plot point.  Sometimes it’s a point about the characters.  The idea is to brainstorm as much as possible.  Those rejected cards were trails the story could have taken, but were rejected.  Think of them as the road not taken.

Courting Danger has a more intricate story line, and I started with fewer flash cards.  The brain just wasn’t storming.  For that story, I had to spend more time figuring out cards to insert to carry the plot from Point A to Point B.  In the end, it needed more cards and more detail than the other book.  But it made it to the end, and the editor just approved it.  Yay!  You’ll see the end result soon.

Courting Innocence Contest Winner & Survey Results

Congratulations to Diana for winning the Lenox Opal Innocence vase set giveaway!

I’ve also collected the results of the survey.  I just find these things so interesting.  Here is a breakdown of how you responded:

Poll: When do you post an online review of a book?

38% – All of the above (except never)

27% – When I love it

14% – I never post reviews.

12% – When it causes an emotional reaction (love or hate)

5% – When the book is original or different

3% – When my opinion differs from all the other reviews already posted.

1% – When I hate it.

 

Avoiding the Sophomore Slump

Series are fun to write, and readers love them, but writers need to have a plan.  There are so many things to consider.  Are you creating a world and exploring how people live inside it?  Is there an over-riding story arc that carries throughout the series?  Do characters appear in multiple books?  Can each book stand alone?

Book 1 needs to set the stage.  Characters are introduced and the series premise is set.  There’s a lot to cover in Book 1, and you want readers to get hooked on the whole series.  But how do you keep that interest going in Book 2 and avoid the dreaded sophomore slump?

Courting Innocence is the second book in my Courting series about Luxxor Limited, a high-end escort service.  The first book, Courting Trouble, told the story of Sienna, a young woman who joins Luxxor to pay her bills, but ends up falling for the man she’s escorting.   To keep things interesting, for Courting Innocence, I chose a storyline that came from the exact opposite direction.  The heroine, Erin, is naive and doesn’t know the score.  She’s not coming to Luxxor as an escort, but as an unknowing client.  Sienna and Jason, the hero and heroine from Book 1, appear as supporting characters.  It was a blast to continue their relationship.  I also gave hints about relationships that will appear in future books to make the whole series cohesive.  I’m really happy with the result, and Courting Innocence has been getting great reviews.

How do you like your series?  Do you like visits from old characters?  What do you like to see in connected books to keep you interested in reading?

Sale Day

There are sales everywhere today!  If you’ve been waiting to pick up one of my books, now is the time.

In honor of National Book Lovers Day, Samhain is having a one day only, 40% off sale!

Also, All Romance Ebooks is celebrating the release of their new Android App with a 50% ebook rebate.

 

Courting Danger Up for Pre-sale

Courting Danger is now available for pre-order!  For those of you who’ve already finished Courting Innocence and have been curious what Book 3 in the Courting Series is about, here you go:

Rielle Sands ventured too close to the fire once and got burned. Now when it comes to men, she’s vowed to play it safe. But then a dashing, mysterious man shows up at Luxxor Limited after hours, the agency she manages, needing an escort.

Darien Scott isn’t what he appears to be. Beneath the sexy smile and wicked charm, he’s hiding secrets. Yet the sizzling chemistry between him and Rielle is real. He tries to stay away, but his attraction to her keeps pulling him back. When he discovers that he’s not the only one haunted by danger, he changes tactics. To protect Rielle, he may need to stay close. Super close. Exclusive Luxxor contract close.

The reward is more than worth the risk.

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Available for pre-order: Kindle US │ Kindle UK│ Nook │Google Play│ iBook │ Kobo │ All Romance Ebooks