Nancy Gideon's Blog, page 62

Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop

I confess . . . I’m a Christmas-aholic! I love the holiday season: the decorating, the music, the smells of baking and pine needles, the traditions, the familial unit gathering, the calendar filling up with events, and especially, gift giving. This year, with a new book, BETRAYED BY SHADOWS, coming out the week before Christmas, I’ve been in a HUGE rush to get everything done on time. So, instead of spending precious minutes jockeying for parking spaces at the mail, I’ve done a lot of my buying from the comfort of my office chair. Oh, the power of the “One Click”! So, I’m passing along that ease of shopping by offering an Amazon gift card for the Blog Hop giveaway with an encouragement to give (or enjoy!) the gift of reading. Did you know you can give e-books as gifts? How cool is that!
So even though I don’t share my BETRAYED BY SHADOW’s heroine Brigit’s love of mall shopping, I’m an advocate of enjoying the virtual experience. I think at the special price of $1.99, BETRAYED BY SHADOWS is going to be popping up in a lot of my friend’s Christmas stockings!
 Available at:AmazonBarnes & Noble 

The Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop was organized by Carrie Ann's Blog Hops!

From December 14th thru December 17th, I'm participating in the Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop hosted by Carrie Ann's Blog Hops! And to one lucky Follower, I'll be giving away a 
$10 Amazon Gift Card!
Details:
One (1) $10 Amazon Gift Card to the winner of the Hop!
Open to International Entries.
Drawing for the Giveaway will be held on
December 18, 2012, and the winner will be announced on
December 18, 2012.
To be eligible to enter the Giveaway, use the Rafflecopter Form below!a Rafflecopter giveaway
 But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yup, you can enter over 200 times!
Now for the GRAND Prize! Drum roll please...
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet2nd Grand Prize: A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card3rd Grand Prize: A Large Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, bookmarks, cozies, and more!
Hop and enter the other giveaways!

5 Days to New Release Day: Bang for your Buck – Choose Wisely

One of the most daunting efforts in preparing for a new release is putting together a PR plan to get your book noticed. If readers don’t know your novel is out there, how are they going to buy it? If you don’t provide them with a map, how are they going to find you?

The first thing I noticed going from print to e-book was that many of the dependable avenues I’d used in the past were no longer available. Romantic Times Booklovers Magazine didn’t include BETRAYED BY SHADOWS in their upcoming release list for Pocket nor did they review my book in their magazine even though it was the 7th in a series. I didn’t get my cover in time to do an independent ad with them. Goodreads didn’t host giveaways, which had always been so successful for my previous titles, unless the book was available in print. I was panicking. How was I going to let readers know this book existed if I couldn’t get the word out there? Shout “Hey, look at me!” while waving madly?

Well . . . yeah.

Working with e-books required a major shift in my PR approach. I’d previously targeted booksellers to get those cartons from the warehouses to their shelves. Instead of board and mortar space, I was now dealing with virtual space. I already had a fairly decent Internet presence on Facebook and had a modestly traveled website and blog. What I needed to do was get potential readers to visit, spread the word and come back. What could I do to say “Hey, look at me!” without flooding my social media sites with hammering messages to “Buy the Book!”?

Visibility and repetition. Those were things I learned in a university course on advertising and publicity. Get in front of their face enough to establish recognition to bond in a positive way. I asked myself what catches my eye? Things that are 1) fun. Things that are 2) free. Things that are 3) different. Things that are . . . because of my ADD . . . 4) shiny!

I’ve always thought of writers and readers as a community. It takes a village. Time to reach out to those neighbors. The way to be a good neighbor is to invite them over first. So, months before I had a book available, I rallied a group of creative friends as support staff and opened the doors to my Haunted Open House. Over 1,500 friends stopped by to enjoy the games, giveaways, and guests and recipes . . . and got a look at my December title.

I needed to reach beyond my small pond. How about getting invited to someone else’s pond? One thing about the Internet, everyone needs content and most are willing to let you stop by in exchange for a few paragraphs and a reciprocal visit. In return, I love helping out other author friends and get tired of coming up with blog ideas myself. Why not put together a quick and sassy 20 Questions Tuesday to introduce my friends to your friends? Win-Win. Fun, and an ever expanding ripple of new potential readers from one pond to the other.

Everyone likes free stuff. That’s something I learned during the big bookmark craze in the ‘80s. Giveaways (that don’t break your promotional bank!) are a great draw. The quickest, easiest way to bring new guests to your blog is to offer something free (I like to give gift cards. Just a one click away!) and the best way to let visitors know what you have to offer is joining a Blog Hop. Minimal time and cost expended, huge returns. I’ve participated in several and my blog, Facebook and Twitter numbers went wild. Did it result in sales? Hard to tell . . . yet. Kinda like that bookmark thing. But they did bring a new crop of potential where there was little before. The trick is to not continually preach to that same choir. And make sure your message is one they’re receptive to.

A twist on the Blog Hop is the Blog Tour. The ultimate “Look at Me!” I’d done several through my publisher that brought a crop of helpful reviews. This time I’m doing something a little different. I’ve got a promotional company doing a tour for me with dedicated stops all under an eye-catching banner. I’m excited to be visiting with a variety of new hosts and reaching out to a wider-audience. Coming up with content for 25 stops in two months . . . 


Click Image for Tour ScheduleThen there’s the “shiny”. As much as I’m wary of technology, I love flash. I love the concept of lagniappe – that extra on the side that I discovered in New Orleans. The exciting thing about promotion to me is doing the extra stuff: offering extra behind the scenes content, Romance Trading Cards, sending goodie packets to conferences, doing book trailers, putting together a research travel diary, character playlists, events like this one, not because they necessarily sell more books . . . but because they’re a fun way to reach out to people who’ll enjoy them.

Tomorrow I’m turning my blog over to the Holiday Gifts of Love Blog Hop (OooooO! Free stuff!). Make sure you stop back over the weekend to meet a special guest who keeps my “Oh, shiny!” going.

What things have you tried as an author? What things appeal to you as a reader?

6 Days to New Release Day: It’s All Gre“E”k to Me!

 
Just when you think you know where it’s at, somebody moves it! That’s how I felt about the e-book revolution. I had no problem with e-readers and e-books . . . as long as I had print to fall back on. The feel of a book in hand, the sight of it on the stands, the thrill of opening that box of author copies - to me, that’s what being published was all about. 



That’s not to say that publishing hasn’t changed - massively - since I was first on the shelves in 1987. I’ve seen book distributors and wholesalers shrink for around 500 to 5 or less, bookstores and book chains closing their doors, shelf space devoured by the bestseller list and reprints, and now the Big Six of New York condensing into the Big 5. Like the vinyl platter LPs of music and bulky VHSs of movies, was the paperback becoming the next dinosaur in this digital age?

When my publisher approached me with the idea of writing two e-exclusives for my next contract, I confess, I was cautious. I’m not one to leap on new technology in any shape or form . . . but the advance was a tempting carrot. I like to be gainfully employed. But I didn’t know anything about selling e-books as a product, and the Pocket Star e-exclusive line was a new venture for my publisher as well. Time to weigh the pros and cons . . .

PRO:
Money. A nice advance to pad my 9-to-5 income. Faster turnaround. I’d get another book out in 2012 and one in early 2013. My “By Moonlight” series would continue. Money. Over half of new book sales are now e-editions. Space. There was no more room under my bed for boxes of author copies. No pressure to do book signings. I do them but, other than the chance to meet readers and booksellers, they’re not my favorite way to spend an afternoon. Money. A bigger royalty percentage. Bigger is better (unless it’s a pant size!) Easier to do giveaways. The hassle and cost of mailing paperbacks, especially to international winners, would be as simple as my Amazon One Click. An aggressive publisher marketing plan. A new venture for them – more exposure for me. Money. Competitive price points to lure new readers and reward regular fans. Pushing a $7.99 book in a $0.99 download world is tough. CON:
Not everyone has an e-reader. All my PR connections were through print avenues. Loss of dependable review routes like Romantic Times and Publishers Weekly, and no exposure in venues like Romance Writers of America’s RWR. No early covers to make use of advertising opportunities. Going from a print paperback pond into an e-ocean of available books ( I have a fear of deep water!) Disgruntled fans. The minute faithful readers of the series found out Books 7 and 8 weren’t coming out in paperback, I’d start hearing from them. They had all the other books in print and would want the entire series that way. It was time for me to suck it up and learn new tricks again, and hope readers would follow. 
 
I’m still like an e-virgin. I’m upping my social media game (I’ll be talking about that tomorrow!) and working the digital ropes, which is a good thing since I’ve gotten a big chunk of my old titles reverted back to me and can look toward e-books as a means to recirculate them.

Speaking of money (my shameless motivator), here’s one HUGE perk of having a new e-exclusive: Special pricing!

 
For the first four weeks after my 12-17-12 release, BETRAYED BY SHADOWS will be available for sale at the jaw-dropping price of $1.99! No waiting. No lines at the checkout counter. No shipping & handling fee. $1.99 on Amazon or Barnes & Noble and Shazzam, you’re reading it!

Merry Christmas from me and Pocket Star!

7 Days to New Release Day: Say it with Pictures, Words and Music

I never thought the day would come when I’d be sick of looking at the naked male torso.

I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Social Media age. As an author who’d started out writing long hand into a spiral notebook then laboriously typing the pages up on a manual Smith Corolla, just getting that first word processor was a monumental leap of faith. Then came the Internet. I remember the wonder and terror of signing up for Prodigy, my first foray into the electronic age. For a cut-paste-copy back when it meant paper gal, the idea of creating advertising for newsletters, bookmarks, etc. with a mouse click was hugely liberating . . . once I got around that initial learning curve. It opened a whole new world of possibilities for bringing the reader into the world I was creating in words.

The first time I saw a book trailer my immediate response was OoooooO! I want one! I can’t say that having a flashy mini movie has ever sold a single copy of a book, but I know it sparks interest, and is yet another tool to represent the tone, content, heart and soul of the book. And I knew I wanted one for BETRAYED BY SHADOWS. That realization came in the middle of a hectic and time consuming blitz during my week long Haunted Open House. The last thing my virtual assistant, My Girl Friday wanted to hear at the 11th hour was “Can we put together a book trailer?” How hard could it be?

I knew the rudiments: pictures, words and music. I’d already listened to dozens of sound clips with that bluesy bayou beat I wanted (no words, smoldery rhythm, no distracting elements that would pull away from the text on a long enough loop) and had picked the one I wanted. Going with the “no more than six words per slide” rule, I plucked the most telling phrases from my blurb to represent hero, heroine, story and promo and paired them with an idea of what type of images would best accompany each one and how I visualized the fades and transitions. I knew I wanted to open with a clip showing movement along the bayou (a new element I hadn’t used in previous trailers). I had found most of the setting photos during my lunch hour keying in ‘French Quarter at Night” or “Southern plantation house.” I even used some of the shots I’d taken while in New Orleans. My VA found images for the hero and heroine (the ones in my Meet Giles and Brigit posts) and she sent me the rough cut of the trailer. We still needed a couples shot and that torso to bring on the sex appeal.

It’s 10:30 p.m. and I’m scrolling through hundreds of images of Bare Male Torsos on a stock photo site. A Facebook poster’s dream turned nightmare. Too thin, too hairy, too veiny, too tattooed, too dark, too light, not enough definition. Yikes, do they really make 12 packs? Too much chin, too much nether fur, weird belly button, eeek-piercings. It was as arousing as reading the nutritional ingredients on cereal boxes! Just pick one! And then . . . there he was all sculpted and drool-worthy! 



One down, one to go. Male Female Couple Embracing photos. On the beach, in the sunset, on the bed, in the car. I felt like such a voyeur! Too many clothes. Not enough clothes. Too much facial hair. Too old. Too young. Finally . . . just right!


Then my VA’s rush to get the flips, the sound loops, the timing smoothed out. It’s 11:15 and that final cut pops into my e-mail. Sigh! Perfect! It’s a wrap! Bedtime! The trailer premiered the next day and struck all the right chords. “Sexy!” “Really gives the feeling of New Orleans” “Tantalizes and teases . . . now I just need the book!” Get some popcorn and take a look (you’ll have to eat fast…it’s not even 4 minutes!) What do you think? 



Paper or Electronic? Tomorrow I’ll dish about going full E for the first time.

8 Days to New Release Day: Judging a Book by Its Cover

The first impression readers get of your book is usually visual. That’s the picture that sells your 90,000 words. Over the years, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my 54+ covers. I’ve had drop dead gorgeous art and I’ve had some that made me want to run from store to store pulling plain paper bags over them. The most frustrating is when the cover doesn’t accurately represent the content. I’ve had my robust 6’4 hero show up looking like a 16-year-old who’d have sand kicked in his face at the beach. I’ve had mountains as backdrops for my Michigan settings. I’ve had my slightly-built Apache tracker looking like he could bench press a cement truck. I’ve had wrong places, wrong era, wrong clothing, wrong hair color (which was retouched to glow in the dark neon!) . . . until I’d wonder if the graphic artist ever saw the art fact sheet I’d labored over for hours to send along with pictures of my hero and heroine and settings. The most fun was doing a book signing with an author friend and finding BOTH our covers had the same exact art, only one had the heroine’s hair up and one had it down.

But those times you hit the jackpot make it all worthwhile.

When I sold my “By Moonlight” series to Pocket I was surprised . . . no, stunned . . . to be actively solicited for cover input. Since the first three books were coming out back to back to back, they wanted them all to have the same ‘feel.’ I came up with three different cover progression ideas and the one they ran with . . . WOW! That was my book beautifully captured . . . that was Max! The first thing I did when I visited the Simon & Schuster offices in New York City was visit the art department to say thank you to the rather startled group of behind the scenes artisans.

Going from print to e-book brought some changes to the cover development. Because of the quick turnaround and low overhead, instead of actual art, my new cover went the stock photo art route (without any loss of quality, I might add). The cover needed to be ‘clean’ for the e-book thumbnail pictures rather than the printed cover flats that featured blurb, tag lines and quotes. Instead of a cover conference, I was presented with a choice of three covers that had the same series feel as earlier books. 

At first glance, I thought Woo Hoo! Then I looked closer. I took them to my co-workers to see if they saw the same thing I did. “Hey, I recognize that belly button!” was the first response. The covers were beautiful but . . . the cover model was the same one who was on SEEKER OF SHADOWS, my previous book . . . and he wasn’t the same hero in BETRAYED BY SHADOWS. Big problem became no problem since the changes could be made digitally. I picked the bayou background because it fit the storyline best and the hunt was on for a new model. 


Second round . . . hmmm. Back to my co-worker panel. “No sex appeal.” “His waist is bigger than his chest!” “That’s what I’ve got at home. I want my fantasy to look larger than real life, not like he’s going to change my oil!” Not promising. Back to the digital drawing board.

Third time was a charm! Yep, that’s Giles. I could imagine the collective sigh of relief from New York, and I gave one of my own that they were willing to go through the process with me of finding a great fit. What do you think? Yummy?


I got a taste of their time-intensive frustration during my next PR effort. Tomorrow I’m talking book trailers and the hunt for that perfect eight pack.

9 Days to New Release Day: Meet Brigit MacCreedy

Holy hell in high heels!

That was my first impression of Silas MacCreedy’s sister Brigit when she appeared in all her aggravated splendor in HUNTER OF SHADOWS to chide him for not sticking to their plan to reclaim their family’s status. She was gorgeous, brash, spoiled, manipulative, and I was looking forward to hating her . . . until I got a glimpse of something that surprised me. Love. Deep and unconditional. And with came strength and a fierce protectiveness for someone other than herself. Hidden behind a mask of self-indulgence, that loyalty would demand sacrifice and unexpected bravery in the worst possible situations, making her into a heroine worth rooting for. And just the unsettling Force of Nature Giles St. Clair needs to shake him from his own determined path. Sparks begin to fly in this peek at BETRAYED BY SHADOWS: 
* * * * *  

The big house was quiet, steeped in shadows. Brigit rolled over and tried to sink back into slumber, but she couldn’t shut her mind down. Agitation prowled like a thief bent on stealing her sense of security, making her once again that preteen girl clutching her best friend as death screams echoed below. She could hear them still in the silence of the old house. Her father. Her mother. Then nothing, which had been worse.

Because of Tina Babineau, the child her mother had been forced to bear to link two great families. The child they’d hidden rather than surrender her to the father’s brutal clan. The child who’d been raised in safety and security because of the horrendous sacrifice Brigit’s parents had made; the child who’d gotten to live a normal, happy life while Brigit’s own was a minefield of treachery, danger, and despair.

And now they were under the same roof. Like sisters.

Needing to rinse the taste of that from her mouth, Brigit slipped out from beneath the silky sheets and padded to the bathroom for a glass of water. In the mirror, her face swam like a ghost’s, features pale, eyes swollen with a grief too terrible to be expunged by the passing of years. She missed them still, their loss a huge, aching malignancy that continued to spread without ease now that she was alone and uncertain. But safe. For the moment, she was safe.

She was surprised to see that the clothes she’d left soaking in the sink were clean and pressed on a hanger. Now someone other than her burly driver knew she’d been tangled up in violence prior to her arrival. Her stomach clenched against the surge of remembered terror, suddenly so close, so vivid, she could almost smell the pungent stink of cigarette and fear. That was over. She’d survived it, escaped it, and could put it behind her.

Too keyed up to remain in her room, Brigit wrapped herself in the plush robe hanging on the door and wandered down the wide, curving staircase. To enjoy the illusion of freedom, she stepped out through the front door to inhale the cool if heavy night air. And the scent of cigarette hanging on it.

Her pulse lunged like a startled deer as she spun, eyes wide, body tensing into fight-or-flight mode.

It wasn’t the dead come to claim her. It was only Giles St. Clair sitting on an old-fashioned glider, rocking slowly while having an evening smoke.

“Evening, Miz MacCreedy.” His voice was a low, soothing rumble. “Catch up on your sleep, did you?”

Fright changing into fierce defensiveness, she clipped out “Yes, thank you.”

“Going somewhere?”

She made an expansive gesture. “Where would I go, Mr. St. Clair? I believe we’re in the middle of nowhere I want to be.” When he made no reply, she sighed. “I thought the night air might help me think through some things.”

The cigarette glowed bright and hot. “Anything I can help you with?”

“I can’t imagine how, but thank you for asking.”

“Your brother asked me to look out for you. Just letting you know so you wouldn’t think I had designs of my own.”

He had her complete attention. “Silas asked you to spy on me?”

“Not in so many words.”

“In what words, exactly?” she demanded. How dare Silas treat her like a wayward child who needed supervision! Turning her over to this—this stranger, this human! When the human in question remained silent, she growled in aggravation. “I don’t need someone looking out for me, so I’d appreciate you keeping your distance.”

“That’s what I told him.”

Her eyes narrowed into slits. She could see him lounging on the wooden swing, wearing the suit coat over an open-collared white shirt, though well-worn jeans and tennis shoes had replaced their dresser counterparts. He was a good-looking man in a ruggedly conservative way that usually didn’t appeal to her. She liked pretty men with pretty manners.

There was nothing the least bit pretty about Giles St. Clair. His hair was a close-cut basic brown with a touch of rather sexy silvering at the temples that made it hard to judge his age. Mid- to late thirties was her guess. His obvious time spent outdoors had left creases at the corners of his eyes that deepened attractively with his frequent smile. His big frame was as relaxed as his tone.

He appeared a gentle giant, with those calm blue-gray eyes and easy movements, but she wasn’t fooled by that impression.

“Don’t think for a minute that you can tell me what to do or that I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”

A slow smile. “I didn’t think that even for a second.”

That made her pause. “So what does he expect you to do?”

“Help you if you need it and get in the way of you doing anything foolish. Otherwise, I’ll be keeping that distance.”

“You do know that you’re just a puny human and I can tear through you like a slice of prime rib.”

His teeth flashed white. “I’ve always considered myself more of a slow-cooked, chuck-roast kind of fellow. Meaty, a bit of gristle, but tender if basted properly. And I think I could take you. I know a thing or two about your kind. You can growl, scratch, and bite, but for the most part, you can’t change into anything more dangerous than the average female.”

“You would wrestle me to the ground, Mr. St. Clair?”

“Only if I had to. And I’d try not to enjoy it.”

Why had she ever thought her thuggish jailer pleasant and vaguely amusing?

“I’ll do my best not to provoke any physical contact.”

She could feel the hair bristling on the back of her neck and wished just once she could transform to scare the ever-loving smugness out of him. 

But he was right. She couldn’t go through him. So that left around him or over him.
* * * * *
You got to compare my first romance cover with that of BETRAYED BY SHADOWS in Thursday’s post. Tomorrow I’ll be talking about those pictures that sell your ninety thousand words.

10 Days to New Release Day: Meet Giles St. Clair

When I first met Giles St. Clair, he was a no-name thug under mobster Jimmy Legere’s thumb in MASKED BY MOONLIGHT whose eyeballs Max Savoie was threatening to eat on toast. Not exactly a hint of a hero in the making. But as the series progressed, Giles received a last name, more walk-on scenes and, because of his unwavering loyalty to Max and his quip of “Breakfast and a show” as his new boss man was being flashed by Cee Cee in Book 2, his word count went from cameos to vital plot motivators. He’s been steadfastly behind the scenes, Max’s human go-to guy to get things done and a laid back fount of philosophic good advice. Jacques LaRoche was my editor’s favorite, but Giles St. Clair was quickly becoming mine. 


Though professing to be just a simple dumb thug, there was always more to Giles than his lot in life suggested. So, I starting asking myself, what’s his story? How does someone so honorable and deep end up working for the likes of my favorite villain? Take a look at the Prologue to BETRAYED BY SHADOWS:
“So, who do you want killed?”
It was just business to Jimmy Legere, but to the unexpected visitor balancing on that razor’s edge of no going back, it would change everything.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t have come to you.”

Balls and respect. Jimmy liked that. He leaned back in his chair, fingers tented, amused. “So why you here, fixin’ to make a deal with the devil, college boy?”

Giles St. Clair took a deciding breath. “I need to know who murdered my father.”

Legere waved a dismissing hand. ”Tracking down murderers is the NOPD’s job.”

“Well, they didn’t do a very damn good one.” Heat sparked in St. Clair’s words. “They asked questions, filled out forms, then filed my father away in a drawer. They weren’t interested in justice when it pointed someplace they’re paid not to go.”

He didn’t have to specify where; his unwavering stare said it plainly enough. All avoided roads led to organized crime.

“So you came to me. You think I can do better?” Legere challenged, still indulgent.
“Considering the killer was employed by Vic Vantour, I’m certain of it.”

The mobster’s eyes narrowed with cunning interest. Vantour. His biggest competitor for the docks, an annoying roadblock to the full control he coveted. “Vantour? You sure of that, boy? What kind of business did he have with your daddy?”

“None. That’s what got him killed.” The curl of disgust showed that Giles St. Clair hated lowering himself to make this request of someone no better than the villain he was after.

Jimmy’s smile widened. “You think your daddy would approve of what you’re doing now?”

“No. But he’ll rest easier once it’s done. And so will I.”

“A man’s life is expensive,” Legere mused, tapping his fingertips together as he waited for the young man to squirm and plead. But the kid never broke a sweat. His intensity was almost unnerving. “So, how you planning to pay for this favor? With your college fund?”

The young man’s features tightened. “That’s my mama’s money.”

Jimmy shrugged, then baited his trap like the skilled predator he was. “So maybe you’re thinking of working it off. Whatchu going to school for?”

“Business.”

“I got me a slew a businessmen already, the best money can buy. And something tells me you knew the second you stepped into this room that you weren’t going back to college to finish that degree.”

That cold and bitter truth was met with a determined “What do you need?”

Jimmy took his time studying the young man who’d come so boldly into his home. Behind the Ivy League clothes was the stuff that gave starch to the boy’s spine and fire to his stare. Stuff Jimmy could use and mold.

Though the kid’s voice was unaccented, Jimmy caught the earthy patois of Cajun Country. Tough, no-nonsense folk, those bayou people; clannish by nature, suspicious of outsiders, but fiercely loyal once their word was given. Jimmy assessed him critically. A big fellow, broad shoulders, with an unmovable stance and a direct, unflinching stare. That could be valuable, once channeled into intimidation.

“Max,” Jimmy called quietly.

“Whatchu need, Jimmy?” came a low rumble from the shadows of the room.

“Find out about Vic Vantour’s interest in—” Jimmy broke off and asked his guest, “What’s your daddy’s name?”

“Clovis Robichaux,” the college boy said, hard resignation flatlining his gaze.

The kid wasn’t a fool. He knew what he was getting into, signing his name in Jimmy’s book of souls.

“Get a name for the trigger man, Max.”

“You want me to take care of him for you, Jimmy?”

Legere passed Max’s question along with a lift of his brow.

“No,” St. Giles replied quietly. “It’s family. I’ll take care of it myself.”

Jimmy believed he would.

And he believed he’d just acquired a damned fine asset. 
A good man drowning in bad deeds . . . that’s how I describe Giles St. Clair. A man with a conscience he can’t afford to recognize, he’s surrendered the life he could have had to save a family who won’t forgive what he’s become. I couldn’t resist him. And neither can Brigit MacCreedy. More about her tomorrow . . .

11 Days to New Release Day: The Story Continues . . .

I love a big convoluted story filled with complex, larger than life characters, action and romance. I always want to know more, what happens next, and it never fails – my favorite character is always a secondary one for whom I’m usually dreaming up a detailed backstory before the book / movie is finished. Maybe that’s why I like writing series and probably why every character that populates my books (even the villain!) is worthy of his or her own novel.

I’m leery about writing a series. It always seemed that I’d get to the last book where all the loose ends and arcing story lines would be tied up . . . and the series wouldn’t be continued by the publisher. It happened with my vampire romance “Midnight” series, with the historical “Dakota,” “Bass” and “Pride County” series. Back then, if the publisher didn’t buy the next book, you were SOL. Times have changed for both frustrated readers and authors. . . for the better. With the “Midnight” series, I was able to continue with six more books through small paranormal press ImaJinn Books. Now that I have the rights back to my Zebra/Kensington titles, I can write those last historical installments, then either self-publish or resell the series. Win-Win!

I never planned MASKED BY MOONLIGHT to be more than a single book, the story of the dangerously mysterious Max Savoie, bodyguard to a mobster and supposed savior of a Shape-Shifter clan and hard-as-nails New Orleans detective Charlotte Caissie whose traumatic past fuels her crusade against the man Max calls boss and father figure. The story just kept unfolding with backstories, a paranormal world, a supporting cast of intriguing characters into its own self-propagating mini-series until I took a breather and discovered I had three and a half books written! All with the same hero and heroine, something that in paranormal romance is pretty much unsalable. Fortunately, I had a former editor fall in love with the idea and that one book became four and spun off into four more with different couples. I got to make that story bigger, to explore and expand the world I’d created and now, get to give two more secondary characters that caught my attention a great new platform for their own romance with BETRAYED BY SHADOWS. Win-Win, indeed!

Those readers picking up the series in the middle have asked me “Who the heck are these Chosen and what’s their deal?” To summarize the “By Moonlight” world, I’ve posted a quick outline on my Website. Also check under the Books tab for insider looks at each of the other books in the series. I’m hoping to have a whole ‘Cast of Characters’ up on my website by release day so you’ll know who’s who and where in the series they appear. After giving it a look, let me know if there’s anything I’ve left out that you’d like to know to get brought up to speed.

Stop back tomorrow to meet Giles St. Clair, the hero of BETRAYED BY MOONLIGHT! 

12 Days to New Release Day Countdown!

On the Twelfth Day to New Release Day I almost let an anniversary slip by me.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1987, I celebrated my first Release Day. In fact, that year I enjoyed three of them (two in July and one in November!) with Sweet Tempest, a historical regency written as Lauren Giddings, and Pirate’s Captive (now referred to as the naughty pirate novel by my co-workers) and Rebel Vixen written as Dana Ransom. Though 25 years and 53 books have gone by since that July in 1987 and the 12-17-12 launch of Betrayed by Shadows, the excitement and anxiousness is still the same. What’s changed (other than my hair color. I refuse to comment on my weight or my age) is the publishing industry . . . dramatically!

~Then~ ~Now~
~First Public Outing as a Published Author-July 1987~
Allow me a little nostalgia for the next 12 days of my countdown to compare then with now as I post on those things that bring a release day to fruition: the hero and heroine’s roles, the way books are sold, covers, self-promotion, and reviews. I’ll be offering behind-the-scenes looks at Betrayed by Shadows and get you up close and personal with Giles St. Clair, Brigit MacCreedy and the “By Moonlight” series. I hope you’ll join me on these twelve days of future past starting tomorrow with a look at the “By Moonlight” series.

Black Friday Blog Hop

The Black Friday Blog Hop was organized by 
Carrie Ann's Blog Hops!
All day on November 23rd - Black Friday, I'm participating in the Black Friday Blog Hop hosted by Carrie Ann's Blog Hops! And to one lucky Follower, I'll be giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

Details:
One (1) $10 Amazon Gift Card to the winner of the Hop!
Open to International Entries.
Drawing for the Giveaway will be held on
November 24, 2012, and the winner will be announced on
November 24, 2012.
To be eligible to enter the Giveaway, use the Rafflecopter Form below!a Rafflecopter giveaway
 But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yup, you can enter over 200 times!
Now for the GRAND Prize! Drum roll please...
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains 10+ paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!
Hop and enter the other giveaways!