Vivian Arend's Blog, page 64

Words First

Quick newsflash. Any writers out there, here’s my down and dirty writer’s advice for the day.

Write another book.

Seriously. Promo and conferences and ads and everything–write another book first before you get distracted by the rest of things you hear people are doing. I’m not saying ignore the rest, or that the rest is useless, but don’t get hung up on it. Words first.

WORDS FIRST

(Off to get the rest of mine for the day)

Brenda Novak’s annual Auction for Diabetes Cure

Every year hundreds of people contribute to help make this auction a success. From the fundraising site:

Welcome to Brenda Novak’s Annual Online Auction for Diabetes Research. So far, we have raised over $1.3 million (cumulatively) — and hope to break $2 million in the near future. In order to make that happen, we are doing everything possible to set a new record this year.

The auction is NOW open and will run through May 31st. Don’t miss the fun — this is such an easy way for us to join together to make a difference!

There are SO many wonderful things to bid on, I hope you’ll take the time to go and find something you could use/enjoy while supporting this incredible event.

If you do live in the South Cal area, or you’ll be attending RWA in Anaheim in July, you can also bid on a special item donated by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane and myself. We’re going to take the top bidder and their friend out for lunch! I’m pretty sure there will be time to squeeze us for information regarding what’s up next in our series. Secrets? What secrets? The spot to head directly to that item is here.

By the way, I am giddy about this luncheon myself! Lauren is a good friend, but she’s also one of my idols, so WHEEEE for me getting to have lunch with her!

Maintaining Silence (sorta)

I vanished from the blog for the past week. Stopped by FB and twitter, but I’ve been trying to use my words to make progress on the first book in the Adrenaline series. HIGH RISK has rocks and trees and…wait, no sorry. That’s my burnt out brain flipping into Barenaked Ladies songs. (shall post on FB ow, because I must!)

Marcus and Becki are very hot together, but since it’s a big long story, I just hit the 1/3 mark and there’s a lot of sex, excitement, angst and adventure still to come. Fun, right?

After this book I will be finishing the 6th wolfie, which feels as if I’m having dessert the entire time I write it. I hope you guys continue to like the wolfies because they really are like candy for my brain.

Anyway, I’m in Banff, Alberta, where High Risk is set. I posted a bunch of pictures on twitter if you peek at the hashtag #VivVisitsBanff but for those non-tweeters out there, enjoy a picture!

 

Look what fun! Thea & Viv’s Big Adventure

 

You know how sometimes things just happen? Well, this thing started a while back. I meet the lovely (and talented–she’s a NYTimes and USA Today bestselling author!) Thea Harrison last year at the national Romance Writers conference in New York. That was Thing #1.

Since then, I’ve got to know her a little better. So when Thing #2 happened–both of us ending up with releases at Samhain Publishing in early June, it was fated…

…that Thing #3 would occur. Since we both love to travel, we’ve decided to have a BIG ADVENTURE together. We’ll be traveling on a blog tour, sharing snippets from our stories and our other travels. Thea’s June 5 release is DEVIL’S GATE, book 3.5 in the Elder Races world. And on June 12 my novella returns us to the Granite Lake Wolves with WOLF LINE.

I hope you will join us starting May 30th. Just stop by here at my blog, or at Thea’s, and we’ll have the details on the next place to go.

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OH! For fun? If you want to post our cool banner at your website, or link via Facebook, or however you want to share, you definitely can! And if you come back here (to my main blog, please) and tell me you did? I’ll draw a name from all the commenters for a signed print copy of winner’s choice: Under the Northern Lights or Under the Midnight Sun. I’ll wait until just before the tour starts to pull a winner for this.

(And I do mean however you share…I know not everyone has a blog or Facebook. If you tell someone about Thea’s awesome book and my little wolfies–that counts, okay?)

 

Sale prices on Six Pack Ranch!

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Heads up if you are planning on getting the cowboys in print, the pre-order price is very sweet right now!

Rocky Mountain Heat is 40% off. $8.40 for Trade paper. B&N | Amazon

Rocky Mountain Haven is 32% off. $10.20 for Trade paper. Amazon

 

 

SILVER MINE is up for pre-order!

Silver Mine

Takhini Wolves, Book 2

If a tree falls in the forest, duck…

Life in isolation is the safest place for Chase Johnson, a crossbreed who doesn’t know which form he’ll assume next—cougar or wolf. Once a year, his unelected position as spokesman for the Yukon outcasts forces him to visit civilization. This time he runs across someone unexpected. She’s not his mate, but she pushes all the right buttons.

It’s taken years for Shelley Bradley to gather the courage to return to her home pack. In spite of being the lowest of the low—a shifter who can’t shift—she’s determined to make a place for herself as the Whitehorse locals’ new vet-slash-doctor.

There’s definite electricity between her and Chase, but sex with fellow shifters and the inherent mind games got old a long time ago. Ignoring him seems best. When he shows up at her office with a wound that won’t heal, she’s stuck—yet drawn to solve this medical mystery.

As they journey deep into outcast territory in search of answers, their powerful sexual attraction crumbles her resistance. But time is of the essence. If a cure can’t be found before his human and cougar succumb to his injury, he—and others like him—will die.

Warning: Contains a silver-tongued, hairy-chested, lean-muscled Alpha who’s got what it takes to lead in the wilderness and in the bedroom. Yeah, I know…not really much of a deterrent, is it? Throw in continuing territorial wars and a domestic cat. Stir and enjoy the chaos.

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The first chapter is HERE if you want a taste of Chase and Shelley.

Right now I spot it at Amazon, which means B&N and iTunes should be in the next week Yeah!

Amazon

I need a hero…

And now that Footloose music going through your brain, if any of you want to help me find picture inspiration for my hero and heroine for the upcoming Berkley book, join the fun!

Book one, HIGH RISK, (if the title stays the same) reunites one time lovers after seven years.

Marcus is in his late 30′s. I picture him with dark hair, but I could be swayed otherwise. Physically fit–he and Becki are both excellent climbers.

Rebecca/Becki is 29. Slight, but strong. Again with the climbing muscles, so long and lean. She has at least shoulder length hair.

I did come across this for Marcus:

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Anyone have any suggestions? I think you can add links in the comments. Um, keep them PG-13 if you can. (Email me the other ones

 

Busy Day at Work

Currently keeping me out of trouble: The To-do list:

- final ARC of SILVER MINE to read through.

- galleys on ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAVEN so it can be readied for print in December.

- last minute clean up on the latest cowboy

- making scene idea cards for the first in the Adrenaline series (I start writing that May 1st)

- finding the inspiration pictures for that book so I know what the characters look like

- blog posts for THEA AND VIV’S BIG ADVENTURE blog tour that will start May 30– Thea Harrison has DEVIL’S GATE releasing at Samhain June 5, and I have Wolf LINE June 12, and we’re doing a fun party together. Look forward to it!

-more words on Granite Lake #6. I LOVE this heroine so hard. She is SO extremely hyper. *snickers*

I’m going to be posting excerpts on Facebook from WOLF LINE over the next while. Just because I can

Thursday I’m going to post a few pictures here from one of my travels. Which location do you want? The Yukon, Canada east coast, around the US? Ecuador? Europe?

In the writing cave

I’m deep, deep in the writing cave (you people on twitter be quiet, I’m only there for a few minutes at a time.) Getting lots of  lovely words written.

For your viewing entertainment until I get back. Meet Luna, my puppy.

Wolf Signs is FREE!!

I’m back from RT, where I had a fantastic time meeting old friends and finding new people to love. I’ll do a report later this week, but I wanted to let you know that for the next two weeks, WOLF SIGNS is going to be free! Kindle, Nook, iStore.

If you haven’t tried the Granite Lake Wolves yet, here’s your chance to see if you like them. Key things to know about the series, and Wolf Signs:

1. Novellas. Short enough to stop you from having to stay up all night to finish, but long enough to be a full story with a HEA.

2. Sarcasm. What can I say? They live in the Yukon, and it’s a way to pass the time.

3. Wolfies, not werewolves. Yes, again, this is where my wimp-dom as an author reigns supreme. They shift into wolves, not into flesh-tearing, monsterous beasts. (writing “flesh-tearing” just now made my skin crawl WIMP)

4. Robyn as heroine: kick ass-woman. She’s deaf but not handicapped. Keil as hero: Yum. ‘nuf said.

And if you already do know and love the wolfies? Let people on your blogs/FB or wherever know it’s available, and if you want to use the links posted here or the cover art, feel free.

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Granite Lake Wolves, Book 1

Talk about getting your signals crossed…

Robyn Maxwell doesn’t care that her brother has to cancel out on their backcountry ski trip. She can do it alone. The fact she’s deaf doesn’t make her survival skills any weaker. The chance to get away from it all and relax in the Yukon wilderness is just what she’s been craving.

Meeting wilderness guide Keil at the cabin starts cravings of another kind. Keil’s one hot hunk of ripped, tasty male. Now she has to deal with raging hormones as well as strange questions about wolves and mates and challenges to the death. Keil was trying for a nice reflective retreat before challenging for the Alpha position of his Alaskan pack. He wasn’t planning on meeting the woman destined to be his mate, or finding out she’s not aware she has the genes of a wolf.

Between dealing with his accident-prone younger brother, a deaf mate with an attitude and an impending duel to the death, his week—and his bed—is suddenly full.

Far from the relaxing getaway any of them had in mind…

Warning: Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘talking with your hands.’ Includes dangerous use of sarcasm and hot nookie in a remote wilderness sauna.

Amazon |Barnes & Noble | iTunes

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ARWHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

OH! OH! OH! Just because this is so exciting? If you’d like a set of dog tags so you too can belong to the pack? Or Trading Cards? Or maybe BOTH?!

Fill out the form and let me know. I promise to not use your mailing address for evil…

(April 23- trading cards/dog tags closed. There will be more chances to win in the future. Thanks for all the interest!)