Bethany Maines's Blog, page 4

Hudson

Hudson is Released into the Wild!

It’s release day for Hudson, book 1 of the Rejects Pack.  This archaeological thriller / paranormal romance melds all the booby trapped tomb adventures of Indiana Jones with some shifter wolves, flirtatious banter and tosses in some evil warlocks and a mysterious mummy for good measure.  So in some ways today is the day that I find out if everyone else finds that as fun as I do.

What Readers Are Saying

Part of book marketing is to send “Advance Reader Copies” or ARCs to individuals who will read and review a book–hopefully early, and hopefully with something quotable.  When I first got into publishing I had no idea what an ARC was and spent weeks scratching my head until someone actually used the entire phrase. Fortunately, for Hudson, the advance reviews are looking quite positive. I can only hope that they continue on the same trend. All of the Rejects Pack boys have been fun to write and I’m even thinking about keeping the series going, so I hope that it’s well-received.

The Inspiration for Hudson

In case you haven’t guessed, I like action-movies and sparky couples who serve up quips and flirt their way through dangerous escapes. And for the Rejects Pack series I definitely set out to write a series with those kind of main characters.  So, if you like action-packed romances, angry Egyptologists, shifter wolves, and ancient booby-trapped tombs, then you will also love Hudson, book 1 of the Rejects Pack.

Learn More or Buy Now:

Learn more: https://bethanymaines.com/supernaturals/

Hudson on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3l32CAL

Enter to Win a Print Edition of Hudson: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/365402

Watch the Promo Video: https://youtu.be/S7u4J8J9WW

Bonus Free Books:Monday was my birthday so I’m giving away books! You take your pick (or you know… scoop up all three). Just read them (and leave a review) and that is all the celebration I need!Blue Christmas – Award-winning RomCom adventure – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/to271maetcA Little Red – First Book in the supernatural world – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3ou9tz8f3jShark’s Instinct – criminally good action-adventure – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/v9f1trnorbThe post Hudson first appeared on Bethany Maines.

Rejects Pack Trilogy

It’s A Trilogy!

So last year I swore I wasn’t going to do another “quick” release of a trilogy because that was just too much work.  The Supernatural world of the 3 Colors Trilogy was so much fun, but was I ever tired by the time A Brighter Yellow came out.  I thought that I would revisit that world, but I thought maybe I’d take a breather.

Side note: quick is in quotes because some people think quick is a book a week. To misquote Sonny and Cher – that ain’t me, babe. One a month is plenty fast.

Welcome to this Year’s Trilogy

Well, apparently delivering books is like delivering babies.  They’re just so dang cute that you want another one and the mind blocks out the pain.  So, this summer I will be bringing you the Rejects Pack. The inspiration for the series was really that I watched too much Indiana Jones and The Mummy and thought… There should be werewolves in this. I love that light-hearted banter, the sweet romance, and heroes who swash and or buckle even if they’re not in full pirate mode.

The Rejects Pack Trilogy focuses on a pack of wolves (and one human) who have been rejected by their birthpacks, only to be welcomed by Alexander “Alekos” Ash in the magical wasteland of Greece. Alekos is searching for vindication–attempting to prove that his brother wasn’t responsible for the Night of 1000 Deaths that stripped Greece of magic during WWII.  And it finally seems like that goal is within his reach.

Hudson (book 1) – May 10

Hudson is a shifter wolf with a YouTube channel focused on hand-forging period accurate weaponry and he falls headlong into love, adventure, and a mysterious tomb with Yazmin Hunter-Blake, an Egyptology student looking for a treasure trove of Egyptian artifacts.

Killian (book 2) – June 14

Killian is shifter wolf on a mission to the long lost Library of Alexandria to bring back the spells to create a werewolf and save his human packmate, but amnesia, a beautiful she-wolf named Moira DeSandre and a horde of warlocks are all causing some problems.

Alekos (book 3) – July 19

Alpha wolf Alekos has been looking for the mystical cause of the Night of 1000 Deaths that stripped magic from Greece and killed his brother, but fate is about to bring him face to face with his brother’s murderer, an ancient magic, and Eliandra Smith, the human who might be his fated mate.

Stay tuned for additional fun things like Goodreads Print Editions Giveaways and E-book Edition Giveaways!

Pre-Order Here: https://amzn.to/3l32CAL

Add to your Goodreads List: https://www.goodreads.com/series/365361-rejects-pack

Watch the Trailer: https://youtu.be/S7u4J8J9WWE

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Plotter vs. Pantser

When is a Plotter a Pantser?

I recently participated in a fun podcast where I debated the old writing argument of whether to plot out a novel in detail or whether or to simply dive in and wing it. I was arguing for the plotter side.  As a former pantser, I can attest to the joy of just flinging oneself into a project, but sooner or later there has to be an actual plot. In general, if you want to write a book, you’re not allowed to spend endless amounts of time hanging out with your imaginary friends and not have anything happen, or only a series of unconnected events.  If you do that, people call you crazy.  If you have a plot, they call you a writer.

But Pantsers Write Books Too!

But somehow pantsers do manage to get books written. Books in which events occur in a coherent manner even. So how do they do it? Well, eventually they find themselves a plot and the meet an editor.  I would argue that most pantser have internalized story structure to the point that they can move forward with a story and know generally what they want to have happen.  Sadness over here.  Shocking twist over there.  Smoochy faces at the end.  The specifics, they fill in as they go. And then an editor comes along and shakes out all the inconsistencies.

So which one is better?

One of the great things about being on a podcast is talking to writers that I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to spend an hour with.  It was lovely to hear some of the reasons for pantsing and I think it becomes quite obvious that all any writer is looking to do is make it easier to write. Some people have to lure their muse with wine and chocolate and some say welcome to my spreadsheet.  The plotters want to contain the chaos so that it doesn’t stress them out and the pantsers want to free themselves from the stress of checklists.  The answer is not which one is better but which one is better for you and even which one is better for your right now.  Finding the answer can mean the difference between proceeding with a project and getting stuck in the hell of writers block.

Listen / watch to the Plotter vs. Pantser Podcast at Hidden Gems.

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Rewrite Time

Time for a Rewrite

With Christmas just past and the long stretch of post holiday free time ahead (that’s a joke, there’s no free time, just more gray skies) it must be time to launch into a new project.  Or perhaps just rehash, reimagine, and rewrite an old one. I’m mid-way through turning my Christmas novella Winter Wonderland into a feature script. With plenty of Christmas magic and romance it’s a Christmas love story with missing diamond and a mystery in the middle. Which I think would make a great not-quite Hallmark movie.

So How Does That Work?

So how do you turn a novella into a movie? Rewrite! Not everything in a book can go directly into a script. The reason we love an actor who can convey a full range of emotion and the internal workings of their mind with just their face is because we don’t get to hear what’s going on in their heads the way we can in a book.  So for a script I have to find ways to translate some of those internal moments into external dialogue and events.  And sometimes that means changing up events, adding characters or giving existing characters some new dialogue.

Other People Have Thoughts Too

I’m still exploring the world of scripts and figuring out the process, but one of the things I have learned is the need to determine who I want to produce my script and then tailor it to meet their standards. Hallmark has pretty specific thoughts on swearing (no!) and Christmas (put it in every scene!).  But the format it’s filmed for can also affect the script.  If it’s intended for TV I might want to look particularly hard at some of the scene endings to make sure they’re a little bit of a cliff hanger to pull people back after commercial breaks.  And all of this means that my perfect little gem of a novella will need… (you guessed it) rewrites.

And How Does That Make You Feel?

Well, I can’t say that rewrites are something I look forward to. But sometimes they offer an opportunity to rethink something I wasn’t quite happy with, or flesh out a side character that didn’t get the time they deserved. Trying to reconfigure a story for a new format can be a challenge, but it can also be pretty fun. I’ll let you know what this one turns out to be.

Learn More About Winter Wonderland

When a Marcus Winter, a photographer with a bah humbug take on the holidays, meets Larissa Frost, a set designer who loves all things Christmas, sparks are destined to fly, but when a famous diamond goes missing from the shoot they’re working on Larissa finds that Marcus may be the only one who can keep her from being framed for a crime she didn’t commit.

BUY NOW: https://books2read.com/Winter-Wonderland

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Battery Life

My battery life be like…

Whew! I rolled into November like I thought I was Rocky and I’m hitting mid-December like I’m Rocky after going the distance with Apollo Creed.  I caught the flu over Thanksgiving weekend and that took me down right when I wanted to be hard charging into Christmas decorating! Combined with my efforts to wrap up my NaNoWriMo manuscript and a couple of work projects cropping up with some deadlines and I’m now a few bars short of a full battery.  Is it possible for a human to get some sort of extended battery life?  Because that would be great.

Plug-in and Recharge

So what do I plan on doing about this flat feeling?  Well, you know what they say… It’s not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off the Nakatomi Towers.  So I’ll be putting on my Nakatomi Towers Christmas Party shirt and watching a few Christmas classics like Die Hard and White Christmas and then maybe eating a bunch of chocolate.  And oh yeah, doing all my last minute shopping online.  I want to shop local, but you know what else I want?  More time on the couch.

Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox

In case you don’t know that heading refers to a country song about a gentleman’s instructions about what to do with his dead body – you can view the Weekend at Bernie’s hijinks here.  But I may have to take a similar approach to my computer.  Or at least invest in some sort of carpal tunnel wrist braces because I’ve got a fat stack of edits on a Christmas Mystery script (see the novella version below) and book three of the Rejects Trilogy that both need to be done by January.  Hee hee.  I’m sure this will end well.

What to Read

While you’re waiting to see if I crash and burn or wait breathlessly to see what the mummies and werewolves get up to in the Rejects Pack, please consider picking up Winter Wonderland.

WINTER WONDERLANDA Holiday Adventure

When a Marcus Winter, a photographer with a bah humbug take on the holidays, meets Larissa Frost, a set designer who loves all things Christmas, sparks are destined to fly, but when a famous diamond goes missing from the shoot they’re working on Larissa finds that Marcus may be the only one who can keep her from being framed for a crime she didn’t commit.

BUY NOW

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A Christmas Novella & a Craft

Paperbag Snowflake Craft InstructionsMaterials:9 paper lunch sackshot gluescissorstwinehole punchOptional:RulerPencilXacto knifeStep 1: Making itGlue the bags together, flap side downMake a T-Shape with the glue at the top of the flap and then along the seam about 3/4 the length of the bag.Step 2: Cutting itDecide what shapes you wantSometimes a pencil helps hereCut out the shapesDO NOT cut along the flap!Step 3: Sticking itUnfold and glue the final edges together.Sometimes it helps to stick your hands all the way in the bag.Careful! Hot glue is… hot.Step 4: Hang ’em HighUse a hole punch to make (you guessed it!) a hole.Thread with twine (or ribbon).Hang it up!Other Ideas:

Add glitter or spray paint or have the kids color on the bags ahead of time.

.avia-video.av-lac03d7b-df9f6ef46db87b16a3b0c5d27ffe7337{padding-bottom:100%;}

WINTER WONDERLANDA Holiday Adventure

When a Marcus Winter, a photographer with a bah humbug take on the holidays, meets Larissa Frost, a set designer who loves all things Christmas, sparks are destined to fly, but when a famous diamond goes missing from the shoot they’re working on Larissa finds that Marcus may be the only one who can keep her from being framed for a crime she didn’t commit.

Release Date: 11.29.22

ORDER NOW (all retailers): https://books2read.com/Winter-Wonderland

Exlusive Smashwords Presale: https://www.smashwords.com/books/presale/1155944

(Smashwords is an ebook retailer. Membership is free.)

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NanoWriMo Wha?

I don’t really believe in NaNoWriMo AKA National Novel Writing Month.  Partially just because I object strenuously to the clunky abbreviation – NaNoWriMo is a least one syllable too many.  But also because the goal of writing fifty thousand words in a month reduces novel writing to a very basic component—words. Writing fifty-thousand words is an accomplishment of a sort, but having the right fifty-thousand requires a bit more of a skill.  However, the NaNoWriMo community supplies great camaraderie and inspiration to a multitude of writers, and if an artificial deadline and contest get some people to put fingers to keyboard then I raise my glass in cheers.  And usually that’s it.

Soooo why NaNoWriMo then?

This year the fates have conspired to arrange my projects to have a novel that needs to be written this month.  I would really like to put out the next trilogy in my Supernatural paranormal romance world next summer.  The Rejects Pack is a fun, Indiana Jones / The Mummy inspired series featuring more wolves, warlocks, romance, and an ancient Egyptian artifact or two.  Also maybe a mummy that comes back from the dead.  (Shhh.  Don’t tell anyone.)  And with Book 1 out to my beta readers already, you would think I wouldn’t feel the need to rush book 2 and 3.  Butttt…. I keep eyeballing the amount of plot I’m intending to shove into book 3 and I’m just a little bit worried that my trilogy is going to become a tetralogy.

Tetralogy means a four book series. In case you don’t want to have to google it like I did.

And then…

And then there’s the fact the holidays are almost here (YAY!!!) and I have a new novella coming out this month!  I’m busy is what I’m saying.  So I’m trying to hedge my bets and leave myself time for a book 4 by cramming book 2 into November.  And of course it will be fun to watch the NaNoWriMo communities progress.  You can keep up with my progress and learn about Killian and Moira and their hunt for the long lost Library of Alexandria on Facebook and Instagram.

But Speaking of Christmas

If you’ve got a hankering for a Christmas mystery rom-com check out Winter Wonderland!

ORDER (all retailers):  books2read.com/Winter-Wonderland

WINTER WONDERLAND: When Marcus Winters, a photographer with a bah humbug take on the holidays, meets Larissa Frost, a set designer who loves all things Christmas, sparks are destined to fly. But when a famous diamond goes missing from the shoot they’re working on Larissa finds that Marcus may be the only one who can keep her from being framed for a crime she didn’t commit.

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Release Day is Here!

RELEASE DAY IS HERE!

Evan, Aiden, and Dominique set out to fix their mistakes, save Jackson, and cement the Deveraux Legacy once and for all…

The Fallen Man, Book 4 of the Deveraux Legacy Series is AVAILABLE NOW!

READ TODAY: https://books2read.com/FallenMan

LEARN MORE: https://bethanymaines.com/the-deveraux-legacy/

***ABOUT THE BOOK***

For the last seven years, Jackson has dedicated himself to fixing and protecting his new family, all while ruling out love for himself.

Katie St. Cloud, the in debt up to her eyeballs bartender-slash-model, has been on the run from love too. But when she meets Jackson, Katie thinks she’s met the perfect definitely-not-a-boyfriend of her dreams…

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The Fallen Man Release

The Fallen Man Release!

Next week sees the release of the fourth book in the Deveraux Legacy series – The Fallen Man. I suspect that each author picks their projects based on something in the story that they want to explore. For me this series started out as an exploration of why the broody, possessive, and sometimes abusive, “alpha” males are still getting plenty of romance novels written about them. The first, and most obvious answer is that they’re fictional. Like Vegas, the things that happen between the covers of a book, stay in the book. I suspect that a lot of people who enjoy those characters in fiction, would not appreciate those behaviors in real life.

How Did We Get Here?

I read one romantic comedy where the hero broke into her apartment with three other guys and relocated all her things to his house. Not surprisingly, for fiction, she didn’t call the cops. In real life, that’s a quick trip to the nearest police station. Also, did he manage to get her rice cooker? She had roommates—how did he know what furniture was hers? And did he rummage through her drawers and see any… toys? Inquiring minds want to know. Then there are the “dark romances” where the heroines somehow manage to get kidnapped, forced into marriage, or held hostage and still fall in love with their captors. I mean, Stockholm Syndrome is real, but… ladies! Come on!

I also wonder how similar these romances are to the crime thrillers, where women inevitably end up raped and murdered while the broody hero solves the crime. In both genres, it seems like perhaps the reader gets to control the abuse and trauma that is quite frightening in real life.

I’m Fun! I Swear!

All of which makes my series sound like a real downer when, in fact, it is an action-packed family saga. But my characters did grow from this space of pondering fictional traumas. In each book of the series, one of the Deveraux cousins struggles with their family’s past legacy of trauma and attempts to make peace with it. And, oh, dodge some killers, solve a mystery, and, of course, find love. Hopefully, none of my readers are out there thinking… “Call the cops! He’s a nutter!”

What do you think? Are the alpha-hole “heroes” still fun to read? Or have we reached a different standard of heroism?

[image error] Pre-Order from all retailers: https://books2read.com/FallenMan

THE FALLEN MAN: When orphan and convicted felon Jackson Zane realized that he was part of the wealthy Deveraux family, he thought he’d found his proverbial happily ever after. And for the last seven years, Jackson has dedicated himself to fixing and protecting his new family, all while ruling out love for himself. Until now.

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Huge Giveaway

Surprise Twilight Giveaway!

Today, I have a fun surprise to share. I’ve teamed up with 20 fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of romance novels to 2 lucky winners! Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner also gets a Twilight swag pack worth $250?   So if you love small-towns, shifters, vampires, and romance, romance, romance, then check out this giveaway!

You can win my novel A Little Red, plus books from authors like Annie Anderson, Erika Vanzin, D.F. Jones, Sharon Hamilton, and Christine DePetrillo.

Enter the giveaway:  https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/twilight/

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