Suzanne Brockmann's Blog, page 2

News from Suz: A Conversation with Navy SEALs Izzy, Lopez, Jenk, Dan, & Tony

News from Suz Brockmann

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September 22, 2014

A conversation with Navy SEALs Izzy Zanella, Jay Lopez, Mark Jenkins, Danny Gillman, and Tony Vlachic.

Izzy:  Guys!  Guys guys guys!  Check out this upcoming book called THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR!  (turning to look at YOU) You can check it out over on Suz’s facebook page, at http://on.fb.me/1tVT0Up  Pop over to look at it, then come right back.  I’ll wait….  (pause)  Welcome back!  Nice cover, huh?  This is an anthology of stories written by a bunch o’ awesome military romance authors, including our Goddess Suz.  

Lopez:  Yeah, Iz, shhh, don’t.  She doesn’t like it when you call her that.  You really don’t want to piss her off.

Izzy:  I’m safe.  I’ve won my HEA.

Lopez:  But I haven’t, so…shhh.

Jenk:  Whoa, look at that long list of authors.  Cathy Mann, Julie Ann Walker, Anne Elizabeth, Tina Wainscott, ML Buchman, Kate Serine, Lea Griffith… Nice.

Izzy:  Yup. Nicest of all is that fact that all proceeds — from all those authors, and from the publisher, too — are gonna go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Danny:  What?  That’s great.

Izzy:  Yup.  Props to Julie Ann Walker.  It was her idea.

Tony (clears throat):  That IS a really great cover.

Izzy:  Yup.  Nice picture of moi, amiright?

(Silence.  Crickets might chirp.  Then, all speaking at once…)

Danny (scornfully):  Zanella, that’s  definitely not you.

Jenk: Dude, you know I love you, but I don’t really think that’s you.  Your hair’s darker.  And shorter.

Lopez (diplomatically): I’m… not sure that’s supposed to be you, Iz.

Tony: Actually, guys, I think that might be Adam.  He did some cover model work a few years ago…

Izzy: Right now it’s shorter.  My hair.  But it grows.  It’s grown.  And it’s the way it’s lit that makes it look lighter on the cover.  I mean, it’s obviously been touched up and airbrushed.  They took out the tattoos and scars and other identifying marks.  Because of me being active duty.

Danny: You know, now that you say that? I think it’s me.  Because you know, the Troubleshooters Team Sixteen story that’s in that anthology IS kind of about me.

Izzy: No, Dan, I mean, yes, you’re right, you’re in the story and the fact that you got Jenn pregnant at the end of BREAKING THE RULES is mondo important since the story is set about eight and a half months later, but (whispers) Suz has been telling everyone that this story features me.

Lopez (reasonable):  And me.  Remember, the story in THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR is called HOME FIRE INFERNO, as in “Keep the home fires burning.”  It takes place a few weeks after (SPOILER REMOVED) in FREE FALL.  So, because of THAT, you guys go wheels up, but I stay home.

[image error]Izzy (turning to look at YOU): In case you haven’t heard, FREE FALL is a TS short story that Suz is giving away in a special limited edition printed booklet as an extra for her NIGHT SKY virtual signing.  More about that in a bit, but if you’re curious, you can check out the cover and a brief blur for FREE FALL at http://suzannebrockmann.com/books/e-shorts/free-fall/

Jenk:  Well, I’m in both stories, but that’s definitely not me on the cover of THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR. I’m thinking Tony’s right and that’s Adam.

Tony: We’re all in both stories.  They go together.  I mean, you don’t need to read FREE FALL to have HOME FIRE INFERNO feel complete, but Suz told me they were parts one and two in a trilogy of shorts that she was writing.  The third one features Ben — and yes, more Izzy.  And Adam and me, too.

Danny:  Ben, like my little brother Ben?  Like my still-in-high-school little brother Ben?

Izzy:  Like your taller-than-you “little” brother Ben.

Jenk: He’s only sixteen, and he’s already 6’3”.  He’s freakishly tall.  Give him another month and he’ll be taller than you, too, Iz.

Danny:  If Ben’s in the third story, then I probably am, too.

Izzy: Unless we’re both deployed.

Lopez: We all might be deployed.  Unless the third story’s set right after FREE FALL and HOME FIRE INFERNO and I’m still (SPOILER REMOVED).  God, that’s frustrating.  I hate it when you guys deploy without me.

Izzy (gasping)  Lopez said HATE.

Lopez (mildly):  I don’t hate much, but I definitely hate being left behind.

Tony:  Hey, guys?  Maybe the man on the cover of THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR is supposed to be a Marine or maybe even Air Force.  You know Cathy Mann’s got a story in there, too.

Izzy:  In my next life, I want to come back as one of Cathy Mann’s foster dogs.

Tony:  Yeah, Adam was talking about maybe getting a dog, and I told him to follow Cathy on Facebook, see who she’s fostering now.  She’s freaking amazing.

Danny:  I’m pretty sure that’s a SEAL on that cover.

Lopez:  Well, we KNOW it’s a SEAL on the cover of FREE FALL.

Izzy:  Yes!  It’s me!  Suz has said that it’s me!

Danny (looking at that cover): The silhouetted guy in the foreground or the silhouetted guy in the background?

Izzy:  Foreground.  The guy in the background could be any one of you.  You’re all in FREE FALL.

Lopez:  Yeah, I know I’m in FREE FALL.  (sadly)  That’s where (SPOILER REMOVED).

Jenk:  So the first short story featuring SEAL Team Sixteen is called FREE FALL, and it’s available in a limited edition printed booklet being given away as a bonus “Extra” as part of Suz’s NIGHT SKY virtual signing, which is open for orders from now until October 3rd.  That’s the way readers can get a printed version of this short.  Here’s the link to the VS:  http://suzannebrockmann.com/about/ns-virtual-signing/

Izzy:  FREE FALL has that gorgeous cover that is definitely featuring moi, participating in a HAHO jump, hence the name of the story.  Suz reports that that the story is 12K words, and about 50 manuscript pages, which works out to 24 booklet pages with size ten font and skinny, skinny margins.  (The booklet is 8.5” x 5.5”)

Jenk: Printing a short is expensive.

Izzy:  No shit!  And for readers who prefer their heaping serving of Zanella in an e-short, Suz reports that FREE FALL will be available for sale in all e-formats in December.  Although she might have to get Chief Karmody to help her get the story up online.

Jenk: So FREE FALL, available now through the virtual signing.

Izzy: Yup.  Oh, and also readers who come to one of Suz and her NIGHT SKY co-author and daughter Melanie’s in-store events in October can pick up a copy of FREE FALL with NIGHT SKY — get both of ‘em signed in person.  So that’s another way to get the limited edition printed FREE FALL booklet.

Danny:  Ben’s reading NIGHT SKY right now.  It’s YA paranormal.

Jenk:  NIGHT SKY got a starred review from Kirkus.  That means they loved it.  Got some great cover quotes from Melissa Marr, PC Cast and Gena Showalter, too.

Danny:  Ben’s loving it, too.  Jenn’s reading it next.  Then me.

Izzy (distracted):  You read YA?

Danny:  I read.  And yes, okay, I read YA.  I want to know what Ben’s reading.  I want to be able to talk to him.

Izzy (trying to kiss Dan):  I love you, you big, soft, gooey lug, you know that?

Danny (faux-slapping Izzy away):  Don’t be an idiot.  Jesus.

Izzy: You’re a good brother, and you’re gonna be an awesome daddy.

Danny:  Jesus, I hope so…

Lopez:  Keep breathing, Dan. Don’t hyperventilate again.

Izzy (back to YOU):  If you want to get FREE FALL signed, in person, Suz and Mel are doing events in Framingham, MA; and Sarasota, Tampa and Venice, Florida.  You can check out their schedule on Suz’s website.  http://suzannebrockmann.com/about/appearances/

Jenk:  And the SECOND story in this trilogy of shorts is called HOME FIRE INFERNO–

Izzy (singing) Burn, baby, burn!  (spoken)  That’s actually the subtitle.  The short is called HOME FIRE INFERNO (Burn, Baby, Burn!)  Get it?

Jenk: HOME FIRE INFERNO (Burn, Baby, Burn!) is part of that charity anthology called THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR, and it’s coming out in e-book and paperback in April from Sourcebooks, with ALL proceeds benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project.  Suz reports that her story is about 12K words and that in addition to featuring all of us who are here right now, it also features the SEAL who’s nicknamed HoboMofo.

Izzy (delighted):  Hobe!  Yes!

Lopez:  I don’t know HoboMofo very well.  His real name’s Bert, right?  Bert Bickles?

Jenk: Chief Hubert Bickles, yeah.  He’s a hospital corpsman.

Lopez:  Like me. Which is why I don’t know him that well. (pause) Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

Izzy:  Because we keep pissing off our Goddess Suz, and since you’re the only one who’s single…

Lopez (sadly):  I’m the one who pays the piper.  That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you so, shhhh with the Goddess thing!

Danny:  What does that even mean, “pay the piper?”

Jenk:  Ferd McTurd, the FNG?  He’s single.

Tony: He’s also, like, twelve.

Izzy: Said the tadpole who’s barely thirteen himself.

Danny:  Also?  Ferd McTurd?  Not a great name for a romance hero.

Jenk:  That’s not his real name.

Danny:  I know that’s not his real name, but nicknames tend to stick.  Hello, HoboMofo?

Izzy:  Ah, that’s one of the greatest nicknames of all time.

Danny: It’s too long.  We’re always shortening it.  We call him Hobe, we call him Mohf, we call him Bo–

Izzy: Nobody calls him Bo.

Danny:  Well, you call him ‘Fo.

Izzy:  ‘Fo, yes, but not Bo.   And definitely never, ever “Ho.”

Danny: But what good is a nickname that’s too long?  I mean, HoboMofo takes forever to say.  It needs to be shortened.  For the love of God, just call the guy Bert.  If that’s his name.

Lopez:  I *think* that’s his name.

Jenk:  Hubert.  It’s his name.  Or you could call him Chief.

Izzy:  (Turning to look at YOU)  This scintillating conversation is going to continue for awhile, so let’s end this here.  Check out the cover for FREE FALL and then the cover for THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR.  That’s me on FREE FALL.  I’ll let you decide who’s on the cover of TWOTW.   So mark your calendars for April 2015 for TWOTW, and for December 2014 for FREE FALL.  And Suz’s virtual signing is currently open for those of you who want a hard copy of FREE FALL that you can hold in your hands and perhaps even hug or kiss or caress–

Danny: Jesus, Zanella.

Izzy:  I’m kidding.  They know I’m kidding.  (looking back at YOU)  You know I’m kidding.  Also about the cover art thing.  Especially about the cover art thing. I know that’s not me.  I got way too many scars, and my hair’s much darker than that guy’s.  Also, yeah, the tatts… I mean, sure, they could airbrush ‘em, but… I think Tony’s right and it’s Adam.  But whoever this dude is, he’s doing us all proud, and he’s helping raise money for a very important cause.  Okay.  Links to various things below.  Thank you for your time and attention.  Z out.

Night Sky Virtual Signing (with free extra FREE FALL printed booklet): http://suzannebrockmann.com/about/ns-virtual-signing/

Suz and Mel’s October appearances: http://suzannebrockmann.com/about/appearances/

More about FREE FALL: http://suzannebrockmann.com/books/e-shorts/free-fall/

More about NIGHT SKY:  http://suzannebrockmann.com/upcoming/night-sky/

More about The Wounded Warrior Project:  http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org 

**************************

DANGEROUS DESTINY, the Night Sky Series Prequel, in all e-formats from Sourcebooks Fire, (still!) available for FREE for a limited time (and coming in audio from Blackstone, read by Melanie Brockmann, 10/7/2014)
DO OR DIE, in paperback and ebook from Ballantine books, and in audio from Blackstone (read by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank), 9/30/2014
NIGHT SKY, YA paranormal co-written with Melanie Brockmann, in hardcover and e-book from Sourcebooks Fire, and in audio from Blackstone (read by Melanie Brockmann), 10/7/2014
FREE FALL, a Troubleshooters short story featuring Navy SEAL Izzy Zanella, available in a limited edition print booklet as an extra with the NIGHT SKY virtual signing (orders open through Oct. 3rd), and on sale as an e-short, 12/2014
THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR, a military romance anthology with Catherine Mann, Julie Ann Walker, Anne Elizabeth, et al, with all proceeds going to The Wounded Warrior Project, in paperback and e-book from Sourcebooks, 4/2015
HEADED FOR TROUBLE, still available in paperback, ebook, and audio

 

 

FREE (for a limited time!) e-short-story download of DANGEROUS DESTINY

[image error]August 27, 2014

Free!  FREE!  Fah-REE!

DANGEROUS DESTINY, the e-short prequel to my YA paranormal NIGHT SKY series (co-written with my amazing daughter Melanie!) is available today and it’s FREE!

This e-short-story’s only gonna be free for a limited time (a few weeks or so), so download it now before it reverts back to its $2.99 price.

The story itself is about 60 pages long, but there’s a hefty excerpt from NIGHT SKY (which comes out in e-book and hardcover from Sourcebooks Fire and in audio from Blackstone Audio — more about that in a sec), as well as a fun Q&A with Melanie and me, in which we discuss mother-daughter writing collaborations, among other things!

So if you’ve been on the fence about reading NIGHT SKY, our first Brockmann-Squared YA novel, this free (FREE!) prequel short, DANGEROUS DESTINY, will give you a taste and introduce you to our sixteen-year-old first person main character Skylar Reid and her best friend Calvin.  (And we hope you will like them as much as we do!)

Here’s the blurb from DANGEROUS DESTINY:

In this pulse-pounding prequel to the Night Sky series by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann and her daughter Melanie Brockmann, Skylar has her first brush with Destiny. She’s about to meet a boy who will change her life—and a girl who wants to end it.

I know her.

Know her from inside the dreams. Inside those terrible, murderous, bloody dreams. I’ve heard her-screaming, her voice mixing in an awful chorus with all those other girls. Little girls. 

Please, God.  

That’s what one of the little girls keeps saying, in the dream that is not just a dream. Please, God. 

But I know better. There’s no escaping this fate. This is destiny.

I must kill Skylar…

Skylar Reid is the new girl at school. Her mom just moved them to Florida—aka The Land of the Living Dead, where the average age of her new neighbors was seventy-five—to start over. Skylar is not a fan of the change or her total lack of friends. Until she meets Calvin, a funny, sarcastic boy who doesn’t let being in a wheelchair stop him from verbally shredding their preppy classmates. Skylar’s just about to decide her new school’s not a total loss when an odd girl wearing an oversized trench coat in the murderous Southern heat declares, “You’re one of us.” And then tries to kill her…

************

This short story was a challenge to write, because the action takes place several months before the start of NIGHT SKY.  NIGHT SKY is a “stranger in a strange land” type book, where Sky comes to learn that not only does she live in a world where some people have super-powers, but that she’s one of those special super-power people.

But Sky doesn’t find that out until quite few pages in to Night Sky.  So when the publisher approached Melanie and me with the idea of writing a 0.5 story (a prequel), while we liked the idea of a “How Skylar Met Her BFF Calvin” storyline, we had to figure out how to keep Sky in the dark about her weird world, while cluing readers in to the fact that our YA series was paranormal.

In other words, if we wrote “Skylar Meets Cal in the High School Courtyard,” we were afraid it would feel very much like a contemporary YA.

So how do authors write a short story that’s clearly paranormal, while leaving their first-person main character in the dark about those very paranormal elements?

Welp, you’ll have to read DANGEROUS DESTINY to find out just what we did.  (Have I mentioned that it’s currently free?!)

Audiobook listeners take note: Melanie Brockmann narrated the audio version of both NIGHT SKY and DANGEROUS DESTINY — both will be available from Blackstone Audio on October 7, 2014.  (I can’t wait to hear my co-author’s interpretation!)

But back to today and the whole FREE thing…

DANGEROUS DESTINY is now available FREE in Kindle format from Amazon (for a limited time) at http://amzn.to/YgJ6Rh

And it’s FREE in Kobo format (for a limited time!) at http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dangerous-destiny

It’s FREE for UK readers in the Kindle format (for a limited time!) at Amazon.UK:  http://amzn.to/1uELoXF

It’s FREE from Barnes & Noble in Nook format (for a limited time!) at http://bit.ly/1nZmcD3

It’s free in iBooks (for a limited time!) at https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dangerous-destiny/id912504069?mt=11&ls=1

And as I find more places where DANGEROUS DESTINY is available in additional formats, I’ll post links on my Facebook page and website!

If right about now, you’re going, “What exactly is YA?”  YA stands for Young Adult.  YA’s target audience is anyone from from age 10 to 100 who enjoys the particularly emotion-fraught journeys of teenage characters.  I know that many of you know readers who are too young to enjoy my adult romance novels… Finally, here’s an opportunity to hand them a Brockmann story!  (We don’t drop the f-bomb TOO many times, I promise!)

Here’re some nice things reviewers are saying about Night Sky:

RT BookClub says: “One of the most intriguing YA books this year. There’s supernatural happenings, action and some of the wittiest dialogue in a YA book to date.”

“I have been a Suzanne Brockmann fan for years, and I am delighted to say that I am now a fan of Team Brockmann!  NIGHT SKY is full of adventure, humor, and just the right amount of Brockmann wit and humor.  I love this book!” – P.C. Cast, New York Times bestselling co-author of The House of Night series.

“Original and exciting, NIGHT SKY propels readers into a dangerous future. Loved it.” — Melissa Marr, New York Times bestselling author of Made for You and the Wicked Lovely series

“This book is so good!  Action-packed, mysterious, charming and witty.  Sky is a girl you want to be and Milo is a guy you want to date.  Who knew nice guys were so sexy?  I’m ready for more!” — Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author of Alice in Zombieland

And from Kirkus’s starred review of NIGHT SKY:  “With a little something for everyone and a hip sense of humor, dialogue, and teen angst, this is a gripping page-turner from first to last. Particularly nice is the full integration of wheelchair-bound Calvin, who is far more than his disability. The start of something that can only be described as “greater-than.”

Find out more about NIGHT SKY on my website at http://suzannebrockmann.com/upcoming/night-sky/  (Or download DANGEROUS DESTINY for free (!!!!), meet Skylar and Calvin in a short story prequel, check out the fun Q&A with Mel and me, and read an excerpt from the first NIGHT SKY novel (due out in e-book, hardcover and audio on October 7, 2014).

Oh, hey, and if you enjoy DANGEROUS DESTINY, please help us out by posting reviews at your favorite on-line bookseller or site, and spread the word among YA readers!

Okay, gang.  That’s it for now.

As always, thank you for your support!

To sign up for my email newsletter, visit my website at http://suzannebrockmann.com/about/news-from-suz/

Love,

Suz Brockmann

DANGEROUS DESTINY, the Night Sky Series Prequel, in all e-formats from Sourcebooks Fire available now for FREE (coming in audio from Blackstone, read by Melanie Brockmann, 10/7/2014)
DO OR DIE, in paperback and ebook from Ballantine books, and in audio from Blackstone (read by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank), 9/30/2014
NIGHT SKY, YA paranormal co-written with Melanie Brockmann, Sourcebooks Fire, 10/7/2014
HEADED FOR TROUBLE, still available in paperback, ebook, and audio.
THE PERFECT WEDDING, now streaming on Netflix and Hulu! Available on DVD from Wolfe Release, Amazon, and BN.com