Renee George's Blog, page 8
April 18, 2014
Featured Guest: Author Dakota Trace (w/ Giveaway)
Today I am hosting the fun musings of Dakota Trace’s muse as he teases Bryan, from her new release Healing Hark. The book looks incredible! I’ve got my copy. How about you? Available now at: Amazon, ARe, BN.com, and Bookstrand!
Don’t forget to enter to win the ENTIRE Doms of Chicago series!
Enter the number “81″ under the “Renee George” drop down. Your entry is a click away! a Rafflecopter giveaway
“Cock&Tails…” *leans closer to look at book title* “Hey, Bryan! Check out the briefs on this guy. You can almost tell what his religion is!”
“Not again.” Bryan glares at the muse. “I thought we discussed this at the last stop. I’m not ogling any other men! Master and Sir are more than enough for me.”
“Taken…not dead!”
The tart reminder had Bryan shaking his head. “Sorry about the perverted muse. There is no taming her tongue. Whatever Dakota’s muse thinks…she says. But today I’m here to not only thank the lovely Ms. George for allowing us to drop by, but to give away a copy of Taming Kalinda in celebration of my author’s new book, Healing Hark.” He glances over shoulder at muse. “It took Dakota nearly a year due to the antics of someone, but I am personally grateful she gave me such a wonderful tale.”
“Of course you are.” *plops down next to Bryan* “Because I made sure she gave you three plenty of climb the walls, screaming sex.”
Bryan flushed. “We did not climb any walls. Besides I’d rather taking a beating than have Hark’s beautiful mural ruined.”
*sticks out tongue* “Just because your hunk of injun love dabbles with paints doesn’t mean anything. Who do you think gave him the idea for that spectacular mural? Hmmmm….”
Bryan begins to count under his breath. “Will not kill the muse. Will not kill the muse.”
*giggles* “You can count to a million and that need will never go away, subbie boy.”
“Subby-boy? Unbelievable. Not even Master or Sir call me that.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “And here I was going to share the booty with you.”
*freezes* “What booty?”
Shrugs. “The reward Dakota promised me if I didn’t kill you or abandon ship half way through the tour.”
“What reward?” *grabs the front of Bryan’s shirt*
A smile kicked up the corner of his mouth. “Assaulting me, will get you nowhere muse.”
“Then what will?”
“Why don’t you tell the people about the grand prize giveaway, and I’ll give you a hint.”
*stomps foot* “Fine! It’s easy. Check out the meme card below. See the number in the corner? Enter it in the rafflecopter thingie for a chance to win a complete set of the Doms of Chicago. Slave will giving away all eight books at the Wrap-Up Party on the 25th.”
Rafflecopter Code:a Rafflecopter giveaway
“And don’t forget to comment below with your email addy for a chance to win a copy of Taming Kalinda. Dakota will be drawing a winner tomorrow,” Bryan added. He pulled out a huge box of cherry cordials. “And this is for Ms. Renee…” Sets it on the table.
“Okay! Now give me the hint…” *muse begs as she follows Bryan out of the room*
Author note:
Thanks to the lovely Ms. Renee for allowing my crazy muse to stop by with her usual antics. For those who are interested…below is a blurb and buy links for Healing Hark – which just released today. And don’t forget to stop by Between Moonlit Covers tomorrow for another chance to enter for the grand prize drawing.
Blurb:
Can their love survive healing him?
Despite being in a long-term relationship with his Master and lover, Diachi Rai, CEO Bryan Sterling is feeling restless, and it all has to do with his Master’s former submissive. Ever since Harkalone “Hark” Akula entered their home, Bryan’s life has been turned upside down. He’s acting out, standing up to his master – even courting punishment. All because of his need to help Hark.
Diachi is a man of many secrets, and Hark happens to be one of his darkest. As his first submissive, Hark was partially responsible for molding him into the powerful but discerning Dom he’s become. But when he was unable to give Hark what he needed, Diachi let Hark go, rather than share him. Now Hark is back, scarred and darker than Diachi could ever remember him being, and in dire need of a healing touch.
Hark is at the end of his tether. After losing his family: his Dom, their submissive and child along with his home, all he wants is to be left alone, not dropped in his former master’s lap like a child. But now that he’s there, he’s not only tempted by Diachi and Bryan, he’s also being drawn into their world. The question now, is will he be able to stay?
Buy it now at: Amazon, ARe, BN.com, and Bookstrand!
Rafflecopter Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway
April 17, 2014
Book Blast Tour with $25 GC Giveaway!
Start the Tour Here!I am giving away a $25 GC at the conclusion of the Book Blast Tour (hosted by Pride-Promotions). Start the CockTails tour by clicking on the above banner!
CockTails Series – Available Now!
The Wallbanger
Available Now!
Buy it at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iTunes, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords
To celebrate his 45th birthday, Dr. Harvey Grace agrees to go on a blind date at a popular gay sports bar, The Other Team. His date turns out to be the bar’s owner–gorgeous 32-year-old Jay Lincoln. Their attraction is immediate and hot as wildfire. Harvey begins to believe that Jay might well be “the one,” but is the younger man serious about finding Mr. Right … or is he looking for Mr. Right Now?Buy it now at Amazon or B&N!
Read First Chapter Excerpt Here
The Hot Toddy
Available Now!
Buy it at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iTunes, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords
Todd Nelson and Tucker Thompson both know what it’s like to feel abandoned, lonely, and afraid. Since ending up in the same foster family together, they’ve been as close as brothers. Now in their early twenties, they still have each other’s backs, sharing an apartment and working at The Other Team. Tuck avoids hook-ups while Todd constantly indulges in one-night-stands. Watching Todd go through a string of conquests in their home is brutal on Tuck, who wants Todd all for himself. What he doesn’t realize is that Todd has strong feelings for him, too. Tuck has always trusted Todd to have his back, but can he trust him with his heart?
Read First Chapter Excerpt Here
The Gin Rickey
Available Now!
Buy it at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iTunes, Kobo, ARe, and Smashwords
Alex Michaels values intellect and propriety. To help pay the bills while he finishes his biological research degree, he waits tables at The Other Team. He’s trying to avoid romantic entanglements to focus on his studies, but the new cook, Ricky McNeil, is dangerously attractive. Ricky’s scars and tattoos have Alex both scared and horny. It doesn’t take long for Alex to cave in to their insane attraction. But can two men from two different worlds have more than just a physical connection?
Read First Chapter Excerpt Here
I’m available on most social media platforms.
Click below to find out more.
April 3, 2014
Book Release Party and $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway!!
I hope you’ll join me for even more entries to win the $50 GC.
<!–[if gte mso 9]>
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Read first chapter excerpts for The Cull (book 1) Claimed, and The CockTails (books 1,2, & 3) The Wallbanger, The Hot Toddy, and The Gin Rickey
(Warning: Some contain mature reading material. Not intended for readers under the age of 18.)
ALL RELEASES ONLY 99 CENTS!!
February 6, 2014
Facing Fears and Winning! Or At Least Not Losing.
So, I promised I would blog twice a month, and I’d say January was an epic fail. I got in the one post about making 2014 my bitch, and proceeded to work on it, all the while ignoring the blog! What have I been doing you ask? Well, I’ve written two short stories in my new series, Cock&Tails, and I’m finishing a third (all for an April 1st release!). Also, I’m working on a second series of short stories called, The Cull, with the first three of those releasing shortly after. I have started a newsletter, and if you haven’t joined, it’s not too late to subscribe!! I hope to get started on edits for Breathing Into Fire for Ellora’s Cave soon, and I will let you all know the moment I have a release date. Also, I am part of a collection called Bedtime Stories coming soon to Changeling Press.
Share the card on your website!
I have been facing my fears, and let me tell you, it hasn’t been fucking easy! Every day I have to chase the demon away. I can’t seem to get the voice in the back of my head that tells me I’m not good enough to leave me the hell alone. But still, I carry on. I made a promise to two of my besties that I would not be my own worst enemy. Even if I can’t keep my promises to myself sometimes, there is no way I’m letting either of those two classy ladies down.
For example, I have been posting to my author page every day. I find a picture of a guy I consider really hot, and I post away. I worry. I worry I’m being annoying, that somehow I’m going to be reported to the annoyance police and they are going to take away my hot guy posting visa. When I get like this, I remember my promise to Dakota Cassidy, who said, “Darling, you must post every day!” and I replied with, “I will. I promise.” So, I post. If a trial happens, you all may be called as witnesses for the defense.
Another example, I have been making promotional cards and posting them to various groups and to my author page and personal page, all the while the guilt and shame of tooting my own horn is running rampant on my psyche. I was taught that if you did something well, people would notice, otherwise, you should keep your mouth shut and be satisfied with doing a good job. Well, I’ve been in the publishing world since 2005, and not tooting my horn has earned me bubkiss. Regardless, it still makes me feel weird when I put it out there, like I’m doing something dirty. Surprisingly, I’m always excited to see other authors’ promotions, but I think that has more to do with the high value I place on them. I love them! I want to feel that way about my promotional stuff.
Share the card on your website!
So, back to the point, I was putting out these promotional cards on these different groups, and all the while, I’m moaning and whining on the phone to Michele Bardsley, who says something that totally made me rethink HOW I think about self-promotion. She said to me, “Don’t think of is as promoting yourself or tooting your own horn, think of it as inviting readers to check out your work.” Simple as that! All of a sudden, I’m looking at these cards as an invitation, and kind of “Welcome to my world-please come in a look around-make yourself at hom-I love the company-Invitation”! Thinking about promoting in this way, makes it so much easier to keep my promise to her that I will keep myself in the mix, and that I won’t crawl into my cave and hibernate because of my fears.
I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends
I’ve had some really great people rally around me this past month. My bestie Emma Ray Garrett, who reads for me (and is tough to win over) and has been loving the new work. I’ve gotten a few new beta readers—Katherine Johnson, Barb Hicks, Gregory Payne, and Mark Boyer—who have given me some valuable feedback. And last but certainly not least, my friend, Maryam Salim, who has been so helpful and supportive of my new path. I love you all so much, I can’t even express properly.
Oh, and all my FB friends, like Dawn Montgomery, Ditter Kellen, Patricia A. Rasey, Selena Illyria, Patrice Michelle, Dana Lorraine, Milly Taiden, Eve Vaughn, Cynnara Tregarth, Loren Lawmaster, Joelle Casteel, and many more who have shared my promo with their friends… Bless you! You all make me feel less like a boob.
2014 May Not Be In Love With Me Yet, But We’re Fooling Around
I’ve been making deadlines people! And deadlines imposed by me, something I’ve never been good at. I may hate disappointing other people, but I’ve been a constant source of frustration for myself. Procrastination problem handled: Check.
Every day that I pretend I’m good enough, that I’m likeable, and people aren’t getting annoyed by me, brings me closer to believing. Fear of not being good enough and not being liked handled: Check, check.
There is really something to be said for the whole “fake it until you make it” cliché. So keep an eye out while I stumble through, occasionally tripping over my own clumsy feet and tongue. I’ve got my eye on you 2014. You’re not my bitch yet, but I can see you starting to submit.
January 25, 2014
Monthly Newsletter – January 2014
For a higher viewing quality of this newsletter, please enable images.
If you found this newsletter through email, my blog, or social media and would like to subscribe, Sign Up Here! Also, share the link with your friends!
Newsletter Giveaway
The first 50 Subscribers will be entered for a $25 gift card and, for every 100 subscribers that join, I will give away a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com. (So invite your fellow fiction lovers!) Subscribe to my newsletter and be entered to win!
Cover Reveal–Hot! Hot!
I’m so pleased to have three books contracted with Ellora’s Cave, and when I got my cover I fell in love! This novella will be coming out in the spring. When I have the exact date, I will be shouting it out!
Currently Blogging
Baring My Soul and Making 2014 My Bitch
Each New Year, I make myself a promise: This is going to be my year as a writer. I will be a mover and a shaker. Unfortunately, I’ve never followed through on this promise. And while I could be one of those people that blame everyone and everything else (circumstance) for my failures (or if not failures, my lack of successes) I am choosing instead to take a hard look at myself and be honest (with me and you) about why I am constantly self-sabotaging.
The first hurdle to my success is…
Find My Books!
My books are available at the following websites:
Coming Soon
Breathing Into Fire by Renee George
Male/Male Paranormal Erotic Romance
Novella Length
Grayson Stephens, the last dragon born, never wanted to have is fate tied to the phoenix. When he finds out his bride, Gemini Toru, is actually a groom, he is even more determined to escape their contract of marriage. Fighting fire with fire will ignite a storm of passion that will consume them both, and potentially destroy the last of the dragonkind.
The Cull 1: Claimed by Renee George
Traditional Paranormal Erotic Romance
Short Story Length
Anna Michaels awakens to discover she’s been culled by werewolves, a ritual that takes place every 80 years, to strengthen the bloodline, and Conor Hesher, the Pack’s enforcer, is determined to make her his mate. She may survive the transformation to wolf, but can she live with being Claimed?
Cock&Tails 1: The Wallbanger by Renee George
Male/Male Contemporary Erotic Romance
Short Story Length
Harvey Grace celebrates his 45th birthday by accepting a blind date with Jay, a 32 year-old bar owner who is “tired of all the bullshit”–something they both have in common. When mixology meets biology, it’s pure chemistry.
Link to Single Title Available Now
Raising Caine by Renee George
Male/Male Paranormal Erotic Romance
(In a Collection of works that are NOT all Male/Male)
Brad aka “Raising” Caine, a perpetual punk, vampire, and night warehouse manager for Bedtime Stories, Inc. revisits the past in a steamy confrontation with the man who broke his heart twenty years earlier.
Victor Stalheim, a man whose work has been the driving force in his life since college, has his own demons to reconcile. A misunderstanding drove them apart. Can fate bring them together? Or are they destined to a life without love?
Links to My Publishers
January 23, 2014
Cover Reveal and Newsletter Giveaway
I am revealing my Ellora’s Cave cover for my upcoming paranomal male/male erotic romance, Breathing Into Fire, tomorrow on my author’s page, https://www.facebook.com/authorreneegeorge, and I am having a newsletter giveaway for subscribers (a $25 gift credit). Details can be found here: http://romance-the-night.com/Renee_George/newsletter/
Come for the Giveaway, stay for the hot, hot men!
January 17, 2014
Give Me Books Give Away!!
This Erotic Romance giveaway is TOO BIG to pass up! Entering is super easy. There are a ton of prizes and 1 winner will WIN EVERYTHING!!
January 11, 2014
Baring My Soul — Making 2014 My Bitch
Baring My Soul
Each New Year, I make myself a promise: This is going to be my year as a writer. I will be a mover and a shaker. Unfortunately, I’ve never followed through on this promise. And while I could be one of those people that blame everyone and everything else (circumstance) for my failures (or if not failures, my lack of successes) I am choosing instead to take a hard look at myself and be honest (with me and you) about why I am constantly self-sabotaging.
The first hurdle to my success is the fear of success.
I am a creative procrastinator.
If I am under a contracted deadline, I WILL get the work done, but only after marathoning the last week of writing. My hands will be sore for a week. My shoulders and neck will scream from the chronic hunching over the keyboard. The dogs and cat will consider putting themselves up for adoption (but they can’t figure out how to take cute selfies). My husband stands outside my office spraying room freshener to keep the funk from permeating the rest of the house. And lastly, my brain will give me the big “fuck you. I’m shutting down now” speech, but I GET it done. I know this isn’t the most efficient way to work. It’s murder on my mental and emotional well-being. So, when I think about getting a contract to do a large volume of work, I, understandably, get afraid. But I’m also of afraid of failing. Which leads me to my next hurdle.
I fear that I am not enough.
My fear isn’t just over the physical and mental challenges of writing. I am also afraid that I’m not good enough. I feel like a big, fat, faker most of the time. When someone says, “Wow, I really love your book (insert title here).” While I know, logically, they are being genuine (probably *grin*), in the back of my head there is a loud voice screaming, They’re just being nice! They’re just being polite! They don’t really mean it! This isn’t fair to the person who gave me the compliment, but there it is. I think it stems from people in my life (when I was growing up) rarely gave me credit for my successes.
People who loved me, people I trusted, made me feel like I was lucky, not good. They made me believe that opportunities were obstacles that I managed to trip over, not earn. Because of this, I have this go-to place in my head when something great happens (like when Changeling Press contracted my first book, and now my 3-book deal with Ellora’s Cave) where I tell myself, it wasn’t because I earned or deserved this wonderful opportunity…It’s because I lucked in to it. I have people in my life now who believe in me and I am grateful, but it’s hard to silence those earlier voices.
My last fear (at least the last one I’m going to write about today) is that I will be unlikeable.
This fear is an extension of the second one—the one that tells me I’m not enough. A rather large and odious voice in my head constantly tells me that my “opportunities” happen because I’m “likeable.” It also tells me that if I make myself unlikeable, by having opinions, by being grumpy, by saying “no,” or asking for the things that I want, that those opportunities will flit away. I will be left friendless, jobless, and there will be no way to recover. My fears completely realized! Because of this fear, I am so moderate in everything I do online (and in parts of my real life) that I am too boring to notice.
Making 2014 My Bitch
I will not be afraid of success!
I am going to take opportunities by the balls this year and force them into submission. I will write every day. I’m already ahead of the curve, in that my first two books for Ellora’s Cave are already with my new editor, Kelli Collins, and I have started the third.
I will believe people will actually want to read my work (and not just my family and friends!). I will form a street team (I’m not sure how I’m going to do this, yet, but I will figure it out!) to help promote my books.
I will not wait for contracts to finish longer works. I WILL be successful.
I am enough!
I will kick the voices that tell me otherwise in the balls this year. I will believe that I have earned my opportunities because I worked hard to get them. These stories I’ve sold DID NOT write themselves. I made the choice to go back to college and get my degree in creative writing to become a better writer, and I should celebrate the fact that my education is paying off. I will listen to my BFFs (Michele Bardsely, Dakota Cassidy, Emma Ray Garrett, and my sister Robbin) who always have my back and are rooting for me.
I will not worry about whether I’m liked (I’d still prefer if you like me. However…)
I will cut off “likable’s” balls this year. I will not censor myself to the point that I am INVISIBLE. And while I have no plans to twerk, clichés are clichés for a reason. The squeaky wheel gets the grease—E.g. Miley Cyrus—this Disney princess elevated her status by pissing a crap-ton of people off, but in the process gained a lot of support and exposure from people who had never noticed her before.
I’m not going to shave my head, enter rehab (unless they have a 12-step program for coffee addicts), or release a sex tape. I am, however, going to be less afraid to put myself out there for people. I want to get to know my fans and I want you all to get to know me. I will put my self out there, naked and raw, and not be afraid. It will be me. The honest me.
Hold on to your cojones, 2014. I’m coming after you and I won’t be playing nice.
By the way, every single one of my issues is solely mine. No one has made me feel this way. I’m just a big, ol’ insecure ninny.
This article is inspired by my friend Michele Bardsley who texted me this week, and said “We should put this on a letterhead…2014: The Official Bitch of Renee and Michele.” And my friend Dakota Cassidy, who has been a huge cheerleader and support, and has also got on the “making 2014 our year.”I am drinking the Kool-aid, darling! I have the best besties!
