Jamie DeBree's Blog, page 35
September 7, 2012
Recommended Read: Life Cycle by Zoe Winters
Continuing on with the Paranormal Romance theme...
If you like paranormal romance and you haven't heard of Zoe Winters,
well....you need to discover her. Like yesterday. Her paranormal
characters are true to their natures rather than being forced to adhere
to regular human mores and values, and I find that refreshing even when
it's disturbing. Life Cycles is a continuation of her
Preternaturals series, and while you can read it as a stand alone,
you're just going to want to go buy the rest of them after you finish to
read about many of the other characters featured as well. So while the
recommended read this week is Life Cycles, I'm *really* telling
you to go get this whole series of books. Because once you get pulled
into this "other world", you won't want to leave.
I love Life Cycles specifically for it's exploration of
the idea of immortality. What would it be like to live forever? Is
anyone truly immortal? What's the true price, and are we *really* able
to pay it? All of these come up in this story of a witch and a demon who
are ancient beings, tired, and lonely in a way no one else could ever
understand. It's heart-wrenching in spots, as all of Zoe's books are,
but it is a romance after all, and the pain and agony just makes the
ending that much sweeter and more deserved.
It's an awesome book, and a really fabulous series. Even if you
don't read paranormals, I'd urge you to give these books a try. You'll
be glad you did.
I'm not a
professional reviewer, I don't accept offerings direct from writers or
publishing houses (so don't email asking me to review your book - that's an
excellent way to ensure I never read it), and there's a very good chance
I know the authors of over half the books I'll recommend, so my opinion
is likely biased on any given day. This is just me telling you about a
great book I recently read. Nothing more, nothing less.
September 6, 2012
Writer's Notes: Fit to be Chai-ed, Ch. 7
Chai Killer to be two guys either. Or that Kaily would be involved. And
what the heck do they want with Erik? Wouldn't it be smarter to just
leave him alone and not "poke the bear"? I mean, he was off the trail.
Ready to move on. Why taunt him? And really, why kidnap the girl he's
using?
It makes no sense. At least not yet.
Weird. Guess we'll all find out, eh? Thankfully I'm ahead on the
writing this week, so maybe I'll find out sooner rather than later...
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September 5, 2012
Serial Story: Fit to be Chai-ed, Ch. 7
Previous Chapters
Fit to be Chai-ed
Chapter 7
Anna’s head hurt.
She cautiously opened her eyes, realizing two things simultaneously: she couldn’t see, and her body was stuck sitting in the fetal position. She tried to move, needed to stretch her limbs but no matter how she tried her shoulders, hips and knees were locked in place.
Panic took over, and she rocked from side to side, tears falling freely as her mind struggled to make sense of the situation. Joints popped with the effort and whatever was holding her wobbled under her increasingly frantic movements. Her breathing came harder, her chest tight, and she was running out of oxygen.
Twisting her shoulders she rocked again, the knowledge that she was going to die forefront in her mind. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except getting free. Another wobble, another twist, and for a long moment she was falling, tipping over. Her left shoulder took the brunt of the impact, her head glancing off the container as the world began to spin.
Muffled voices drew closer, then farther away as she went round and round, the certainty that she was going to die surprisingly calming.
Pain exploded in her right side at the abrupt impact. A loud crack reverberated through her body as the confining material and dark fell away all at once, her joints screaming nearly as loud as her ribcage as arms and legs were pulled violently away from her body.
“There!” Someone shouted, and she groaned as she lay on the ground, moving restlessly in a vain attempt to find a comfortable position. Footsteps thundered toward her, the sound achingly loud in her ears though welcome too.
“Help,” she whispered, choking the words out through burning lungs. “Please help me.”
“I told you no more barrels,” a deep male voice said. “What if she’d suffocated like the first one? Or what if she’d rolled somewhere we couldn’t get to her? A little rope, a little fabric, hell, even duct tape if you want. But no more barrels. I mean it.”
She looked up and gasped, quickly looking away as the two men looked down at her. Confusion dulled the pain only slightly as she tried to make sense of the situation.
“I don’t know why you’re shocked, babe. Considering you’re working with that cop, you should have known it was only a matter of time before we tagged you.”
Rough hands reached down and grabbed her arms, two on each side. The pulled her up, ignoring her cries of pain as her hands were drawn across broad shoulders.
“I think she’s hurt pretty bad,” the guy from the kiosk said. “Maybe we should just kill her and get rid of the body. She won’t be any fun now. There’s another one I been watching, comes in every --”
“Just shut up, you idiot. We need her to get to that cop. The less she knows the better, so zip it. Let’s just get her to the house. Kaily can bandage her up and maybe we can still have a little fun while we’re waiting.”
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September 3, 2012
Weekly News, Goals & Prompt - September 3, 2012
Last week was...well, last week. Let's just leave it there, shall we? This week seems to be coming on like a steam roller and I'll consider myself lucky to stay ahead of it. I've spent the majority of this long weekend focused on household stuff - tasks that really needed to be taken care of. Since I'm home today rather than at the day job, I plan to get some writing business caught up, as well as some work on my own drafts. Labor Day weekend is for getting stuff you're behind on caught up, right?
Today, with any luck I'll make good progress on this list:
- Finish my own Leaves story
- Edits to one final anth. story
- Scene for tomorrow's serial post
- Return emails
- Decide on anthology order & post the announcement
- Find the cover image for the winter anthology and start putting the cover together
- Print formatting and upload for Rock Me, Stalk Me
- Send out books for the Goodreads contest that ended last Friday
As far as personal stuff goes, I need to do a few loads of laundry, find the long kitchen counter, find a spot in the pantry for the new dog food (dehydrated, comes in boxes), and be available to help with the shed project (hubby's building a new shed in the back yard) if need be sometime in the afternoon.
It sounds like a lot, but really, if I keep working fairly steadily, it shouldn't be all that difficult to get most of it done.
As for the rest of this week, here's the plan:
- Serial story scenes done/scheduled on time
- Notes for the serial scenes
- Finish the cover and post a call for submissions for the winter anthology
- Finish the print cover and start formatting the fall anthology
- Start getting caught up on the business bookkeeping.
- Write another scene for the Christmas short I have started.
- Find cover art images for thriller serial draft.
Yep - busy week. Steamroller week. And hopefully when I get to the end, it will be with all of this stuff done so I can move on to other things. So much I want to do, and so little time...
Are you laboring today? Or do you have the day off?
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August 31, 2012
Recommended Read: Connected by Jolyn Palliata
here on the blog, and I was reading her book then, but I wasn't doing
reviews. I found it in my "current reads" list on my Kindle this week
while trying to decide what to recommend - books can't move out of my
"current reads" file until I've finished and/or categorized or starred
them on Goodreads. So here we go...
[image error]
I'm more than happy to recommend this book - it's a paranormal
romance that actually is completely out of the ordinary. There are no
werewolves or vampires or shape-shifting critter/humans, it's more of a
ghost story.
But not.
Apparently, the voices in your head may actually not be your own...
I'll admit, I was a bit lost in the beginning, and I had no idea
how a romance could possibly develop under the conditions Jolyn gave her
characters, but it worked really well actually, and the sex
scenes....well, let's just say creativity is a very good thing (as I
recall, they aren't terribly graphic, so don't skip it just because of
that). I was so wrapped up in the ending I was nearly shouting at my
kindle - it was intense, and unfair, and then somehow against all odds
she pulled off the happily ever after. Thank goodness. *whew!*
I've been meaning to buy the next book in the series - maybe I'll
do that before I take this one off the current reads shelf. I'm eager to
find out what she has in store for us next.
Read it. If you're a fan of paranormal romance, I'm sure you'll love it.
I'm not a
professional reviewer, I don't accept offerings direct from writers or
publishing houses (so don't email asking me to review your book - that's an
excellent way to ensure I never read it), and there's a very good chance
I know the authors of over half the books I'll recommend, so my opinion
is likely biased on any given day. This is just me telling you about a
great book I recently read. Nothing more, nothing less.
August 30, 2012
Writer's Notes: Fit to be Chaied, Ch. 6
can't decide whether "Chaied" (which isn't a word, except it is now,
because I'm using it) should be hyphenated at the end, or all together
like a proper verb (?).
Chai-ed or Chaied, people?! It's driving me nuts!
Aside from that little detail...
Apparently Will has decided to bow out of the serial killer role.
Dude. He was supposed to be *it*! I even created a lovely little coffee
shop with a cute name (The Trusty Mug - hello!), and a back room and
basement large enough for him to do what he needed to do without any
issues.
And he decides to chuck it all for a quick bout of kinky bondage on
the back table, while Anna gets kidnapped by some guy I don't know who
works in a kiosk.
A *kiosk*, for crying out loud.
I swear, I'm going to stop picking my villains ahead of time. They
never frickin' cooperate, and then I'm left with a bigger mess than I
planned.
*sigh*
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August 29, 2012
Serial Story: Fit to be Chai-ed, Ch. 6
Previous Chapters
Fit to be Chai-ed
Chapter 6
Erik leaned against the window by Anna’s door, every muscle in his body wanting to pace, but that would look suspicious. Although perhaps no more than a rough-looking biker waiting by the door. He checked his watch again. It wasn’t quite eleven, but he’d been waiting half an hour already. He hadn’t been sure what Anna meant by “later”, so he’d been sure to show up early just in case.
Surveying the street again, he finally pushed away from the building and went to his bike. If she was at the coffee shop, she’d be in potential danger. If she showed up here, she’d just be annoyed that he wasn’t. Maybe.
Frowning, he peeled away from the curb and rode the few blocks to The Trusty Mug, parking half a block away. Killing the engine, he went to the door and pulled, but it was locked. Cupping one hand around his face at the window he peered inside, but the counter was empty.
If Anna had come back without him, Will could have snatched her. Cursing himself for not staying with her, he pulled his gun with one hand and his cell with the other. He notified dispatch and requested backup as he made his way to the back door and then pocketed the phone. Steadying the gun with both hands, he shot the lock and kicked in the door.
A shriek assaulted his eardrums as he burst into the back room to see Will braced on his forearms between the legs of a woman on her back on a large metal work table. Her hair was the same color as Anna’s, and her wrists were bound together over her head as her fingers gripped the edge of the table.
“Get away from her before I blow your head off.” Erik couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to pull the trigger so badly. He almost hoped Will - or whatever his name really was - would run. The kid would never reach the doorway to the front of the store before a bullet.
Will didn’t run. He backed away, slowly, and raised his hands.
“This isn’t what you think, Man. Kaily just came by for a little fun. She likes it when I tie her up. Tell him, babe.”
“He’s right.” The woman swung her arms overhead and sat up with her back to Erik, turning just enough to glare at him while protecting her modesty. Her eyes narrowed at the gun. “Put that thing away. I’m pretty sure what we were doing isn’t a crime, though it’s probably against policy. Are you going to tell his boss?”
Not Anna.
Erik struggled at the abrupt change, trying to make sense of the scene. The woman was clearly not in distress, though she did look thoroughly pissed off. He lowered the gun as Will lowered his hands, smirking.
“Hey, you’re that biker who came in for coffee. Anna ran into you the other morning.” He grinned. “I think she likes you. You should take her out.”
Erik heard a siren out front, and judging from the annoyed look on Will’s face, he heard it too.
“Aw, man...you called the cops? What the hell? I’m probably going to get fired now. Why are you here, anyway? And what’s with the gun?”
Erik held up one hand to stop the questions. There was no time. “Have you seen Anna since this morning? I really need to find her.”
Will shook his head. “Nah. She said she’d be back, but I haven’t seen her. I can tell her you’re looking though if she comes in.”
“Yeah, you do that.”
A shadow blocked the light behind him, and Erik turned to see two uniformed patrolmen watching him, guns drawn. He looked them in the eye, shaking his head slightly.
“Misunderstanding, officers. I jumped the gun. Sorry about that - there’s no problem here.” He wasn’t sure if his cover was blown or not, but he hadn’t identified himself as a cop, and hopefully they’d play along, just in case.
One officer looked past him, quirking an eyebrow at the half-naked, bound woman on the table. Erik just rolled his eyes and shrugged. After another long moment and an exchanged look, the radios on their belts squawked to life with a bunch of letters and numbers from the dispatcher. A dead body found across town, from what Erik could hear.
“If you say so,” the officer said. “We’ve got another call. Let’s go.” Erik nodded, then turned back to Will.
“Sorry if I scared you. You really should keep this kinky stuff at home.”
Kaily grinned over her shoulder, twisting enough to flash him a side of breast.
“Then it wouldn’t be kinky, now would it?”
Erik shook his head and walked out, closing the door on the laughter that followed him. Will would have to have his boss fix that lock.
If Anna hadn’t gone back for more tea, where would she have gone? He reached his bike and took out his cell to call the precinct. He’d check her office one more time, and if she wasn’t there, he’d check her house. One way or another, he needed to know she was okay.
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August 27, 2012
Weekly News, Goals & Prompt - August 26, 2012
hall to use the restroom in a diner. On the way back, he passes a door
that was closed when he passed the first time, but is open a crack now.
Raised voices, a man and a woman, catch his attention, but he's still
determined to ignore it until he hears one familiar phrase...
Whew! What a weekend. My husband and I worked on the foundation for
a new shed, said "hi" to muscles we haven't felt in awhile, and spent
some rather pleasant moments out at dinner, wandering through Hastings
and watching a couple movies (One for the Money, which we both enjoyed quite a lot, and This Means War,
which was great right up until the end, when she chose the wrong guy,
IMO). It was a physically exhausting couple of days, but a seriously
good workout, and very productive (always a good thing). Now if I can
just remember to get up from my desk at the day job every hour or so, I
might be able to keep from stiffening up like an old woman...
Last week wasn't as productive as I'd hoped, but it took longer to
get all that editing done than I thought it would (even with help from Carol,
my lovely editor). As it was, I did well just to get my serial chapters
and blog posts up, and start my story for the anthology as well. No
cover art, no print formatting - like I said, the weekend was busy (and
it's good to get away from the computer for awhile).
There's quite a lot going on this fall, though not nearly as much
as normal without the annual party to plan. But there's still vacation
to think about, which involves making sure we have tickets to the events
we want before we get there & proper attire/bags, etc, and planning
for the dogs' care in our absence (slightly more complicated with
Lucy's special dietary needs). House cleaning, what to take/not to take,
etc...
Even so, this week I should have a little more time to get things
done (I cringe even as I type that, knowing Murphy's Law is just waiting
to smack me for it). So here's the list:
- Four serial chapters
- Finish short story for anthology
- Print formatting for RMSM
- Raise the price of Rock Me, Stalk Me (so if you want it cheap, get it now!)
- Experiment with a new base mix for the dog's raw diet (would cut my Sunday evening prep time to nothing)
- Get the Halloween Horror Nights tickets purchased
- Work on getting laundry caught up
- Pick a new theme for winter anthology
I'm leaving the cover art off for now - I'll worry about that when I have time, hopefully next week.
That's it for this week, I think...here's to cooler fall temperatures, which I hope to see more of soon...
Enjoy
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August 24, 2012
Recommended Read: Ardraci Elementals Series by Carol R. Ward
obvious conflict of interest I have - not only do I consider Carol a
good friend, but she's also my editor, and I act as her publisher. I'll
just disclose all that right from the start, and you can choose to read
further or dismiss.
The fact is, these are *awesome* books, and I anxiously wait for
the next in the series (okay, I don't actually wait, I read the draft on
her blog, and look forward to reading the whole thing again when it's
done). They are a very nice blend of romance and fantasy, and
exceedingly easy to get lost in. Once you pick one up, you won't be able
to put it down. Or I can't, anyways.
[image error]
The first book is An Elemental Wind, and the description says it better than I could:
Nakeisha Windsinger has been chosen
to represent her planet to the Pan-Galactic Council of Worlds. She and
her mentor, the Ilezie E.Z., must travel in secret to avoid their
enemies, but when her mentor is killed, she loses control of her
element, the wind, as she takes vengeance on those responsible.
In doing so, she crosses paths with
the crew of the Burning Comet, a ship with a secret mission of its own. A
reluctant guest, Nakeisha struggles to control her element, a task made
more difficult as she fights her growing attraction to the ship’s
navigator, Chaney.
As their enemies close in, Nakeisha
and Chaney spin a fragile web of trust between them, finding that fate
has a way of interfering when you least expect it and love can destroy -
or rebuild - worlds.
It's a romantic sci-fi/fantasy where
things aren't always what they seem, and secrets are often necessary for
survival. The chemistry and burgeoning relationship between Nakeisha
and Chaney is amazing and intense, one of those emotional roller
coasters that leaves you breathless and glad you took the ride.
[image error]
The second book is An Elemental Fire, and here's the description:
Wynne Ignitus has a secret she's been keeping from the children she rescued from genetic experimentation.
Rayne has a secret that doesn't stop the longing she feels for her reluctant ally.
Pyre has a secret that keeps him from what he most desires.
Only
the desperate would seek the aid of the reclusive Fire Elemental up on
the mountain, but Rayne would do anything to help her sister. However,
once she persuades him to return to the village with her, it's to find
her sister, and the rest of the children, gone.
Who
has taken the children, and why? And why would the Mother send them on a
quest to seek the aid of the mysterious Illezie, a race they’d never
heard of? Together Rayne and Pyre must find the answers to these
questions before time runs out . . . for everyone.
This book introduces us to a sinister
plot involving experimentation with the elementals. It's a bit freaky,
and we're only just catching the tip of the iceberg here as Rayne and
Pyre fight really bad odds to save their kind from a monster. Again,
there's an intense (and forbidden) love story in the midst of all the
action, and both of the main characters have to do a lot of soul
searching before they can really allow themselves to love.
When you're done with that one, you'll
want to visit Carol's blog, and start reading Water, the third book in
the Elementals series, being drafted as a weekly serial story. If you're
looking for background and to learn more about what the elementals
Rayne & Pyre saved were going through, you won't want to miss that
(especially since I have it on good authority that the format may change
quite substantially in revisions).
So if you're looking for weekend reading
(or even if you're not), go pick up a copy of these books (available in
ebook and print at your favorite online retailers). I promise you won't
be sorry...
Naturally, these are available in the Brazen Snake Books store, and there are also links there to all the other major retailers.
I'm not a
professional reviewer, I don't accept offerings direct from writers or
publishing houses (so don't email asking me to review your book - that's an
excellent way to ensure I never read it), and there's a very good chance
I know the authors of over half the books I'll recommend, so my opinion
is likely biased on any given day. This is just me telling you about a
great book I recently read. Nothing more, nothing less.
August 23, 2012
Writer's Notes: Fit to be Chai-ed, Ch. 5
characters all seem to be intent on getting in worse hot water than I'd
originally planned lately, but hey, surprise is what makes writing fun.
Anna has just gone and gotten herself into a *heap* of trouble that was
supposed to happen under the watchful eye of a certain detective, and
now I'm not really sure how said detective is going to rescue a heroine
when he has no idea where she is, or where she was going or what
happened or...anything, really.
Geez, Anna. Way to make him work for it, eh?
And what the heck happened to my villain, anyways? It was
*supposed* to be Will, dang it...but now it's this other guy, who I know
nothing about (aside from what Erik told us), and it doesn't make any
sense for him to work out of a kiosk, when an actual storefront would be
far more convenient for what he's got in mind. Or what I think he has
in mind.
I guess we'll see what happens next week...
Good grief. My characters are just running all amuck lately...
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