Reena Jacobs's Blog, page 46

Anchored Blog Tour + Day 6 Winners

So tomorrow marks the first day of the Anchored Blog tour. Lots of fun and events. So I'm surfing through the series of updates I've received about the days to come, and find I have loads of info to share with you. Now I might miss some things, but don't fret. Rachel Haimowitz, author of Anchored, has all the information in a centralized location on her blog.

In her last email she had this to say, "Don't forget to mention all the prizes; people love prizes, and we'll be giving away thirty books throughout the course of the tour, plus hats, t-shirts, mouse pads, notebooks, keychains, cover flats, magnets, etc featuring the cover art." Are you giddy? I am!

You might be wondering why you should care about this book. So let me give you the blurb for it:

Network news anchor Daniel Halstrom is at the top of his field, but being at the bottom of the social ladder—being a slave—makes that hard to enjoy. Especially when NewWorld Media, the company who's owned him since childhood, decides to lease him on evenings and weekends to boost their flagging profits.

Daniel's not stupid; he knows there's only one reason a man would pay so much for what little free time he has, and it's got nothing to do with his knowledge of current events. But he's never been made to serve like that before, and he fears he won't survive the experience with his sanity intact.

He finds himself in the home of Carl Whitman, a talk show host whose words fail him time and again when it comes to ordering Daniel to bed. Daniel knows what Carl wants, but it seems as if Carl isn't willing to take it, and Daniel's not willing to give it freely. His recalcitrance costs him dearly, but with patience and some hard-won understanding, love just might flourish where once there'd been only fear and pain. Can Carl become the anchor in Daniel's turbulent life, or will he end up the weight that sinks his slave for good?

(WARNING: This book contains potentially triggering subject matter, including a violent on-screen rape. Please take heed.)

Don't miss out. Complete Anchored Release Party Schedule: http://rachel-haimowitz.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour.html

Speaking of prizes! We have some for you today. Day 6 of the blogoversary featured Lindsay Buroker, author of The Goblin Brothers Adventure and The Emporer's Edge. A quick recap of the goodies she offered:

Your choice of an eBook (The Goblin Brothers Adventures – MG or The Emperor's Edge – Fantasy) Plus a $25 Gift Card to Amazon. US only
Your choice of an eBook (The Goblin Brothers Adventures – MG or The Emperor's Edge – Fantasy). International

And the winners are…

Sherri ~ Your choice of an eBook (The Goblin Brothers Adventures – MG or The Emperor's Edge – Fantasy) Plus a $25 Gift Card to Amazon.

Kulsuma ~ Your choice of an eBook (The Goblin Brothers Adventures – MG or The Emperor's Edge – Fantasy)

Congratulations to the both of you!

If you didn't win, you can find Lindsay Buroker's works on Smashwords and Amazon.

Emails have been sent to the winners who has until Monday, January 17, 2011 to get back to me. Don't forget to pick up your consolation prize–Control Freak: Brandon's Story at Smashwords. Use the coupon code HZ25V which is good until February 8, 2011. Enjoy!

Day 7 giveaway ends today, which includes free books from the Book Depository and Amazon. For a full list of blogoversary winners, check here.

Two Free Quickies on Smashwords + Day 5 Winners

I'm a little late in the day getting around to posting the winners. But before I do that, just wanted to share some news with my lovelies. I added One Wish and Circulatory System to Smashwords. These two pieces were experimental for me. Sometimes I like to try my hand at other genres than erotica. One wish I guess is a fantasy. We've got your genie action going on. So if you're all about seeing wishes come true, this might be for you. Circulatory system… hmm. Honestly, I can't decide if it's a horror or a thriller. Maybe it's a little bit of both.

Anyway… why Smashwords? Well, I know what a pain in the butt it is to hunch over the computer reading my silly little stories. So now you can read them from the comfort of your eReaders. So that's that. Enjoy.

Enough about me. Let's talk about you… you and winning some prizes! As you might recall, Elizabeth Kolodziej sponsored our day five giveaway. Here's what she offered:

eBook of Vampyre Kisses (International)
Paperback copy of Vampyre Kisses plus Vampyre Kisses t-shirt (US/Canada only)

This is the best part… announcing the winners.

Winner of the Paperback copy of Vampyre Kisses + T-Shirt is Renee Richardson. The eBook winner of Vampyre Kisses is Jenn at Girls Just Reading.

This calls for more fireworks!!!

Emails have been sent to the winners who has until Monday, January 17, 2011 to get back to me. Don't forget to pick up your consolation prize–Control Freak: Brandon's Story at Smashwords. Use the coupon code HZ25V which is good until February 8, 2011. Enjoy!

Day 6 giveaway ends today, which includes copies of Lindsay Buroker's works plus an Amazon Gift Card. For a full list of the giveaways happening and winners, check here. If you haven't entered, now's your chance.

Blogoversary: Day 4 Winners

We're back for another episode of "Who won?" Good news… well, for you. I've had no new development, so you don't have to scroll through paragraphs of me rambling before hitting the winning announcement.

Day 4 we featured Stephannie Beman, author of My Lord Hades and Persephone. Recently Ms. Beman did a FAQ on her blog explaining the mythology behind her works. So, let's take a look at what Ms. Beman offered readers.

2 copies of Stephannie Beman's eBook My Lord Hades (Spicy version)
2 copies of Stephannie Beman's eBook Persephone (sex-free version)

And the winners are…

eBook My Lord Hades (Spicy version): Marquetta and Beth Knight

eBook copies of Persephone (sex-free version): Dee/D.S. White and Rallu

Congratulations! Three cheers!

Emails have been sent to the winners who has until Friday, January 14, 2011 to get back to me. Don't forget to pick up your consolation prize–Control Freak: Brandon's Story at Smashwords. Use the coupon code HZ25V which is good until February 8, 2011. Enjoy!

Day 5 giveaway ends today, which includes copies of Vampyre Kisses by Elizabeth Kolodziej plus a Vampyre Kisses T-shirt. For a full list of the giveaways happening and winners, check here. If you haven't entered, now's your chance.

Dee/D.S. White

This is it: Shadow Cat Chapter 4

Okay. So Shadow Cat is out in the world. I offer you one last chapter of Shadow Cat. If you missed the prior chapters, they're available (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3). Interested in some of my other pieces, check it here. This chapter is a little racy, but not too bad. The brief glimpses of sex shouldn't burn anyone's retinas.

Shadow Cat is available on Smashwords (preview available) and Amazon.

Chapter 4

Endau Rompin Rainforest, Malaysia

Berani crouched in the underbrush with the low rumble of the Great River flowing in the distance. She flicked her ear as a bit of moisture dribbled inside. With the rain relenting, humidity hung heavy in the air. Giant droplets clung from leaves high overhead and splattered on the ground, providing life-giving water to the foliage below. The sun trickling through the canopy played on the misty residue and cast a dim haze of green throughout the forest.

A gurgle moved through her stomach, a reminder of her fruitless night wandering in search of food. Her muscles ached. She wanted nothing more than a long cat nap, yet refused to return to her clan with an empty stomach and her tail tucked between her legs. Hiding indefinitely in the secluded cave she'd found days earlier while eating a measly meal of berries was preferable to that alternative. No one would call her a failure.

Several feet away lay a trail worn by animals too lazy to find their own path to the waterway. A chance they took; an opportunity she exploited.

Before long, the wind carried the sound of leaves slipping on wet soil. Careless in its approach, her breakfast tromped through the forest, ever growing closer. As long as it filled her to stuffing, she didn't care what came her way. Only a few more seconds and her prey would emerge from the tree line.

She licked her lips, and her tongue scraped against her fangs. Her heart quickened with anticipation. She tensed her hind legs and pawed the ground, ready to spring.

Then she saw it… him. A tall, dark-haired human emerge, jogging along the animal path. Her stomach contracted. How could she be so oblivious to the auditory signs? Only a human would tread so recklessly without fear of the dangers which lurked in the shadows. Cruel beyond belief, they dominated the lands, raping everything in their paths and leaving nothing but a barren husk. It was only a matter of time before they'd destroyed her rainforest and along with it, her people. Even now, only a few scattered clans remained in the Malaysian jungles.

Too late to flee without detection, she waited as he drew closer.

Sweat covered his face and plastered a lock of hair to his forehead. The loose curls varied from brown to near black as moisture darkened the color at the nape and around the edges to deep rich tones. He brushed a few strands aside, flexing a well-muscled arm with the motion. His tight, blue shirt clung to his chest and complemented grey-blue eyes, while his shorts stretched taut around thick thighs.

She just made out his deep, steady breathing as he passed within a yard of her, closer than she'd ever been to a human. The pack on his back bounced with every stride as he continued in the direction of the river and disappeared from sight.

Berani smiled inwardly. Humans—a bat's eyesight was better than theirs.

The risk of discovery past, she allowed her tail to swing freely. She'd have to report him. Nenek would want to know the humans had returned.

The damage the species had done to the forest weeks earlier sickened Berani. It would take decades before the area even remotely recovered. She hesitated only a moment before, trailing him to the Great River. The more information she could provide Nenek, the better equipped her clan would be to deal with the human threat.

Hidden safely in the bushes, Berani watched the human tug off his shoes, walk to the water's edge, and dip his foot. The current, more forceful than usual due to the quick rain, rippled around his toes.

He pulled his shirt over his head. The muscles in his back flexed as he exposed broad shoulders and tossed the shirt toward a nearby boulder. It landed in a heap beside his pack. He twisted and stretched, revealing an abdomen ribbed with definition and pectorals so well-defined, the muscles rippled with every move.

Berani never imagined a human's body could rival that of a male wehr-tiger's. Firm… virile—his did, and her body answered unexpectedly. Her heart thumped and caused an unwanted rush of blood to course through her body, heating her from the inside out. At the same time, her stomach flipped and tightened with disgust. The idea of being attracted to a human, even on a subconscious level, unnerved her.

Great Spirit! What was happening to her? The line between animalistic need and realistic thoughts blurred. She wanted to control her physical reactions but found it impossible against the sight of his masculine form. No, even more—his spirit called to her. Captivated yet repulsed, she panted from her concealment, drawn to him like a rhinoceros to the wallows.

He bent and removed his shorts, revealing a firm butt and powerful thighs designed for endurance. Light hair dusted his legs and thickened toward calves so sinewy, the strands contracted visibly as he stepped out of his clothes. Clasping his hands together, he reached for the sky. His dangling shorts swayed from his fingertips as he leaned to the side, tightening his buttocks.

Her breath lodged in her throat as primal desires coursed through her. She repressed the basal impulses he'd awakened and put the need to seek a male of superior quality to the front of her mind. A human would never make a suitable mate, regardless of his incredible physique.

The human walked a few steps toward the large rock and flung his shorts where it joined the shirt in a haphazard pile. His lack of arousal did nothing to hide the thick length of his shaft with dark curls sprinkling wildly at the base.

The clenching in her stomach increased as if driving her blood lower, creating a swollen fullness between her thighs. Would she find the texture of the spiraled coils coarse? Soft? No. She diverted her eyes. Her purpose for being here was reconnaissance. She couldn't let herself get distracted. A splash attracted her attention.

The human waded to the middle of the shallow river, leaned back, and floated, only to stand again with his hair dripping and thoroughly darkened. He shook his head and a spray of water flew in an arc. He ran his hand through the locks, slicking them back, then dived forward, stretching his body as he swam. His long, powerful strokes caused the muscles in his arms to bunch and relax as he pulled himself through the current. Like a wehr-tiger, he moved as if swimming were second nature.

Berani willed herself to return to Nenek with news, yet remained transfixed. All self-preservation and responsibility eluded her as she flirted with the idea of mating a human. Her desires were wrong—an unnatural yearning which overpowered sensibility. Yet, she had to know more about him. She tore her gaze away and slipped into the jungle. Apprehensive but eager to confront him on her terms, she raced along the same path the human had taken until she came to a tall flame tree already in bloom.

Small brown berries and bright yellow clusters of flowers surrounded thin stems and bathed Berani in a sweet fragrance. The wide trunk, at least a yard thick, prevented her from shimmying it in her human form as she would the coconut palm. Still the large low-hanging limbs were ideal for her purpose. She made a vertical leap and scrambled up the trunk. Her back claws ripped through the bark as she struggled to find purchase and just managed to drag herself to the lowest limb which sagged under her bulk. She paused. Catching her breath, she spied a thicker branch overhead. But the brief climb had already taxed her limited skills as a cat, putting the more stable limb out of reach. No matter. She crept along the branch and listened for any tell-tale cracking which would indicate a lack of integrity. Directly over the path, she settled as the limb dipped precariously low and waited. Such was the life of a tiger.

Ͼ∞Ͽ

Eric washed his sweaty clothes in the river and placed them on a rock to dry while he searched through his backpack. He pulled out a change and reached in again. "Crap."

A vision of his towel lying on his sleeping bag came to mind, and he dropped the pack. No sense crying over spilled milk. One trait he'd learned from running a multi-billion dollar corporation was adaptability. The pharmaceutical business constantly changed, and those who couldn't keep up went under. He'd never let that happen to Nora Tech, not with his family's legacy at stake.

Picking up the button-down, he donned it and disregarded the sticky feeling as the damned thing clung to his skin. Uncomfortable for the moment, but it'd pass, just like the troubles his company faced now. He tugged on his boxer briefs and followed them with a pair of jeans. At least he'd remembered his socks. He pulled them up his calves, drying his legs in the process, and shoved his foot into the shoes, lacing them tight.

After the full cardio workout, an easy stroll back to the research site was exactly the kind of cool down he needed. He crammed his still damp clothes into his backpack and headed back to camp.

Shortly into his walk, he stopped in front of a cluster of small vase-like plants growing a foot off the path. The dank stench of old gym clothes permeated the air acting like a repellent to his senses. The outer portions of the vessels were speckled brown and tan, like a pinto bean, and the inside a lime green with liquid resting in the base.

A large green insect, resembling a grasshopper with a narrow head, walked around the rim of the plant until it lost its footing and fell inside. Eric knelt on both knees and leaned over the plant, careful to "look but don't touch," as Bryan had warned him. The insect floated in the fluid, thrashing its thin legs in a frenzied fight for life. Not a minute passed and the insect stilled, tipping on its side.

Eric sat on his heels and reflected on the gruesome finality of living in the jungles. Interesting to visit but not a place he'd choose to live. Already he tired of the forest scene. He'd leave the role of nature lover to the researchers. As for him, one typical day in the office provided more than enough excitement.

Still, the fluid might have medicinal properties or the entire plant for that matter. Just one breakthrough and it'd make the money invested in the Malaysian venture worth all the effort, bringing his company back in the black.

A movement caught his eyes as he stood. He stared at the flowers of a yellow tree, hoping to catch the motion again. He'd learned the rainforest was full of wonders if he kept his eyes opened and remained patient. There! Hidden in the tree, a black and orange corded object waved, the colors camouflaged by the profuse foliage.

He squinted and followed the thick line to its source, but lost track of it behind a concentrated stretch of leaves. He did a double take. Where did she come from?

The faint light flickering through the tree cast a glow on the exquisite bronze skin of a woman lounging on a limb, while the dense leaves concealed her legs completely. She licked her full lips, a pinkish brown, which were made for kissing. Malaysian characteristics dominated her face—high cheekbones with a slight blush. Thick, untamed brows arched high. Beautiful. Straight tresses lifted in the breeze—strawberry blond with streaks of dark brown and copper, as well as a shade so light it appeared white. Her features combined with her distinctive hair hinted at her obvious mixed ancestry. The contrast was spectacular against her honey-colored skin. A light brown, halter-like bra covered her full breasts, allowing just a hint of the fleshy mounds to peak over the top. The yellow flowers provided the perfect disguise for her.

She rose from her recline and stood on the branch, balancing on bare and dainty feet with cute, kissable toes. He traced the shape of her legs, toned and lithe, which seemed to travel forever before disappearing behind an obtrusive bit of vegetation.

She dropped from the tree.

"No." He reached out as his stomach plummeted with her fall.

The woman landed ten feet below in a crouch, while a pitiful scrap of loincloth brushed the ground between her legs.

His brain cranked into gear. She was okay. His heart beat so hard, it threatened to jump out of his chest. Even his run had not gotten him so excited.

She rose from her squat and approached him. Her bare hips flared and narrowed toward the contours of her waist, while the indentation of her belly-button tantalized him.

Already working overtime, his heart rushed blood straight to his cock as it pulsated to the rhythm of her swaying breasts. Entranced, he wondered if the nipples creating points in the thin fabric corresponded with the color of her lips. His jeans tightened, and he resisted the urge to adjust himself as the woman sauntered ever closer, stalking him like prey, assessing him with eyes the color of an amber sunrise.

He smiled at the sultry advance of the curvaceous female. I can definitely work with this. She appeared fearless as she came within arm's reach, and her feminine scent washed over him, a combination of cool mint and fresh rain. Enticing. Quite tall for Malaysian standards or any woman in general for that matter, she stood about a half foot shorter than Eric. No doubt she'd mold seamlessly to him.

She cocked her head to the side. As if in a dream, time slowed. The wind teased her hair, and the silky strands floated and caressed her shoulders.

Spellbound by the fascinating colors, he lifted his hand. A simple touch. Nothing more. So close. "Heavenly."

With lightning speed, she batted him away.

He jerked back and gritted his teeth against the pain. A throbbing sensation gave way to a stinging burn, and he cringed at the four deep gashes lining the back of his hand. If the damned thing weren't attached to his wrist, he wouldn't recognize it as his own.

"Stupid, stupid—what was I thinking? Damn it," he said between clenched teeth. "Look but don't touch, Eric. Look. But don't touch."

###

Blood welled from the deep cuts moments before Berani smelled it. She crinkled her nose as the metallic scent overpowered the earthy fragrance of the forest. She'd struck him too hard. Her body and mind had instinctively gone into a defense mode when he'd tried to grab her. Too late for regrets, he should take it as a warning. A few scratches meant little in a jungle unforgiving to even minor mistakes.

Dropping his pack, the human's eyes narrowed as he backed away and muttered incoherent nonsense. Blood dripped down the front of his shirt as he unfastened it with shaky hands and shook it over his shoulder. The shirt fell down his arm, and he eased it over his injury. His lips drew into a grimace, as he watched her while working the sleeve off his other arm and wrapping it around his wound.

He walked away, repeating a single foreign word over and over. "Shit. Shit. Shit." The timber of his voice, deep like the angry rumble of a tiger, swept over her. He knelt on one knee and hunched over his injury like a gibbon hoarding a papaya.

A snicker bubbled from her at his foolish pose.

His mouth formed a thin line as he rose and took a threatening step toward her, releasing a tirade of gibberish.

Berani jumped back and crouched into an offensive stance as a growl reverberated in her throat. She would kill him if she must, but dead humans often brought more trouble than live ones.

"Do not come closer," she said, not caring if he understood Malay or not.

He stopped short, and his eyes widened. Raising both hands, his shirt dangled as he took a step back. He spoke, but she found no meaning in his unfamiliar dialect, and his cool and steady voice, no doubt meant to calm her, went to waste. She was already calm… deadly calm and more than ready to rip into his throat if his actions turned aggressive.

Shadow Cat is available on Smashwords (preview available) and Amazon.

Shadow Cat on Kindle + Day 3 Winners

[image error]So I'm typing this, and I'm quite giddy. Shadow Cat went live a few hours ago on Amazon. It's only right to do a little promo… and of course a giveaway! If you're not familiar with Shadow Cat, have a go at the excerpts on my Free Reads page. Amazon is a little slow with getting the product details listed, so let me supply it for you here.

They formed a bond so strong even death couldn't keep them apart.

CEO Eric Randall's plan is simple—fix the mess his researchers have created in Malaysia, experience the pleasures the country has to offer, and hightail it back to the comforts of America. Then again, simple plans always seem to have a way of going awry. All it takes is one beautiful aborigine to completely flip his world upside down, and Eric finds himself stranded in a world of Malaysian myths and legends.

A novice shaman amongst her people, Berani is free and independent; the rainforest is her playground. Yet all is not well in her homeland. Evil forces are slowly causing her people to dwindle to extinction. When a strange speaking man invades her forest, she has one more item to add to her already troubled life. One thing for sure, she's not about to let some overbearing human control her on her own turf. Attraction or no, she will fight Eric tooth and claw to maintain her freedom. But will she end up destroying herself in the process?

If Berani wishes to save her family… if Eric wishes to reclaim his old life, they must stand together against the threats of encroaching wehr-tigers and bloodsucking demons… or perish.

I mentioned a giveaway, right? Here's how it goes. The giveaway will last for two weeks, ending January 24, 2011. The number of winners will be determined on the interest. For every 10 individuals who enter, I'll give away a Kindle edition copy of Shadow Cat. It's DRM free, so you'll be able to convert it to whatever format you want. I'll hold a final drawing on January 24, 2011 regardless of the number of individuals who have entered.

So how do you enter?

Leave a comment (That's the way I'll track the number of entrants, and for those who like to keep tally, you'll be able to estimate when the next drawing will occur also).
Fill out the Form (I'll be using that to draw winners).

The Rules!

You'll earn 1 point for completing the form and additional point if you tweet and leave the link.
You may tweet once per day after your initial entry for an extra 2 points. Use the same Form.
I would absolutely LOVE if you left a review (Amazon, Blog, Goodreads, etc.) after reading. Not a requirement though.
Giveaway ends Monday, January 24, 2011.
Please read the giveaway policy for the nitty gritty.

Can't wait? Shadow Cat is available on Smashwords (preview available) and Amazon.

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Okay. Now you're waiting on winners, right? Day 3 we featured Susan Bischoff, author of Hush Money. So what was up for grabs?

One winner will receive his/her choice of an eBook or paperback copy of Hush Money by Susan Bischoff. (International)

And the winner is…

Moonlight Gleam! Congratulations!

An email has been sent to Moonlight Gleam who has until Thursday, January 13, 2011 to get back to me. Don't forget to pick up your consolation prize–Control Freak: Brandon's Story at Smashwords. Use the coupon code HZ25V which is good until February 8, 2011. Enjoy!

Day 4 giveaway ends today, which includes a copies of My Lord Hades by Stephannie Beman. For a full list of the giveaways happening, check here. If you haven't entered, now's your chance.

Novella Review: Shifting Seas by Virginia Kantra

One of my biggest pet peeves with doing anthology reviews is finding a suitable blurb. Grrr! I don't know why I'm complaining now. I haven't even gotten to that part of the post. Anyway, Shifting Seas was the first time I've read anything by Virginia Kantra. In fact, I hadn't heard of her before I picked up Burning Up. Definitely one of the benefits of reading an anthology is getting the opportunity to try out authors. This was the last novella I read in Burning up. Before I get to the review, the blurb from Ms. Kantra's website:

"Shifting Sea," Morwenna of the finfolk's story in the BURNING UP anthology, August 2010. With additional stories by the very talented Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, and Meljean Brook (woo hoo!). A sexy fairy tale for grown ups set in Regency Scotland with Morgan's twin Morwenna as the heroine and a to-die-for veteran of the Peninsular War as the hero.

That's it. Doesn't tell too much. Kind of potluck. If I ever participate in part of an anthology and don't leave a good blurb at least on my website/blog, you come back and razz me, okay? Promise me! I'll should shut up now, cause my blurbs aren't so hot either. Moving on.

To the story! Shifting Seas is part of the Children of the Sea series. According to Ms. Kantra's website, it's actually a prequel. Goody me… means no worrying about trying to figure out back stories. Shifting Sea pretty much jumps into to things… no preliminaries, no wasted words. I didn't really buy the story line at first. I always expected there to be a catch to the way the heroine behaved. It turns out there wasn't a catch, just the heroine had a different mentality due to being a finfolk.

In terms of characterization, It seemed as if the hero and heroine switched gender roles, something I love. The heroine was quite logical. Not saying women aren't logical, just writers often portray women as emotional (often unstable) in romance novels. The hero on the other hand was more of the caring type. Not the protector type of caring we see in romance novels, but the hearth kind of caring. Do you have enough blankets to keep you warm for the night? Okay… he didn't say that, but you get the point.

Overall, the plot was okay. Nothing spectacular, nothing to snark about. I might say, I thought the townspeople were a bit too accepting of the happenings, but it didn't spoil the read. And I doubt a mystical creature would be so liberal with giving away her origin.

So, would I purchase a Kantra book in the future? Well, this one didn't stand out enough to make me say yes. However, I definitely would read one of her stories if it were in an anthology with another author I enjoyed. I put Shifting Seas on the same level as Angela Knight's story in terms of interest. I might even be motivated to enter a giveaway for one of those authors' works.

Since this is the final read in Burning Up, I'll give my final analysis. I started off as a Nalini Singh fan. In fact, she's the reason I purchased the book in the first place. Of the four, I hate to say it, but Singh's story was my least favorite. I haven't lost faith though. Just that this one didn't tug on me like some of the others. Truly, I hope she starts being mean to her characters again like she spoke about in her blog. I'd never read works by the other authors before, but you got my view of Knight and Kantra above. Okay… no big deal. But Meljean Brook… now she stood out! I absolutely loved her story. In fact, I ordered the Iron Duke, I liked it so much.

So do I recommend Burning Up? As an anthology it's not bad. I've yet to read an anthology which had more than one good read in it. This one had pretty much average reads then one kick ass read (Brook). So yeah. If you're looking for one of the better anthologies, I'd say go with Burning Up.

So my favorite lines:

Was all this chatter really necessary? He had not talked this much while they were having sex. Perhaps she should suggest they have sex again."
"I knew you Scots had sex with sheep. But seals?"

So tell me people, what's been your favorite anthology?

pg 197 – The main characters are gender opposites. We have a woman who's concern is with sex and little talk. We have a man who concentrates on caring for others… thinking a head like bringing things like blankets and such to those out in the cold.

pg 204 – I didn't buy her saving the human after so much time had passed. If the nets had pulled him under, he would have been dead long before his boat had come in, much less the time it took to go to the tavern and have a conversation. Plus, she revealed her secret… I don't think so.

pg 205 [FAV] – "I knew you Scots had sex with sheep. But seals?"

Blog Awards and Day 2 Winners

I know this is bad. But I received this blog award awhile back and never got around to recognizing it publicly. It's time to get on the ball. What does get on the ball mean anyway? I mean… really where does it come from? It almost sounds sexual.

First up is the Lovely Blog Award presented by Tammy Gallant.

Many thanks, Tammy. I loved it when I got it, and I love it now! haha And I'll even love it tomorrow.

The rules for this award are simple. Post the award on your blog with the name of the person who gave you the award: Tammy Gallant, a link to their blog: http://tammygallant.com/, and pass the award on to 10 of your favorite blogs:

Behold! A few of the people blogs I stalk frequent.

Susan Bischoff
Kait Nolan
Stephannie Beman
Elizabeth J. Kolodziej
Rebecca @ Beck's Book Picks
Aimee Laine
J.A. Belfield
Lindsay Buroker
Zoe Winters
Leontine

And another award from the lovey Tammy Gallant. Ask me if I feel special?

Here's how it works:

I have to list either six outrageous lies and one truth or vice versa and nominate 7 friends for the award.
Here are my lies…or truths:


I hate stories that don't have a happily ever after (HEA).
I'm a native of North Carolina.
My husband regularly scolds me for groping him in public.
I'm a social butterfly.
I have four children all born within two years of each other.
I hated college.
I've been writing since high school.


And the nominees are:

Kitty Thomas
Avril Ashton
Benjamin Jones
L.M. Stull
Sherri Meyer
Jemima Valentino
Tawania Etheridge

One more! Jemima Valentino has awarded me with a Stylish Blogger Award.

So, how does this award work?

Thank the person who gave me the award (XOXXOX Jemima! Thank you.) http://www.jemimavalentino.blogspot.com/
Share seven things about myself.
Pass the award on to bloggers I have discovered who are fantastic (so you can go check out their blogs).

Seven things about me:

I recently dubbed myself a full-time writer Fall last year.
My favorite music genre is female vocalists. (Is that a real genre?)
I love traveling.
I hate timeshares and timeshare resellers. Grrr! Stop calling me with your scams!
I'm not a genre loyalist.
Animals and children love me (they have no idea how much they get on my nerves). tee hee
My favorite dessert is ice cream.

Now for my nominations!

This is kind of like the list from the Lovely Blog Award. So to spice it up a little… how about the blogs I love to look at because they're so stylish?

Parajunkee
Book Bound
Bewitched Bookworms
Bitten by Paranormal Romance
For What It's Worth
All Things Urban Fantasy
Dark Faerie Tales
Intense Whisper
JoJo's Book Corner
Wicked Lil Pixie

Wow! That was quite a run. Thanks for making it through with me. Now that we've presented some winning blogs, how about some book winners! Day 2 giveaway featured Zoe Winters, author of Blood Lust. So what did she offer?

One winner will receive a paperback copy of Blood Lust by Zoe Winters (US only)
One winner will receive an eBook of Blood Lust by Zoe Winters (International)

Come on random.org… big money, big money! YAY!

Winner of the the paperback copy of Blood Lust is Aik Chien, and Lakisha wins the eBook copy!

Congratulations, winners! Emails have been sent. The winners have until Wednesday, January 12 to respond. Don't forget to pick up your consolation prize–Control Freak: Brandon's Story at Smashwords. Use the coupon code HZ25V which is good until February 8, 2011. Enjoy!

Day 3 giveaway ends today, which includes a copies of Hush Money by Susan Bischoff. For a full list of the giveaways happening, check here. If you haven't entered, now your chance.

Special Post: Shadow Cat Release + Day 1 Winners

[image error]So today was a big day for me and Shadow Cat. We decided to take the plunge and publish. Yah! Confetti! Not really, cause I hate the mess. If you're not familiar with Shadow Cat, the first three chapters are available in my Free Read section. Next week, I'll put out chapter 4 to round it off. If you're looking for a contemporary fantasy heavy on the romance/erotica side, give Shadow Cat a try. 20% is available for free on Smashwords.

Right now it's only available on Smashwords for a wee $0.99. Today, I'm going to work on formatting Shadow Cat for Amazon and Pubit.

In further news: Blogoversary 1 ended today. So without further ado, let's get on with the show!

If you don't remember what was up for grabs, behold:

One winner will receive a copy of H.U.B. Volume 1 and Volume 2 by Ben Jones plus their choice of a book up to $10 from the Book Depository. *This prize is international to anywhere the Book Depository ships.
Four winners will receive a copy of H.U.B. Volume 1 and Volume 2. *International.

Winner of a copy of H.U.B. (V1 & V2) plus a book choice is Marian! [CONFIRMED]

The winners of H.U.B. (V1 & V2) are J L Jackson[CONFIRMED], Rebecca, Cherry Mischieveous [CONFIRMED], and Cassandra Cc [CONFIRMED].

Yay!!! You can throw confetti at their house since I don't have to clean it up!

The winners have all been eMailed and have until Wednesday, January 12 to respond.

As a consolation prize to all those checking back, I'm offering a free copy of my short story, Control Freak: Brandon's Story. It's erotica for some of my folks with tender eyes. For your free copy, head over to Smashwords and use the coupon code HZ25V. The coupon is good until February 8, 2011, so enjoy.

Day 2 giveaway ends today, which includes a copy of Bloodlust by Zoe Winters. For a full list of the giveaways happening, check here. If you haven't entered, now your chance.

Guest Post: Aaron G. Niz on Self-Publishing

Before You Self-Publish, Learn From My Mistakes
By Aaron G. Niz

So you wanna publish an ebook?

You want to be the next Amanda Hocking, Karen McQuestion, JA Konrath, etc. etc.?

Join the club.  That's what I wanted, too.  I'm a newbie at the e-publishing game, and if you're considering taking the leap into this business, it might be nice for you to have an idea what you're getting yourself into.  It's one thing to read about Amanda Hocking putting a book on Amazon and then suddenly finding her book was selling thousands of copies, and another thing entirely to try and replicate her sales numbers.

Most authors will not have the amazing experience that Amanda has had this past nine months.  I sure haven't.

Don't get me wrong.

I'm absolutely stoked about this new technology and the fact that Amazon sold more kindles this year than any other product in their history (including Harry Potter books).

Yet for an unknown author with no platform, this is still a very tough game to enter.  This is writing and publishing we're talking about, not little league baseball.  It's a tough, unforgiving, brutal business.

So if you're really considering self-publishing, I'd like to prepare you a little by talking about how it's been for me so far.

Less than a month ago, I decided to make the jump to self-publishing my own ebooks. I did this after reading JA Konrath's blog and hearing the success stories of other writers (like Scott Neumyer who sold nearly a thousand copies of Jimmy Stone's Ghost Town in one month). It dawned on me that I had five unpublished books that I thought were pretty darn good.

Were they perfect?  No.  But all of them had been taken on by established agents at one time or another and a few had even made the rounds to the big New York publishing houses.  Most of what I heard back when I was inevitably rejected by these editors was that the market wasn't right for my books.  Maybe they were letting me down nicely.

In any case, I felt that my books had as much right to go up on Amazon as a lot of the other books being self-published.

I initially published a humorous parody of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  My version is called 7 Habits of a Highly Ineffective Person (Plus Three Other Habits that are Pretty Bad Too).  I wrote it nearly a decade ago when I was in my mid-twenties, living with my parents, working part time, and generally feeling pretty crappy about myself.  It has a kind of goofy, dark, adolescent humor to it.

After hastily putting 7 Habits on Amazon, I set up a blog called "An E-Publisher's Manifesto" to chronicle my journey, a twitter account, and then I began trying to market the book.

Within a short time my blog began picking up a lot of interest from other authors, which surprised me.  I didn't expect people to be so helpful and forthcoming, but after few days I had a group of "regulars" who commented, gave me advice, and even bought and reviewed my books.  Yes, books plural.

That's right, within days of publishing 7 Habits, I went ahead and published the rest of my "backlist."  People kept telling me that having multiple titles was really important if you wanted to see sales increase.  And besides, I was so darn excited!

And that over-anxiousness is where I made some major mistakes.  The covers of my books are very uneven in quality.  I think two of them–COMPELLED and 7 HABITS–have fairly decent covers.  The others, not so much…

My blog readers informed me that they were having trouble figuring out what genres my books fit into, and some found the covers strange or off-putting.  My wife and I made those covers on our own using simple software and stock images.  We didn't take an appropriate amount of time to work on them, and they suffered as a result.  As have my sales on those novels.

I also found formatting to be a challenge, and the copy inside the books doesn't look the way I wanted it to.  This is because Amazon and Barnes and Noble's publishing tends to change the document a bit and so you need to have a little knowledge and do some research to make sure things don't go screwy translating from a word doc or html into the e-pub formats.

These are things that I still need to fix, and in the meantime, pray that no bad reviews come in because of my negligence (so far I've had only great reviews–knock on wood).

When I'm not busy praying for good reviews or sales I'm busy doing everything in my power to get the word out about my books.

Which brings me to my next point.  This whole thing is a grind.  Since I began e-publishing and marketing my work, I've been sleeping less.  Waking up in the middle of the night with racing thoughts, compulsively checking my sales numbers and blog hits. Writing new posts, reading other bloggers and interacting with them on their sites. Checking and responding to emails.  Twittering, tweeting, all of it–hell, sometimes I just yell out my back door.

Lately my head's always in the laptop or iPhone.  And that leaves me very little time to do anything else.  Like write new material.  After all, the whole idea behind this gig was to have the freedom to write books.  But how can I write a new book when I'm spending 24 hours a day marketing the old ones?

Emotionally it takes a toll.  There's disappointment. Slow sales days, dipping blog traffic, mixed reviews (or no reviews).  Watching your book somehow climb onto an Amazon list and then slip off that same list in a matter of hours.

All of these things contribute to a feeling of anxiety.  I've had, in some ways, more success than I imagined I would.  My books have sold over 70 copies in under a month. Not anything to run and call family members about, yet something that gives me a lot of pride and happiness.  But in order for these sales to continue, I need to continue.  I need to keep working and slogging away at the business side of things while still doing creative work so that I can add to the back-list and hopefully increase my online presence.

Not to mention, I still need to attend to a little thing called my real job–that thing I get paid for.

Self-publishing is a lot to take on and you'd better be ready for all of it. This is an exciting time for authors and readers.  If you're an author, start taking notes and getting ready to jump into the fray.  If you're a reader, take a look around in the 99 cent bin on Amazon.  You might find some pretty great bargains!

Aaron Niz has written five books, including COMPELLED, which can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Aaron's blog, An E-Publishers Manifesto, chronicles his successes and failures in e-publishing and he would love to talk more with you there.  Please visit!

Blogoversary: Giveaway 7

Welcome. It looks like you made it here. Today is officially the big day. Reena's Blogoversary.

I wish I had a wave gif like they do in the movies taking folks back in the past. If you do the hand motions we can pretend anyway. So I started this blog way back when—Okay, January 6, 2010—because I wanted an online presence as an author. I had a website, but I wanted a little more. So Reena's Blog was born.

My original posts were about writing tips I'd learned from my brief bit of experience and tidbits about my work. Later, I rediscovered the joys of reading and decided to add book reviews to my list of posts. Around the same time, I learned there was more to writing software than MS Word and went on a software adventure, testing and reviewing software. What fun!

Somewhere along the line I lost my motivation for writing. I found my motivation again through Zoe Who? videos. And thus my goal to self-publish was born. It never ceases to amazing me how generous indie authors have been. They willingly offer their advice and encouragement like candy on Halloween. Looking for some? Check out the Authors Helping Authors page.

I know what you're thinking. Get on with the giveaway already! Well if you follow my blog, you know I'm prone to rambling.

So what do we have to offer today?

Keeping with the indie theme, we're offering $10 worth of eBooks from Amazon (must be by indie authors) and one book of the winner's choice from the Book Depository (up to $10 value and doesn't have to be by an indie author). A second winner will receive $10 worth of books from Amazon (must be by indie authors). If you're unfamiliar with Indie names, here's a great list of the 50 best rated indie authors. The list is a little old, so if anyone wants to add to the list PLEASE DO.

Okay, here's how it goes. Two winners, two prices.

$10 worth of indie eBooks from Amazon plus a book up to $10 from the Book Depository. (International to anywhere the Book Depository delivers)
$10 worth of indie eBooks from Amazon (International)

So how do you win? Simple. Fill out the Form.

The rules!

Become a blog follower. See Google Friends Connect to the left.
You'll earn 1 point for completing the form and additional point if you tweet and leave the link.
You may tweet once per day after your initial entry for an extra 2 points. Use the same form.
Comments are appreciated, but only entries from the form count.
Giveaway ends Thursday, January 13, 2011.
Please read the giveaway policy for the nitty gritty.

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If you haven't taken a look at the other giveaways here's a quick run down.

Day 1: Benjamin Jones, author of H.U.B. Ends Friday, January 7, 2011

Day 2: Zoe Winters, author of the Blood Lust series. Ends Saturday, January 8, 2011

Day 3: Susan Bischoff, author of Hush Money. Ends Sunday, January 9, 2011

Day 4: Stephannie Beman, author of My Lord Hades. Ends Monday, January 10, 2011

Day 5: Elizabeth Kolodziej, author of Vampyre Kisses. Ends Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Day 6: Lindsay Buroker, author of The Goblin Brothers Adventures. Ends Wednesday January 12, 2011