Maddy Barone's Blog, page 53
March 17, 2012
After the Crash #3.5: Sherry’s Wolf
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/142774
I wrote this story as a thank you to my readers. When I was a brand new author (and I’m still pretty new!) I had no idea what to expect in the way of sales. Well, I’m no Nora Roberts, but for a brand new, unknown author, I’m pretty pleased with my sales. I’m sure not about to quit my day job. Sales aren’t that good. But I can afford a few extras now and then. I’d like to think people are buying my books because I’m a great writer, but I don’t think that’s it. I’m a good writer, but that doesn’t sell books. I think it’s because some people have enjoyed my stories enough to talk about it. Word of mouth is the best advertising there is. So Sherry’s Wolf is a gift to those readers who enjoy my work and tell their friends. Thank you! I hope you will enjoy Sherry’s Wolf.
After the Crash #3.5: Sherry's Wolf
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/142774
I wrote this story as a thank you to my readers. When I was a brand new author (and I'm still pretty new!) I had no idea what to expect in the way of sales. Well, I'm no Nora Roberts, but for a brand new, unknown author, I'm pretty pleased with my sales. I'm sure not about to quit my day job. Sales aren't that good. But I can afford a few extras now and then. I'd like to think people are buying my books because I'm a great writer, but I don't think that's it. I'm a good writer, but that doesn't sell books. I think it's because some people have enjoyed my stories enough to talk about it. Word of mouth is the best advertising there is. So Sherry's Wolf is a gift to those readers who enjoy my work and tell their friends. Thank you! I hope you will enjoy Sherry's Wolf.
March 14, 2012
13 Paragraphs from Sherry’s Wolf
On or around March 25, I’ll be posting the .pdf version of my free read Sherry’s Wolf here on my blog. It will go up on Smashwords at that same time, and from there it will go to other online bookstores. It will be a free read, but Amazon requires a price of at least $0.99 to post a book there. They will price match the lowest price, but that might take a while so I won’t upload to Amazon until later in April. The smart thing would be to get it from Smashwords or here on my blog. I hate the idea of people paying even $0.99 for something that should be free, especially something that I want to be a thank you to my readers.
Here are 13 paragraphs from Sherry’s Wolf. Enjoy!
Stag settled into one of the hard wooden chairs beneath the window. Taye joined him, still holding his book. “My mate,” Stag answered gloomily. “She wants me to wait until summer to kiss her again.”
Taye’s brows rose. “You kissed her?”
“Last night.” Heat poured through his body when he remembered the feel of her tongue playing with his. “I went too far and now she’s running scared.”
Taye ran a thumb over the spine of his battered paperback. “Did she like your kiss?” he asked carefully.
“Yeah.”
Stag was sure of that. She held onto his wrist in a grip so strong she’d used it to lift her mouth closer to him. And she hadn’t stopped him sooner, even though she said she should have. Most telling of all had been her scent. It had been heavy with desire. Yeah, she liked kissing him. It was only the memory of a dead husband that made her stop.
“She liked it. I think she liked it too much. She told me to go back to the Clan until Christmas. She’s scared, Taye. She said I scared her.”
Taye was kind enough to not remark on the shame that flooded Stag. The sharp scent of it was strong in the air. He held up his book. “Same thing happened to Dante when he was courting Lady Amber.”
“Who?”
Taye waved the book. “Dante the pirate fell in love with the Governor’s daughter but he couldn’t have her, see, because she was a lady and he was scum. So he kidnapped her and took her on his ship and set sail. He teased her with kisses every day until she fell so deeply in love that she agreed to marry him. And they lived happily ever after.”
Stag eyed the faded cover of the book. The title scrolled over the top of the page in fancy letters: The Black Dragon’s Woman. A kneeling woman, whose strange dress was falling off her shoulders, clung to the leg of a bare-chested man. The woman had her head tilted back, staring up at the man in doe-eyed adoration. The man had one fist clenched on the rail of a ship, staring out to sea like he didn’t even notice he had a woman kneeling in front of him. They were apparently caught in a strong wind, since their hair and clothes streamed behind them.
“No offense, Taye, but that picture is disgusting. I don’t ever want to see Sherry kneeling in front of me.”
Taye’s smile was dreamy. “There’s things a woman can do on her knees in front of a man …” He cleared his throat. “The thing is, Dante took his woman away from everyone else. In his cabin they were alone and no one interrupted them. They didn’t have any distractions while they fell in love.”
“Taye, that’s just a book. It’s not real. And, um, what does a woman do on her knees …? No, don’t answer that!”
13 Paragraphs from Sherry's Wolf
On or around March 25, I'll be posting the .pdf version of my free read Sherry's Wolf here on my blog. It will go up on Smashwords at that same time, and from there it will go to other online bookstores. It will be a free read, but Amazon requires a price of at least $0.99 to post a book there. They will price match the lowest price, but that might take a while so I won't upload to Amazon until later in April. The smart thing would be to get it from Smashwords or here on my blog. I hate the idea of people paying even $0.99 for something that should be free, especially something that I want to be a thank you to my readers.
Here are 13 paragraphs from Sherry's Wolf. Enjoy!
Stag settled into one of the hard wooden chairs beneath the window. Taye joined him, still holding his book. "My mate," Stag answered gloomily. "She wants me to wait until summer to kiss her again."
Taye's brows rose. "You kissed her?"
"Last night." Heat poured through his body when he remembered the feel of her tongue playing with his. "I went too far and now she's running scared."
Taye ran a thumb over the spine of his battered paperback. "Did she like your kiss?" he asked carefully.
"Yeah."
Stag was sure of that. She held onto his wrist in a grip so strong she'd used it to lift her mouth closer to him. And she hadn't stopped him sooner, even though she said she should have. Most telling of all had been her scent. It had been heavy with desire. Yeah, she liked kissing him. It was only the memory of a dead husband that made her stop.
"She liked it. I think she liked it too much. She told me to go back to the Clan until Christmas. She's scared, Taye. She said I scared her."
Taye was kind enough to not remark on the shame that flooded Stag. The sharp scent of it was strong in the air. He held up his book. "Same thing happened to Dante when he was courting Lady Amber."
"Who?"
Taye waved the book. "Dante the pirate fell in love with the Governor's daughter but he couldn't have her, see, because she was a lady and he was scum. So he kidnapped her and took her on his ship and set sail. He teased her with kisses every day until she fell so deeply in love that she agreed to marry him. And they lived happily ever after."
Stag eyed the faded cover of the book. The title scrolled over the top of the page in fancy letters: The Black Dragon's Woman. A kneeling woman, whose strange dress was falling off her shoulders, clung to the leg of a bare-chested man. The woman had her head tilted back, staring up at the man in doe-eyed adoration. The man had one fist clenched on the rail of a ship, staring out to sea like he didn't even notice he had a woman kneeling in front of him. They were apparently caught in a strong wind, since their hair and clothes streamed behind them.
"No offense, Taye, but that picture is disgusting. I don't ever want to see Sherry kneeling in front of me."
Taye's smile was dreamy. "There's things a woman can do on her knees in front of a man …" He cleared his throat. "The thing is, Dante took his woman away from everyone else. In his cabin they were alone and no one interrupted them. They didn't have any distractions while they fell in love."
"Taye, that's just a book. It's not real. And, um, what does a woman do on her knees …? No, don't answer that!"
March 7, 2012
13 Pix Just For Fun
Here are 13 random pix of me, friends, and stuff I've made.
A bit of schtick at church
The Honorable Lord Thorbjorn (Thunderbunny)
A reminder that one of my books was a Top Pick!Me, being made a baroness
Me, being made a baroness
Lady ArbonA bit of schtick at church
Goofing off
Merry Miaow
Owl Cup Cozy
Jayne hat
Masuka
My Steampunk Outfit
March 1, 2012
Giving Away 5 Copies of Sherry’s Wolf!
The rough draft and first set of revisions of Sherry’s Wolf are done! I have sent the manuscript out to several beta readers and have already heard back from two of them. I have a few minor changes to make, but over all, They Liked It! To celebrate, I will be giving away 5 pdf ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies). This contest will only be open to members of my newsletter. Sign up for the Newsletter is HERE. This weekend I will send out a newsletter with an entry form attached, so sign up quick for your chance to win. I will be drawing 5 names on Friday March 9, and will send the ARCs out that same night.
My goal is to have this story ready to go live on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc, the first week of April. It may take longer for it to show up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, since they load things up according to their own schedule, but it will get out eventually. Sherry’s Wolf will be a free read. It is just over 31,000 words long, so it qualifies as a novella. For comparison, Sleeping With the Wolf is 42,500 words long and Wolf Tracker is 73,000 words long. Although other characters from the books appear briefly, this is really about Stag and Sherry.
Poor Stag has waited so long for his mate to accept him that I’m afraid has lost his patience altogether. And Sherry has been drawn to Stag from the beginning, but she has good reason to be reluctant to accept him. How do these two ever manage to come together? Win an ARC and find out!
Giving Away 5 Copies of Sherry's Wolf!
The rough draft and first set of revisions of Sherry's Wolf are done! I have sent the manuscript out to several beta readers and have already heard back from two of them. I have a few minor changes to make, but over all, They Liked It! To celebrate, I will be giving away 5 pdf ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies). This contest will only be open to members of my newsletter. Sign up for the Newsletter is HERE. This weekend I will send out a newsletter with an entry form attached, so sign up quick for your chance to win. I will be drawing 5 names on Friday March 9, and will send the ARCs out that same night.
My goal is to have this story ready to go live on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc, the first week of April. It may take longer for it to show up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, since they load things up according to their own schedule, but it will get out eventually. Sherry's Wolf will be a free read. It is just over 31,000 words long, so it qualifies as a novella. For comparison, Sleeping With the Wolf is 42,500 words long and Wolf Tracker is 73,000 words long. Although other characters from the books appear briefly, this is really about Stag and Sherry.
Poor Stag has waited so long for his mate to accept him that I'm afraid has lost his patience altogether. And Sherry has been drawn to Stag from the beginning, but she has good reason to be reluctant to accept him. How do these two ever manage to come together? Win an ARC and find out!
February 24, 2012
Rough Draft of Sherry’s Wolf Finished!
To celebrate the completion of the first draft, here is anothe snippet for Sherry’s Wolf. (Unedited, of course!)
Stag found Taye in the rec room by the window, sitting in one of the chairs that were grouped around a small table, frowning down at a book in his hand. The Alpha scented him before he came close and got up with a smile.
“Hey, Taye.”
Taye gave him a one armed hug. “What brings you here?”
Stag settled into one of the hard wooden chairs beneath the window. Taye joined him, still holding his book. “My mate,” Stag answered gloomily. “She wants me to wait until summer to kiss her again.”
Taye’s brows rose. “You kissed her?”
“Last night.” Heat poured through his body when Stag remembered the feel of her tongue playing with his. “I went too far and now she’s running scared.”
Taye ran a thumb over the spine of his battered paperback. “Did she like your kiss?” he asked carefully.
“Yeah.”
Stag was sure of that. She held onto his wrist in a grip so strong she’d used it to lift her mouth closer to him. And she hadn’t stopped him sooner even though she said she should have. Most telling of all had been her scent. Yeah, she liked kissing him. It was only the memory of a dead husband who had hurt her that made her stop.
“She liked it. I think she liked it too much. She told me to go back to the Clan until Christmas. She’s scared, Taye. She said I scared her.” Stag knew that Taye could smell his anguish at that. Even if he wanted to hide it he couldn’t.
Taye held up his book. “Same thing happened to Dante when he was courting Lady Amber.”
“Who?”
Taye waved the book. “Dante the pirate fell in love with the Governor’s daughter but he couldn’t have her, see, because she was a lady and he was pirate scum. So he kidnapped her and took her on his ship and sailed away. He teased her with kisses every day until she fell so deeply in love that she agreed to marry him. And they lived happily ever after.”
Stag eyed the faded cover of the book. The title scrolled over the top of the page in fancy letters: The Black Dragon’s Woman. A kneeling woman whose strange dress was falling off her shoulders clung to the leg of a bare-chested man. The woman had her head tilted back, staring up at the man in doe-eyed adoration. The man had one fist clenched on the rail of a ship, staring out to sea like he didn’t even notice he had a woman kneeling in front of him. They were apparently caught in a strong wind, since their hair and clothes streamed behind them.
“No offense, Taye, but that picture is disgusting. I don’t ever want to see Sherry kneeling in front of me.”
Taye’s smile was dreamy. “There’s things a woman can do on her knees in front of a man …” He cleared his throat. “The thing is, Dante took his woman away from everyone else. In his cabin they were alone and no one interrupted them. They didn’t have any distractions.”
“Taye,” Stag said carefully. “That’s just a book. It’s not real. And, um, what does a woman do on her knees …? No, don’t answer that!””
Taye’s smile turned wolfish. “You sure you don’t wanna know?”
Actually, Stag thought he had a pretty good idea. On her knees, Sherry’s face would be close to his cock. The thought of her mouth on him as his mouth had been on her breast last night had him shifting in his chair. His breechcloth didn’t hide anything, so Taye had to know why he barked, “Not now!”
Taye had the decency to tone his grin down. “Okay. Back to The Black Dragon’s Woman. Women have been reading these stories for years. They like it. I know it’s not real, but if you treat Sherry right she’ll be like Amber. She’ll fall in love with you.”
“I’m not a pirate! I can’t kidnap her and take her out to sea.”
“No, but you could take her out to the cabin over east of Sheep Head Hill, the one Laura and his Beagle hide out in. Keep her there for a week while you court her. If you have her alone, she’ll have to pay attention to you.”
Alone with Sherry … “No, it would be too dangerous. What if someone came on us? A beautiful woman with only one man to protect her? We’d be attacked and Sherry would be stolen.”
“I’ll send a couple of the boys to run patrol around the cabin,” Taye offered.
That would work. The thought of having Sherry all to himself was tempting. Would a week be enough time to make her forget her husband? He could prove to her that he wouldn’t hurt her. Maybe she would fall in love with him. What could it hurt? Right now she wanted him to leave her. He couldn’t stand that.
Taye could see his inner debate. He held out the book. “Here. Read this. Then come back and tell me if you want us to guard you and Sherry at the cabin.”
Stag took the battered paperback doubtfully. “What am I supposed to find out when I read this?”
“What women like in bed.”
Well, that was probably worth a couple hours of his time. Sherry was no virgin, not with her marriage to LeRoi, but he was. He’d had nothing but years of hot dreams of what he’d do with his mate if he ever found her. He sighed and nodded to Taye. “I’ll be out in the sweat lodge.”
It was nearly supper time when he returned to the rec room. The room was crowded. Rose and the Grandmother were by the window, winding yarn into balls. The skinny blonde, Mrs. Madison was there, in a chair by the fireplace, with her husband Eddie standing at her side. His cousin Dan and his new wife were beside them, Dan carving and Tami braiding a rug. About a dozen members of the Pack were there, too, lolling on furs on the floor, and Taye was sitting on the floor beside his mate, his head tipped back so the Lupa could finger comb his hair. Everyone looked up as Stag burst in. He ignored them to wave the book angrily in Taye’s face.
“He strips her naked and ties her to the bed?” he roared.
Rough Draft of Sherry's Wolf Finished!
To celebrate the completion of the first draft, here is anothe snippet for Sherry's Wolf. (Unedited, of course!)
Stag found Taye in the rec room by the window, sitting in one of the chairs that were grouped around a small table, frowning down at a book in his hand. The Alpha scented him before he came close and got up with a smile.
"Hey, Taye."
Taye gave him a one armed hug. "What brings you here?"
Stag settled into one of the hard wooden chairs beneath the window. Taye joined him, still holding his book. "My mate," Stag answered gloomily. "She wants me to wait until summer to kiss her again."
Taye's brows rose. "You kissed her?"
"Last night." Heat poured through his body when Stag remembered the feel of her tongue playing with his. "I went too far and now she's running scared."
Taye ran a thumb over the spine of his battered paperback. "Did she like your kiss?" he asked carefully.
"Yeah."
Stag was sure of that. She held onto his wrist in a grip so strong she'd used it to lift her mouth closer to him. And she hadn't stopped him sooner even though she said she should have. Most telling of all had been her scent. Yeah, she liked kissing him. It was only the memory of a dead husband who had hurt her that made her stop.
"She liked it. I think she liked it too much. She told me to go back to the Clan until Christmas. She's scared, Taye. She said I scared her." Stag knew that Taye could smell his anguish at that. Even if he wanted to hide it he couldn't.
Taye held up his book. "Same thing happened to Dante when he was courting Lady Amber."
"Who?"
Taye waved the book. "Dante the pirate fell in love with the Governor's daughter but he couldn't have her, see, because she was a lady and he was pirate scum. So he kidnapped her and took her on his ship and sailed away. He teased her with kisses every day until she fell so deeply in love that she agreed to marry him. And they lived happily ever after."
Stag eyed the faded cover of the book. The title scrolled over the top of the page in fancy letters: The Black Dragon's Woman. A kneeling woman whose strange dress was falling off her shoulders clung to the leg of a bare-chested man. The woman had her head tilted back, staring up at the man in doe-eyed adoration. The man had one fist clenched on the rail of a ship, staring out to sea like he didn't even notice he had a woman kneeling in front of him. They were apparently caught in a strong wind, since their hair and clothes streamed behind them.
"No offense, Taye, but that picture is disgusting. I don't ever want to see Sherry kneeling in front of me."
Taye's smile was dreamy. "There's things a woman can do on her knees in front of a man …" He cleared his throat. "The thing is, Dante took his woman away from everyone else. In his cabin they were alone and no one interrupted them. They didn't have any distractions."
"Taye," Stag said carefully. "That's just a book. It's not real. And, um, what does a woman do on her knees …? No, don't answer that!""
Taye's smile turned wolfish. "You sure you don't wanna know?"
Actually, Stag thought he had a pretty good idea. On her knees, Sherry's face would be close to his cock. The thought of her mouth on him as his mouth had been on her breast last night had him shifting in his chair. His breechcloth didn't hide anything, so Taye had to know why he barked, "Not now!"
Taye had the decency to tone his grin down. "Okay. Back to The Black Dragon's Woman. Women have been reading these stories for years. They like it. I know it's not real, but if you treat Sherry right she'll be like Amber. She'll fall in love with you."
"I'm not a pirate! I can't kidnap her and take her out to sea."
"No, but you could take her out to the cabin over east of Sheep Head Hill, the one Laura and his Beagle hide out in. Keep her there for a week while you court her. If you have her alone, she'll have to pay attention to you."
Alone with Sherry … "No, it would be too dangerous. What if someone came on us? A beautiful woman with only one man to protect her? We'd be attacked and Sherry would be stolen."
"I'll send a couple of the boys to run patrol around the cabin," Taye offered.
That would work. The thought of having Sherry all to himself was tempting. Would a week be enough time to make her forget her husband? He could prove to her that he wouldn't hurt her. Maybe she would fall in love with him. What could it hurt? Right now she wanted him to leave her. He couldn't stand that.
Taye could see his inner debate. He held out the book. "Here. Read this. Then come back and tell me if you want us to guard you and Sherry at the cabin."
Stag took the battered paperback doubtfully. "What am I supposed to find out when I read this?"
"What women like in bed."
Well, that was probably worth a couple hours of his time. Sherry was no virgin, not with her marriage to LeRoi, but he was. He'd had nothing but years of hot dreams of what he'd do with his mate if he ever found her. He sighed and nodded to Taye. "I'll be out in the sweat lodge."
It was nearly supper time when he returned to the rec room. The room was crowded. Rose and the Grandmother were by the window, winding yarn into balls. The skinny blonde, Mrs. Madison was there, in a chair by the fireplace, with her husband Eddie standing at her side. His cousin Dan and his new wife were beside them, Dan carving and Tami braiding a rug. About a dozen members of the Pack were there, too, lolling on furs on the floor, and Taye was sitting on the floor beside his mate, his head tipped back so the Lupa could finger comb his hair. Everyone looked up as Stag burst in. He ignored them to wave the book angrily in Taye's face.
"He strips her naked and ties her to the bed?" he roared.
February 18, 2012
Sherry’s Wolf Update and Excerpt
I’ve been hard at work on Sherry’s Wolf, and the end is in sight at last. I won’t actually have it done this weekend as hoped, so now my deadline is February 25. In my defense, I have to say that Sherry is a much more complicated woman than I had first believed. I will have to do some fairly major re-writing of chapters 2-5. It will probably be about 28,000 words, a solid novella length and I hope to have it out around March 25. Depends on how long my beta readers and editor take with it and how easy it is to format it for Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Here is a short excerpt of Sherry finally accepting Stag’s mate bond. Sherry is sitting up in bed, and Stag is perched on the edge of the bed. This is totally unedited, so please excuse the errors.
Sherry shifted on the bed, a mere inch from Stag’s naked thigh. “I guess what I’m trying to say is: I’m sorry I’ve been so … so dither-y.”
“Dither-y?” Stag blinked with adorable confusion.
“Yeah, first I’m coming on to you, then I’m pushing you away.” She reached up to put the empty glass on the top of chest of drawers. “I’m done with that. I won’t lie; I’m a little nervous about this, so be gentle, okay?”
His mystified expression froze when she put her hands on his warm bare shoulders and dragged them down his pecs and lower. She hesitated at his belly button, all too aware that his nakedness didn’t hide his body’s reaction to her touch. But she didn’t stroke any lower. She didn’t dare. Her boldness trembled on the verge of collapsing as it was.
“Stag?” she asked nervously. “Is this okay? Do you mind if I touch you?”
She watched his adam’s apple bob when he swallowed hard. “Are you accepting me as your mate?”
Now she was the one to swallow hard. “Yes.” The word cracked, so she swallowed again and spoke more firmly. “Yes. Be patient with me. I didn’t do a very good job being a wife the first time around, but I’ll try harder with you.”
“You were a good wife, better than that man deserved.” Stag reached a long brown hand to cup her cheek. “I’ll be the best mate I can be. I’ll protect you and provide for you always. I’m not in love with you. That’s for giddy children who base their commitment on feelings. I love you, which is more permanent because it’s a choice I’ve made. I think you’re beautiful, and a lot braver than you give yourself credit for. I’ve seen how good you are with the other women at the Plane Womens’ House. You work hard to help them. You deserve to have someone to take care of you. You will always come first with me.”
“And you’ll let me have a little freedom, right?”
“Right,” he agreed. “I’m not the only one of us who will need to be patient. I promise to try to not be a male chauvinist pig, but habits are hard to break.”
She suppressed a spurt of surprise that he even knew what a male chauvinist pig was. Of course, he –and all the other wolves– defined ‘male chauvinist pig’. “Kiss me, Stag,” she whispered.
His hands settled on her shoulders. “I thought you’d never ask,” he said fervently. ”I promised Taye I wouldn’t touch you until you invited me to.”
That made her snort out a chuckle. She’d never imagined Taye Wolfe as a chaperone before. It made her like him a little better. “Consider yourself invited, dear.”
Stag kissed her lips once gently. And again. Sherry wanted more. She opened her lips under his and licked at his closed mouth.
“Open your mouth, Stag,” she whispered against his lips.
“Okay. I just don’t want to go too far and scare you again.”
“You can go as far as you like now. You can go all the way. You better go all the way. I like you being gentle, but you don’t have to be so gentle.”
