KevaD's Blog, page 2

July 5, 2013

A Not So Random Musing

I'm officially fed up with authors who believe they live on a golden mountain and the only purpose readers serve is to keep that mountain growing.

The majority of authors I've encountered are kind, wonderful people, just like the readers. Then there are those who think readers should swallow whatever the author decides to feed them, and the readers should fork over their money and shut up until the next book.

Readers deserve no less than the best work an author can produce. Anything less is disrespectful.
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Published on July 05, 2013 07:06

June 19, 2013

We Pulled Sea Games, Night Games, and Jungle Games from Sales Points. Sorry.

The Game Play series of erotic romance stories is no longer available to readers. HC Brown, my coauthor, and I apologize for this inconvenience. The stories are currently being considered by a new publisher and will hopefully be back in readers' hands very soon.
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Published on June 19, 2013 05:03

June 8, 2013

Random Musing


The fact the signers of the Constitution didn’t include a ‘common sense should apply’ clause proves their inability to see into the future.
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Published on June 08, 2013 07:42

May 9, 2013

KILLER GIRLFRIEND; THE JODI ARIAS STORY – An Instant Book, An Instant Success


KILLER GIRLFRIEND is an in depth day by day portrayal of the Jodi Arias trial. Written by Brian Skoloff, edited by Josh Hoffner, and published by Waterfront Digital Press the book includes lots of information about Travis Alexander and Arias before the fateful day of Travis’s brutal murder. The book is well done, concise, and definitely interesting.I have to admit to more than a degree of seat squirming that this book was released even before the jury’s verdict was read, and modified once the verdict was handed down. Judging by a couple of reviewers comments, I wasn’t alone in that discomfort.Brian Skoloff was in the courtroom for every minute of the trial. He wrote the book, and Josh edited, as the trial progressed. It was only a matter of writing the last few pages and using today’s technology in order to make the book immediately accessible to readers once the trial ended. And I think that’s my real discomfort factor – technology.Skoloff and Hoffner did an outstanding job putting this story together. Folks interested in Travis Alexander’s murder should definitely buy the book. But, back to my shoulder shudders.Technology allows us to view the world in all its instant magnificence and horror. Livestream and videos uploaded within seconds of an event can be found almost anywhere on the Internet. The world is literally just a keyboard away now. KILLER GIRLFRIEND just happens to be the first time this same technology has been used to produce a book about a crime that captured the public’s interest. It won’t be the last.KILLER GIRLFRIEND is a well written, quality book. That may or may not continue to be the primary concern as writers and publishers line up for future opportunities to be the first book published on a subject that enthralls the public. Our appetites have now been whetted. We will be expecting instant gratification from now on instead of having to wait weeks or months for the books to hit the shelves.Good or bad, the tide has changed, the page has turned. We can only hope quality doesn’t become a casualty in the race for readers’ dollars.
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Published on May 09, 2013 07:11

April 24, 2013

Ellie Heller and A Matter of Fate

I want to first congratulate my friend Ellie Heller on her latest release. Now, I'll introduce her:

Ellie and I have been friends for several years. We met in a critiquing group, and she was always encouraging me with kindness and honesty. Ellie's a nice lady. She really is, and I am so happy to see this particular book be published because I saw parts of it in the early days.
So, without further ado, here's the talented, generous, and all around nice gal, Ellie Heller.


Hi David! Thanks so much for letting me come and hang out. Nice, comfy couch you've got here. Ooh, and lots of rings from too hot mugs on the coffee table. You get a lot of great visitors here. 
My story, A Matter of Fate – which David saw a couple of different iterations of – came out April 22. It's about a full elf woman, Mona, who finds out her best friend has a death spell on her and her job guarding both elves and mortals from misused magic is a lot more complicated than she was told. Totally doesn't help that her mentor/boss is mysteriously silent on it all. To top everything off, she meets her sexy shifter mate. He's a distraction from work she will not succumb to, no matter how much he says he's fighting the attraction too.  
A question I often get is where I got the idea for the story. And I typically respond that this story is an outcropping from another novel I wrote set in the same 'world'. Then expend on how my first effort, filled with backstory, long descriptive passages of how magic worked, and detailed dialog on non relevant topics will never see the light of day.  
But then I thought, why not share the very first germination of the story? I know if I read my response, I'd be curious about the never-to-see-light-of-day novel.  
So here you go, the very first bit I ever wrote in the world that I created for A Matter of Fate. This very first draft is quite a bit different than even the later completed version – this has more of a chic-lit feel, I even titled it Elves in Suburbia (which I still love as a title!). Oh, and this character isn't Mona, it's someone else entirely. Needless to say this is rough, no copy editor's been through this bit. 
The change of tone of the radio announcers dragged me out of my slumber. I was on the Lazy boy, working on a sun renewal session in the feeble late afternoon sun. As I became more awake the gist of the catastrophe filtered through the remnants of my dreams. 
“We are receiving reports that one of the Erie Shore wind turbines has collapsed onto the Route Five freeway causing major damage.”                       
The rest did not sink in right away. My first sleepy thought was 'too far away to use to hide my leaving'. I really needed to shake the ever-annoying Agent Hynson and disappear soon. 
As I listened more, the extent of the damage and the potential lives lost became clearer. I truly felt guilty about my first reaction. Yes, I know, there is a common misperception that elves do not have feelings. All hooey. It is part of a female elf's nature to help people, it really is; I just had other, pressing things on my not quite awake mind. The dreams that had been holding me down in my slumber contributed to my urgency to leave. 
I paced and awaited more reports, even going so far as to turn on the television, which I simply deplore but accept as a necessity. The tone became more frantic as reporters hit the scene. Severe weather hampered the rescue effort. A plan formulated in my mind. I still had my Red Cross badge from helping during Katrina, I could be there in forty five minutes if I cut a few corners. I would help, which I fully planned to do anyway, my energies were thrumming in reaction, and at the same time assuage my guilt for my uncharitable first thought. Once done, I could use the event to disappear. Everyone would benefit, the best type of plan. 
An emergency bag was packed; I only needed to add seasonal accoutrements and my spare Russian army snowsuit. As soon as I was done, I made two phone calls. The first was to Randal. He and his crew would empty the place and hold everything until I told them where to forward it. I could have had him do it before I left and taken the dimensional warp bags myself, but I didn’t want to wait. Plus I’d have to unload everything at the other end without help, always a bit tricky when you couldn't tell the size of what would come out.  
The second call was to my dear old thorn in the side Hynson. I’d picked up the habit of calling him to let him know when I flitted off somewhere and thus lessen the annoyance he caused in my life. Neighbors and coworkers do not look kindly upon being pulled out of their daily lives and questioned regarding my whereabouts. Sometimes for hours. Okay only once did that happen, when I went to help during Katrina, which is outside of my region. Not that Hynson would take my word on where I’d gone. He’d still check, but at other end, and not disrupt my home life. It was an uneasy, if complacent, truce. 
On his voice mail I duly recorded I was going to the turbine collapse site and I expected to be there for the next day or two. I didn’t add when I planned to be back home, since I didn’t want to lie to him. Not that I can’t, another elfin myth which is full of hot air, it is just so much easier to omit information. 
I do admit, I found I could not keep up the tone and quickly switched to third person, so there isn't much written in that style, fun as it is for me to read now.  
As I wrote more and developed the world and magic system and how the groups interacted, well, it's just too much to keep in, and even more to edit out. Instead I stepped sideways and wrote about the same events from a different point of view.
Just for kicks, here's the same 'scene' in A Matter of Fate: 
With no way for her to get off the overpass in time, she needed the protection her car afforded. Counting seconds, as if she had a clue when the blade would hit, she hurried back to her car as fast as she dared on the slippery slope, worried she wouldn’t make it in time. As she climbed in, the road shuddered, rocking the chassis. She turned off the engine. 
The sound of nails scraping a blackboard magnified a hundredfold shrieked out as the tip ground against the concrete. Covering her ears, Mona leaned into the steering wheel. 
The barren stretch of road where the skyway leveled out imploded under the impact. The concrete tumbled, and the cars rose and fell as the skyway buckled. 
The car ahead of Mona was hit by the car in front of it as the sedan slid back. Mona sat back up and crossed her arms in front of her face a moment before her airbag exploded. 
Fuck, that hurt. 
The car swayed along with the overpass, but her section remained aloft. As the jostling slowed, the airbag deflated and she could see again. 
The blade stuck straight up in the dusk tinted sky, the road on either side gone. 
If she hadn’t sent the Jeep careening across the road, and there hadn’t already been a snarl-up, more cars would have been on the collapsed section.
So very different, and not just because of the change from first person to third, the person is there, not just hearing about it on the radio. Action, baby! 
Now, I admit I often struggle quite a bit with where to start the story. This is the only instance, though, where the struggle wasn't just where to start, but with whom to start and where in the story line I should be. I hope I've gotten it right. Only time will tell. 
A Matter of Fate was released by Crimson Romance on April 22 and is available from Amazon, ITunes, Kobo and Barnes & Noble.  

Someone is setting death-spells targeting mortals and elf blood alike. With her mentor out of commission, it’s up to half-trained Warder Mona Lisa Kubrek to stop the magic. Despite being told repeatedly her job is to nullify spells and not go after the source, too many people are at risk for her to not track the spell-caster down. Even meeting a sexy half-elf shifter won’t distract her from her goal. 
Except Cart Dupree is fully trained and has the team to search for the evildoer, so she’d be stupid to not use his expertise. Stupid is something she can’t afford to be, not with her enemy’s henchmen after her. Later she’ll deal with Cart and his questions about her special abilities and the non-standard training her mentor has given her. Right now, they need to unravel where the magician is, and who he is, before he builds enough power to decimate them all. 
First, though, they need to stay alive.
Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors
Where all I can be found:
Blog  http://www.elliewrites2.com/#!/elliewrites2
Website http://www.elliewrites2.com
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ellie-Heller-Author/279665692092672
Goodreads author page http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5762572.Ellie_Heller
Twitter @elliewrites2
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ellieheller/a-matter-of-fate/ 
Many, many thanks to David for letting me come ramble!  
 
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Published on April 24, 2013 04:07

April 5, 2013

Life

My wife left me...

                             ...to go the store...

                                                           ...which means she'll return.

Life is filled with peaks and valleys.
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Published on April 05, 2013 05:25

Life

Woke up to the furnace roaring and clattering like a diesel truck starting. I really hope the beast is just in a foul mood and settles down. Can't afford the repairs right now. *shrug* Thank heaven the weather's finally turning warm.
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Published on April 05, 2013 04:48

February 13, 2013

Jungle Games - by HC Brown and KevaD

Yay! My, our, latest novella is now available.

JUNGLE GAMES, Book Three of the Game Play series.

Insecure Karin Orth agrees to an erotic seafaring vacation with her fiancé in the hope they can reduce the growing list of problems in their troubled relationship. Unfortunately, the bevy of gorgeous, slender women onboard the Brazilian based schooner only serves to shrivel her confidence further. Her fiancé’s sudden obsession with threesomes and foursomes doesn’t float her boat either.

Smuggler, thief, and pirate Miguel Arelo is a dangerous man. Few know he upholds the ancient tribal beliefs of gods and goddesses. The moment he lays eyes on the voluptuous Karin Orth, he is convinced the gods have bequeathed him a treasure beyond imagination. Now, all he has to do is claim his prize. The fact she isn’t interested in him is a small matter a simple midnight kidnapping can resolve. Well, that and an Incan altar of decadent, sexual torment secreted deep in the Amazon rainforest. And ropes….


Visit HC Brown


Buy Links:
http://www.lsbooks.com/jungle-games-p754.php

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-junglegames-1057322-149.html

http://www.amazon.com/Jungle-Games-Game-Play-ebook/dp/B00BEJ1082/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360793294&sr=1-2&keywords=jungle+games
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Published on February 13, 2013 14:10

February 7, 2013

Looking for Something to Read? Try These Wonderful MM Books.

Semper Fae: Endangered Fae 3 by Angel Martinez

Zack thought he had a strange job before. Working as a Marine medic in a secret government installation was odd, but working as a human liaison to the fae and as the personal assistant to a sidhe prince is downright bizarre. Throw in the fact that he's pretty damn sure he's fallen in love with his boss, and things are close to unmanageable.

Of course, around the fae, a man learns never to say 'things can't possibly get any worse.' Unexplained events have begun to plague the human world. Strange sightings, spontaneous explosions of magic, and odd bends in reality crop up. When Finn falls terribly ill and a monstrous creature attacks Zack one night, things quickly slide into disaster. Lycanthropy, loose-cannon mages, and Lugh conspire to make a hellish mess out of things - but the real peril begins when Diego loses an important piece of his mind.
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-semperfaeendangeredfae3-1045438-142.html


Arresting Love by Silvia Violet

Billy Lawson is jealous. Every day he watches his boss, Cole, and his boss's lover, Jonah, prove again and again how deeply in love they are. Billy's never had a real relationship, and he didn't believe true love existed until Cole proved otherwise. Now, he longs for what Cole and Jonah have.

When he meets Levi, a scared, wounded shifter who needs his help, he ignores the chemistry that flares between them, thinking he'd be taking advantage of Levi at a vulnerable time in his life. Before Levi can convince Billy they were made for each other, his past catches up to him, and both men must fight for a chance at love.
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-arrestinglove-1036153-142.html


Miami Sizzle by Sara York

Landing a dream job—personal assistant to the hottest celebrity in the South—in a dream city—Miami Beach—should put Chuck Pinkerton on the road to the good life, but Chuck is convinced he’s cursed. When the latest catastrophe happens and his apartment burns down, he’s left homeless.

When his oven explodes out of his apartment window, landing on Chuck’s car, Chuck knows it’s no use fighting the curse any longer. He’s ready to give up until Garner Miller reaches out and snatches him out of his misery, giving Chuck something to hope for.

Garner’s all about helping others—as a fireman, he’s been pulled into some strange situations—but getting to know a hot guy who thinks he’s cursed is more of a challenge than he expects it to be. He’s ready to step up to the plate, but first he has to convince Chuck he’s not a threat to Garner’s safety.
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-miamisizzle-1010840-145.html


Candy G. by C. Zampa

What kind of man drives a bulletproof Mercedes and carries a high-powered pistol in the glove compartment along with his boyhood teddy bear? Candy G does, that’s who. Once the exclusive attorney for the most powerful drug lord in San Antonio, he turned his back on Teirso Flores and walked away. But at what price?

Moving on with his life despite the threat of Teirso’s revenge, Candy meets gorgeous, streetwise Carlos Alvarez, and thus begins a passionate love affair rife with danger, secrets, and specters from the past that just won’t let go. When truths are revealed, will the one thing that brought their worlds together be the test that strengthens their love or the knife that severs their bond forever?
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-candyg-520221-145.html


Trusting Trent by E.M. Leya

Trent and Sheldon have been best friends since elementary school. The two of them have shared almost everything through the years. Two friends couldn't be closer, or so they thought. When events force Trent to move in with Sheldon and his family, the two boys find there is a side to their friendship they have never dared explore. As life pulls them through painful twists and turns, the two find comfort together, proving sometimes even through the darkest moments, love can be standing right in front of you.
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-trustingtrent-1052618-176.html


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Published on February 07, 2013 08:17

January 22, 2013

Author Angel Martinez - One Book is Not Enough

There are authors whom readers just can't get enough of, and Angel Martinez is one.
Her latest release is SEMPER FAE, the third book in the Endangered Fae Series. Each novel is a standalone following a fae theme.

Angel writes tight plots, strong romance, and memorable characters. Sit back and enjoy.
Angel's Web Site

SEMPER FAE

Zack thought he had a strange job before. Working as a Marine medic in a secret government installation was odd, but working as a human liaison to the fae and as the personal assistant to a sidhe prince is downright bizarre. Throw in the fact that he's pretty damn sure he's fallen in love with his boss, and things are close to unmanageable.

Of course, around the fae, a man learns never to say 'things can't possibly get any worse.' Unexplained events have begun to plague the human world. Strange sightings, spontaneous explosions of magic, and odd bends in reality crop up. When Finn falls terribly ill and a monstrous creature attacks Zack one night, things quickly slide into disaster. Lycanthropy, loose-cannon mages, and Lugh conspire to make a hellish mess out of things - but the real peril begins when Diego loses an important piece of his mind. 





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Published on January 22, 2013 11:19

KevaD's Blog

KevaD
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