Leia Shaw's Blog: Leia's Writing , page 3

Wordless Wednesday (and winner announced!)

The winner of a signed print copy of Destiny Bewitched from last week’s Sunday Snippet is…

Sandy Wolters!

Sandy, I’ll be in touch.

Now for your wordless Wednesday.

 

To the Bat Cave!

Ironically, the place I’ve needed to be the last couple of weeks is in my bat cave (i.e. writing cave), but I only just got one of those this weekend. My writer cave has been the local cafe for the past several months because, though I have a laptop and technically can work anywhere, curled up on the couch under a blanket is surprisingly not productive (in case you’ve never done it, it often leads to long leisurely naps – especially when one has the luxury of staying in pajamas all day). So you can see why a bat cave was essential for my career.

So this weekend, hubby and I cleaned out a room, took a trip to Ikea, and made me a bat cave!

Since I’m a completely unorganized mess (which makes me interesting, right?), plus I have nothing better to write about, I thought I’d share my new bat cave with you.

With each picture, you will see evidence of productivity and inspiration. Well, it may not be obvious to you, but I’ll be sure to point it out.

So here is my desk. In a moment, we’ll take a look a closer look at its contents so you can see how a disorganized bat cave is formed. But first, take special notice of the color scheme. It’s hard to tell in the photo but the desk is actually quite purple. I initially picked out a very sophisticated dark serious-looking desk that I figured would inspire me to buckle down and be all serious-like. Then I grabbed some hot pink accents to give it some personality. But near the check-out, we saw the scratch and dent section and found this purple sucker for only $50. And because I’m cheap and lazy, I took that one instead and didn’t go back to change my accent colors. Therefore, I’m left with a hot pink and pale purple office. I’m thinking about painting the walls lime green and just going all out with it. What do you think?

Clue #1 that I’m a productive writer.

I have a white board! That alone tells you something, right? Even better is my super helpful To Do list. It’s both practical and inspiring! (In case you can’t see what it says… 1. Write 2. Avoid facebook 3. See #1) Speaking of inspiring, check out the pictures of my kids! Usually they’re productivity leeches, but since the money I make from writing goes to vacations, activities, and my daughter’s private school, I often need reminders of why I put myself through this torture again and again.

Clue #2

I have books! Therefore I’m a writer.

Clue #3

The computer is my tool. Coffee is my oxygen. The poster of my book cover is because I have nowhere else to put it.

Clue #4

See that hangy thing right there? That’s my name badge from RT last year. I had soooo much fun and met some truly amazing people. So I hung that right there where I can see it from my desk to remind me of anther reason I do my job. To bring my awesome fans great books.

And there you have it. My disorganized, pink and purple, super inspirational bat cave. What’s your space look like? Do you have things in your work space (whatever work that might be) that inspire you to keep going? I’d love to hear from you!

Teaser Tuesday #2 – Countdown to Destiny Forgiven!

23 days till release!!!

Another favorite teaser from Destiny Forgiven today! Remember to join my facebook Halloween Book Bash to celebrate the release with prizes, games, Q&A, and more!

First the blurb for the book then the teaser for the day.

When shifter rebel, Felicity, is thrown into the sorcerer’s prison, she meets the legendary torturerer known as Inkman. The menacing guard with the gruesome tattoos is almost unrecognizable, but she could never forget her childhood sweetheart, Maddox Blackwell.

But he has no memory of her. Brainwashed and broken, his human emotions have been destroyed, leaving him bereft, without an identity. Now only darkness remains. As she fights to make him remember their past, forgotten feelings reignite. Love was once a breath away. Can she save him before he must take that final step and execute her?

Sage looked at James. They seemed to exchange some silent thought then she answered, “Okay. Let’s do it.” A moment later she snapped, “But if you get me killed, I’m going to be pissed.”

Maddox smiled and patted Felicity’s hand still on his arm. It was a simple plan and a smaller team than he’d like but he believed in them.

“She done anything impressive?” Sage asked, nodding to Felicity.

He chuckled and turned to the face the woman he admired and loved. Gazing down at her, the weight of what she’d been through really sunk in. “Yes,” he answered. “She survived Marwolaeth Du.”

Sunday Snippet and Giveaway!

If you haven’t heard yet…pay attention now! The 5th book from the Shadows of Destiny series release on HALLOWEEN!!!!

That day, I’m having a GIANT Halloween Book Bash here (on facebook) so make sure you join now so you don’t forget! And if you’re an author that would like to join the event by hosting for a period of time or donating a prize, email me at leia (at) leiashaw (dot com).

Two days a week until the release, I’m posting a teaser or small snippet from the book. Once in a while I’ll even throw in a giveaway! LIKE TODAY!!! Whoo-hoo!!!

All you have to do is subscribe to my blog and leave a comment about what kind of supernatural you’d like to be if you lived in my world (witch, vampire, werewolf, sorcerer, shifter, fae, dragon, etc). The winner will receive a signed PRINT copy of Destiny Bewitched, book 4 of the Shadows of Destiny series! I’ll choose a winner on Tuesday and announce it with my Tuesday Teaser post.

So here’s your snippet today. Just a little teaser to show my character’s dynamics. Poor sweet Maddox from the very first book has been tortured and brainwashed and barely remembers who he was. It’s up to Felicity, his childhood sweetheart, to bring the real Maddox back.

***

She grinned. “You can make a neon ball in your hands. Big deal. I can turn into a bird and fly away.”

“Never far enough for me not to find you.” The words sounded familiar – like he’d said them before, many times.

REMEMBER to leave your email address with your comment when you enter to WIN!

 

Teaser Tuesday, Countdown to Destiny Forgiven #1

As the countdown to the release of Destiny Forgiven begins, I have the first of a weekly series called Teaser Tuesday. If you don’t know anything about the book, it’s the fifth in my paranormal romance series and it’s releasing HALLOWEEN!!!

As we get closer, I’ll start posting information about my giant Halloween Book Bash I’m having to celebrate, plus all the ways to win tons of prizes!

Destiny Forgiven features Maddox, a sorcerer who’s been tortured and brainwashed to believe his childhood sweetheart, Felicity, is now his worst enemy. As Felicity tries to survive the harsh sentence in the sorcerer prison, her only chance for survival is making Maddox remember who she is.

 

He swallowed hard and stepped back. “Get undressed.”

Her eyes widened. “What? I… No.”

She was modest? After she claimed to have been in love with him now she refuses to get naked in front of him? Fuck that.

“You’re going in that tub whether you strip yourself or I do it for you.”

She frowned then looked down at her raggedy clothes. “What’s the point of getting clean when I just have to put these dirty clothes back on?”

“The water’s warm.” He dipped his hand in to check. “It’ll help you heal.”

After a moment of contemplation she finally shrugged then mumbled, “It’s not like I haven’t been naked in front of you before.”

He took a deep breath and held it as she lifted her shirt over her head. Fuck. The bruises caught his attention first. And that her ribs showed too much to be healthy. Ugly black and purple marks made a pattern across her torso to just under her breasts. The urge to hit, to kill tore through him again. He stamped it down with thought of his mission – why he couldn’t fail. His people were counting on him. What he stood for what right. What she and the rebels did was –

When she unsnapped her bra and slid the straps off of her shoulders, his mind blanked. Creamy white skin surrounded her puckered nipples. He longed to suck one into his mouth. When she crossed her arms over her chest, he realized he was staring and shook himself out of the daze.

“Uh,” he explained brilliantly then cleared his throat. “The pants too.”

Despite the blush that spread across her cheeks, she boldly stood and shimmied her jeans down her hips. He grimaced at the crackling sound they made from being stiff with dried dirt and sweat. Before he could catch a glimpse at much more than her sexy ass, she jumped in the tub and sunk down in the water.

He heaved in a breath and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

“Thank you,” she said, peering at him from just above the tub wall. “I can take it from here.”

The hell if he was leaving the room now. His cock was pulsing just thinking about her naked just a few dozen feet away. He wished he could strip and climb in there with her. The Jacuzzi tub was big enough – why shouldn’t he?

No. He almost let out an agonized groan. Naked in a tub with the enemy was a stupid idea. And by the way his pants were tenting, he’d fuck her up against the tub wall in a matter of minutes. She was too hurt for that and she deserved better.

 

If you like it and want to read more, make sure you subscribe to my blog so you can read more snippets!

Wordless Wednesday – a Harmless Nibble

I’m starting a weekly post called Wordless Wednesday. Yes, I realize I’m posting words right now but just bear with me a moment. I never said I was good at following rules, even my own. Anyway, each Wednesday (barring I’m on a tight deadline, have a family emergency, or if I forget), I’ll post a picture that represents where I am in my project(s), or just something pretty or hot. It won’t usually include words or an explanation, but since it’s my blog, I can do whatever I want. But feel free to post your own thoughts about it in the comments below.

Here’s my photo for today.

 

The Dom with the Clever Tongue is Released!

That’s right. We’ve released our baby into the wild. After toiling hard, reining it in, making it perfect, we’ve finally published book 4 in the Badass Brats series.

I know this blog particularly is for my PNR series but Leia Shaw is a writer of both genres so I’m sharing the good news in my spooky writing lair too.

In case you haven’t seen it posted a billion times, here’s the blurb and a fun excerpt. And of course, the buy links. Pay special attention to the buy links

Also, cool news… The Brats Bundle (book 1&2) is on SALE this week for only 99 cents. So two books in one for only a dollar. Pretty awesome deal, right? It’s available on amazon, B&N, and ARe.

Blurb:

Reece and Scarlet have everything a loving couple could want, except a hot kinky sex life. Malachi, an experienced Dom, steps in to help them sort that out. But not only is he a terrible memory from Reece’s past, he’s a smartass and damaged goods, too.

As they all learn to trust each other, Malachi becomes more than just their kink coach. It’s a full-on brat smackdown, and no heart gets out unscathed.

Warning: this book contains unrepentant brats, surprise orgasms, a Domme with training wheels, and a Dom whose tongue is registered as a weapon of mass seduction.

BDSM elements, M/F/f, F/f

Excerpt:

Scarlet kept her eyes on Reece. “You sure you want to play this game with him?”

Malachi turned his head just in time to see the towel flick out. It snapped, hitting his ass like a whip.

Zero to Dom in point three seconds. Malachi wiped his wet hands on his jeans and walked slowly toward Reece, no longer a sweet, attractive man. In his place was a dangerous, predatory, sex-god. Scarlet’s girlfriend backed away, laughing nervously and twirling the towel again.

“You hit me again, kitten,” he growled, “and you’ll be a very sorry little girl.”

She looked scared but she snapped her arm out again and the dish towel cracked against his thigh.

“Game over.” He lunged at her and she bolted from the room then ran down the hall into the bedroom.

Scarlet couldn’t believe the girl’s nerve. When she caught up with them in the bedroom, Malachi was working on crowding her into a corner, but she kept slipping past him.

“The longer you run the worse this is going to be for you, brat. Stop now and beg for mercy, or you won’t like the consequences.”

Reece was laughing, though she looked both frightened and turned on.

“You talk big for a guy that can’t even catch me.”

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

ARe

Who Loves Free Books?

Hey , guess what?

I have a free book.

Not only that, but I have a whole list of other awesome free books. And only you, and everyone else reading this and the dozen facebook posts, know about it. So head on down to this website and check it out. It’s this weekend only so go now. Like, now. Right now!

And make sure you pick up the first in my PNR series, Destiny Divided too while it’s free.

After fleeing her native city — and nightmares of a traumatic childhood — Sage Peterson meets the overbearing, pretentious, yet haunted Professor Elias. He’s the only one who knows about her mysterious powers, which seem to be spiraling out of control. When he convinces her to train with him, she finds herself thrust into a five hundred year war and on the run from vampires, werewolves, and even worse — her budding feelings for James Elias.

Murphy’s Law

Right when I restart my blog, I get hit with a family crisis. Isn’t that always the way?

But I’m not deserting you this time. My goal was to blog at least once week, which I plan to continue to do, but this week you get this lame post.

Sorry. Maybe in a few days I’ll have something awe-inspiring and mind-blowing. For now, I gotta deal with my shit so you get this shit.

In the meantime, be entertained by this funny meme.

You Know You’re a Book Addict When…

You know you’re a book addict when…

Your kids have ripped jeans and their shoes are too small but you have plenty of books on your e-reader.

It’s not unusual to find drool on your kindle in the morning.

If you totaled the amount you’ve spent on books in the last year, it’d be equal to or more than your mortgage payment.

Clicking the “buy now” button gives you a rush like a druggie getting their next fix.

Your e-reader gets more action than your partner.

Your kid’s first word was “kindle.”

You have a panic attack when your TBR pile gets low (by low I mean less than 20 books).

You catch yourself saying, “Oh that same thing happened to my friend Julie,” then freeze when you remember Julie is a fictional character in a book.

Your kids know if they touch mommy’s Nook her forehead gets all veiny.

You ask for gift cards (to Amazon, B&N, etc) for every holiday including your kid’s birthdays.

The countdown to a new release is more exciting than the countdown to the New Year.

You start reading a book then look up and realize it’s been hours and you’ve forgotten to cook dinner for your family. Oh and you’re still wearing your pajamas and haven’t peed all day.

Your e-reader is like your Mastercard – it’s everywhere you want to be.

You justify a new book purchase with excuses like “It’s on sale!” “I had a bad day!” and “It’s Tuesday.”

You can stop anytime. No really, you can.