Elizabeth Hunter's Blog, page 39
August 14, 2012
A quick Carwyn teaser…
It’s been ages since I’ve posted any teasers from Building from Ashes, so I thought I’d give you a peek at a scene between Carwyn and Ioan:
“What’s going on with you and Brigid?”
Ioan’s question caught him by surprise as they walked through the woods, scenting for deer. Carwyn blinked and almost stumbled over a log.
“What are you talking about?”
Ioan narrowed his eyes and smiled, just a little. “You kept looking at her during dinner. Then afterward, as well.”
“I wasn’t. Really. Not really. I mean, she’s looking well. I’ve worried. Of course. I know how concerned you and Deirdre were over the girl, and she’s…” He paused and cleared his throat. “She’s looking well, isn’t she? It’s nice to see, that’s all.”
Ioan nodded, but Carwyn caught the subtle smirk on his son’s face and had to fight back the urge to hit him.
“She is. Security work is a good fit for her. Dublin is having increasing drug problems, and she’s quite passionate about it, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“What kind?”
“Heroin, for the most part. Rumors of others, of course. It’s bad, and it’s becoming more pervasive. Ireland has four times the usage as the rest of Europe now. Murphy’s been pleased to have a human on staff who’s more in touch with the current environment, and Brigid seems very happy with Murphy.”
“With Murphy?” The thought brought him up short, and his heart gave another quick beat. He felt his fangs in his mouth. They were partly descended; he must have smelled deer. He kept walking behind Ioan.
“Working with him, I mean. Murphy says she’s very good.”
“Oh, does he now?” Carwyn muttered.
“Apparently she’s blending in to his organization quite well, and has been a huge help on a number of levels. And she loves it. I’ve never seen her so happy.”
Then why isn’t she laughing?
He frowned and continued stalking deer. There weren’t many of them around during the middle of the winter months. They tended to wander in the lower hills, and there were usually at least some around. That night, there were none. They might have to wander farther. Though Ioan might occasionally drink the donated human blood they kept at the house, Carwyn would not.
The act of drinking human blood triggered too many other hungers he’d struggled for years to conquer. For some reason, the memory of Brigid’s blood came to his mind. The hot, sweet smell of it with the faint chemical tinge. The tinge that wouldn’t be there anymore. He banished the thought from his mind and continued walking.
“Father, did you want to try further up the valley?”
Carwyn decided that a run might be just what he needed to clear his head. “I’ll race you.”
Happy Tuesday!
Elizabeth
August 13, 2012
New Covers, a New Look for the Site, and a Free Kindle offer!
It’s here! In case you missed the new cover reveal last week (During which I was off the grid camping in the High Sierras. I know, great timing.) here are the new covers for the Elemental Mysteries! I hope you like them. I tried to incorporate new elements to make the books more recognizably paranormal romance, while still retaining the original cover art, which I loved so much. So how do you think I did?
I’ve also updated the site’s look a bit. No content changes right now. Still the same blog and the same links, just a quick update on the look that cleans it up a bit.
The most exciting news (at least for Kindle owners) is that Amazon has decided to match the free Smashwords price for A Hidden Fire! So those of you who have friends or family with Kindles, spread the word. For the month of August, A Hidden Fire is absolutely FREE to download. As you know, independent authors like me depend a lot on the word of mouth of our best advertisers—our readers! And I’ve always bragged that I have the best, smartest, most loyal readers in the world. (Are you blushing yet?) I’m also pretty sure you have amazing fashion sense. I can tell from your comments. 
Have a great week, everyone. May your coffee be strong, your inbox be empty, and your lunch be those really amazing Thai leftovers you’ve been looking forward to.
Thanks for reading,
Elizabeth
August 7, 2012
New Cover Reveal on Thursday!
Hello, readers!
I haven’t been blogging this week, or doing much for that matter, since I’ve been hit by some plague my seven-year-old gave me. Kids. They’re cute, but germy.
On top of that, I’m scheduled to go camping this weekend somewhere where there is no cell signal, which means no computer, or Facebook, or Twitter. No internet at all, as a matter of fact. This is what I have to do to relax, according to my family. Otherwise, I work all the time.
BUT, I did want to give you the links (before I fall off the grid) for the cover reveal on Thursday! Please check out the following amazing sites for all four new Elemental Mysteries covers on Thursday.
And don’t forget that A Hidden Fire is FREE on Smashwords for the month of August! If you haven’t gotten a copy, or want to give one to a friend, this is a great opportunity.
Have a wonderful week, everyone, and I’ll see you next week when I come back from the mountains.
Thanks for reading,
Elizabeth
August 2, 2012
Cover Reveal: A Hidden Fire: Elemental Mysteries Book One
A Hidden Fire: Elemental Mysteries Book One
Semi-finalist–The Kindle Book Review, Best Indie Books of 2012
No secret stays hidden forever.
A phone call from an old friend sets mysterious book researcher Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery that has eluded him for centuries. Little does he suspect a young librarian holds the key to an ancient secret, nor could he have expected the danger Beatrice De Novo would attract.
Now both will follow a twisted maze leading from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a passion that could destroy them both.
A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance novel. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series, followed by This Same Earth, The Force of Wind, and A Fall of Water.
Buy it today at:
Amazon
Amazon.uk
Barnes & Noble
OR
Download for FREE this month on
Smashwords
August 1, 2012
A Hidden Fire is Free in August!
Ladies and gentlemen, boys, girls, and vampires of any and all elements…
I have news. Promotions and covers and contests, oh my!
Promotions: For the month of August, A Hidden Fire, the first book in the Elemental Mysteries series, will be FREE on Smashwords! That’s right, totally and completely free. And since it’s Smashwords, you can download it in any format you’d like. EPubs for Nooks and iBooks, Mobi files for Kindle. Any format you’d like. Free. I’ve never done a free download promotion before, so I hope it brings in some new readers to the Elemental Mysteries world.
Now, hopefully, Amazon will decide to price match Smashwords. I don’t know for sure, but if you’d like to see it free on Amazon, please click on the ‘report a lower price’ link on the Amazon page. The more people do that, the more likely it is to be price-matched so Kindle users can get it for free directly on their devices.
Covers: I love the Elemental Mysteries covers, and I know many of you do, too. That said, more than one reader has commented that they weren’t sure what genre the books belonged in when they first saw it. Thriller? Mystery? There has been some confusion. With that in mind, I’ve decided to relaunch the covers for the series, incorporating the old artwork with some new elements that more clearly put the books in the paranormal romance genre. I’ll be releasing the first cover tomorrow here on the website and doing a full cover reveal for all four books on August 14th.
If you are a blogger and would like to participate in the series cover relaunch, please leave a comment here or email me! I’d love to spread the word about the new covers and the series as a whole.
Contests: I haven’t received many entries for the signed copy of A Fall of Water! If you’ve left a review, even in the past, email me and let me know. If you haven’t reviewed, I’d love it if you took a few minutes to do that and send me the link. It makes a big difference in visibility and sales, and enters you in the contest, too!
As for writing news, I’m still working on revisions for Building From Ashes, and I’ve had great feedback from my first readers so far! I’m very excited to expand the Elemental Mysteries world and I hope you’re equally as excited to read.
Have a great week,
Elizabeth
July 23, 2012
Win a signed paperback and check out the new teaser!
Happy Monday, readers! I have some book news, a contest announcement, a chance for book swag, and a short teaser from Building From Ashes: Elemental World Book One.
First off, thanks to everyone who took a chance and purchased my new short story, Long Ride Home, over the weekend. I hope you enjoy and, if you could take the time, please leave an honest review wherever you bought it.
Speaking of reviews, I’m going to do another review contest here on the blog! To enter, all you have to do is leave an honest review for any of my books wherever you bought it and send me the link by email. Since I have six (yes, six) stories out, you can enter up to six times. The prize? A signed paperback copy of A Fall of Water: Elemental Mysteries Book Four, personalized to whoever you like. I am NOT putting any geographical restrictions on this contest, so it is open to international readers, as well. (And I’m just going to pray the shipping costs don’t kill me!)
If you’re a fan of the series, you might want to check out my new CafePress store for the Elemental Mysteries! There are t-shirts, totes, coffee cups (you guessed that one, right?) and lots of other cool gear featuring the book covers and quotes from the series. This tote may be my favorite:
Perfect for the library, right?
I had fun putting the store together, so I hope you might take a look. Let me know what you think!
In writing news, I’m starting on the first Cambio Springs novel this month and also digging into the editing on Carwyn’s book, which still looks like an early winter release. To tide you over, here’s another small teaser below the fold:
Wicklow Mountains, Ireland
May 2005
“So, Paddy and Mick—“
“This is the last joke or you can carve a new room into this mountain and sleep in the dirt, Ioan.”
Ioan grinned and pulled his wife into his lap as Carwyn burst into laughter. “No, my love, you’ll like this one. So Paddy and Mick are driving to Cork City, and they need to answer the call of nature. They pull to the side of the road and go into the bushes—“
“A piss joke?” Deirdre rolled her eyes and tried to stand, but Ioan only laughed and pinched her lips together as Carwyn took another drink of his beer.
“They both start pissin’ and Mick looks over to Paddy. ‘Paddy, he says, I wish I was as well-hung as you are, my friend. I can see that you’re using four fingers to hold yerself.’ And Paddy says to Mick, ‘Ah, Mick, yer fine, lad. And I see you’re using four as well.’ And Mick says, ‘Aye, Paddy, but I’m pissin’ on three of ‘em.’”
Carwyn and Ioan both burst into laughter as Deirdre snorted. Ioan patted her bottom and held her trapped in his lap. “See, my love, aren’t you happy that you married a Welshman?”
“I’m currently feeling the need to go visit Gemma in London.”
Carwyn hooted. “Ioan, if she’s willing to subject herself to shopping with Gemma, you’d better learn some manners.”
“I need a long vacation from my own husband.”
“She would never…” Ioan tugged at a lock of Deirdre’s long red hair and pulled her face down to his. He pursed his lips for a kiss, but she only sneered at him. Undeterred, he chuckled and kissed along her neck, slowly inching his way toward her mouth. “See,” he said between kisses. “She loves me madly.”
Deirdre said, “No, I don’t.”
“Couldn’t live without me.”
“Obnoxious Welshman.”
Carwyn shook his head. “When does the newlywed stage wear off?”
Ioan finally managed to press his lips to Deirdre’s, then he grinned in triumph. “Never! We’ll always be as obnoxious as we are now and scare the children.”
“And your sire, as well.”
Ioan just winked at Deirdre and continued to pin her to his lap. “You’re just jealous, Father. Get your own woman.”
“Eh.” He shrugged. “Too much trouble.”
Have a great week and thanks for reading!
Elizabeth
July 20, 2012
New Release: Long Ride Home
Cross-posted from ElizabethHunterWrites for those of you who are interested in my new series!
Happy Friday, readers!
It’s been a long, strange summer, but my son and I are doing something very exciting today: We’re officially moving into our own place! Which will give me back a more normal schedule and get me back to writing and blogging more. So it seems like a good way to celebrate this long, strange summer would be to announce the release of my new short story, Long Ride Home. Here’s the synopsis:
Welcome to Cambio Springs.
In this small desert town, secrets bubble up from the desert floor, and history is written on the canyon walls. Seven friends will gather at the crossroads, because in Cambio Springs, everything—and everyone—changes.
Jena Crowe escaped the Springs ten years ago. Now, she’s heading home with two boys to start a new life. With her husband’s ghost keeping her company on the road, Jena will learn that moving back and moving backward aren’t necessarily the same thing, and sometimes the places you try to escape are exactly where you need to fall.
Three nights to say goodbye. Three days to come to grips with the future. For Jena and her two sons, it’s going to be a long ride home.
It’s a short story, which means it’s the equivalent of twenty-five pages or so, but it’s the first peek into my new series, Cambio Springs, so I hope you check it out. It’s only $0.99 over on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo right now. I hope you enjoy it, and if you could take a few minutes to leave a review after you’ve read, I’d greatly appreciate it, as always.
I’ll be announcing a new contest on the blog next week, so stop by and check it out. Have a wonderful weekend!
Elizabeth
July 9, 2012
Standing Through History: Building From Ashes
I saw Brave last week. Did I love it? YES. In fact, I think I’ll be posting a full review over on my blog, ElizabethHunterWrites.com on Wednesday, if you want to check it out.
In Brave, a circle of standing stones is an important setting. The most widely known standing stones are, of course, Stonehenge on the Salisbury plain in England, but other ancient stones of various sizes dot the British Isles, often tucked into corners of villages or quiet farms.
When I was traveling in Ireland, where most of Carwyn’s book is set, I worked on a farm in Co. Galway for a few weeks clearing brambles and helping with the sheep. It was a great old farm and I had a wonderful time, even though it was very hard work. In the back of one pasture on the farm was a small dolmen. The sheep wandered around it, and the cows munched on the grass nearby when they used the pasture.
Now, a dolmen is a label attached to a broad range of Neolithic tomb structures scattered across Western Europe and other parts of the world. This dolmen was very small, nothing like the Kilclooney dolmen pictures here. It had probably never been dated or studied. It was just there, sitting silently among the trees on a small hill in rural Galway.
And I love that. I love that whatever bones may be buried under those stones have been accompanied by sheep and rabbits instead of scientists and academics. Not that I don’t appreciate the study of history (far from it), but I like that quite corners of it remain undisturbed, existing quietly with the modern world, overlooked by the rush of technology that surrounds us.
Quiet pockets of history surround me even here in Central California. A worker will be disking a field and turn up an old Native American grinding bowl. Flood waters will come in a wet year and the tule grass which used to cover the valley will spring up from pods that have lain dormant for years. History lays quiet in old barns, ranches, and adobes that drivers pass on the highway without looking twice. My own history surrounds me in family and friends.
I’ve had a fantastic time revisiting Ireland and Wales while I’ve been writing Building for Ashes. I’ve delved into a lot of personal history with this book, which has made it both difficult and satisfying to write. I’m almost finished with the first draft of the novel, then it goes to my beta readers, then back to me before it goes off to the editor. It’s a book that peeked into my own pockets in surprising ways. But then, Carwyn has always been a special character to me. And I’m very excited for you to meet Brigid, who’s complicated and funny and makes her own kind of epic journey in this book. It’s not an epic geographic journey, but as Merida learned in Brave, internal journeys can be just as challenging.
Here’s another quick look at the book from Brigid’s perspective:
The dark night was wrapped around her like a blanket, and the sea air carried the scent of salt and seaweed from the South shore of Galway Bay. Brigid stood at the open window and resisted the urge to flee down the small road that led to town. Even if Anne didn’t stop her, where would she go?
“The road or the bay?”
Brigid turned. The silent water vampire had entered the glass-enclosed room behind her and was already sitting in an overstuffed chair.
She couldn’t help but smile. “The road. I’m not a very good swimmer.”
Anne smiled. “Well, definitely don’t take the watery escape route then.”
Brigid shook her head and moved to the other chair. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The two women, one mortal and one vampire, both stared out the windows that surrounded them. The study was a small room that faced the water. In the morning, the light would stream in, and it was a pleasant place to drink a cup of tea or read a book. At night, the glass-enclosed room was surrounded by stars and the scattered lights that lined the western Irish shore. It was full of bookcases and stacked tables. Deep comfortable chairs and warm, woolen blankets. It didn’t look at all like a doctor’s office, but that’s what it was.
Anne said, “So, a man goes to see a psychologist. ‘Doctor,’ he says, ‘you have to help me. My wife says I’m obsessed with sex.’ The doctor sits down and gets out some ink blots and shows them to the man. ‘What do you see here?’ the doctor asks. ‘A couple on a bed, having sex.’ The doctor nods and shows him another one. ‘And this one?’ ‘A man and a woman on a couch, having sex.’ ‘Interesting,’ the doctor says. ‘And how about this one?’ The man squints and says, ‘That’s a picture of a man and a woman having sex on a boat.’ The doctor finally nods and says, ‘Well, you do have a problem. It appears you’re definitely obsessed with sex.’ The man stands up, outraged. ‘What do you mean, I’m obsessed with sex? You’re the one showing me all the dirty pictures!’”
Despite herself, Brigid snorted.
Anne spoke again. “How are a hooker and a psychiatrist the same?”
Brigid remained silent for a moment, then decided to play along. “How?”
“They both turn to each other after a night together and say, ‘That’ll be two hundred, please.’”
Brigid fought back another snort. “So, are psychiatrists like lawyers? Lots of jokes about their noble profession?”
“I don’t know. I think my secretary finds them on the internet. I get a new one every night on my desk.”
“And I’m supposed to take this process seriously? Now I’m just going to be imagining you in fishnet stockings, saying, ‘Looking for a good time, big boy?’”
Anne threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, Brigid, it’s nice that you have a sense of humor. Humor is important.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.” The counselor turned to her with a wide smile. “It’s very important. Truth is important, but so is laughter. Never be afraid to laugh, even when you’re crying. Sometimes the two just go together.”
Thanks for reading,
Elizabeth
June 27, 2012
I want to hear from my readers!
Earth vampires get dirty. Take that however you like.
I haven’t been posting much around here lately because… well, I’ve been writing! And that’s way better than me blogging, right?
I’ve been writing a variety of things, from a short story I’ll publish later this summer (I think) that will introduce my new series, Cambio Springs, to Carwyn’s book, Building From Ashes (I wrote Chapter Twenty-Eight last night! *cough* steamy *cough*). So lots of writing, lots of school prep for the SmallBoy to get him ready for his first conventional classroom this coming fall (he was homeschooled for kindergarten and first grade), and I’ll soon be moving into my new place(!) …which, I haven’t exactly found yet, but I’m working on it.
I wanted to take just a minute here to stop by, say hi, and talk a little more about Carwyn’s book and how I envision the series going forward.
I’m honestly curious how you see it, readers. I’d love to hear in the comments section what your expectations for Building From Ashes are, what you hope to see written in the future, and what intrigues you or turns you off about series books. Because the Elemental Mysteries hasn’t really been a conventional series from the beginning, and I didn’t want it to be. The last thing I wanted was for Gio and Beatrice to be ‘the couple that never ends.’ Really, who wanted to see twelve or thirteen books about the same two characters? After a while, you’d know all their jokes and Gio’s broody nature would just start to get on your nerves.
What I hope to accomplish with this world is not just one good series, but a diverse universe where readers can revisit the things they loved about the original books (and some of their favorite characters), while still exploring new characters, new themes, and new mysteries. Hopefully, that will keep both you, as a reader, and me, as a writer, entertained long into the future.
So, share your thoughts! I want to hear from you. What are your expectations? What do you hope I avoid? What character are you dying to see more of and which one can be stricken from the written page forever?
Can’t wait to hear from you!
Elizabeth
June 23, 2012
A new teaser from Building From Ashes
Hey all! I’ve been taking a break from blogging, though I just updated a bunch of stuff over at my main site, ElizabethHunterWrites.com and there’s some new stuff over there regarding my new series, Cambio Springs, which I’m working on after I finish Carwyn’s book, Building From Ashes.
But while I’ve been taking a break from blogging, I haven’t been taking a break from writing! I’m about 3/4 of the way finished with Carwyn’s book, and I’m really excited about the new direction the Elemental World is taking. There’s going to be room for some stand-alone books, some short stories featuring side-characters, and even a new series down the line.
So, Carwyn’s book has been an adventure. It’s a love story, of course, a mystery, and a kind of reset for the series. Clever readers probably spotted some loose ends I deliberately left hanging at the end of A Fall of Water. That was by design! I’m looking forward to taking familiar characters on new adventures. So, while much of Carwyn’s book overlaps with the Elemental Mysteries, it is far more than just his side of the story. You’ll see an entirely new story that unfolded in his world while Gio and Beatrice were having their adventures. I’m very excited for you to read.
I hope you’ve liked the little teasers over on the Facebook page for the Elemental Mysteries. Here’s a longer scene from the beginning of the book:
~~~
Dublin, Ireland
2005
Carwyn leaned against the white walls of the Ha’Penny Bridge Inn, waiting for Brigid Connor to show. He’d stopped by Parliament House the evening before and left a note with the guards in front telling her to meet him at the old pub near the river. Much of the older part of Dublin had been updated in the previous years, but the Ha’Penny had stayed relatively old-fashioned and didn’t cater to as many tourists as most of the bars in the city center. Though it was only June, the buzz and bustle of the summer crowds were already filling the evening streets, even on a Wednesday night.
He saw her as soon as she turned the corner. Brigid had always been a tiny thing, with a stride that warned people off, despite her tiny frame. She was pale-skinned, with a scattering of freckles dotting her cheeks, and her garishly dyed dark hair was chopped short and lay in irregular chunks around a pixie face. Her large eyes were the color of amber ale and her chin came to a sharp point under a bow-shaped mouth.
Carwyn thought she looked like an extremely pissed off fairy, which amused him greatly. He grinned when he saw her bark at a boy that approached her. Then his eyebrows lifted when she reached out and took his hand. So, little Brigid Connor had a boyfriend? Possibly. Her expression as she approached was a mask of studied nonchalance. He opened his senses to get a feel for the boy. The smell of the river masked anything subtle, but the boy appeared to be a normal human. Albeit one that was wearing too much cologne. Brigid came to a stop in front of him and looked up with a haughty expression.
“So, you’re here to check up on me for the nosey ones?”
The boy awkwardly looked between Brigid and Carwyn. “Um… Brig—“
“It’s fine, Mark. He’s an old… family friend,” she said with a sneer. “Why don’t you go ahead and I’ll meet you at the club later?”
“Are you sure?”
Carwyn gave the boy a cheerful smile and held out his hand to shake. The boy grabbed it, and Carwyn let his influence crawl up to the boy’s mind. “Hello, Mark. Nice to meet you. Now piss off and leave us alone. She’ll meet you later.”
“Okay.”
He could see Brigid roll her eyes, but Mark turned and quickly walked back the way they had come.
“Why did you want to come to this old place? They haven’t hung new curtains since before I was born.”
She walked past him and pulled open the door to the pub. Carwyn just looked after her and called, “Lovely to see you, as well, Brigid. I can see that your sunny demeanor has only blossomed in adulthood.”
He walked into a pub and took the seat opposite her in the old booth. “What do you want from the bar?”
She shrugged. “A whiskey, I guess.”
“How about a beer?”
“How about a whiskey?”
He stood. “Guinness it is, then.”
“Hey!” She called out, but he ignored her. The girl certainly had the same acid tongue he vaguely remembered from her childhood. To tell the truth, he’d never known her well. Like most of Ioan and Deirdre’s humans, he tended to keep his distance. Though they remained close with their human clan, he was more circumspect in his human connections. He supposed that, after a thousand years, it had become too hard to get easily attached.
Still, there was always something about the girl that had amused him. He glanced over his shoulder as the barmen built their pints. Brigid sat slumped in her seat, the very picture of young rebellion. She was smart. That had always interested him. And he did love that she threw Deirdre off balance. His red-headed daughter had always been the fiercest in their family, taking after Gemma more than any one else. Ioan was warm calm; Deirdre was vicious temper. Ioan adored the girl, but Deirdre was exasperated by her.
He grabbed their drinks, walked back to the table and slid in across from her. She looked up with a droll expression. “Thanks ever so much for the whiskey.”
Carwyn grinned. “You’re very welcome. How’s life?”
~~~
Building From Ashes
Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Hunter
