Erica Pike's Blog, page 8

The Armchair Reader: Cold Hands Receives 5 Stars

Cold Hands received 5 stars from Cole Riann at The Armchair Reader. Again, the review is very carefully composed and Cole put a lot of thought into it. I love such reviews ^.^
Snippet:
"The real difference between the first story and the second isn’t the point of view, but in the focus of their relationship. If you look at these stories together as one, then this story is the payoff. The first was the setup, the background and the premise — the meetings in the dark with Casper’s “secret admirer” and the subsequent reveal of his real identity — but, Cold Hands is the meat and bones of their relationship. This story carries on to peel back the layers and find out if these guys have a solid base to build any relationship upon and how they go about doing that." To read the rest, please visit The Armchair Reader.

Welcome, Brother: “Witty romantic short with bite”

Imagine how happy I was when I finally managed to get online at the summer house and saw a new review. Welcome, Brother received 5 stars from Rainbow Book Reviews! The review is a pleasure to read, so well composed. Here's a snippet:
"Carefully woven into the romantic college–orientated short, are a mystery to be solved, a charismatic supporting character, and a devious plot that casts a degree of realism to this elegantly phrased tale. Seen through Kyler’s eyes and his very real fears, the story begins in a slightly whimsical manner, so the sharp turn into darkness surprised me in all the right ways; much praise for the author’s ability to pack the very real punch into a story of this length. The romance between the two men was a bit unusual, and while both Hunter and Kyler were nicely fleshed out, for me the real strength of the story were the events surrounding the mystery."
Link

Blog Appearances With Ellie Potts and S.H. Roddey

A couple of fellow authors hosted me on their blogs in the past week and I wanted to give them a shout-out for it. Ellie Potts writes (non-m/m) sci-fi/fantasy and paranormal books and has a LOT of irons in the fire. Horror writer S.H. Roddey (non-m/m) also gave me a blog appearance in her interesting series of guest blogs titled "Where Are They Now?" - that is, what the former NBP writers are up to. The links I've included are direct to my blog entries on their sites.
As for NBP, although I've spent the whole summer learning how to format and self-publish (time I was going to write the next Boston Boys novel!), it gave me a valuable experience and I'm thankful for that. I doubt I'd have had the courage to create Ice Cave Publishing if I hadn't learned what I did from NBP and the fellow authors (and editors) there. That's why I'm breaking tradition and hosting these two lovely ladies on my blog today. Girls, you are officially the first non-m/m authors to receive a shout-out on my blog! Do check out their stories:
Journey with authors Selah Janel and S.H. Roddey to a world where every idea is a possibility and every genre an invitation. In this collection of forty-seven short stories, lines blur and worlds collide in strange and wonderful new ways. Get lost with the authors as they wander among fantasy, horror, science fiction, and other speculative musings.Shadows can’t hurt you, and sometimes it’s all right to venture off the path.Available on Amazon.
Welcome to the Opposite Side where monsters really do roam the night, but The Supervisors make sure that the monsters don’t get noticed by the normal humans. Meet Leslie, a Supervisor and a blood witch, one of four in California. Blood witches are said to have powers that rival gods, that’s why they were almost hunted to extinction. Leslie came into her power late, and fell in with the wrong crowd before she became a Supervisor. Nathan is king of the local werebear clan, and he has plans for the future of his pack, the other local shapeshifters, but also has his eyes set on Leslie. She is not your ordinary Blood Witch, and together they can stir up power that the world has never seen. But nothing is as it seems in the Opposite Side, and Leslie’s already different world is going to be shaken as a new case starts a chain of events that can lead to a feud war.Available on Amazon.
In the future the earth is in a civil war against the rich and the poor. People have escaped off to the Moon or the new colonies on Mars to get away from the fighting. On a cargo ship, Marigold, Matt Reyes and his second Corey have put together a group of misfits who are trying to stay neutral. They come across knowledge that soon will throw them back into the war whether they like it or not. They have to survive cannibal pirates, a bomb-happy bounty hunter and a Galactic Order official who knows a crew mate's darkest secret.Available on Amazon.
Watch as demons are born, monsters come alive, take a walk with a crying stranger, sit down to play chess with a strange old man, see what happens when Lucifer has an eye on you, or watch what happens when you win in a future lottery. Meet monsters, killers, mutants and demons in Flight of Delusion, a collection of short stories that range from odd to scary and all that in-between.
Available on Amazon.

Cover Reveal! Black Hurricane (Gay rock stars!)

Hey guys,
Remember that gorgeous cover I revealed a couple of months back? The one made by Zathyn Priest? Well, I'm using it for a different story, because he just had to go and make a new cover and I HAD to have it. Looking at the picture, you can see why! Other than missing a tattoo, he's perfect as Dean McQueen, the lead singer of Black Hurricane.
Speaking of, you may be wondering when the book will be released. All I know is that I sent in the final edits today, it's been forwarded to formatting and the MLR Press site says it'll be out in August. I know! It's almost August!
Want to know what it's about? Okay, here's the blurb:
Twenty-three year old Jasper Jones fell in love with Dean McQueen at fourteen, but after a disastrous relationship, Jazz would like nothing better than to see the rock star choke on his own vomit.
After a catastrophic reunion, Dean seems bent on destroying Jazz’s life. It all started when an impromptu bar performance ended up on YouTube and Jazz became an internet sensation overnight. The name “Jazdean” keeps popping up in headlines and the paparazzi stalk his every move. To make matters worse, Jazz is about to end up on the streets for the second time in his life. 
In a desperate attempt to keep his home, Jazz signs a deal with Dean’s band, Black Hurricane, to perform at a couple of concerts. It feels like one of Dean’s feeble attempts to get Jazz back, but painted into a corner like he is, Jazz has no choice.
So:Sex - checkDrugs - small checkRock 'n' roll - checkLeather - checkJeans - checkAngst - checkEric - checkFun humor - checkHot Boston boys - check check check
There you go :) I cannot wait to share it with the world! It's 79k long, which means it's a little longer than Absolutely Eric (78k) and a lot longer than A Life Without You (73k). 
It deserves to be displayed a little bigger, yeah?

The College Fun and Gays Anthologies are out!

On All Romance eBooks, anyway ^.^ I uploaded them to Amazon last night and they should be up there today. 
These are two different anthologies with 3 stories in each. The word count is around 41,000 words in each. As explained before, I'm pricing them at $3.99, which means $1.99 a book for Anthology One (because Hot Hands is free), and $1.33 a book in Anthology Two. These will also be available in print sometime in August for $6.99 each (yes, I will bring some to GRL).
I've raised the prices of the individual books to $2.99 - HOWEVER, I'm in the process of uploading them to Smashwords (yes, I beat their meatgrinder!) and I've generated a coupon for the books that are currently up there. These coupons expire on August 15th 2013. Furthermore, I've put a discount on the books at ARe, so they cost $1.99 until August 15th.
Smashwords coupons:
Cold Hands: QX92ZThe Walls Have Ears: ZK64X
Little Stalker: VV83C
(Will add the others as they come - you can also see the coupons on the College Fun and Gays page under each title.)
The ARe purchase links for the anthologies are here: One and Two

Fun Facts with Edmond Manning!

I cannot believe I got Edmond Q. Manning to do fun facts with me and I cannot believe I didn't ask him sooner! I shouldn't be surprised he accepted, he's a very fun guy. I met him at GRL last year and I'm very much looking forward to hang out with him again this year. I've made him an honorary Viking, because he'd fit right in here in Iceland, and dubbed him Edmond the Fierce (because he battles zombies in his spare time...or at least plans to once the zombie apocalypse breaks out).

1. First off, I lied about my middle initial being Q. It’s not. 

What do you mean, you lied?? Just for that, I'm sticking a picture of John Cleese as Q instead of that new hottie Ben Whishaw (God, Ben's soooo hot!)
2. For many years I had a favorite shirt, thick yellow and blue stripes. It dissolved after many, many wears. Then, I purchased a new favorite shirt, dubbed Favorite Shirt II because it was also thick yellow and blue striped. After many years use, I lost Favorite shirt II on a tubing trip. Somewhere along the way it drifted quietly down the river, like an Eskimo death for the elderly. I think I miss ‘Favorite Shirt II’ more than I do ‘Favorite Shirt.’
Men and yellow shirts. Douglas Black has one too, though is isn't lost because he's not allowed to wear it outside.
Edmond's jam.3. Generally, I don’t eat jam. I've got nothing against jam but when I’m eating toast, I’ll only use jam about 15% of the time. I love blueberry jam best, strawberry second, raspberry third. I also make a ton of raspberry jam from the raspberries in my back yard and give jars as birthday gifts and as a host/hostess gift when they invite me over to dinner. 
So that's what all that jam's for? I was wondering if you were stocking up for the apocalypse, maybe to pull a possum act and use as fake blood if the zombies come into your house. 
4. I own Return To Gilligan’s Island on DVD, a 50 cent buy from a Blockbuster’s bin years ago but I’m afraid to watch it because it’s going to make me sad and feel weird about that TV show. I’m not sure if Gilligan’s Island was big in Iceland, but it was a staple of my childhood. Do I really want to watch them turn that lonely deserted island into a resort? I think there was a “special” where the Harlem Globetrotters visited Gilligan’s Island. Ish. I’m afraid to watch it.
It never aired in Iceland, but every respectable adult in Iceland knows that Americans love Gilligan's Island.
Believed to have been the property
of the mythological creature,
Edmondus Manningus.
(Photo by Xandert)5. I buried a small treasure, something I value, at the base of a redwood tree in Muir Woods in northern California outside San Francisco. The tree is off the path and pretty far back in the woods, so I’m confident it will never be found, certainly never by me. But I like to believe someone will discover it, perhaps hundreds of years from now.
6. I never cheated on a test in high school or college. Tempted, yes. I remembered and profited from previous students who would share stuff like, ‘this professor likes essay questions about Chaucer…’ But never consciously cheated. 
I did. Once. I couldn't remember how to say "boots" in Danish and my friend (unasked) wrote it on her eraser and gave it to me. I've never forgotten that word since, so you see, people learn best from cheating!
7. My mom once told me that if I had been born on August 1st, they were going to name me ‘Augustus.’ I would have been Augustus Manning. Weird. Probably would have gone by Gus Manning. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have been the same person if I had been named Gus.
If you'd be different as Gus, then I'm glad you weren't born on August 1st ;)
8. I had skin cancer in my twenties. I had a melanoma removed (those are the kind that successfully kill you). There’s a long story about how I got diagnosed and treated, but the short version is that an administrative secretary behind a desk was the first person to take my concerns seriously and she snuck me into a cancelled appointment the next day instead of making me wait four months for an appointment. I would have been dead. That administrative secretary saved my life. 
Wow, I'm so glad she did *hugs*
An egg to be defiled deviled...
and devoured.
(Photo by DuBoix)9. At parties, I always want more deviled eggs than I allow myself to eat. I know what a pain they are to make. I want to eat twelve of them, but I limit myself so that others can enjoy them, too. But if there were 300 deviled eggs on the table and no one was in danger of not getting any, there is possibly no limit to how many I would consume.
I've never had a deviled egg. They look yummy.
10. I always wished I had black hair. I think black hair is sexy as hell. 
Ohhh, me too. Sexiest ever. Seriously, ask my cousin, Thora. We strongly disagree on this matter.
Edmond has just released his second novel, King Mai:

Adopted from Thailand and never one to fit in with the local bubbas, life has been rough around the edges for Mai Kearns, even before he came out of the closet. Now, almost ten years past the torture of high school, Mai still can't catch a break: he and his parents stand to lose their beloved farm.
How will a “King Weekend” help change Mai’s fate? What has narrator Vin Vanbly been up to for the four weeks he’s been sneaking around Mai’s hometown? At the urging of a ransom note from ‘The Lost Kings,’ Mai embarks on an impossible treasure hunt chasing mystic poetry, Fibonacci Hopscotch, ancient prophecy, the letter ‘x,’ and a confounding, penguin-marching army.
The stakes are high: if Mai fails, the Lost Kings will permanently claim him as their own. Finding the treasure may unlock the secret to saving his family farm. But can this angry farmer risk opening his broken heart before the weekend is over? Mai Kearns has 40 hours to get very, very curious in this second installment of The Lost and Founds.
Available on Amazon and ARe.
Curious about the first book? Here's King Perry:

Amazon Royalty System

Hi guys,
I don't know how many of you know about Amazon's royalty system, but this is what they offer:
70% for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99 (minus transfer fees)35% for books priced below $2.99 and above $9.99
35%? Nuts, isn't it? 
The College Fun and Gays series has sold surprisingly well. It has sold more copies on All Romance eBooks than Amazon and I'm grateful for that. Right now, my books are priced $1.99 and $0.99. I wanted to keep the prices low so people could more easily afford them. However, I am hardly seeing any royalty from Amazon at these prices. Amazon price-matches, so I can't have it $1.99 in one place and $2.99 on Amazon. It wouldn't be fair to Amazon customers either.  
So, this is what I'm going to do: I'm going to bump up the prices of the books to $2.99 after a couple of days. This still gives you time to buy them at a lower price until then (probably Saturday). In return, I'm going to publish the anthologies before I increase the prices. There are two of them, three stories in each book. The anthologies will be priced at $3.99 each. That's less than a Starbucks Frappuccino (yes, I can already hear you think "I'd rather have the Frappuccino" - bad example. Let's go with a cup of coffee and a blueberry scone - okay now I'm just hungry...). Anthology One contains Hot Hands, which is free, so you're really buying the two other stories for $1.99 each. For Anthology Two, it will be $1.33 per story.

I might also publish another anthology with the whole lot in it and price it at $6.99 (it's 81,500 words, $1.40 per story if I don't count Hot Hands, $1.16 if I do). I don't know when this will be, if I do it.

So, kids, what does this teach us? That Erica is a greedy girl? Nah, I'm just trying to make a living like everyone else. I don't really make that much from my books as is. No, this teaches us that Amazon forces people to increase the prices of ebooks. On the flip side, Amazon is "protecting" those who are selling novel-length books. Those people won't have to price their 300-page volumes at $0.99 to stay competitive. On the other end they're "protecting" customers from having to spend more than $9.99 for an eBook. However, I think Amazon should re-consider their policy based on book length. They should allow people to sell short stories and short novellas for less than $2.99 and still get the 70% royalty (or 60%, or whatever, just not 35%!).
The 3-pack anthologies will also be available in print, but not right away (in August, hopefully) for $6.99.

Five Bestsellers in Eight Days

I know, it shocks me too. The first in the series, Hot Hands, is free and it ranks very highly in its categories (currently 5th in Romance > Gay (In His Pocket holds the 1st place), 1st in Romance > New Adult, and 23rd in Romance > Erotic Romance (In His Pocket is 8th here)).
Yes, I'm talking about the College Fun and Gays series. Three titles sat in the Top 50 Bestsellers list on All Romance eBooks last Friday while four titles had earned their stars as a category bestseller. 
Cold Hands: Top 50 and categoryThe Walls Have Ears: Top 50 and categoryGrade-A-Sex Deal: Top 50Welcome, Brother: CategoryLittle Stalker: Category
Grade-A-Sex Deal is no longer in the Top 50, it was first to reach it and first to go, but Cold Hands and The Walls Have Ears are still there :) 
Cold Hands also reached the top 100 list on Amazon. The only screenshot I captured was the 16th place in Erotica, but I have no idea if it went higher (damn time differences). I don't know if the other titles reached the top 100 there, since you don't get a notification and I failed to check. When I checked on Cold Hands, they weren't in the top 100, so let's just assume they never made it. Most of the sales have gone through All Romance eBooks anyway ^.^

This is my first "OMIGOSH" post of this kind, so I hope you'll bear with me. I'm afraid this will come off as if I'm bragging, but I'm really just very excited about the success of these stories. It was so unexpected. Four of these titles are republished (five, if we include Hot Hands), and one is brand new. A Life Without You and Hot Hands earned their stars on All Romance eBooks last year, but I didn't know about it back then. It wasn't until much later that I discovered it. This is why you're currently seeing me with stars in my eyes and a huge grin on my face; this is my first real success report. 
But it's not about bragging. I'm thankful to everyone who bought one of these books (and my other books), and continue to be thankful. I'm also thankful to Douglas Black for editing the series, and Zathyn Priest who made these lickalicious covers. So, thank you, thank you, thank you, all, for unintentionally bringing a smile to my face. I hope you like the books ^.^

Reader Appreciation: Win a College Fun and Gays eBook

I'm taking part in The Sweet Spot's Reader Appreciation Day. Head on over to sign up :) Plenty of books in the pot. If you win my prize, you may choose from one of the College Fun and Gays eBooks. You'll need to either have a Yahoo account or sign up for one, unfortunately, but this contest is held every month with various prizes. 

Excerpt: Cold Hands

The red, pink and blue lights of the wheel spin so fast you can hardly see the carts with people in it. Good luck to him. I don’t really like fast rides. Except if Cass wants to go.Looking down at him, I relax at the reluctant expression on his face. He looks so gorgeous in his dark, grey woolen coat and thick blue scarf. Every time he exhales, little clouds of steam puff out of his mouth. He doesn't move away when I sneak my hand to the small of his back, guiding him to some of the funfair games. I let go of him and we walk side by side. “What do you wanna do?” I ask as we walk between the booths, our fingers brushing now and then, sending sparks through my system every time. “I don’t know,” he says, but then spots something interesting behind me. “Shoot ducks?”He answers my big grin with a shy smile, walking ahead of me to the stand. It’s decorated like everything else in the park in red, white and green Christmas decorations. “Let’s play for something, all right?” I ask while we wait our turn.“Like what?” he asks, a little gleam in his eyes I don’t see too often. It makes him look damn sexy. Not that he isn't sexy all the time.“Like a kiss,” I murmur, leaning toward him with a wide smile. “Not here,” Cass whispers, pushing me back, but there’s a playful smirk on his face. “Okay.” I step up behind him to whisper in his ear. “If I win, you’ll make out with me on the Ferris wheel.”“And if I win?” he asks, twisting his torso to look up at me.“You can ask one thing of me.”“One thing?”“Yes.” I steal a touch by sliding my hands along the rough fabric on his coat, over his stomach. “Whatever you want, and I’ll try my best to make it happen.”“Deal,” he says, still looking up at me, still with that playful gleam in his eyes. For a moment we just stand like that, gazing at each other. I’d just have to bend down a bit to kiss him. It looks like he wants me to, but he asked me not to earlier. Does he want to now? I lower my head a little, just to test the waters. He tilts his head up in return.“Hey!” I jump back at the loud yell from the booth, taking in the middle-aged guy with a black beard. “You guys are up.”We step away from each other and Cass picks up a riffle. “You’re gonna lose,” he mutters, taking his aim as I hand the supervisor a ticket and let out a laugh.“No way. Got a date to impress,” I say back, watching him as he waits with that little smile still on his lips.The man flicks a switch and starts busying himself with arranging toys. A line of wooden ducks starts moving back and forth and Cass shoots the first one down. And another. And another. I gawk as he shoots them down one by one until none are left standing. He even has a shot to spare. Cass lowers the riffle with a shy grin.“Wow,” says the bearded guy, raising the ducks and stopping their movement. “Pick a prize.” He points at the big stuffed animals lining the top shelf.“Ummm…the zebra,” Cass says. He stuffs the huge animal under his arm, the four long legs dangling.“Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that?” I ask.“Joey’s dad runs a shooting range. Did I win already?”“Not so fast,” I say with a laugh, picking up the riffle and taking my aim. The guy flicks the switch again, now a little more interested in the game. Just as I’m about to pull the trigger, Cass gently bumps into me. I jerk back and miss my target.The beard guy shakes his head and continues arranging the stuffed toys.I glance back at Cass who’s got his face half buried behind the zebra’s head, looking back at me all innocent. I chuckle and take another aim.A black zebra hoof “accidentally” brushes against my face when I take my second shot, missing the duck by a foot.“Casper?” I say, trying hard to keep the laughter out of my voice.He looks all innocent again. “Oh, sorry.”Shaking my head I go for the third shot, but then I feel this cool hand brush against the back of my jeans just as I pull the trigger. “So, it’s gonna be like that, huh?” I ask, barely holding in my laughter.“Like what?” asks Cass from behind the zebra.I end up winning a tiny pink dog key chain for shooting one duck—a duck next to the one I was aiming at. Cass breaks out in laughter every time he sees it.

$1.99 on Amazon and All Romance eBooks