N.R. Walker's Blog, page 32

Good Morning Monday! New Releases, Tummy Bugs and Time off.

What a week it’s been!!

Spencer Two is out in the world and the reviews have been incredibly amazing.  

Unfortunately, I spent release day and the three days that followed in bed sick with some kind of stomach bug.  *insert audio of crowd booing*  It was pretty disastrous, I have to admit, and none too glamorous.  Seriously, it wasn’t good.

And I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to every single person who bought, borrowed, read and reviewed Spencer Two.  Spencer and Andrew were a joy to write, and I’m so thrilled that everyone loves them as much as I do.

And to every single person who retweeted, reposted, pimped, liked and commented for me when I was in bed with my head in a bucket (nice, huh? lol)  Your support and love means the world to me. I appreciate you all, more than you can possibly know.

And I sincerely apologise if I missed any notifications or comments, posts or messages. If I haven’t returned any emails or messages, please send them again.

And for those that liked my Spencer Cohen Soundtrack playlist on Spotify, I’ve done another one for Book Two. You can find the new one HERE

This coming week is busier than normal. I’m not quite sure how my life can get any damn busier, but as always, when I think I’ve reached breaking point, Life screams CHALLENGE ACCEPTED and ups the ante. *long suffering sigh*  I have a little thing such as a 40th birthday (which might actually be today but don’t tell anyone LOL) and then I’m taking the kids away for a tennis tournament for five days.  So, for the next week, I’ll be largely uncontactable.  Again, if I miss anything, I apologise in advance.  And if I still haven’t gotten back to you in a few days after I return, please send me a quick reminder via email.

I’m not sure when I’m supposed to get any work done in this time…  Blood & Milk is at 40K words and I’m guessing there could be 20K words to go, or another 40K, I just don’t know… The characters are just wonderful, and I will post more on them after Spencer 3.

As I’ll be away, I’m hoping I will still get a chance to post next week, but if not, I’ll see you all on the other side of Easter.

Until then… Stay beautiful.  

Good Morning Monday! Release Week for Spencer Two! Preorder Link and an Excerpt. Oh, and GRL…

It’s release week for Spencer Cohen Book Two!!  I can not wait for you all to see what he and Andrew have been up to! ;)

The preorder link is HERE!  And it should be live on the 17th, exclusive to Amazon!

And an excerpt!

“Can today involve a nap?” I asked in the car on our way to his place.

“Are you five?”

I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. “Last night is catching up with me.”

“Or are you just trying to get me back into bed?”

“Possibly. Do you always answer every question with a question?”

He grinned. “Possibly.”

“I really am sorry about last night. I actually don’t drink that often,” I told him. “Which is why I was so wrecked.”

“It’s okay Spencer,” he said, looking from the road to me. He smiled. “Emilio told me that you’re not a real drinker. Maybe a few beers now and then, but not normally hard liquor.” He laughed a bit. “I think they were worried I’d think less of you. They were all so busy telling me what a good guy you are.”

I shook my head. “I didn’t ask them to do that.”

“Yes, I know. They were worried about you.”

I sighed. “I owe them a pretty big thank you. Dinner or something.”

“They also told me you’d been different with me from day one,” he said, just all casual-like. There was a hint of humour in his eyes.

“They did, huh?”

“Yep. Said you were all ridiculous smiles whenever you mentioned my name.”

“Right, then. Well, I’m taking back the offer to buy them dinner.”

He laughed. “So it’s true?”

“My answer depends on whether you agree to a nap this afternoon.”

He laughed. “I take it that’s a yes.”

I could feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. “I told you already you were different. But I object to the term ridiculous smiles.”

He was still smirking when he parked his car near his apartment. I grabbed my bag of laundry from the backseat and followed him inside. “I don’t know, Spencer,” he said, putting his keys and wallet on the hallstand. His voice was quieter, more serious. “I happened to like hearing that you thought I was special from day one. When they told me, Lola laughed and said my smile matched your ridiculous one. So we’re probably even.”

I stood there, holding my bag of laundry, not sure what to do with it. I was suddenly nervous. Here we were, alone at his place. I mean, we’d been alone all morning, but this was somehow different. It was like we were one breath away from going at it like rabbits, or he was about to tell me he’d changed his mind. “Well, that’s good then. We can be ridiculous together.”

He studied me for a long moment before walking slowly over to stand in front of me. He put his hand on my laundry bag, where I was clutching it tightly. His fingers touched mine, and warmth shot up my arm causing the butterflies in my stomach to take flight, and he stared into my eyes. I licked my lips, wanting to kiss him, and he leaned in just a fraction, but stopped short of contact. “I’ll take that for you,” he said gruffly and pulled the bag out of my hand. He took a step back and my breath left me in a rush.

“Fuck,” I mumbled, not really meaning to say the word out loud. “Are you trying to kill me?”

He grinned. “Just checking it wasn’t some kind of fluke before.”

“A fluke? What fluke? That I find you insanely hot or that you make my stupid brain malfunction?”

He laughed quietly. “Maybe both.”

“Well, you could have just asked me,” I said, adjusting my now aching—thanks to him—dick.

He watched my hand on my crotch, and his nostrils flared, a rush of pink crept down his neck. His voice cracked when he said, “We better start this laundry.”

He turned and walked down the hall past the bathroom, to what I assumed was the laundry, so I followed. He upended the bag, the contents spilling onto the tiled floor.

“Here, I can do that,” I told him. “I don’t expect you or anyone else to do my washing.” I picked up a shirt and moved it to one side and shoved the sheets to the other side. And as I sorted the dark and light coloured clothes, I could feel him watching me. I looked up and smiled. “What?”

“You sort laundry,” he said quietly.

“Of course I do. By colour and then fabric.”

A slow smile spread across his face, and he bit his lip.

“Do you have a laundry kink I don’t know about?” I asked.

He laughed. “Uh no. It’s just that I always sort that way too, colour then by types of fabric. Eli never did, and it used to drive me insane.” He shrugged. “I like that you do.”

“Um, if you like it, then I’m pretty sure it falls in the kink category.”

He laughed, a low warm sound, before collecting the sheets off the floor and throwing them in the washing machine. He added powder and set it going, which left us standing close together with nothing between us, and suddenly the air was electric in the small room. I could see the rise and fall of his chest, the heat in his eyes.

Fuck.

There was a chemistry between us that I’d never felt with anyone else. And before my brain could catch up, I slid my hand along his jaw and drew his mouth to mine.

 

 

Oh, and in case you missed my announcement on Facebook yesterday, I am very excited (and anxious and and nauseous and terrified) to announce that I will be attending GRL this year as a Featured Author!!!  I’ll post more on that later…

Until next week!    

 

 

Good Morning Monday! The big girl pants and coffee edition.

The good thing about me doing these Good Morning Monday posts, is that it’s making me post stuff. I’m pretty sure I never would otherwise – I’m the world’s slackest blogger. Well, that and, in my opinion, I’m profoundly boring.  But that being said, another week is done!

I don’t know how I got through last week, but I did. I don’t know how I will get through next week, but I’m sure I will.  Some days I’m so swamped I can barely breathe, and other days I could conquer the world. But mostly, some days I just want to peace out, kill the internet, and spend the day in bed reading, and sleeping, and reading some more.

But alas, there is this little thing called adulting that stops me.

My word count is sooooo slow with my current WiP.  As the majority of writers will tell you, there is a crippling self-doubt that we need to beat away with a stick most days. For me, it normally kicks in around the 75% mark of the manuscript – just before the downhill run. But with this book, that self-doubt, the what-the-hell-am-I-doing mindset has been constant. Since the first word of the first chapter, the words have been… cautious.

I do worry that I won’t do the story justice, and I can already hear the negative reviews on the content and characters, and of course, my ability to pull it off. I already know there will be people who won’t want to even read it because of the subject matter.

But that won’t stop me writing it.

I’m reeeeeeally tempted to scrap it and write something easier, but I won’t.  Well, not this week.  I think. LOL  Normally I write about 10-12k words per week, but of late it’s been 8-ish. Which is still okay, but it’s slow. And I’m doubting every word, every scene, every conversation. The research is heavy, the language a huge hurdle.

Some details: The working title of my WiP (so I can stop calling that) is Blood & Milk. It’s the story of an Australian man who is dealing with some horrible events in his past and with a leap of faith, and not much else, boards a plane and  finds himself in Tanzania with the Maasai.

The story itself will deal with some not-pleasant things, and there are HUGE cultural differences which I need to respect. Some of which I’m pretty certain readers won’t like.

I’m giving myself longer than normal to write it – until the end of April to be exact. I have no clue how long it will be. I am at 22K right now and I’ve barely scratched the surface of these characters. Though I’m guessing it will be around 60K all up, though it could be more.

I think there are some valid reasons why Blood & Milk has been slow to write for me. And maybe I should leave it for now and come back to it when things in my RL slow down… though I’m beginning to think this pace is my life for the next few years. I’m so damn busy these days, I swear I can barely remember my own name.

But then I remind myself that I’m a professional writer, and that I need to pull on some big girl panties and just do my fucking job. And I love my job. I have the best job in the world – I create words and worlds, characters and love. There are stories to tell, and I will tell them… These boys won’t let me sleep until I give them life with words.

So onwards I trudge, with my big girl panties on, coffee in hand.

Until next week…

Good Morning Monday! ~ 3 Weeks til Spencer 2

It’s Monday again! You’d think after so many weeks, months and years of encountering this one day out of every seven, we’d be used to it by now…  ;)

Last week was another busy one.  There were physio appointments and other real life stuff, and I spent a lovely two days in the Hunter Valley with Nic Starr and RJ Jones. We got some writing done, mostly chatted and laughed, and ate a lot of fabulous food. And, after the last couple of weeks, it was just what the doctor ordered.  

This week it’s back to work!  Though I’m not sure how productive I’ll be when my husband has time off work and will be home for two weeks, given that I work from home. I’m sure he’ll drive me insane it’ll be great to have him around, though I may need to lock my office door and tape a note at head height, something like:

No, I haven’t seen your keys.
No, I don’t know where they are.
Same goes for the TV remote control.
Are you bringing me coffee and/or chocolate?
Is the house on fire?
Does your question really need asking?
On the “My Wife’s Angry Scale of 1 to Oh-Crap”, how important is your question?

In writerly news, my WiP (tentatively titled Blood & Milk) is at 16K words (which is way behind where I wanted to be by now, but whatever) and it’s just three weeks until Spencer Cohen Book 2 comes out!

I’m sooo excited for the continuation of Spencer and Andrew. So, in case you missed it, I’ll post the blurb and cover :)

BLURB:

Finally going from fake-boyfriends to the real thing, Spencer Cohen and Andrew Landon are trying to take things slow. They know what they have could be something special and despite the flammable sexual tension, they don’t want to crash and burn.

Spencer is learning to open up, sharing the secrets of his past with Andrew. Afraid to put his heart on the line, yet seemingly unable to stop it, Spencer knows he’s falling in love with him. Andrew is petrified of leaping in blindly, yet it seems the slower they go, the faster they fall.

As they navigate their new relationship, Spencer worries Andrew will freak out when he takes on a new client. But it’s not a normal case and Spencer soon realises things are not what they seem. When things take a downward turn and they work together to help the client, Spencer and Andrew need to decide if they’re ready for the next step.

Again, it will be exclusive to Amazon, and I will post the pre-order link when I have one!

Good Morning Monday ~ Spencer 2 & 3 Cover Reveals!!

Spencer One release week has come and gone, and what a release week it’s been!  The reviews have been fabulous and I’ve had many people contact me to tell me just how much they loved Spencer and Andrew.

I can’t tell you how much these means to me. I’m truly so very humbled by the love. Seriously, I really do have the very best readers in the world.  

I’ve also had a LOT of people asking me about Spencer Two and Spencer Three. So, because everyone has been so amazingly wonderful, I’m not going to hold off with the reveal any longer. I know some people have already seen these, and if you’re in my Facebook readers’ group, you will have seen these before, but for the rest of the world, here is a collage of the trilogy…

Are the colours significant? Yes. Are the leaves significant? Yes. Though we only find out their meaning in the end of Spencer Three.  (Sorry for the secret squirrel stuff, but I can’t give away all of Spencer and Andrew’s secrets) ;)

So if anyone was sick of seeing a whole lotta red on their social media feeds, you’ll be sick of blue next, and sick of green after that. *snort*  Though I’ve had some incredible compliments on the red cover, so here’s to hoping everyone loves the blue and green covers just as much.

I suppose you want a blurb as well?  Okay then, since you’re twisting my arm ;)  I can give you the blurb to Spencer Two, but you’ll have to wait for the blurb to Spencer Three.

SPENCER COHEN, BOOK TWO BLURB:

Finally going from fake-boyfriends to the real thing, Spencer Cohen and Andrew Landon are trying to take things slow. They know what they have could be something special and despite the flammable sexual tension, they don’t want to crash and burn.

Spencer is learning to open up, sharing the secrets of his past with Andrew. Afraid to put his heart on the line, yet seemingly unable to stop it, Spencer knows he’s falling in love with him. Andrew is petrified of leaping in blindly, yet it seems the slower they go, the faster they fall.

As they navigate their new relationship, Spencer worries Andrew will freak out when he takes on a new client. But it’s not a normal case and Spencer soon realises things are not what they seem. When things take a downward turn and they work together to help the client, Spencer and Andrew need to decide if they’re ready for the next step.

Spencer Two is 52K words long. Release date is March 17th, and I will post the presale links asap.

So, enough excitement for one post. :D  And back to my usual Good Morning Monday drivel. It’s been a busy week in my house, which is nothing unusual because we’re always busy.  But this week has been busier than usual.  I’ve not managed much writing with the release of Spencer One but my WiP is almost at 10K. I’m guessing it will be 50K-60K words all said and done.

I’m hoping to get away for a few days with some writer friends later this week, but as my son has just injured himself I may have doctor and physio appointments instead.  As you may or may not know, my kids are avid tennis players and it seems my son has done some significant damage to his Achilles tendon. We will find out more tomorrow hopefully when see the right people. And as a result,  my writers weekend away may not happen, but these things can’t be helped.

Writing wise, this next week will be me with my head down, tail up. I’m reengaging my internet blocker to get some wordage done (I disabled it during release week for obv reasons) but it’s back to business this week. I have deadlines to meet, and I’m also expecting edits on Spencer 3 to hit this week as well.

Though seriously, even when I have deadlines, and editing, and word count goals to make, and I’m so busy I don’t have time to think, I still have the best job in the world.

Much love, and stay safe.  Until next week…

 

Spencer Cohen: #1 in 6 Countries on Release Day

OMG guys.

No seriously, OMG.

So this post is basically shameless gloating, but I am so excited, I had to blog about it! Spencer Cohen, Book One has landed at #1 in six countries on release day!

By anyone’s standard, that’s pretty f**cking cool! :D

Here are some pretty little screenshots

USA

US

Australia

Canada

Canada

Germany

Germany

France

France

UK

UK

They’re all so pretty, huh?  :)

These rankings are fleeting and will probably be gone in a day (or an hour LOL) and I never EVER take for granted that people will buy and read my books. I am grateful for every person who does, and so incredibly humbled.

I’m also soooo happy that everyone seems to love Spencer as much as I do.

And for those who are dying to get your hands on Book 2… only four weeks to go!

Spencer Cohen Book One Blog Tour and Giveaways!!!

For your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or some of my backlist titles, check out my blog tour!!  Visit ENTICING JOURNEY for the rafflecopter to enter

BUYLINKS

Exclusive to Amazon, and available now!

Universal link http://getbook.at/SpencerBookOne

US store http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BOB6L56

UK store http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BOB6L56

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28436109-spencer-cohen

Cronin’s Key ~ Best of 2015 Top Read on Prism Book Alliance!

I am so very honoured to say that Cronin’s Key made it to the BEST OF 2015 TOP READ LIST on Prism Book Alliance!!

I’d like to thank everyone who nominated and voted, and a huge thank you to Brandilyn at Prism for running such an amazing giveaway and poll.

You can check out the other winners HERE

For anyone unfamiliar with Cronin’s Key…

BLURB:

NYPD Detective Alec MacAidan has always been good with weird. After all, his life has been a string of the unexplainable. But when an injured man gives him cryptic clues, then turns to dust in front of him, Alec’s view on weird is changed forever.

Cronin, a vampire Elder, has spent the last thousand years waiting for Alec. He’d been told his fated one would be a man wielding a shield, but he didn’t expect him to be human, and he certainly didn’t expect that shield to be a police badge.

Both men, strong-willed and stubborn, are still learning how to cope with the push and pull of being fated, when fate throws them another curveball.

Rumors have spread quickly of turmoil in Egypt. Covens are fleeing with news of a vampire who has a talent like no other, hell-bent on unleashing the wrath of Death.

Alec and Cronin are thrown into a world of weird Alec cannot imagine. What he learned in school of ancient pharaohs and Egyptian gods was far from the truth. Instead, he finds out firsthand that history isn’t always what it seems.

Cronin’s Key is 83,000 words long and just 99c

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance eBooks

Good Morning Monday! Spencer Cohen Book One Edition

Are you ready to meet Spencer Cohen?

It’s release week!!  I won’t lie – I’m super nervous about this one.  But I can’t wait for the world to meet him (and Andrew, of course).  The pre-release reviews have been fabulous, and it’s such a relief to know other people love these characters as much as I do.

The Spencer Cohen Series is being added to KU (Kindle Unlimited) which means it’s exclusive to Amazon.

The pre-order/buy links is

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BOB6L56

EXCERPT:

“Come on,” Andrew said, standing up. “Let’s go.”

I slowly closed my laptop. “Uh, where exactly are we going?”

“You’re going to buy me my first Jeff Buckley album.”

I grinned at him. “Oh, am I?”

“Yes, you are. Unless you want to give me that one.” He pointed to my record player.

“Like hell. That’s my favourite.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said, walking to the door. He turned back to look at me—where I hadn’t moved from—and clapped his hands together. “Look alive, Spencer.”

“Alright,” I said, collecting my wallet and keys. I quickly grabbed two bottled waters out of my fridge and handed one to him as we walked out the door. “Are you always so pushy?”

He laughed, and those little lines crinkled the corners of his eyes, and the sun gave a warmth to his skin. He went down the stairs first and waited for me to get to the bottom. I guessed he was unsure of which direction to go. I pointed my thumb to the tattoo shop’s dead bolted door. “Can’t access the shop from the outside, so we’ll have to go around,” I nodded toward the end of the building, and we settled into a comfortable stride next to each other.

“I assume there’s a music store around here somewhere,” he said as we neared the street.

“There’s a few,” I told him. “Did you want CD or LP? I could have just downloaded it for you if that would have been easier.”

“I want LP.”

“Do you have a record player?”

“Well, no. But I think I’ll have to get one. I would imagine jazz and blues from vinyl would be incredible.”

I grinned at him. “I’ve created a monster!”

“You can’t just play classic vinyl albums to a music lover and not expect him to want it.”

I grinned. “True.”

We walked the two blocks, the banter between us never stopping. He talked with his hands when he explained things, which I found to be rather endearing, and I’m pretty sure I hadn’t stopped smiling since we left my place. I led him down a side alley off the boulevard and stood in front of the door to the music shop. “Before we go in, you must promise me something.”

He was suddenly serious. “What?”

“This place is special, and thus, must remain a secret.”

“Thus?”

“It’s a word.”

“That no one has used in two hundred years.”

“Not true. I just used it now.”

He laughed. “Okay, so I’m not supposed to tell anyone I came here?”

“Nope. It’s like Vegas.”

“As in ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’? Really?”

“Yes, really.” I nodded. “It’s too awesome to be popular.”

“Isn’t that redundant to their business profitability?”

“Possibly. But it’s completely old-school indie. I think the owner was a pot-smoking surfer from the sixties and has principles against corporations, though I’ve never asked him. Anyway, if too many people know about it, then it becomes mainstream. And that would ruin it.”

He frowned at me. “Then it’s not like Vegas. It’s more like Fight Club.”

I laughed and bowed my head. “Ah, Grasshopper. You have passed the test. You may enter.” He beamed, and I opened the door with a laugh.

He stepped inside.  “Okay, wow.”

Guest Post: A charity book for dogs.

When E.A. Kelly and B. Price asked me if I could do a blog post for their new book, where profits are sent to a charity for dogs, I was more than happy to oblige…

Blurb:

“In a few seconds, I made one of those instant decisions that shakes your whole world and changes your life forever. I didn’t actually say “yes”, but neither did I say “no” to fostering another dog with physical and severe emotional health needs. And so, along came Beth . . .”

In many ways, Beth embodies the true and pure ethos of K9 Crusaders. They never give up on a dog. They didn’t then, and they don’t now. They believe that each and every dog is precious and is worth fighting for, worth going many extra miles for, whatever it takes. Beth’s wonderful life as seen in this book bears witness to that.

**ALL PROFITS FROM SALES OF THIS BOOK WILL GO TO THE CHARITY MENTIONED WITHIN**

EXCERPT:

I decided a while ago that the next time a small dog started barking at Beth, and its human picked it up and glared at me for daring to have a big dog, I would do the same. Today was that day. A small dog barks and lunges at Beth, who wasn’t responding, and it’s picked up by its owner who glares at Beth as if it’s her fault. I gently lifted her up, no mean feat, so she was the same height as the tiny yapper. Priceless; the small dog shut up and the woman asked what I was doing. I replied that I thought it was a new dog training technique that I hadn’t come across before, and I wanted to try it. Her face was a picture. Beth played the game very well and hugged me like a baby koala, and I laughed all the way home. Maybe senility has started.

About the Charity:

K9 Crusaders deal with all kinds of issues relating to dogs, from rescue and rehoming via their Welfare Centre in Bissoe, Cornwall, UK to behavioural support and advice on many aspects of dog husbandry. They are independent and have no other income stream, relying solely on donations to keep going, and on volunteers to try to keep up with the ever increasing demand for help.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS BOOK WILL BE DONATED TO K9 CRUSADERS DOG WELFARE TO HELP MANY OTHERS LIKE BETH IN NEED OF A HOME.

http://www.caninecrusaders.org.uk

K9 Crusaders Dog Welfare Charitable Trust

No: 1138278

Links:

Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B01BCQROY0

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/28867428-her-royal-furriness

Twitter: https://twitter.com/E_A_Kelly9