Christi Snow's Blog, page 33

First Line Friday...Operation Endgame

First Line Friday. 
The idea is we'll all share (unedited) snippets from one of our current Works In Progress. Sometimes it will be the first line. Sometimes it will be a little excerpt. It will depend on what's inspiring me Thursday night. ;)
Today, I'm sharing the First Line from my very first book that I published (and wrote).
Operation: Endgame



It’s been six months…Six months since Jake Madsen let Chris Robertson die.Six months since the passion between Jake and Cassie, Chris’ sister, stepped over the line.But now Cassie’s being stalked and it’s time for Jake to swallow his guilt, grief, and lust so he can save her life, even if it’s a life without him. He owes it to his dead friend and he owes it to Cassie. He’s fallen in love with her, but she doesn’t have to know that for him to keep her safe.
Barnes & Noble Smashwords Amazon iTunes Kobo
*****
After you check mine out, go see what the other girls are up to...

First Line Friday...

First Line Friday. 
The idea is we'll all share (unedited) snippets from one of our current Works In Progress. Sometimes it will be the first line. Sometimes it will be a little excerpt. It will depend on what's inspiring me Thursday night. ;)
Today's first line is from the book I'm writing right now, Joshua, book #3 from the Male Model Chronicles series.
He was one lucky bastard. As Joshua Scott Brown walked into the dressing room area behind the stage, he tried not to look as overwhelmed as he felt. Jesus. There were half naked, gorgeous women everywhere.

And here's the story description and Goodreads link for this book which will be releasing Oct/Nov timeframe...
Joshua…

December is the time for romance, twinkling lights, and roaring fires in the fireplace. It’s also time for the annual Holiday Fantasy Lingerie show. This year, the show has a masculine twist with the introduction of male models who were once soldiers. 

Joshua Scott Brown has made quite a name for himself as a male fitness model since he got out of the Air Force. But nothing prepares him for the media circus that occurs after he catches one of the female lingerie models during the live show, preventing her from a ten foot fall. Now the lingerie company wants to turn that media coverage into holiday profit by pairing him up romantically with the model. Unfortunately, he only has eyes for Autumn Layne, the publicist who keeps pushing him into another woman’s arms.

The third in a new series of novellas inspired by Shauna Kruse’s photography and her beautiful male models. 

The Male Model Chronicles.

Disclaimer: The Male Model Chronicles, a new fictional series, built around the real-life world of Kruse Images & Photography and the gorgeous male models that Shauna Kruse gets to immortalize in her photos. The heroes are real people who also happen to be male models, but every single other thing about the series is fiction.
Goodreads Link
*****
After you check mine out, go see what the other girls are up to...

Cover Reveal for Right By Your Side

A couple of months ago, Shauna Kruse announced that she was going to be shooting with Tyler White. Immediately, I knew he'd be the PERFECT Scott Martin. So I contacted her to set up a custom shoot for the cover of Right By Your Side.
They shot in California and the day was less than perfect. 
Pouring rain.
Which never happens there anymore. 
But they persevered and gave me a phenomenal cover shot.
A cover shot, in fact, that dictated the final scenes in the book. 
So, freaking perfect and I couldn't be happier about how this cover turned out.
(And I'm pretty excited with the story, too. It's with my editor right now.)

Title: Right By Your SideAuthor: Christi SnowGenre: Romantic Suspense (m/f)Word Count: ~89,000 words
Cover Design: Amanda Matthews (AM Design Studios) 
Cover Photo: Kruse Images & Photography (Shauna Kruse) 
Cover Model: Tyler White 
Available: Mid-September
Goodreads link: Right By Your Side
Preorder links coming soon!!

Story Description: Best Female Country Artist. Sold out world-wide tour. Record-setting album sales. It’s been a stellar year for Skye Taylor and it’s left her exhausted. All she wants to do is go home to Oklahoma, curl up in her little house, and veg out in pj’s with a pile of junk food. But when her tour bus crashes in the middle of West Texas, her priorities suddenly shift. Now she’s sitting bedside hoping her best friend and bodyguard, KC, survives.  
For Scott Martin, he simply wants this horrible year to end. After the murder of his brother, his family is falling apart. With one crisis after another pulling him back to the family ranch, he’s put way too many late night miles on his truck between his family home and Lubbock, where he works as a paramedic. When he comes upon the wrecked tour bus, he has no idea this is one emergency which will change his life forever.
Skye and Scott quickly form a friendship which hints at possibilities of more. But as these two dodge paparazzi, over-zealous label executives, and stalker fans, they soon discover that everything is easier when you have someone you trust RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE. And that becomes even more important when they discover the bus wreck wasn’t an accident…

First Line Friday...

Hello! Long time no blog, but some of my writer girls have cooked up a meme to help out with that. It's called First Line Friday. 
The idea is we'll all share (unedited) snippets from one of our current Works In Progress. 

My share is a snippet of one of the first scenes from ***RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE*** 
“What’s your name?” he asked her gently, needing to keep her focused and lucid. “Can you tell me what happened?”“Skye. That was KC and my driver was…” A sob erupted from her as she crumpled. Scott caught her and gently lowered her down to a sitting position on the ground. “My driver was Roger. Oh God, I need to call his daughter, Cynthia.”Listening to her lungs with his stethoscope, he tried to get her calmed down, talking to her. “Where were you all traveling?”“We left Austin earlier today and were headed up to Oklahoma. Norman, Oklahoma. Home. I should have let Roger go on and KC and I could have flown. It’s what KC wanted to do. Why didn’t I do that? Oh God, this is all my fault.”“Shh, it’s okay. Calm down. Working yourself up right now won’t do anyone any good. Why were you in Austin?” He needed to distract her.“My label wants a new contract so we were trying to negotiate that.” She chuckled harshly. “Not that that did us any good. Those bastards are trying to take advantage of me.”He stilled. “Wait a minute.” He cleaned some of the blood off her face, trying to see how bad the head wound was, but also trying to see her pale face by the light of his flashlight. Then the name she’d said clicked. “You’re Skye Taylor, aren’t you? I was just listening to you on the radio.”She nodded her head and then closed her eyes with a pain-filled grimace. “Yeah,” she whispered, suddenly paling even more. She tilted to the side. “Whoa,” he said as he steadied her with a grasp to her side. “Tell me what’s happening?”“Dizzy.” She swallowed hard and began breathing a bit heavier. “Feeling a bit sick.” He flashed his flashlight to check the reaction of her pupils as he talked. “Okay, throw up if you need to. Just try to miss me, okay?” She glared at him and he chuckled. Even after everything that had happened she still had some sass in her. He liked that. He lifted the end of his stethoscope. “I’m gonna use this to listen to your chest.” Everything sounded clear, but she was breathing really shallowly. “I know your head and your arm hurt. What else hurts?”“Ribs on the right side.”That was where she held her injured arm so he hadn’t explored the area too much. “Okay, let me check them real quick and make sure you don’t have something else going on.”He started pressing his fingers along her side, brushing the underside of her breast.“Wow, look at you,” she murmured on a gasp of pain. “You made it to second base and I don’t even know your name.” “Scott. Scott Martin,” he said and smiled up at her. 
***(This book will be out sometime around the first or second week of September...depending on edits.) 
AND there will be a new cover reveal sometime next week, so keep an eye on this space.***
Here's the Goodreads link to the book  (note: this is an old cover design, but the book has never been released...I just jumped the gun on posting the cover a couple of years ago.)


After you check mine out, go see what the other girls are up to...

It's a holiday sale!

Hello, everyone! 
Here in the US we're all celebrating the 4th of July with summer fun events...cookouts, days at the lake, and for me that means....lots of reading. 
For those of you that don't know, my original series is about a military-oriented family, the Robertson's. And on this weekend when we celebrate our freedoms, I thought it would be fun to put the Robertson's stories on a special bundle sale.

For this weekend, the price on this bundle will be only $2.99
Amazon B&N Kobo iBooks
This is a special, limited-time release of the When the Mission Ends trilogy e-book bundle... (3 full-length books + 1 novella).

Series Overview: The military has always been a way of life for the three Robertson siblings: older brother, Colton and twins, Chris and Cassie. Colton and Chris went into the Air Force as pilots and Cassie is a military history professor at Texas Tech University. But when Chris’s jet is shot down in a horrible mission gone wrong, it throws their entire world into disarray—affecting not only their lives, but also the lives of their friends.
What happens after that mission ends and they have to find a new focus for living?
Operation: Endgame
It’s been six months.Six months since Jake Madsen let Chris Robertson die.Six months since the passion between Jake and Cassie, Chris’ sister, stepped over the line.But now Cassie’s being stalked and it’s time for Jake to swallow his guilt, grief, and lust so he can save her life, even if it’s a life without him. He owes it to his dead friend and he owes it to Cassie. He’s fallen in love with her, but she doesn’t have to know that for him to keep her safe.
Operation: Endeavor
Colton Robertson left his career in the Air Force…… to come home and help his family heal. Unfortunately, his reception was not quite what he’d hoped for and he ended up as roommate to hippy dippy yoga instructor Penelope Pruitt.Penelope has spent her life under the restrictive thumb of her parents and she doesn’t want to do the same with the straight-laced, serious Colton. But when it becomes apparent that Penelope’s life is in danger, Colton won’t settle for anyone else protecting Penelope besides him.Opposites attract and that’s definitely the case with Colton and Penelope. On the surface, they don’t have anything in common, but as the sparks fly and the danger ramps up, their passion is inevitable.
Operation: Endurance
They had a single night of passion before he deployed on a risky mission.
18 hours on a mission gone very wrong was all it took to shatter all their hopes and dreams.The hero:
He survived 6 months of captivity and torture, kept alive by dreams of her.The heroine:
She thought he was dead and moved on only to have her world fall apart once again.Two people who have been hurt more than any two people should ever have to suffer. Can they find redemption and healing with each other or will another threat shatter what’s left of them?
A tortured hero.
A grieving heroine.
A serial rapist who won’t give up.Warning: This book features graphic sexual violence which some readers could find disturbing.
Before the Mission Begins (read between Op:Endeavor and Op:Endurance)
Before his mission began, he went home. 24 hours to say goodbye to his twin sister.Instead he found her. A girl that was nothing like the one he thought he knew.They have 24 hours. 24 hours before he deploys on an extremely dangerous mission. 24 hours together in a freak West Texas snowstorm. 24 hours that will have to get them both through the awful next year.When the resident good-girl decides to take on the visiting bad-boy, 24 hours is all it takes to change their lives forever.This is the story of the 24 hours that no one knew ever occurred…until now.
*****The book is also available in print, but it's a BIG book that way...But that makes it a great bargain. The retail on the print is $20.99, but right now Amazon has it priced at $15.94.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend.
Happy Reading!

Favorite Books so far in 2015...

We're six months into the year. I don't know if you all know this, but I'm a HUGE reader. In fact, I have a book review blog...Smitten with Reading.
And I know that this is my author blog right now, but I thought it might be fun for you, my readers, to see what I read and loved.
So far this year I've read 195 books. 17 have made it to my favorites list.
So here is the list...the books I've read in 2015 that I've thought are phenomenal...so far.
(I'm listing these in order of how I've read them.) 1. Trade Me by Courtney Milancontemporary romanceLink to my Review
2. We Found Love by Kade Boehme and Allison Cassattamale/male contemporary romanceLink to my review.
3. The Truth As He Knows It by A.M. Arthurmale/male contemporary romanceLink to my review.
4. Game Play by Lynda Aichercontemporary romance - sportsLink to my review.
5. Garrett by Sawyer Bennettcontemporary romance - sportsLink to my review.
6. Black John by Amy Lanemale/male contemporary romanceLink to my review.
7. The Trouble with Love by Lauren Laynecontemporary romanceLink to my review.
8. The Risk by Skye Jordancontemporary romance - sportsLink to my review.
9. This Heart of Mine by Brenda Novakcontemporary romanceLink to my review.(note: this was my first A++ rating of the year...ugly sobbing through this bk)
10. Since Drew by J. NathanNew Adult - sportLink to my review.
11. Black Rainbow by J.J. McAvoyNew Adult - rock starLink to my review.
12. All Kinds of Tied Down by Mary Calmesmale/male romantic suspenseLink to my review.
13. Game Changer by Melissa Cutlercontemporary romance - sportsLink to my review.
14. Lonely Shore by Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensenmale/male science fiction romantic suspenseLink to my review.
15. Kneel, Mr. President by Lauren Gallaghererotic romanceLink to my review.
16. Yours All Along by Roni Lorenmale/male contemporary romanceLink to my review.
17. Stealing Second by Alison Packardcontemporary romance - sportsLink to my review.
Hmm, interesting. Of the 17 books I've loved so far this year:*12 were contemporary romance*6 were male/male romance*6 were within the sports themed genre
Maybe for my next book, I should write a male/male contemporary romance set in the sports world. Hmm, something to consider. hehe.
************
Not that I don't have enough keeping me busy. 
Just so you know, right now I'm writing two books at once. They're both *supposed* to be novellas, but honestly, they're looking like they'll be full-length novels.1. Intertwined Hearts - menage story set within the Snowcroft World2. Josh & KC (needs a better name) - m/m set within the Martin Ranch World
And I'm editing and prepping two books to go out to betas...1. Right By Your Side - first Martin Ranch book (m/f full-length romantic suspense - new series which is a spinoff from When the Mission Ends series)2. Found At the Library - 55,000 word male/male stand alone novel - Christmas story.

Timeline for my Self-Publishing process...

I know I'm not on here much with just general writing stuff, but I had written this up for someone in my local writing group and was encouraged to post it on my blog, too.

I don't think it's a secret for most of you here that I self-publish. With the release of LANCE, that was my eleventh self-published release. And I've discovered that there's a certain method/timeline that I have to work with after I've finished that first draft (which honestly is about the only fun step of this process...LOL...that, and getting that first print copy in my hands.)

So here is MY timeline for all the steps needed after I finish my first draft.

NOTE...this is my process, but tons of other people do it differently. This is just what I've found works for me so that I get the best, most polished novel I can into readers' hands.

Timeline for Publishing...
Disclaimer...this is entirely from my experience self-publishing. I’m about to publish my 12thbook, my 11th one self-published. This is DEFiNITELY NOT the only way to go through the process. It’s just the way I go through it.
Steps in publishing:1.     Alpha reader...ideally this happens while you are writing the first draft of the book. An alpha reader reads as you write and gives feedback about what’s working and what’s not. This is a huge benefit, because you know if the story is working well or not. Ideally this person should be a writer too, so they understand the nuances of writing and weaving story lines. The other added benefit is that if your story is really good this person will push you daily to write faster so they can read more of the story.2.     1stDraft done... you need to walk away...at least for 2 weeks or more so that you can get some separation from your story and not be so emotionally attached. 3.     Rewrite time... One week to a month or more...First thing you need to do is read your book as a reader....and take copious notes about what needs to be fixed. Then you need to set about fixes. Honestly, through this process you will need to read your book at least 10 times. It’s a painful, painstaking process of fixing your book. 4.     Betas... When it’s as polished as you can get it, now you need to send your book to betas. You need to plan them to have it for a minimum of two weeks. Ask for specific and general feedback. The more feedback you get, the better your book will be. But I’ll be honest here...this isn’t going to be as harsh as you need it to be. No one likes to be mean.5.     Rewrite time #2...plan on a week or two to go in and fix the things that the betas pointed out. 6.     Reread the entire book again as a reader...and polish even more.7.     Developmental Editing...this is the first editing pass. You should plan on the editor taking a minimum of 2 weeks to a month to get your book back to you. It’s going to be painful...I mean like curl up in a ball and swear you will never call yourself a writer again kind of painful. For me, I have to let these edits simmer 2-3 days before I can mentally handle taking them on after I read them. 8.     Apply 1stround edits...And then it will take me a week or two to apply them all (for an 85k book).9.     Reread and do final prep for second editing pass. At this point you may want to hit up more beta readers to see if the story is working if you had big developmental editing changes.10. Final edits...plan two weeks for the editor to have it and then another few days to a week to apply those changes.11. Reread one final time. You’re down to the wire now and this is when everything should be looking super-polished. If it’s not, then you have more work. 12. Proofreading...this needs to be done by someone who’s anal and has NEVER read the story before. If they’ve read it, they will skim. It can’t be helped. Plan for this person to have your book 3 days or longer depending on their real life and reading speed.13. Final fixes. This should take an hour or less. See #1114. Formatting for print and ebook. I do this myself so I only have myself to determine how long it takes, but if you send it off, again, plan on a week or more for someone else to fit you into their schedule.
All told, I plan a minimum of two months for this process from the time I finish my first draft...and that’s if I feel like the book is fairly polished and ready. It’s much longer and much more difficult if it’s not. Also the longer the book, the longer all these steps take.

I also like to have EVERY part of it complete at least three weeks before my release date so I have time to get it into reviewers’ hands and upload it for pre-order (which has to be done at least 10 days out.)

Did you know? Snowcroft details...

Here are some things that you may not know about Snowcroft...
1. The Snowcroft series is a spin-off from my When the Mission Ends series. The fourth book in that series, When Love Intrudes, had the hero and heroine on the run with a 17 yo gay teenager. They ran to Snowcroft, where the hero, Brian, had access to some friends cabin. 
Those friends were Rand and Hudson. Rand owns a motorcycle shop in San Antonio. Hudson is a chef from Austin. They're both gay, but just friends. We'll find out more about the why's of that later when Rand gets his book. Again, this story will go back to Brian and a certain car that made an appearance in that book...intrigue. ;)
Also Trevor and Jamie were introduced in When Love Intrudes. Brian, the hero, wanted Jamie to talk to a very confused teenager, Nathan. Nathan has made an appearance in both Snowcroft books since and will also eventually have his own book in the series. I think his will be last in the series, but that's still a ways off. (We have to give him a few years to get a bit older.)
2. Snowcroft is based upon a real town in the southern New Mexico mountains. We lived there for three years and my twenty year old son was born during that time. Now, my parents have retired there. 
It's funny because I had a reviewer that made a comment about finding it odd that this New Mexico town is made up of people with ties to Texas. I have to laugh. For us Texans, that little mountain town is heaven. At 9200 feet elevation, it's a haven of cool when it's 105-110 degrees in Texas.  And yes, almost EVERYONE who lives in the town has ties to Texas, because it's not that far away. That's the way the town has always been. In the winter the population is 750 people. In the summer it swells to 2000-2500 with all the transplanted Texans who move in for the summer. 
3. Most people know this by now, but I originally planned for Law's book to be next. That's still the plan...at least for the full length male/male romantic suspense aspect of the series.
BUT there is another book coming before his...Intertwined Hearts.
The idea for this book came from one of my beta readers, Lee Murphy. She suggested that Leigh, Jamie's sister, needed to become a surrogate and have Jamie and Trevor's baby. I liked the idea, especially as I got to know Leigh better. (and can you believe, I didn't even think about the fact they have the same name until I started reading back over this blog post...LOL...no wonder Lee liked fictional Leigh so much.)
I'm writing Intertwined Hearts right now and foresee it probably coming out in September. It's a little different for the series. I'm planning it to be a 50,000 word novella and it will be an m/m/f without any of the suspense that the rest of the series normally features. (I think...remember, I'm writing it still and my characters tend to go their own way, so we'll see.) 
You all have met two of the main characters in it...Leigh (Jamie's sister) and Hudson (Jamie's former friends with benefits friend). Yep, you heard that right and NEVER would I have guessed they'd go together, but there's another guy, David, coming on the scene and the three of them just work...even if they don't see it quite yet.
Is anyone interested in reading the blurb?? I'm really super-excited about this one, so I'm going to share even if you don't care yet. hehe. I should also have a cover reveal coming in the next couple of months.
Intertwined Hearts
Three people who’ve given up on love...
Hudson:After a brutal, late-night attack in his restaurant left Chef Hudson Richmond too traumatized to even enter his restaurant again, he escaped to Snowcroft. Now he’s trying to find a new normal when the reality of his world is a man’s touch makes him sick and his dream has become his nightmare.
Leigh:Leigh Vaughn lives in a man’s world running Vaughn Construction with her brother, Jamie. She’s tried to be feminine and failed over and over again. Growing up with only her brother, father, and construction crews to guide her, Leigh has no idea what a feminine wile is, much less how to deploy them. But when Jamie and Trevor begin to research finding a surrogate to carry their baby, she knows this is something she can do. Hell, it’s not like those parts are getting used for anything else.
David:When this small town came looking for a new sheriff, David Warner jumped at the chance. After too many years spent working vice in the city, he’s burnt out and jaded. And his love life has been even more depressing than his work life. He’s made one true connection in the last five years, but she disappeared without a trace the next morning.
Three people who have given up on love, may just find a new beginning where they least expect it...in Snowcroft. But love is only supposed to happen in twos. How can they make it work with three intertwined hearts?

Lance is available NOW!

Here are the basics:Title: LanceAuthor: Christi SnowRelease Date: June 5, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romantic SuspenseSeries: Book #2 of the Male Model Chronicles SeriesWordcount: approximately 40,000 wordsPrice: $2.99 ebook/ $7.99 print
Story Overview:Lance…
As the owner and CEO of Lancer Industries, Matthew Lancer spends his days in three piece suits and conducting meetings that affect the world financial markets. What the world doesn’t know is that Matthew Lancer has a deep, dark secret. He’s actually super-hot, super-sexy, and covered in tattoos. When he can, he spends his free time letting loose as bad-boy male model, Lance Jones. No one knows and it has to stay that way or Lance will lose the one thing that’s keeping his high pressure life sane.

Andi Kelly writes erotic romance. Day in and day out, she imagines a world filled with bondage, multiple partners, and just a few whips and chains. But that’s the fantasy life in her novels. In the real world, she’s an introvert who spends her days at home living out her fantasies through her laptop. Andi’s finally worked up the courage to ask Shauna Kruse if she can sit in on the photoshoot for Andi’s next novel…with her model-crush, Lance Jones.

But Lancer Industries has a mole and it’s put both Andi and Lance in danger. Lance’s two worlds collide and when corporate espionage meets erotic romance, there’s no telling what might happen.

The second in a new series of novellas inspired by Shauna Kruse’s photography and her beautiful male models.

The Male Model Chronicles.

Disclaimer: The Male Model Chronicles, a new fictional series, is built around the real-life world of Kruse Images & Photography and the gorgeous male models that Shauna Kruse gets to immortalize in her photos. The heroes are real people who also happen to be male models, but every single other thing about the series is fiction. 
Amazon 
Barnes and Noble
Kobo 
iBooks 


Early Praise for Lance....
"It's a refreshing twist on classic romantic suspense..."-Lisa from Goodreads
"....cuteness and suspense in one quick read package."-Grace from Goodreads
"HOT, HOT, HOT!!! It is filled with lust, suspense and emotion."-Heather from Goodreads

You Can Pre-order Lance...

Hello, everyone. I've been so busy trying to finish the first draft of RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE that I have neglected getting this information out there as well as I should have. 
The second book of the Male Model Chronicles, LANCE, is releasing on Friday!!
Amazon pre-order Barnes and Noble pre-order Kobo pre-order iBooks pre-order
Story Description: Lance…
As the owner and CEO of Lancer Industries, Matthew Lancer spends his days in three piece suits and conducting meetings that affect the world financial markets. What the world doesn’t know is that Matthew Lancer has a deep, dark secret. He’s actually super-hot, super-sexy, and covered in tattoos. When he can, he spends his free time letting loose as bad-boy male model, Lance Jones. No one knows and it has to stay that way or Lance will lose the one thing that’s keeping his high pressure life sane.

Andi Kelly writes erotic romance. Day in and day out, she imagines a world filled with bondage, multiple partners, and just a few whips and chains. But that’s the fantasy life in her novels. In the real world, she’s an introvert who spends her days at home living out her fantasies through her laptop. Andi’s finally worked up the courage to ask Shauna Kruse if she can sit in on the photoshoot for Andi’s next novel…with her model-crush, Lance Jones.

But Lancer Industries has a mole and it’s put both Andi and Lance in danger. Lance’s two worlds collide and when corporate espionage meets erotic romance, there’s no telling what might happen.

The second in a new series of novellas inspired by Shauna Kruse’s photography and her beautiful male models.

The Male Model Chronicles.

Disclaimer: The Male Model Chronicles, a new fictional series, is built around the real-life world of Kruse Images & Photography and the gorgeous male models that Shauna Kruse gets to immortalize in her photos. The heroes are real people who also happen to be male models, but every single other thing about the series is fiction.