Cecilia Tan's Blog, page 15

Ooooh. My publisher put Slow Surrender on 99 cents sale!

If you’ve been meaning to pick up my award-winning BDSM contemporary “billionaire” romance novel SLOW SURRENDER, the ebook’s been discounted right now to 99 cents everywhere! They’re running a “Dark and Twisty Romance” sale. Here are links to my book:

Amazon | iTunes/iBooks | Kobo | B&N Nook

You can find other books in the Dark and Twisty Romance sale on each of the sites, too. Here’s a link to the B&N page. Slow Surrender is the first book in a three-book series.

David Bowie: It’s like a guardian angel is gone

I was up all night last night when I discovered David Bowie had died. My entire Twitter feed turned into a wake until dawn. 100% of the tweets, except for the promoted tweets about the movie The Martian (eerie coincidence) having won a Golden Globe award. Spiders from Mars indeed.

I’ve talked about Bowie a lot, and written about him a little. Most recently the essay I had in QUEERS DESTROY SCIENCE FICTION I talk about how as a misfit 11-year-old I found a role model in Bowie not only for daring to declare himself bisexual, but in the embrace of science fiction analogies to define himself “Other.” He created a persona that was a space alien. Later he created other personas…some of which were space aliens pretending to, or learning to be, humans. Just knowing he existed was a spark of encouragement that growing up a sci-loving nerd with gender conformity issues was going to turn out OKAY.

At the time I didn’t grasp that his true role as my guardian angel had a third component, that of creative person and artist itself. Everything he did invited analysis, deconstruction, and questioning. He showed you the seams, the things being mashed up, and it didn’t detract from the amazing final product at all, whether that was an album or a video or a painting or a conceptual stage play. He was the avatar of creative force itself. And he unabashedly represented that conformity was not art’s job.

Guardian angel is not really the right word but I’m at a loss to find the right ones. Patron saint isn’t quite right either. Bodhisattva? Not a God but a luminous spirit in human form who walked among us but who one could always look up to, like a navigational star, to be reminded that creativity and art are a calling unto themselves and that guarding one’s creative heart is a spiritual duty.

Most recently I even used him as muse: the fragile shy persona Bowie fashioned in the mid-1980s, the period of Screaming Lord Byron and his acting turn as partner-in-crime vampire to Catherine Deneuve in THE HUNGER, that was the basis for James, the hero in my BDSM romance series Struck by Lightning. It wasn’t Bowie, per se, it was a facet of the thousand faces of the divinity of art that had its avatar in Bowie. That it was so complex was Bowie through and through. Slow Surrender, the first book in that series, won the RT Reviewers Choice Award and the Magnolia Award. A sure sign that following that star through the night sky led in the right direction.

That star has fallen now, though, hasn’t it? I feel a sense of loss so deep and profound I hardly know what to make of it. That my entire tribe of writers, actors, musicians, and random people on Twitter spent the entire night eulogizing him seems to indicate I’m not the only one being hit so deeply. I thought Leonard Nimoy, another childhood role model, left a hole when he passed. That was only a hole in my heart though. Bowie’s loss leaves a vacuum in my psyche where I didn’t even realize he was, he’d been there so long, a constant presence, underpinning so much of my understanding of self and what it is to be a creative person.

Now I have to fill that vacuum on my own, I suppose, by making art. Which, fortunately, is what I do. It’s frightening to do it without that star as a guide. The thing is, of course, Bowie’s art is all around us. The canon is closed now and we can experience it forever at our leisure. (Thank goodness I listened to the Blackstar album before the news.) But it’s different now that all we have is the Bible, when God is dead and the angel is gone. I do supposed it means it’s up to us to find the spirit within. Bowie made nonconformity for the sake of art into an artform itself. Now it’s up to us to carry that torch and make the art.

Arisia schedule for Cecilia Tan: 1 erotica reading, 2 parties, 4 panels!

The Arisia science fiction convention is next week in Boston, at the Westin Waterfront, with guest of honor John Scalzi. My panel & appearance schedule has finally settled down and shaped up to the following four panels, two parties, and one erotica reading! Details:

Friday, Jan 15th, 8:30 pm

PANEL: Playing in Other People’s Sandboxes

This discussion will explore the pleasure for both writers and readers in augmenting pre-existing characters and universes. This discussion is to include for-love and as well as for-profit fanfic works. Panelists: Cecilia Tan, Walter H. Hunt, Elizabeth McCoy, William Frank, Akiko Meigetsu.

Friday, Jan 15th, 11:30 pm

EROTICA READING

I’ll be hosting my traditional Friday night erotica reading. This year to keep things fresh and interesting I might have a few special guests as “opening acts” and then I’ll read several selections of erotic science fiction and geekporn of my devising. Being the longstanding maven of erotic sf/f as I am, my goal is to send everyone back to their rooms horny as fuck. I usually succeed.

Saturday, Jan 16th, 10am

PANEL: Constructing Languages

Many SF/F worlds have their own languages, Elvish and Klingon being two of the best known. How do you create languages that make sense? From etymology to grammar to culture, there are many aspects to consider. How does a language reflect the identities of its speakers? How do we make our languages and vocabularies believable? With panelists Cecilia Tan, Lawrence M. Schoen, Anne Nydam, John Chu.

Saturday, Jan 16th, 11:30am

PANEL: Nonstandard Paths to Magic

It’s not all solemn formal ritual. In Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s _Signal to Noise_, it’s music that’s magic; in Ned Beauman’s _Glow_, it’s drugs. If we set aside the assumption that magic can only be accessed in one specific way, what else can become a pathway to magic? If magic is everywhere, how do characters choose to manifest and use it in ways that flow organically? What about sufficiently advanced technology? With panelists: Cecilia Tan, Mark W. Richards, Sarah Smith, Bob Kuhn, Kiini Ibura Salaam.

Saturday, Jan 16th, 3-5pm in Suite 407

TEA PARTY WITH CIRCLET PRESS

Come meet Circlet Press authors Lauren P. Burka, Vinnie Tesla, Catt Kingsgrave, Cameron Quintain, and the editors of the erotica anthology LIKE A CIRCLET EDITOR Bethany Zaiatz and D. Mark Alderton who will all be there to greet readers, autograph books, and of course we’ll have tea. And maybe even scones.

Saturday, Jan 16th, 8pm to 1am in Room 461

HOGWARTS ALUMNI REUNION

A Harry Potter themed party for adults. Costumes encouraged, wands required! RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/434893093385753/

Sunday, Jan 17th, 10pm (yes that’s 10 at night)

PANEL: Who’s on First (Contact): SF/F and Baseball

Since its creation baseball has enchanted fans and casual acquaintances alike both of science fiction and fantasy and of baseball itself. From Mike Resnick to Ray Bradbury, dozens of fantastic stories and novels have been written about this sport, and baseball remains a favorite source of inspiration for authors and creators of speculative fiction. Come with Arisia and celebrate the Great American Pastime and its connection with science fiction and fantasy past, present and future. With panelists: Cecilia Tan, Ken Gale, and Daniel Miller.

Digital box set available only until Feb 1st at • All Romance eBooks • Amazon • Smashwords • B&N • Kobo • iTunes/iBooks • Riverdale Avenue Books (publisher website)

Wild Licks! BDSM rock star romance cover revealed!

I know I’m blogging a lot about my Secrets of a Rock Star series this month because book one launches on Jan 26th, but book two is making a splash this week! Yesterday Ever After Romance revealed the cover for WILD LICKS, but even they haven’t seen the sexy “ebook only” version of the cover!

Below I’ve got the side by side versions, and then below that I also made an animation that transitions from the mild version to the wild version. Va-va-voom!

Paperback cover on the left, ebook cover on the right. Yum.

Release date for this bad boy is August 2, 2017 but you can order it already at:

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

(Book one in the series, Taking the Lead, also has a sexy dual cover design: http://blog.ceciliatan.com/archives/2335 – Release date: January 26 2016)

The paperback is the “mild” version, the ebook has the “wild” version.

RT Book Reviews loved TAKING THE LEAD!

Whew! While I had a cold over the past few weeks, plus the holidays, I didn’t remember to download my PDF subscription copy to RT magazine, so I completely missed that they gave TAKING THE LEAD four stars! And included the cover on the reviews page! The publicity department at Hachette just forwarded this to me, hooray!

“An emotional whirlwind romance”

they said, and…

“strong and sexy rock star hero without being an overly brooding jerk”

Yes!! I love it when reviewers understand. :-)

Order the book:Indiebound bookstores|Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Kobo|iTunes|Google Play

Get a free copy of upcoming BDSM romance TAKING THE LEAD by Cecilia Tan

My upcoming rock stars & BDSM erotic romance novel TAKING THE LEAD comes out officially in three weeks! Right now there are three ways to get your hands on a free advance copy!

1) Enter the Goodreads Giveaway contest

2) NetGalley

3) Ask me for a copy!

Details:

1) Enter the Goodreads Giveaway contest

Anyone with an account on Goodreads can enter the giveaway. My publisher is giving away 15 copies and it costs nothing to enter! Just click here to enter: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/167081-taking-the-lead

2) NetGalley

If you’re a NetGalley reviewer, my publisher doesn’t automatically approve all requests. So email me if you want to review it through NetGalley and I’ll forward your email to them. They’ll email you back the NetGalley widget! I’m at ctan.writer @ gmail.com

3) Ask me for a copy!

Will you promise to post a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads between January 26th and January 29th? If you’re in the USA or Canada I’ll mail you an advance reading copy of the book! No really, first 12 people to email me your shipping addresses and pledge to review it within 3 days of the book’s release, I’ll mail it to you! (You don’t have to promise to *like* it, just to give it an honest review. Of course I hope you will like it, though!)

Order the book: Indiebound bookstores | Amazon|Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play

Ricki Hamilton and her sister have just inherited a vast estate in the Hollywood hills. Unfortunately, with that legacy comes the most exclusive club in Hollywood history, a secret BDSM establishment where only the rich and the naughty come to play. Ricki wants nothing to do with BDSM and is trying to find ways to get out of having to run the club . . . until she meets Axel, a sexy and enigmatic rock star who makes her want to submit to needs she didn’t know she had.

Praised by Tara Sue Me, author of The Submissive series, and Christina Lauren, authors of the Beautiful series!

“Everyone knows Cecilia Tan is the queen of hot, but she’s also the queen of wit and angst and voice. Taking the Lead is a book that grabs you by the collar and gives you flirty-eyes. It will tell you, ‘Go sit, over there in the corner chair, and don’t get up until you’re done.’ You will do it-absolutely and happily-because Cecilia knows exactly what you want.”―Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Bastard and Sweet Filthy Boy

“Cecilia Tan writes erotic romance the way it was meant to be written: full of emotion, intensity, and chemistry that’s so hot it burns the page. Taking the Lead is no exception; it’s deliciously sexy and utterly satisfying.”―Tara Sue Me, New York Times bestselling author

The “Harry Potter with sex” bundle is in the top 50!

Woo! The rush of folks to fill up their new e-readers and Kindles has pushed the limited time Magic University bundle into the top 50 in Amazon’s bisexual romance bestseller list! I’m very psyched about this, as you might imagine!

Reminder to fans who have already read the series, if you just want the bonus novella, Christmas Magic, you can do any a good turn for me or the world and I’ll email it to you free. Details in my earlier post: http://blog.ceciliatan.com/archives/2613 (tl;dr — write a review, donate to a good cause, get free ebook!)

For those who are new to the series and trying to figure out what “bisexual romance” means exactly, it’s a bit of an odd category that includes some menage and multi-partner romances, some “switched from one orientation to another” romances, and some flat out porn that may not really be “romance” to some readers but which gets thrown into the list at the Kindle store anyway. What makes the Magic University series bisexual is our hero, Kyle, whose quest for true love brings him through many trials and experiences, including everything from traditional sweet (heterosexual) romance to a kind of four-way poly quad he forms with his best friend and their lovers, to his attraction/obsession with his nemesis/rival.

Kyle’s true magic is love and the ways he is able to open his heart again and again despite being hurt in the past (and present). With no restrictions on the gender of those whom he loves, that lands him in the bisexual category–and bestseller list–on Amazon.

Me, I call it new adult erotic fantasy romance and that is already enough adjectives, no?

Please tell your friends about it now while it’s such a great deal, $9.99 for all six books in the series (five full books plus the new novella)!

Buy it now from: • All Romance eBooks • Amazon • Smashwords • B&N • Kobo • iTunes/iBooks • Riverdale Avenue Books (publisher website)

and other favorite retailers.

The digital box set is only available until February 1st!

“Like Harry Potter But With Lots of Sex” and notes on Magic University bundle

As you may know if you follow my social media, my publisher has put the Magic University series (plus a new novella!) on sale as a bundle for the superlow price of $9.99 (regularly each book would be $6 so this is a big discount!) with the idea that lots of folks may get new Kindles, tablets, or e-readers for the holidays and this would be a fun series to gift or get.

The result is lots of folks talking the series up to their friends on social media, etc. and a spate of new reviews. I thought I’d compile some of the most fun ones here:

@jlevine3 @ghostwritingcow @ceciliatan @amazon literally the best sales pitch for anything I've ever heard

— biracial af (@alyssakeiko) December 26, 2015

@jlevine3 one of my main complaints about HP was always "it's unrealistic that there's this little boning among 16 yr olds" so this is A+

— biracial af (@alyssakeiko) December 26, 2015

I usually credit Cecilia Tan with “making me buy a Kindle”

…a super fun romp…

Paranormal Smut Junkie reviewed the last book in the series:

“Magic University was a super fun romp and I highly recommend the entire series. However, it is definitely not for the timid or close-minded, especially as this last installment tends to blur the gender lines & norms.”

Sex = Magic in this world, and there are people who wield it well…and…those who don’t.

What’s funny is that the brand new segment in the bundle, the Christmas Magic novella, is the one part of the series that I have no feedback on, since it isn’t a standalone product so it wasn’t sent out to reviewers and it’s not reviewable on its own on Amazon or on Goodreads! So I truly hope everyone’s enjoying it? Please feel free to drop me a comment here or on social media letting me know if you did! (No spoilers if you can help it, please) :-)

Get the bundle at • All Romance eBooks • Amazon • Smashwords • B&N • Kobo • iTunes/iBooks • Riverdale Avenue Books (publisher website)

Magic University “Christmas Magic” Excerpt!

Some of you have been asking me what the bonus novella in the Magic University digital box set is like. I figure the best way to answer that question is give you all a little taste! But note! SPOILER ALERT! The novella takes place AFTER the series, so you really need to read the series first before you understand what’s going on here and why it matters.

Info on how to get the novella for free here: http://blog.ceciliatan.com/archives/2613Info on ordering the digital box set that includes it here: http://blog.ceciliatan.com/archives/2609

Christmas Magic

by Cecilia Tan

Excerpt:

“Dante’s fucking inferno, Tristan.” I press the phone against my ear as if I can squeeze hard enough, my head won’t explode from frustration. “The conjuration was supposed to be your part of the ritual.”

My classmate’s voice sounds tiny, as if my ire has shrunken him. “I know. I’m sorry. But Frost, you’re clearly the best conjurer on the team.”

“Not when I have no notice or time to prepare!” I snap. We’re supposed to do a group ritual in tomorrow’s class. I look around the common room as if some kind of help might appear, but it’s mid-afternoon and everyone else is at class or out. “What about Megan. Could she take over for you?”

“I called her first,” he says miserably. “Everyone knows you’re the best.”

“Yes, but I’m also the best ritual designer and that was supposed to be my role on the team.” I look out the window at Harvard Yard but there is no help from that direction either. “And I told you, I can’t perform conjuration well without… a lot of preparation.” My hesitation is not because I am telling a lie, though I am not telling him the whole truth.

The reason they all think I’m such a top-notch conjurer is I used to have power to spare. It used to practically ooze out my pores. Ever since The Storm, though, my situation has been decidedly different.

I check the time. Half past three. The first of December. That means we’ve only got about forty-five minutes of sunlight left.

Through the wavy, ancient glass of the window I make out a welcome, familiar figure. “Call you back in an hour,” I say to Tristan.

“So you’ll do it?”

“I’ll let you know. One hour.” I hang up and rush out the door to greet Kyle on the walkway, despite the fact I’m not wearing a coat and it’s nippy out.

He catches me in a kiss. “Something wrong?” he asks, then answers himself: “Something’s wrong.”

“Sort of,” I say. “Can we hurry upstairs?” I tug at his belt loop and lick my lips and he gets the idea of why I want to be alone.

“Lead the way.”

Up in the attic dorm room I have to myself, I start stripping out of my clothes the moment the door shuts.

“Whoa, slow down, Frost. What’s…?”

“You always said if I ever needed power that you were willing to serve. That when my stores ran low you wouldn’t hesitate. I always meant to have a more nuanced discussion with you about the morals of that but right now I need you to fuck me until my eyes glow.”

Happy Holidays!

Only available until Feb 1st! The Magic University Box Set is now live!

And now it’s live! This limited-time digital box set includes all the Magic University books (four novels plus an anthology of 17 short stories) plus a special bonus Christmas-themed novella “Christmas Magic” that takes place after the final book!

The digital box set is only $9.99 (a $35 value), a great gift for anyone who loves erotic romance, magic, and fantasy (yourself included…) whether you have a brand new e-reader to fill or not.

Buy it now from:

• Amazon

• Smashwords

• B&N

• Kobo

• iTunes/iBooks

and other favorite retailers.

The digital box set is only available until February 1st!

Bisexual new adult college-themed erotic fantasy/paranormal romance — what’s not to love?

More blurbs of praise etc under the cut:

“Tan has long been one of the foremost voices in writing and publishing erotic sci-fi and fantasy. With her New Adult paranormal romance Magic University series, Tan combines her favorite elements from the Harry Potter books with LGBT characters and eroticism. Her protagonist Kyle Wadsworth, studying at the secret magical university Veritas, learns to harness sex magic to combat sirens and prophecies alike. With Kyle starting out knowing less than Jon Snow, he experiences the kind of in-depth sexual apprenticeship that Anastasia Steele should have learned at the hands of Christian Grey.”—Tor.com

“Magic adds a level of spice to Kyle’s journey. … There are many very sensual scenes in the story, with a final scene that is a climax in a lot of interesting ways. The Magic University series looks like it’s going to be a fun ride with lots of eroticism. The Siren and the Sword is a delicious start.”
–Paranormal Romance Reviews

“Magic University has a good storyline, and the types of magic used are very innovative and set it apart from other books of this genre. Though at times the author alludes to what is going to possibly happen, she does a wonderful job of keeping the reader guessing right up until the end. … Ms. Tan has done an outstanding job of feeding my Harry Potter obsession in a very adult fashion.” — Book Wenches

“Joining Kyle as he experienced many rites of passage, both ordinary and magical, was a delight. It was such a treat to escape to Veritas. The world of “magic users” is enticing and I look forward to spending more time at Veritas. Count me in for the whole series, it’s just that good.” — Manic Readers Reviews