Michelle Clay's Blog, page 10
February 5, 2012
Love is in the Air Giveaway Hop
Welcome to the Love is in the Air Giveaway, hosted by Under The Covers Book Blog! I'm giving away an international prize, an ebook copy of BITTER BLACK KISS!! Please be sure to visit Under The Covers Book Blog for a complete list of participants.
~Comment below with your favorite Valentine's Day tradition or gift to be eligible to win.~ Winner chosen by Random.org ~
Former event planner Nicole Riley lost not only her job, but part of her humanity when a concert in L.A., fails catastrophically and the band attacks a rival werewolf pack. Now Nicky keeps her "inner beast" subdued by taking wolfsbane and refuses to become a monster. She's trying to rebuild her reputation and manages the nightclub, Bitter Black, where Brody Dunn is the dee-jay.
Brody Dunn, a former special crimes detective turned private investigator, plays on Nicole's sympathy by claiming to have just suffered a wolf bite. He keeps his past, careers, agenda and just about everything else from Nicole - except for his attraction.
They have bigger problems than Brody's lies. Nicole's boss is a ruthless druglord, determined to have Nicole for himself. The danger increases for everyone when he challenges the local Alpha. If they survive, and she can forgive Brody's betrayal, will she accept what they've become?
Read an EXCERPT of Bitter Black Kiss. Can't wait to see if you win? Purchase now through Amazon or Barnes and Noble
Romancing the Valentine Giveaway Hop
Welcome to the Romancing the Valentine blog hop, hosted by Reading Romances! I'm giving away an international prize, an ebook copy of BITTER BLACK KISS!!
~Comment below with your favorite Valentine's Day tradition or gift to be eligible to win.~ Winner chosen by Random.org. Be sure to check out Reading Romance's Blog to see a list of all participants.~
Former event planner Nicole Riley lost not only her job, but part of her humanity when a concert in L.A., fails catastrophically and the band attacks a rival werewolf pack. Now Nicky keeps her "inner beast" subdued by taking wolfsbane and refuses to become a monster. She's trying to rebuild her reputation and manages the nightclub, Bitter Black, where Brody Dunn is the dee-jay. Brody Dunn, a former special crimes detective turned private investigator, plays on Nicole's sympathy by claiming to have just suffered a wolf bite. He keeps his past, careers, agenda and just about everything else from Nicole - except for his attraction.
They have bigger problems than Brody's lies. Nicole's boss is a ruthless druglord, determined to have Nicole for himself. The danger increases for everyone when he challenges the local Alpha. If they survive, and she can forgive Brody's betrayal, will she accept what they've become?
Read an EXCERPT of Bitter Black Kiss.
Can't wait to see if you win? Buy the book now from Amazon or Barnes and Noble
January 28, 2012
Siphoning Inspiration
Generally after someone learns I'm a writer and we've had a discussion about what kind of novels I write, it is invariably followed with "Where do you get book ideas from?"
There is no easy answer to it and just short of seeing their eyes glaze over, I normally answer that life in general is filled with all sorts of amazing inspiration be it in movies, music, news or even that hot dude at the mall, etc.
All of this is true, however, recently I've found my day job has been a source of inspiration. Now, the type of job I have could provide the basis to write true crime/drama/inspirational novels daily, but I'm not all about that. Normally I'd say those 8+ hours impede my writing time, and it does at times, but the type of career I have enables me to see a wide variety of people and situations. Another perk, I am based out in the middle of nowhere. To get to the next client or meeting, oftentimes, I have to drive 1 to 2 hours. That's a lot of time to reflect on the story I'm currently working on, dialogue that's not working out and even scenes that refuse to flow. When I suffer the dreaded writer's block, I grab the keys!
What do you do to get that creativity in gear? Where do you find YOUR inspiration?
It's been a few days since I've written ... I feel a road trip coming on! :)
Until next time, Write On!
There is no easy answer to it and just short of seeing their eyes glaze over, I normally answer that life in general is filled with all sorts of amazing inspiration be it in movies, music, news or even that hot dude at the mall, etc.
All of this is true, however, recently I've found my day job has been a source of inspiration. Now, the type of job I have could provide the basis to write true crime/drama/inspirational novels daily, but I'm not all about that. Normally I'd say those 8+ hours impede my writing time, and it does at times, but the type of career I have enables me to see a wide variety of people and situations. Another perk, I am based out in the middle of nowhere. To get to the next client or meeting, oftentimes, I have to drive 1 to 2 hours. That's a lot of time to reflect on the story I'm currently working on, dialogue that's not working out and even scenes that refuse to flow. When I suffer the dreaded writer's block, I grab the keys!
What do you do to get that creativity in gear? Where do you find YOUR inspiration?
It's been a few days since I've written ... I feel a road trip coming on! :)
Until next time, Write On!
January 25, 2012
Bitter Black Kiss review by Sizzling Hot Book Reviews.
Bitter Black Kiss by Michelle Clay
Nicole Riley is the club manager at Bitter Black. She turned it around from a dying neighborhood dive and made it one of the premier places to be. Bitter Black is one of three clubs owned by Sean Stone that Nicole manages. Nicole needed to be successful, her last job of managing a band turned into a nightmare where at the concert people were attacked and infected with the Lycanthrope virus. As the person that set up the concert and security, Nicole was the one who ending up being blamed, even though she had been infected also. She is still trying to put the pieces of that life in the past. Nicole does not want to be associated with Werewolves, and is taking the street drug wolves' bane to keep from turning. To make matters worse, her ex-husband Aaron was the one who infected her and he has been stalking her since. Nicole is constantly looking over her shoulder, scared to trust any man after what Aaron did to her.
Nicole can't help but fantasize about Brody. He sets all of her nerve ends tingling. There is a no dating policy among workers in place so all she will do is dream. When Brody lies to her and tells her he just got infected, she gives him her number so he will have someone to call if he needs to. The more time Nicole and Brody spend together, the more they can't resist each other. To make matters worse, Stone starts coming onto Nicole and she is too scared of losing her job to totally shoot him down, but lets him know that she is involved with someone else and hopes he will not make any more advances. Stone however plots to get what he wants and he wants Nicole. He doesn't mind playing dirty.
Bitter Black Kiss had me on the edge of my seat. Fast action and fast paced, Bitter Black Kiss kept me involved in the story line. It is not your usual romance. The characters were well written and I felt like I knew them as the story progressed. I loved the idea that lycanthropy was a disease that infected people. I have not read a werewolf book that shows it that way before; laws and everything to keep werewolves in line and to protect them also. Bitter Black Kiss felt gritty and real. I felt for Nicole and what she is going through. I could feel Brody's bitterness about his treatment from the police and the betrayal that both Nicole and Brody face in their lives. Bitter Black Kiss definitely needs to be put on your to be read pile, and if you want a little bitter amongst all the sweetness of a normal romance, this is the book to read. Bitter Black Kiss is a great change of pace while still being a great romance.Reviewd by Beverly 4 out of 5 stars~
Nicole Riley is the club manager at Bitter Black. She turned it around from a dying neighborhood dive and made it one of the premier places to be. Bitter Black is one of three clubs owned by Sean Stone that Nicole manages. Nicole needed to be successful, her last job of managing a band turned into a nightmare where at the concert people were attacked and infected with the Lycanthrope virus. As the person that set up the concert and security, Nicole was the one who ending up being blamed, even though she had been infected also. She is still trying to put the pieces of that life in the past. Nicole does not want to be associated with Werewolves, and is taking the street drug wolves' bane to keep from turning. To make matters worse, her ex-husband Aaron was the one who infected her and he has been stalking her since. Nicole is constantly looking over her shoulder, scared to trust any man after what Aaron did to her.Former event planner Nicole Riley lost not only her job, but part of her humanity when a concert in L.A., fails in catastrophic proportions as the band attacks a rival werewolf pack in attendance. As one of the infected, Nicky has been keeping her "inner beast" in check by taking wolf's bane, trying to remain in denial, and refusing to become a monster. She's also slowly begun to rebuild her reputation after the L.A. massacre and has deep respect for Sean Stone because he took a chance on her when no one else would. Now she is in charge of the entertainment for all of Sean's nightclubs and her life is as close to normal as it gets. Then Brody, the dee-jay at Bitter Black, plays on her sympathy by claiming to have just suffered a wolf bite and she can't turn him away. She's very attracted to Brody, but is it wise to mentor him when she can't even accept what she is? Things take a dark turn when she finds out he's been lying to her all along.Brody Dunn is a hottie of a DJ at Bitter Black. He is an ex-cop, now a PI. When testing for lycanthropy became required, he was found out. Brody had been born with the virus. Shortly after that, he was framed and thrown off the force. He is on the trail of his man, regardless that he is no longer a cop. The man he is after is Nicole's boss, Sean Stone. Brody is determined to do everything he can to catch him as he knows Stone is one of the biggest drug dealers around, but he has managed to evade all of Brody's attempts to prove it. Brody is almost positive that Nicole, the hot little blonde that manages the club, has to know something. Nothing will stop Brody from taking Stone off the streets.
Brody Dunn is a former police detective in special crimes, a unit that deals with werewolves. When a stripper is found in an alley with a lethal dose of BST (street name: Beast) in her system, Brody poses as a dee-jay at Bitter Black. He's convinced Sean Stone is the one bringing the drug into the city and his employee, Nicole was the last one in the dancer's apartment. Brody also knows that Stone has laid down a challenge to the local Alpha and wants to become Pack Leader himself. A change in leadership that Brody is dead set against. In order to get close to Stone, he uses Nicole and pretends to be newly infected by the werewolf virus. He knows that she's a bleeding heart and will do what she can to help him. What he doesn't count on is the way Nicole affects him by merely walking in a room.
Stone is used to having his way and getting what he wants. He now wants Nicole whether she's agreeable or not. He's more than happy to expose Brody's secrets to her while hiding his own. Will Nicole be able to navigate the dark and treacherous path between the two men? For it's not just a choice between her career or her heart, but her humanity hangs in the balance. Which will she choose?
Nicole can't help but fantasize about Brody. He sets all of her nerve ends tingling. There is a no dating policy among workers in place so all she will do is dream. When Brody lies to her and tells her he just got infected, she gives him her number so he will have someone to call if he needs to. The more time Nicole and Brody spend together, the more they can't resist each other. To make matters worse, Stone starts coming onto Nicole and she is too scared of losing her job to totally shoot him down, but lets him know that she is involved with someone else and hopes he will not make any more advances. Stone however plots to get what he wants and he wants Nicole. He doesn't mind playing dirty.
Bitter Black Kiss had me on the edge of my seat. Fast action and fast paced, Bitter Black Kiss kept me involved in the story line. It is not your usual romance. The characters were well written and I felt like I knew them as the story progressed. I loved the idea that lycanthropy was a disease that infected people. I have not read a werewolf book that shows it that way before; laws and everything to keep werewolves in line and to protect them also. Bitter Black Kiss felt gritty and real. I felt for Nicole and what she is going through. I could feel Brody's bitterness about his treatment from the police and the betrayal that both Nicole and Brody face in their lives. Bitter Black Kiss definitely needs to be put on your to be read pile, and if you want a little bitter amongst all the sweetness of a normal romance, this is the book to read. Bitter Black Kiss is a great change of pace while still being a great romance.Reviewd by Beverly 4 out of 5 stars~
January 21, 2012
Exciting News!
I just signed a contract for a second book with Crescent Moon Press! More details to come soon...
