Jeaniene Frost's Blog

Night Huntress series and more now in KU!

Halfway to the Grave

I'm so excited to announce that the Night Huntress series is now on Kindle Unlimited! If you haven't met half-vampire Cat and alpha vampire Bones, expect lots of kick-ass action, hot vampire spice (open door!), enemies-to-lovers for Cat, He Falls First for Bones, only one bed, forced proximity, and more.

Already read and loved the series? Tell a friend or share this post! Bones is one of the OG vampire book boyfriends, and Cat was a morally-gray heroine before it was trendy. These are on KU for a limited time, so grab them while you can! Link to the series in KU is HERE, or scan the QR code below:

But Wait, There's More!

BOTH Night Huntress World novels, FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON and ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS are also in KU for a limited time. If you've ever wondered, "When did Spade and Denise get together?" find out in FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON. For Mencheres and Kira's love story, read ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS, and I promise, you'll never see Mega-vampire Mencheres the same way again.

Go HERE to read these books for free in Kindle Unlimited. 

And There's STILL More!

All three of these Night Huntress World novellas are also now in KU for a limited time!

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER: Isabella is about to be forced to walk down the aisle with Mr. Dangerously Wrong--but not if dashing vampire Chance has anything to say about it. Read for free on KU HERE.

DEVIL TO PAY: Blake Turner had it all until a demon took residence inside him. Now beautiful vampire Elise is his best chance at ending the nightmare. Read for free on KU HERE.

RECKONING: In New Orleans, a pair of undead serial killers are about to turn Mardi Gras into a horror show--unless the immortal hitman Bones can hunt them down first. Read for free on KU HERE: 

Happy reading, everyone!

What's next

I’ve had people ask me “What’s next?” countless times. It’s probably seemed like I’ve been deliberately avoiding the question because, well, I was. You see, for the past year, I’ve been working on a new story set in a brand-new world, and I wasn’t sure if (1) I was going to indie-publish it or traditionally publish it, or (2) if it was going to be one book or the start of a new series.

However, I’m excited to say that it IS a new series, and it will be traditionally published. So, you can find it when you shop at your local book store versus just ordering it online (though you’ll be able to order it online as well, of course.)

The title, release date, publisher, snippets, and other details will come later because contracts are still being hammered out, but could I wait until all of that was done to squee about this? Hell, no! 🙂

I’ve been thinking about these characters since I started writing the Bones point of view books. I’ve said before that whichever characters are loudest in my head are the ones that get their stories told next, and these characters were LOUD.

What’s the new book/series about?

I’m bad at describing my own novels, so I’ll tell you that BFF Ilona Andrews called it “a reverse Beauty and the Beast with a twist.”

In her submission letter, my agent called it “a compelling blend of romance, chemistry and high-stakes danger, set both in ordinary Baltimore and an adjacent, deadly world of power and mythic creatures, barely kept behind borders by (equally deadly) Wardens. But sometimes, the boundaries falter to the beasts; and our heroine carries her own Beast within…”

In short, there are lots of different creatures, new mythos, and magic. I follow the same hero and heroine over the course of at least two books, and you can also expect the same level of spice and sass that my other books contain. I would say more, but then my agent would tranq dart me.

Does this mean you’re done writing vampire books?

Absolutely not! I love my fanged ones, so there will definitely be more stories with them. I’m just…cheating on them with other creatures right now 🙂

I'm holding a contest to celebrate the new book news, so if you want your change to win free books and/or Amazon egift cards, go to my website blog here for details: https://www.jeanienefrost.com/2024/06...

2024 appearances and where to find me online

Hi! Just realized I haven't done a post here in FOREVER. Sorry. As a reminder, I do regular posts on my website blog HERE: https://www.jeanienefrost.com/categor...

I'm also on various social media sites. You can find me at Instagram, Threads, and now TikTok (yes, I broke down and finally joined) under @jfrostauthor

Find me on Facebook HERE: https://www.facebook.com/JeanieneFrost

And on Bookbub HERE: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jeani...

I'm mostly NOT on Twitter/X now, so don't bother looking for updates from me there.

Finally, if you want to be notified directly about new releases, special contests, and appearances, join my newsletter HERE: https://jeanienefrost.us20.list-manag...


And now, to my 2024 in-person appearances!

ApollyCon

April 25th – April 28th
Washington, D.C.

ApollyCon is an annual multi-day author event owned by #1 New York Times and Internationally Best Selling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout. Established in 2015, ApollyCon features authors (who write Young Adult and Adult fiction), vendors, publishers, sponsors, and hosts over 1,000+ readers each year in Washington, D.C.


DragonCon
August 29th – September 2nd, 2024
Atlanta, Ga

“Dragon Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction & fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe. Call us a phenomenon, call us one of the most well attended pop-culture conventions in the country, call us the most fan fun you can have in five days. Events spread across 5 host hotels in Atlanta, Georgia.”

Hope to see you in person or online!

DragonCon schedule!

I am attending DragonCon for the first time this year! I’m so excited because I’ve heard raves about this event, and now, I get to experience it myself. And look at the amazing panels I’m on! I will try not to fangirl over the other authors, but I might not be able to restrain myself.

If you’re also attending, I hope you can stop by one of these events and say hello!

Jeaniene’s Schedule
Friday, September 1st, 11:30am

PANEL: Characters Running Amok
Description: Plotting is a thing, right? Well, sometimes things just doing go according’s to anyone’s plan. Ever wonder what happens next? How do authors compensate when their characters rebel and run amok.
Panelists: Howard Andrew Jones, L.H. Nicole, Patricia L. Briggs, James A. Hunter, Jeaniene Frost, Robert Ross
Location: Embassy CD Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)


Friday, September 1st, 4pm

PANEL: With Great Power: Gods & Goddesses in UF
Description: Beings of divinity or great power can either help or hinder when they interact with humans. Our authors will share how their characters have either a positive or negative effect on those people they come into contact with.
Panelists: Eric R. Asher, Jeaniene Frost, Kaitlin Bevis, Ernest Dempsey, Ellie Raine, Jennifer Morris(M)
Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length: 1 Hour)


Friday, September 1st, 6pm

SIGNING: Jeaniene Frost signing booth 1201
Description: Come to the special author signing at The Missing Volume booth 1201
Location: Vendor Hall Floor 1 Mart2 (Length: 1 Hour)


Friday, September 1st, 10pm

PANEL: Not Always What They Seem: Demons in UF
Description: Demons in Urban Fantasy appear in forms ranging from beautiful humans to nightmarish monsters, all with varied purposes. Our panel discusses which types they use in their stories and which others they admire.
Panelists: R E Carr, Jeaniene Frost, Bill Mulligan, Wesley Chu, Lea Murphy(M), Valerie Willis
Location: Chastain I-J Westin (Length: 1 Hour)


Saturday, September 2nd, 11:30am

PANEL: Vampire Variety in Urban Fantasy
Description: Vampires featured in Urban Fantasy range from personable to terrifying. Our panel of authors will discuss the kinds they employ in their work, and how those types help further the stories they wish to tell.
Panelists: Jeaniene Frost, Elizabeth Donald, Eric R. Asher, Drew Hayes, R E Carr, Jeanne C Stein
Location: Chastain 1-2 Westin (Length: 1 Hour)


Saturday, Sepember 2nd, 1pm

PANEL: NYT Best Selling Authors’ Revelations
Description: New York Times Best Selling authors answer questions about their work, their work habits–and other strange stuff. This panel will answer questions you never thought to ask. Fun and informative.
Panelists: Patricia L. Briggs, Nancy Knight, Kevin J. Anderson, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Delilah S Dawson, Jeaniene Frost
Location: Regency VI-VII Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)


Saturday, September 2nd, 4pm

WORKSHOP: 15 Minute Mentoring Session
Description: A chance for budding authors to talk one-on-one with a successful industry professional about business, promotion, the writing process, & career advice. Sign up in the Writer’s Track. (Embassy E/F)
Panelists: Patrick Dugan, Darin Kennedy, Jeaniene Frost, Rachel Rawlings
Location: Embassy G Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)


Sunday, September 2rd, 10am

SIGNING: Jeaniene Frost Author Signing
Location: Overlook Westin (Length: 1 Hour)

If you’re new to DRAGON CON and want more information, here are some details:

DRAGON CON, Aug. 31 – Sep. 4, 2023 in Atlanta, GA. GET TICKES HERE. https://www.dragoncon.org/buy-now/


“Dragon Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction & fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe. Call us a phenomenon, call us one of the most well attended pop-culture conventions in the country, call us the most fun you can have in five days!”

2023 Appearances

Hi again! Below is my upcoming 2023 in-person appearances. If you're local to any of these, I would love to meet you! Both events have signings, and in addition to books, I'll also sign notepads, ebook covers, book plates, conference booklets...basically anything that isn't a body part. I also bring fun swag to give away like character-themed bracelets, temporary tattoos (yes, of Bones's tat!), custom book series book marks, and more.

August 31st – September 4th

DRAGONCON

Atlanta, Ga

Buy tickets HERE: https://purchase.growtix.com/eh/Drago...

“Dragon Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction & fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe. Call us a phenomenon, call us one of the most well attended pop-culture conventions in the country, call us the most fan fun you can have in five days. Events spread across 5 host hotels in Atlanta, Georgia.”

Yes, I’m finally attending DragonCon! I’ve heard amazing things about this convention for years, and I’ve wanted to attend, but something always got in the way. Now, 2023 is the year, and I can’t wait!

I don’t have my specific schedule for DragonCon yet, but once I do, I’ll post it here.

And, I’ll also be attending…



















October 14th

THE WRITE WOMEN'S BOOK FEST
Bowie, Maryland

Buy tickets HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-writ...

“The Write Women Book Fest features women authors in a variety of genres including sci-fi, sci-fantasy, steamy romance, fantasy, sweet romance, Christian romance, paranormal romance, historic fiction, YA fiction, inspiration, memoirs, self-help, motivational, horror, mysteries, poetry and more, with signings, live poetry, panel discussions, swag, book merch, and more.”

As a new Maryland resident, I’m so happy to find a great local event! Note that I’ll be there on Saturday only. I will not be there on Sunday. Any panels or specific schedule information will be posted later,

Once again, I hope to see some of you at one of these events! And yes, I will be doing in-person appearances in 2024, too, but I’ll post about those later as those events have not formally announced their 2024 line-ups yet.

BOTH FEET IN THE GRAVE is here!

Today’s the day! BOTH FEET IN THE GRAVE is now available in print, ebook, or audio, so in ebook, print or audio at:
Amz: https://tinyurl.com/2p8rkxz2
B&N: https://tinyurl.com/9jaz456h
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/2r84twss
Indiebound: https://tinyurl.com/yuajjf5d

Thought you knew Bones? Think again.

Two hundred years of bounty hunting made Bones the best at what he does, yet it’s still taken him four long years to find Cat, the half vampire now known as the “Red Reaper.” There’s a price on Cat’s head, and not even her job as a secret government agent can save her. Only Bones can. But has time hardened Bones too much to love again? Or will his passion for Cat burn through every obstacle–alive, undead, or otherwise–between them?

This is Bones, in his own words…

“Living everything through Bones’s eyes was amazing!” Tynga’s Reviews.

“I had no idea how much I needed Bones’s point of view. But apparently I did.” Carol’s Random Life

And here is the last sneak peek snippet from BOTH FEET IN THE GRAVE. If you want to read the others, go to my website blog here: https://www.jeanienefrost.com/categor...

Since I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked “Did you write Chapter 32 from Bones’s point of view?” let me tell you now that the answer is YES. To whet your appetite, here is the chapter before Bones’s perspective on that infamous chapter. You may remember that things started out with Bones interrupting a nasty fight between Cat and Annette that Cat wouldn’t talk about. Well, Cat did eventually talk about it, and then, ah, there wasn’t a lot of talking going on. *wink* Enjoy!

Copyright Jeaniene Frost. All rights reserved.

“Tell me what happened between you and Annette.”

Her mouth tightened. “A catfight, no pun intended. Annette said some nasty things. I did, too, and then I stabbed her to make a point. Okay, that last one was a pun.”

“So, that’s it, then?” Bones’s tone dared her to look at him. “All’s well and no hard feelings?”

She met his gaze, swallowed hard, and nodded.

He pulled her close and bent his head. His mouth had barely brushed hers when she tensed as if she’d been slapped. Fear iced his veins. What the hell had Annette said to her?

“Right,” he said in a carefully controlled tone. “There are two ways I’m going to hear every blasted word that Annette said. The first is from you by request. The second is after I beat the truth out of Annette, which sounds gratifying now, but it would defeat the greater good. I’ve always said that you can tell me anything, Kitten. The question is, will you?”

The polite mask Cat had been wearing cracked. Her brows drew together, her face flushed, and her lips pursed as if she were holding back a torrent of curses. All of it was a relief. This was the real Cat, not the controlled imposter from dinner, as she proved when she drained the last of the gin from a mostly-empty bottle on her nightstand dresser.

“Fine,” she said curtly. “Annette basically told me that you were a raging pervert who preferred your women in minimums of twos, usually more, humans especially because of their warm bodies, you’ve fucked more women than the population of this state, and because of all that, I’d never hold your interest.”

His gaze went red before he forced that killing rage back. Good thing, too, because she wasn’t done.

“She also said you sounded bored in bed with me earlier, and I’d never be able to handle what you really liked to do, and you’ve told her plus half the women you fuck that you’re in love with them, and you’d have tossed me out years ago if I hadn’t inflamed your interest by leaving you first…oh, and that she was the one you munched on a couple months ago in Chicago.”

“Bugger,” Annette whispered one floor below them.

Bones barely heard that as rage torpedoed his blood through him. In his worst imaginings, he’d never thought Annette would betray him with such vicious lies. For a moment, he actually couldn’t speak from the shock of it.

“I am going to flog Annette fleshless for this,” he ground out when he had enough control to form words again. “And if I were you, I wouldn’t have stopped at wounding her. I would have finished the job and killed her. Bloody hell.”

He snatched the door open, nearly ripping it from its hinges. “Rodney, take them back and leave Annette here!”

“On it,” Rodney said in a very subdued tone.

“Is it true?” Cat’s gray gaze appeared darker from doubt. “You’re pissed at her, sure, but is that because she lied to me? Or because she told me the truth?”

God, that she would even think that! His eyes closed from the weight of it. “I hate having this conversation under these circumstances, but I had no intention of concealing my past from you. The short answer to only the first part of what Annette said is yes, I have been with many women, human and otherwise.”

“Usually in bunches?” she prodded, her tone going hoarse. “For a total of thousands? Tens of thousands?”

Bones opened his eyes. She was now sitting on the edge of the bed as if her legs couldn’t hold her anymore. He went over and knelt in front of her so their eyes were nearly level. Her expression was anguished, and anguish ripped at him, too. How to make her understand that it wasn’t the frolicking flesh fest Annette had made it out to be? How to convey the desolateness that had gnawed at him like an immortal, ravenous beast?

“After I was changed into a vampire, I spent two decades brooding over the fate that Ian forced on me,” Bones said, starting at the beginning. “But eventually, I decided I may as well have a grand time being undead. Back then, I had a talent for exactly one thing, and that was shagging. If the girl fancied additional feminine company as well, I certainly didn’t object. Then, as the years passed, I began meting out death to those I thought deserved it. Soon, killing became the other thing I excelled at, and I started making an income from it. Between the two, I reckoned I was as happy as I had any right to be.”

And that wasn’t very happy. Oh, he’d enjoyed himself here and there, but happiness went much deeper, and only when he’d found it did he realize how it had eluded him before.

“My life went on like this for centuries, and yes, Annette was frequently one of my lovers, either alone or accompanied. Then one day, a friend asked me to find his daughter’s murderer, and I tracked her killer’s operation to a bar in Ohio. There I met you, and I fell in love. You can’t imagine what that was like after centuries of…emptiness. I hadn’t thought I was capable of loving someone like that, but I did, and more than that, I finally believed I had something to offer apart from a good shag or a deserved killing. For the first time, I felt whole, complete…and now, my oldest, most trusted friend has sought to rip that away by taunting you with my past in the hopes of destroying your feelings for me.”

He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his tone at that last part. If Annette had stabbed him in the heart, it would have been less cruel. Out of everyone else, she’d known how much he loved Cat because she’d felt it when his shields had broken, and his pain coursed into her. Yet still, she’d tried to sentence him to a lifetime more of that pain.

Cat’s eyes briefly closed, and a ragged sigh escaped her. “I can’t relate to all the sex, but for the past four and a half years, I had nothing to offer anyone except my ability to kill, too. So, yeah…I know what a dark, lonely feeling that is.”

Warmth broke through the chill from his rage. He’d hoped she would understand, but she’d done much more than that because she knew this pain. Yes, her time with it had been brief and his had lasted centuries, but it was still very real.

“Don’t judge Annette too harshly,” she said next, shocking him. “She’s in love with you. That’s why she acted like such an ass with me. Granted, I don’t like hearing about your extensive sexual history, but I can handle it as long as it remains in your past because I will never participate in a threesome, foursome, fivesome, whatever. So, if that’s what you’re hoping I’ll eventually get into…then we have a problem.”

Her gaze was defiant, but a faint tremor went through her. She really did fear that she wouldn’t be enough for him, as if anyone could ever replace her.

Bones let his hands rest on her knees. “Except for that one instance I truly regret with Annette, I didn’t touch another woman while we were apart because I don’t want anyone but you. And as far as telling other women that I loved them, when I was a whore, I used to tell all my clients that. Part of the job, as it were. That’s why I’d said it previously to Annette, but not since I was a human selling my body to survive have I said it to anyone except you.”

Her gaze brightened with tears, and she leaned closer, until their heads were nearly touching. Feeling her breaths land on his skin and seeing that priceless trust fill her gaze again almost razed him from the emotions it unleashed.

“Well, then…okay,” she whispered.

“Okay?” He pulled her into his arms, searching her face, scent, and each movement in her body to see if she meant it.

She touched his cheek, her gaze never flinching. “Okay.”

He lowered his head. She met him halfway, her lips velvet and her body a satiny cage as she held him like she was afraid someone would snatch him away if she loosened her grip. He never wanted to stop kissing her, but someone had tried to snatch her away, and he couldn’t let that go unanswered a moment longer.

“I still have to deal with Annette,” he murmured, breaking their kiss. “You might look leniently on her, but she violated my trust, and I cannot dismiss that. Annette,” he snapped, turning away from Cat to face the door. “Get up here!”

Cat only loosened her grip enough to shrug. “Do it your way, but I suggest another one. You could beat her bloody, or-”

Bones layered on his ice. She’d suggest leading with mercy instead of punishment. Or taking the evening to decide Annette’s sentence, or something else he’d refuse because nothing would stop him from meting out his justice now-

“-you could give me such loud, screaming orgasms that the sound of them blisters her ears-”

-except THAT. Bloody hell, Annette who?

“So, if you have any former-whore-turned-promiscuous-vampire tricks you’ve been holding back, bring them on,” Cat continued, her gaze slanting with challenge. “But, you’d better outperform any service you gave to Annette or anyone else, because if I don’t wake up tomorrow red in the face from embarrassment over what you did to me, I’ll be disappointed.”

Bones stared, barely able to believe what she’d just said even though her words had set his blood on fire.

“No you don’t, you clever little bitch,” Annette muttered before snatching the door open.

Bones rose from his crouch in front of Cat. Annette’s golden gaze was nearly frenzied with desperation as she looked at him, and then behind him at Cat.

“We have business to sort out, you and I,” Bones said, letting an arc of his rage slice into Annette through their tie. “Later,” he emphasized, and slammed Annette out of the room and his emotions.

Cat’s breath caught as he turned back to her. She was still seated on the edge of the bed, but her color was higher, and her pulse throbbed at the hollow of her neck. She’d meant her decadent dare, but now that he’d accepted it, she clearly didn’t know what to expect.

Oh, he’d show her, and she would absolutely love it.

***
Both Feet in the Grave.



*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

First two chapters from BOTH FEET IN THE GRAVE, plus a contest!

Too long to post here, but to read the first two chapters from BOTH FEET IN THE GRAVE, the second "Bones point of view" novel, plus enter for your chance to win a #25 Amazon egift card or a free book, go here:

https://www.jeanienefrost.com/2023/02...

Both Feet in the Grave

BOTH FEET excerpt head's up, personal stuff, and audio extravaganza!

First, a very belated Happy New Year to you! I meant to post an update weeks ago, but between friends and family staying at our house, finishing edits for BOTH FEET, and a surprise Emergency Room visit for my husband (kidney stones, bleh!), it's been hectic at the Frost house. However, I'm going to hope that things are now calming down, and only funny issues will arise. Take, for example, me trying on my business clothes for my upcoming appearance at Coastal Magic Con in Orlando, Florida. I haven't been to a conference since February 2020, right before covid hit, and between pandemic lockdown then, and eating my feelings since my father died last year, I've, uh, gained a pound or so. Below pretty much sums up what happened when I tried on my 2019 business clothes:

So, I ordered some new stuff, and now, I'm swearing off desserts and fried food for a while. Or trying to. The dessert ban has been going well, but oh, you fried temptress darlings! How you call to my soul!

Anyway, enough grousing about personal stuff, let's get to book news and other professional updates. This week, the Graphic Audio edition of ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE released. If you're not familiar, Graphic Audio is like listening to a movie because each character is voiced by a different actor/actress, there are also sound effects, music, and other embellishments. To order yours or hear a sample, go HERE .

AT GRAVE'S END comes out in Graphic Audio next month, too. You can pre-order it from Graphic Audio HERE. Note: Graphic Audio has about a six week exclusive after release, so you can't get ONE FOOT or AT GRAVE'S END from Audible or other audio retailers until after that exclusive period. But, HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE is now available in Graphic Audio on Audible.com HERE, if that's your preference. From any retailer, these full-cast, movie-like audio dramatizations are a fun way to really make stories come alive.

Speaking of stories, it's now less than three months until BOTH FEET IN THE GRAVE releases, and I'm so excited to share it with you! I've long been asked, "What did Bones do while he was away from Cat?" and "What was he thinking when he first saw her again?" and of course, the infamous "What was Bones thinking during that chapter?" (*grins* If you read ONE FOOT, you already know which one.) Well, you finally get your answers on April 18th, so preorder yours: #Ad Amazon,* B&N, Apple Books, and Kobo if you haven't already. Yes, print and audio pre-order links will be up soon, too.

But, since you shouldn't wait that long for a little taste, I'm posting the first two chapters of BOTH FEET IN THE GRAVE this week, and to celebrate, I'm giving away some goodies, too. So, be sure to check back! Until then, hope you're 2023 is treating you well, and if you're going to Coastal Magic Con next month, then I will see you soon! But I won't look like the below. That's a older, much more flattering photo, which is why I'm keeping it, heh.

Hang out with me and Alyssa Day TONIGHT

ETA: Here is link to the video of the chat, if you missed it. I had so much fun, as you can tell :)

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_X63...

Want to hang out? Join me & bestselling author Alyssa Day TONIGHT, Wednesday the 16th at 7pm Eastern for a live video chat! We'll be taking YOUR questions plus chatting about books, friendship, paranormal creatures, and more.

Go HERE to join us at 7pm: https://tinyurl.com/38zp3tz3

Thank you, what's next, and more

A huge thank-you, readers, because THE OTHER HALF OF THE GRAVE hit #51 on the USA Today bestseller list, and #8 on the Wall Street Journal Ebook Fiction bestseller list! !

This was a self-published book, so it wasn’t on the shelves in any book stores, plus I didn’t hire a publicist or marketing team, and I only bought two ad slots. To say I had no expectation of it hitting a list is putting it mildly. In fact, I’m going to tell some of the backstory behind this book below, but to wrap up this part…wow. Just WOW. Readers, you showed up for this book, and you showed up BIG. I love you all!

Now, ever since I announced THE OTHER HALF OF THE GRAVE, I’ve been asked the same question:

Will you be doing the second Night Huntress book from Bones’s point of view?

The answer is YES, I will be retelling ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE from Bones’s point of view!

I’m so excited to do this, but let’s face it, I’m probably not prepared to see Chapter 32 through Bones’s eyes. I might have to write that chapter while drunk to kill my inhibitions, lol. Still, I’m diving in because Bones has been pestering me to write more of his story, yet ultimately it was you, readers, who made it possible. Here’s why, and warning: you should skip the below if you don’t want a bunch of TMI about me, the publishing world, and other behind-the-scenes stuff.

Still here? Then settle in and get comfy.

Many of you know that I started writing Bones’s point of view just for fun, and posted the first two chapters on my blog in the fall of 2019. I loved writing those chapters so much that I wrote a couple more, and then a couple more, and a couple more. In six weeks, I had 30k words on Bones’s story when I was supposed to be writing Ian and Veritas’s book. Since I was so far into it, I asked my publisher if I could swap out Bones’s book for Ian’s. (Yes, I was still going to write the third Night Rebel book, but I would have preferred to write Bones’s first and finish Ian and Veritas’s story afterward.)

The answer was no. So, I started writing WICKED ALL NIGHT, and posted those 30k words of Bones’s story as a free serial on my blog. I finished WICKED ALL NIGHT in May of 2020, right when the realities of the pandemic were really setting in. Then, in August of 2020, I lost my beloved dog of 16+ years, and that hit me harder than I am still willing to admit. So, grief, lockdown, horror at the pandemic, and fear of getting Covid ended up freezing me, creatively speaking. I couldn’t write. I could barely concentrate enough to read, and I certainly wasn’t going to talk about it in public because (1) people had lost entire families to this pandemic, not to mention jobs, homes, and more, so my writing/reading loss seemed very small by comparison, and (2) I was so terrified the loss would be permanent that I couldn’t bear to speak of it to anyone except my husband and close friends.

Fast forward to early 2021. I’d agreed to be part of an anthology with fellow authors Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong, and now, I had to write my novella when I didn’t even know if I could. It took over a month of stops-and-starts in March just to get the first chapter down. Then, it probably took the entire month of April to get to chapter three, but…being back with Cat, Bones, and the gang started thawing my creative ice. I was able to finish the story in the nick of time at the beginning of June to make the publication deadline. It might have only been a 25k word novella, but it was also proof that I could still do the job I loved, so my relief was immeasurable.

I moved out of state over the summer, to a place that required more fixing up than we’d realized when we bought it, so it wasn’t until August of 2021 that I started thinking, what next? On a whim, I pulled up the unfinished Bones pov and started reading it. Then, I started tweaking what I’d written, and then, I started writing more. It felt like Bones had been waiting for me this whole time, and all I wanted to do was keep writing his side of the story. So, I called my agent and said, paraphrase, “This is what I’m doing next. See if anyone wants to buy it.”

I’ll sum up the next two months of submissions with one word: No.

I can’t blame the publishers. Paranormal romances are hardly tearing up the charts these days, and this technically wasn’t a new story. It was a retelling of a 15-year-old book that I hadn’t done a new novel on in 8 years (no, they don’t count novellas), plus I’d had the first 25% of it available to read on my website for free for 2 years. I mean, this book had so much baggage, it needed its own luggage cart.

Logic said that I should pass on it, too, especially since I got offers to write something else. But, writing this book felt like hanging out with very missed, very dear friends. It made me happy, and if the pandemic’s taught us anything, it’s that life can be short, so if you get the chance to do what you makes you happy, take it.

I took it, and told my husband, “We might be breaking the piggy bank because it’s going to take me months to finish this book, and then, it’s going to cost several thousand dollars to have it professionally edited, copyedited, proofread, and audio recorded, and we might not make the cost back since I don’t know if readers even want this.” He might have been thinking, “Fuuuuuuck….” but he just smiled and said that writing Bones’s story was a great idea. (Wonder why I’ve dedicated so many books to him? Wonder no more.)

Fast forward to this past Wednesday, when I awaited my first week’s sales numbers. These would show me whether or not I’d make a big mistake, financially speaking. Creatively, it had been a wonderful gift to write THE OTHER HALF OF THE GRAVE, but I couldn’t afford to give myself such a lavish gift again if the book had bombed. That’s why I didn’t answer all the times I was asked if I’d be writing more Bones pov. I also didn’t want readers to feel like I was pressuring them into buying THE OTHER HALF OF THE GRAVE by saying “No second book unless this one does well!” so…I just ignored the “More?” question until I knew if I could write more.

Thanks to your support, readers, the answer is yes. You showed up for Bones, and now, I get to bring him back to you with his side of the next book in the series. I’m so excited because I love seeing Cat, their friends, their enemies, and everything else in the Night Huntress world through Bones’s eyes. It’s truly been a joy, and I hope it’s brought you joy, too.

I don’t have a release date or title yet since I hadn’t allowed myself to start writing it until I found out how this book did, but now, believe me, I’ll get cracking! Also, I do NOT have plans to redo the entire series from Bones’s point of view. Only the second book at this time (hey, Vlad is screaming at all this attention Bones is getting, lol.) So, I’ll have more updates soon, and once again, thank you! You’re the best!