Willow Aster's Blog, page 15
June 15, 2018
The Jackal cover is HERE!
I am in love with Jackal, these characters, and this series and it has been so much fun writing with my best friend. I hope you love this cover as much as we do. #ComingJune29th #EndOfMenSeries
Jackal Emerson has never taken himself seriously. Dubbed the “orgy king,” he’s renowned for his reputation as the wild End Man. But with the uprising on the horizon and his best friend missing, Jackal is having a hard time living the same carefree existence.
And then he meets a thief and everything changes.
Phoenix Moyo, principal dancer of a notorious ballet company, lives a life of rigidity. When her world collides with Jackal’s, their chemistry is evident to everyone except her. Forced to work with him to steal the most precious commodity of the Regions, she realizes too late that there is no escaping Jackal’s charisma.
When unimaginable crimes come to light, the Regions begin to crumble. No one is safe. Families divide and secrets are exposed, danger running rampant on every side. For some, sacrifice costs everything.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40144365-jackal
Preorder on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LIR7XV
Catch up with the series today by reading Folsom for FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
June 6, 2018
Signed copy of Folsom!
If you'd like a copy of Folsom signed by BOTH Tarryn and me, book orders will be open until Friday, June 8th! Tarryn and I will be together signing at the end of the month and all books will be shipped by July 14th.
I'll have them on the website soon, but unless otherwise stated, it will only have my signature, not Tarryn's. :)
May 29, 2018
Folsom is LIVE!!!
Tarryn and I are so excited for the release of FOLSOM!
FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2L4mN9S
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2IRsGdH
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2L6ENR8
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2snsMi7
Enter the Release Week Giveaway HERE
The nation as we know it is a thing of the past.
With the male species on the verge of extinction, a society called the End Men is formed to save the world. Folsom Donahue is one of twelve men whose sole purpose is to repopulate the Regions. The endless days spent having sex with strangers leaves Folsom with an emptiness no amount of women, money, or status can fill.
Until Gwen.
Gwen has wanted a child for as long as she can remember, but when she finally gets a chance to have her own, she uncovers a long hidden truth. The injustice she sees moves her to help save the men whom no one else believes need saving.
A forbidden love, grown in a time of despair, ignites a revolution.
Folsom and Gwen, torn between their love for each other and their sense of duty, must make a choice. But some will stop at nothing to destroy them.
Folsom is book one of the End of Men series.
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39934742-folsom
EXCERPT
It’s the little one who interests me, her hair more tangled than her sister’s, like she didn’t bother with it at all. Her eyes are curious and wild: brown, common and yet uncommon in the way they slant upward at the outside corners. She stands in the foyer, her hands clasped at her waist, but instead of studying my body like most women do, her head is tilted to the side, eyes fixed on my boots. I clear my throat to get her attention and she drags her eyes away from my feet and back to my face. She frowns and shakes her head like she’s just realizing where she is.
“Your boots are beautiful,” she finally says. From somewhere beside me her sister groans and her mother lets out what I take as an embarrassed laugh.
“Thank you,” I say, unable to keep the humor from my voice. “I designed them myself.” I don’t usually tell people that but she seems genuinely interested.
“You design clothes?” she asks, surprised.
“You’re surprised that I’m good at something other than fucking?”
Her mother makes a choking noise, but we both ignore it, our attention solely focused.
“Yes, I’m quite surprised,” she says. “Though I can’t attest personally to the fucking part…”
“Yet,” I say.
“Yet,” she echoes, with a slight nod of her head.
Start Folsom TODAY!
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2L4mN9S
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2IRsGdH
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2L6ENR8
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2snsMi7
May 22, 2018
One week from today!
I hope you fall for these characters as much as I did... Enjoy!
The nation as we know it is a thing of the past.
With the male species on the verge of extinction, a society called the End Men is formed to save the world. Folsom Donahue is one of twelve men whose sole purpose is to repopulate the Regions. The endless days spent having sex with strangers leaves Folsom with an emptiness no amount of women, money, or status can fill.
Until Gwen.
Gwen has wanted a child for as long as she can remember, but when she finally gets a chance to have her own, she uncovers a long hidden truth. The injustice she sees moves her to help save the men whom no one else believes need saving.
A forbidden love, grown in a time of despair, ignites a revolution.
Folsom and Gwen, torn between their love for each other and their sense of duty, must make a choice. But some will stop at nothing to destroy them.
Folsom is book one of the End of Men series.
Add to Goodreads --->
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39934742-folsom
May 15, 2018
Folsom Teaser Tuesday!
Enjoy a sneak peek into Folsom! Have you added it to your Goodreads TBR yet? #ComingMay29th
EXCERPT
I stop dead in my tracks. There’s someone else in here. At first I see only boots, large boots, too big for a woman. He hears me come in and perches forward on the sink to peer around the corner.
“You can’t read or you don’t care?” he asks.
At first I’m too shocked to know what he’s talking about, then I remember the Out of Order sign on the door.
“I can’t read,” I say. “I’m just another stupid woman trying to have a baby.”
He laughs. It bounces across the bathroom walls and hits me in the chest.
“Well, at least you have a sense of humor, stupid woman.”
I’m witnessing the very serious and stern Folsom Donahue laughing. I stand there staring at him, not knowing what to do.
And then I ask. “Are you hiding, too?”
“In plain sight,” he says. “Who are you hiding from?”
“Everyone.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
I eye his casual stance, the large hands resting behind him on the sink, the crossed ankles. “Not well, since you’re here.”
He laughs again, this time just a slow rumble while he watches my face.
“I have to go,” he says, pushing away from the counter. He walks toward me and my heart races. I’ve never been this close to a man. He’s just trying to get to the door, I tell myself. But, then he stops so he’s towering over me. I have to bend my head back to see his face.
“Have a good night,” he says. And I learn for the first time what a smirk is. Full lips … teasing ... I blink at him, my lips parting to answer, but then he’s gone and I’m not even sure it really happened.
April 27, 2018
My new book with Tarryn Fisher
Tarryn Fisher and I have been working on a series together and the first book will be out SOON! We are in LOVE with this cover. Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
March 23, 2018
The book formerly known as Whore...
For me the word is exactly what Lilith feels about herself ... it's more than her profession, it's her lack of self-worth, her shame, and her weariness with the lot she's been given. It's the word that's been stamped across her chest and what she's carried her whole life. The word that I've never liked just felt right, but I get how people who can't see inside my head might not appreciate being blasted with the word. There's only one other title I can accept and that is ... Lilith. Because really, it's always been about her and I want to keep it that way.
Not your typical prostitute ... this is a story of unconditional love.
Beautiful, intelligent, independent, strong-willed, wealthy—Lilith Fontenot seems by all appearances, to have it all. But that’s not how the highest paid prostitute in New Orleans sees herself.
A stain on society. A scourge. A waste. Outsider. Prisoner…
Any idyllic dream of the normal life she may have once imagined, Lilith buried long ago. Her only plan now is survival.
But mob boss Nico Santelli and community center owner Soti Christos have not given up on Lilith. Each has his own very specific, very opposing, plans for her, and neither will rest until it becomes a reality.
LILITH is a singularly bracing take on an ancient tale of tireless love, betrayal, and the possibility of redemption.
★ ★ ★ LILITH IS NOW AVAILABLE for free ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ★ ★ ★
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU
EXCERPTI take a sudden deep breath and my breasts brush against his chest. The contact surprises us both. I do it again, intentionally this time, trying to gain control in the only way I know how. His neck flushes and he takes a step back. I enjoy the rush it gives me, knowing that I affect him too.
“Hey, would you like to come around the corner with me to—”
I swallow my surprise and shake my head, holding my hand up before he says anything else.
“Please,” he says louder.
“What’s your name?”
“I am Sotirios … Soti.”
“Soti, what makes you think you know anything about me?”
He tries to make eye contact, but I focus on a spot just past his left ear.
“I just want to help you…” His words trail off.
The wind blows my hair forward, a sheet of black coming between us until I smooth the long strands down on either side. I gaze down the street and see a blurry little girl with black hair down to her waist in middle school, standing shy and hopeful in front of a group of girls.
“We know what you are,” they said. They hurled spit and names on her and she stood there, taking it, until the teacher came and helped her.
Help only got me so far.
“You listen to me, okay?” I say so softly he leans in to hear me. “I was born for this.”
When my eyes finally land on his again, I know his face will haunt me forever. He looks as bleak as I feel.
I clear my throat. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”
With that, I loop my hand through the arm of my next income source, calculating how I can get the most money out of him for the least amount of time. It takes every ounce of willpower I own to not look Soti’s way one more time. Once we round the corner and I know he’s out of sight, all the adrenaline leaves my body, and I’m actually glad to have someone to hold onto.
I avoid my reflection as we walk back to the house. I don’t want to know what the rest of the world sees when they look at me.
Enter for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Giveaway
★ ★ ★ LILITH IS NOW AVAILABLE for free ON KINDLE UNLIMITED ★ ★ ★
March 14, 2018
Changes for Whore Coming Soon!
It happened a lot sooner than I thought it would, but I am planning on moving Whore from iTunes, B&N, Kobo to Kindle Unlimited (Amazon) only. There are more changes coming soon for Whore—I will also be changing the cover and title soon. This took a lot of thought—I agonized over this when I first put it out. I went through a lot of names: Maison D'amour, House of Love, Out of the Ashes, Ashes, and one other kept lingering in my mind, but I went with what felt the strongest and most like what I wanted to say ... Whore.
I talk a little bit about what inspired Whore at the back of my book and on another blogpost, but feel like I've explained the title a lot more during one-on-one time with readers. Why Whore? is what people ask before they read the book. Other authors love the title and I've gotten good feedback from readers about it too, but I've also seen a LOT of reviews saying, "Don't judge this book by the title!" And if I've kept someone from reading it because of that, I'd like to try again.
For me the word is exactly what Lilith feels about herself ... it's more than her profession, it's her lack of self-worth, her shame, and her weariness with the lot she's been given. It's the word that's been stamped across her chest and what she's carried her whole life. The word that I've never liked just felt right, but I get how people who can't see inside my head might not appreciate being blasted with the word.
There's only one other title I can accept and that is ... Lilith. Because really, it's always been about her and I want to keep it that way.
The original cover and title will always be available on my website. I plan to also do one with the original cover and titled Lilith. But soon an entirely new cover will be coming and I'm excited for you to see it.
For now, get it while you can!
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2p9LTM1
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2FCjbh6
B&N Paperback: http://bit.ly/2FR58TX
If you would like to take part in the announcement of the book's changes, please sign up here --->
https://goo.gl/forms/ddQCCmkfjkwxYrSA3
Graphic created by Shayna Renee's Spicy Reads
March 7, 2018
Chasing Sanity
This has been an eventful year so far! A trip to London for the RARE18 London signing, which was INCREDIBLE, my latest book has been out a while and I'm well into another one, the podcast has been so fun and is staying booked months out, my puppy keeps me on my toes, I have two teenagers now instead of one, my music world with my husband is busy and fulfilling ... life is wonderful and chaotic.
I thought I'd tell you five things I do to stay sane.
*EAT healthy food, typically vegetarian or once in a while pescetarian, and track it all on My Fitness Pal to make sure I'm getting the nutrition I need and staying within a certain caloric range.
*WALK as much as possible. Sometimes I forget to have my Fitbit on while doing it (or it's on but has been dead for days, ugh) but I love when it's working and I can track that too.
*SLEEP. If you follow me on Facebook, you know I've given up coffee, which was a heartbreaking decision to make. I'm still mourning the loss. I thought it might be the reason I never slept well and sadly, I was right. For the first time in over a decade, I sleep through the night. Life-changing.
*LAUGH my head off as much as possible. It's not hard with my son around.
*WRITE all the emotion out. If I've done all of the things above, it's easier for me to do that. I was stuck for a while and I think a lot of it was just exhaustion and being unhealthy.
I'd love to hear how you stay sane when your life is crazy.
December 26, 2017
Whore is LIVE!
I am so excited that Whore is finally LIVE! Get it now at the release price of $2.99 (prices will go up to $3.99 later this week). I hope you enjoy Lilith's story!
Make sure to also enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card - Good luck!
Advanced Praise for Whore:
This was one of those books I had no idea what to expect but was totally not prepared to be knocked off my feet. Stunning. Gripping. Amazing. I couldn't get enough of this incredible story. -A.L. Jackson, NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author
In WHORE, Willow Aster forgoes the predictable, the pedestrian, and offers the exceptional. She unflinchingly wrestles with difficult themes and distinguishes herself as a master storyteller. I was riveted by this brave tale from the first page. An epic journey of unconditional love and unlikely redemption! - Kennedy Ryan, Top 100 Amazon Bestseller
If you look up the phrase ‘page turner’, you’ll find this book. The characters are incredibly relatable, the story is intriguing, tantalizing and impossible to put down. Get ready to pull an all-nighter for this one! - Claire Contreras NYT Best Seller
First she f*cks you slow and steady then she f*cks you hard and fast. Willow’s best book. Couldn't put it down. - Tarryn Fisher, NYT Bestselling Author
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2B0fsEeAmazon UK: http://amzn.to/2yY5D83
B&N: http://bit.ly/2iQYB1U
iTunes: http://apple.co/2yZTvHV
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xx0EL8
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2yDAaHh
a Rafflecopter giveaway
