Pepper Winters's Blog, page 32
September 6, 2014
BOXSETS, UPDATES, & NEWS
This post will have a few things in it as a lot of exciting stuff has come together all at once :)
COURAGE BOXSET
For those who know me, you’ll know my mother had breast cancer, not once but twice. She survived after operations, radiation, and the rest, but she’s a fighter and looks better now than 10 years ago.
To ensure other mum’s out there survive this horrible illness, I’m very proud to be in the COURAGE boxset along with some incredible authors where all proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research.
To pre-order head HERE
10 Authors, 10 Novels, 1 Cause
Ten amazing authors have come together to bring you this anthology of ten full length novels with all proceeds will go to Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Courage is only available for a limited time.
**Never Been Ready by J.L. Berg**
**Dominic by L.A. Casey**
**The Boy Who Sneaks in my Bedroom Window by Kirsty Moseley**
**When the Sun Goes Down by Erin Noelle**
**Freefall by Tess Oliver**
**All for You by Kate Perry**
**Until Trevor by Aurora Rose Reynolds**
**Searching for Moore by Julie A. Richman**
**In A Heartbeat by Hilary Storm**
**Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters**
I
have also been invited to be apart of the amazing CAPTURED BOXSET
Preorder HERE
99 cents for a limited time
9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart
CAPTURED is a steamy collection from today’s hottest authors featuring 9 sexy bad boys trying to capture your heart, every way they know how. Nine tales of sensual seduction featuring alpha male heroes determined to have their way, and willing to doanything to get it, even if that means a little seductive persuasion…
Amazon | Apple | More Links
DEBT OF HONOR by Opal Carew
Held captive by a domineering sheikh… and made to pay for a crime she did not commit
YOURS TO TAKE by Cathryn Fox
Revenge takes on a sexy twist when a powerhouse lawyer is stripped of her control by the handsome multi-millionaire she once took down in the courtroom.
ACCIDENTAL ABDUCTION by Eve Langlais
Fall in love? Never! An alien assassin turned pirate has no use for an emotion he can’t sell, but that doesn’t stop him from falling for the human he captures.
JAGUAR’S RULE by T. J. Michaels
After an irresistible night of passion with Reya, Aaron James longs to hold her close forever. Little does he know that the tall, sleek beauty has a carnal secret—and he’s the one who needs protection.
HANDCUFFED TO THE SHEIKH by Teresa Morgan
The last thing Maxine Foss ever expected was to be handcuffed to a sexy, but crazy, guy who claims he’s an Arabian prince… and is determined to seduce her. Best. Abduction. Ever.
FAST AND MINE by Sharon Page
College student Claire gets lessons in seduction from sexy, hot street bike racer, Sawyer. But when she’s kidnapped by his psychotic sponsor to force him to race, can Sawyer save her and win her heart?
BURNS LIKE FIRE by Mandy Rosko
Jack Marilla is out for revenge for the deaths of his family, and the burn scars that cover his body. To get it, he has to hunt down the woman he used to love, the paranormal fire starter who set his house ablaze with him, and his family, locked inside of it. When he catches her, however, he faces his biggest challenge yet. To not believe her when she claims to be innocent, or fall for her seduction..
DEBT INHERITANCE by Pepper Winters
Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey. There are no rules. Only payments..
CHOOSING RILEY by S. E. Smith
Things take a turn for the worse when Riley St. Claire is kidnapped by aliens and forced to choose a mate. The problem is, it would have been better, and safer, for the aliens if they had left Riley back on Earth.
Another AMAZING boxset is the OWNED BOXSET
Set to release on the 10th November 2014.
This features never before seen stories from some amazing authors.
Prepare to be Owned…
Lose yourself in this collection of never before seen novellas from eleven best selling authors from around the globe.
And the best part – they contain controlling alphas, feisty females and story lines that will have you holding your breath.
Don’t miss out on this great anthology by –
Lili Saint Germain
Jani Kay
Callie Hart
Pepper Winters
Lilliana Anderson
Rachel Brookes
Chelle Bliss
Lila Rose
Lyra Parish
Lesley Jones
Nina Levine
Cover coming SOON!!!
I also have something very cool to show you on the 10th September so hope you like it!
Have a great weekend
Pepper
August 29, 2014
RUIN & RULE (Pure Corruption MC)
*** Announcement ***
I’ve been bouncing around dying to share this information with you. And here it is.
Grand Central will be releasing a Motorcycle Romance from me in 2015. The series is called Pure Corruption. The first full length book is called Ruin & Rule.
I’m going to be very secretive about the plot for the time being as the book is only half written, but I can say it’s sexy, twisty, and Arthur ‘Kill’ Killian is proving to be a handful.
Here is the Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22925912-ruin-rule?from_search=true
There will also be a prequel to this full length story called Trespass & Triumph which will be releasing on the 10th Nov 2014 in the Boxset OWNED. Find more information here: https://www.facebook.com/OwnedAnAlphaAnthology
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22930021-trespass-triumph?from_search=true
This story is Grey-Dark and focuses on a plot that I hope will have you guessing right to the very end.
**TEASER**
“Was this your plan all along? Make me think you cared about me so I would let you go? Out of what…decency?” He cupped my chin, his eyes boring into mine. “Because if that’s your plan, then you don’t know me at all.”
“I had no plan,” I murmured.
He thrust against me, bruising my clit. “You’ve won though haven’t you, Forgetful Girl? I’m almost naked and in a makeshift bed. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
My breath caught. “My intention was never to sleep with you.”
“Bullshit. You want me. I saw it in your eyes the moment we met.”
August 27, 2014
ONE YEAR TODAY I PRESSED PUBLISH. NYT, USA TODAY, & TIMELINE
A YEAR!!!
I blinked and it’s flown by. Five books. Two signings. No sleep.
I’d planned to do a short blogpost to celebrate one year of pressing that alluring publish button. I’d planned on celebrating with a brief ‘Happy Release Birthday’ with a few giveaways and updates—that in itself would’ve been more than enough reward to look back and reflect on what the past year has meant to me and how amazed, humbled, and ecstatic I am. But the icing on this fabulous cake that has become my life was Debt Inheritance hit #84 on the USA Today and #24 on the NYT Bestseller lists. On the very same day that I pressed publish a year ago. Surreal? Yep!!!
Now, I find my small post isn’t enough to celebrate such a monumental achievement or to put into words how blown away I am. So, I’m going to do another lengthy blogpost on the writing side of it, along with the mental side that turned my world upside down and I KNOW has the same power to turn your life any which way you want it.
If you follow me, you’ll know I’m a huge advocator in visualization and positive thinking. This hasn’t changed, nor will it. EVER. Because I’ve seen results. I don’t care how it works—only that it does. By visualizing the future you want you’re more focused, driven, and less likely to get distracted.
With that said, let’s begin.
TIME LINE
15th July 2013
Tess Snow and Q Mercer jumped very rudely and abruptly into my head. I had been writing other characters but they just shoved their way in there and I couldn’t do anything else but write their tale. I’ve said before that Q was sly and mysterious the entire time I wrote that book and didn’t know him until the end and the epilogue, but it was great fun being in his head in Quintessentially Q.
Tears of Tess was my fifth novel. I’ve written Urban Fantasy and Contemporary all sitting unloved and gathering dust. But I fully believe that I had to write those books to fully grow as a storyteller. They were huge learning curves for me. For someone who flunked English class and left school at 16, I had to learn the very, very basics and I will admit I had a lot to learn.
First thing I recommend you do, if you’re wanting to publish and don’t know where to start (which I didn’t know about until 2 years into trying to write) is join QueryTracker. They have like-minded authors, all looking for Beta Readers, and to share their tips and goals. It’s scary to trust a complete stranger with your unpublished manuscript, but I know without a doubt I would never be where I am without putting my faith into one amazing author on there.
She in turn introduced me to other like-minded writers and our group grew and celebrated each success as each of us either went on to self-publish, signed deals with large houses, or diverted our attention into different genres. My advice to you is—join a networking site. Get talking. Get sharing. And leave your emotions at the door. Critique—honest critique—will hurt, this is after all your baby, but if you find someone trustworthy, then their advice is priceless. Listen.
28th August 2013
I pressed that publishing button after spending the month of July and August building up my online presence. I did nothing amazing or fancy. I opened a blog, Facebook page, and twitter. I shared teasers of my work, friended like-minded authors and readers, and slowly built up my brand. Your brand is very important to have established BEFORE you press publish. Also, if you can afford it, investing in yourself is a huge need. I spent about 1500USD pushing Tears of Tess in advertising cost. It was a gamble, but one I was willing to take.
Needless to say, Amazon decided to play chicken with me and I when pressed publish sick with nerves, they made me wait and wait and WAIT. 27 hours they made me twirl my thumbs before slowly releasing the book on all platforms. I have no idea why they took so long, but it might’ve had something to do with the warning in the blurb about non-consent. (Amazon are devils for censorship, so be careful what you put in your synopsis.)
The success that Tears of Tess had blew my mind and to this day is still my bestseller. I will never be able to thank the bloggers who friended me, or the readers who helped pimp my work. Word of Mouth was key in that book and I wish I knew how to replicate it. All I can say is be so grateful for every sale, be kind and generous, and be happy.
16th December 2013
I finished writing Quintessentially Q and released. It hit top 100 within hours of its release and I was once again blown over by the amazing readers and reviewers. But then it sank. Hard and fast. Christmas and holiday season. I thought it would be a perfect time to sell with people buying gifts and getting ready for a break from work, but it was the opposite. Everyone was super busy buying family presents and having panic attacks over dinners and parties. Sales continued to suck until early January, which, without any pushing or promotion, sales suddenly climbed high and stayed high for a few months. My advice—don’t publish over the holidays.
January 2014
Quit working on my other ‘adult jobs’ and embraced my dream to write fulltime.
7th March 2014
I finished writing Destroyed and released a week late due to the headache that book caused me. I won’t reiterate what I wrote on the nightmare of writing that book but you can see the post HERE. That was the book that, even though it almost killed me writing it, brought two things into my life which I will be forever amazed by. It hit the USA Today Bestseller list and caught the attention of Latoya Smith at Grand Central Publishing.
25th March 2014
I went to my first ever signing which was amazing, terrifying, totally wicked, and blew my mind with people wanting my autograph—ME? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
5th April 2014
Latoya Smith at Grand Central contacted me about buying the rights to Destroyed and other works. I went into self-publishing purely so I could write the books that were in my heart, and to have a large publisher agree to let me continue to write what I loved but wanted to help place them into bookshops around the world was just jaw-dropping.
30th April 2014
I signed with Erica Silverman at Trident Media Group who held my hand during the deal made with Grand Central Publishing. I did a post on that HERE
3rd June 2014
I finished the Monsters in the Dark trilogy and published Twisted Together. It was bittersweet and rather stressful. I was lucky enough to get pre-orders through Amazon but that blessing turned into a bit of a curse as the book I thought would be about 80-90,000 words turned into 173,000 words. All done in 5 weeks. I don’t recommend that. LOL
4th July 2014
I had my second signing in Edinburgh which was incredibly amazing. I met some extraordinary people, partied with readers who I adore, and got to rub shoulders with some insanely talented authors. I went to that signing expecting a few people…30-40 max who would come and see me. So my jaw was on the floor when my line never stopped. I didn’t eat until 3.30pm. I couldn’t even go to the loo because the line never stopped. I was given gifts and so humbled I couldn’t comprehend that THIS was my life.
16th July 2014
Latoya Smith unfortunately left Grand Central but I was taken under the wing of Amy Piermont and Lauren Plude (executive editors and head of the Forever department) who have been the most amazing advocates of my work and I’m very excited to deliver the books that will be released with GCP in 2015.
18th August 2014
Released Debt Inheritance (Indebted #1) This was actually the hardest of my releases to bear, purely because the readers who loved Q really didn’t like Jethro. It really hurt to think I let them down, but I’m hoping I can turn them around with the next installments. The motto of this story—you think as a writer each release will get easier, but it’s the EXACT opposite. You have expectations to fill, characters to do justice. It only gets harder. I can honestly say my easiest release was Tears of Tess, purely because no one knew me.
28th August 2014
I’ve just been told by my agent and publisher that Debt Inheritance hit #84 on USA Today and #24 on NYT. I’m beyond amazed and so grateful. :) So that truly does wrap up a year of awesomeness and I hope it never ends. I’ll be writing for the rest of my life and hope I’ll continue to have an audience who enjoys my work.
So that’s the year summed up in a nice little bow. I can say I’ve worked harder than I’ve ever worked on anything in my life. I’ve written for 28 hours solid with no sleep, I’ve spent money on advertising that didn’t work, and almost given up on books that got me on the USA Today list. Every day I wake up and write. My eyes are suffering from staring at a screen all day, and my brain will NEVER switch off so relaxing has pretty much flown out of the window. But I wouldn’t trade a single part of it. My dream came true and I’m going to love every tough, painful, ecstatic, overwhelming, joyous moment of it.
And I only have you to thank xxxxxxxxxxxxx
What’s coming up in the future?
I can’t say much as I’m still waiting permission from Grand Central to release the titles and details of the two books being published with them. However, I have more Indebted to deliver, two motorcycle club books with an alpha male called Arthur Killian who I hope you’ll love as much as I do, and then a few different projects from my usual darkness called Forbidden Flaws and Ribbon. (They’ll be Grey Romance with an emphasis on sexy)
Dates, links, and covers will all be shared soon.
Before I head back into my writing cave, I want to say another big, HUGE, thank you for following my career and enjoying my work. I hope you all have an incredible day and that your dreams come true.
Xxx
Pepper
August 17, 2014
***DEBT INHERITANCE IS LIVE***
It’s Release Day!
My fifth book in under a year. It’s been a roller coaster of highs and lows and fears, but an absolute incredible dream come true, and can’t wait to celebrate the release of Debt Inheritance with you!
!!DEBT INHERITANCE IS LIVE!!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Inheritance-Indebted-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00MSYVHE4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/debt-inheritance-pepper-winters/1120021635?ean=9781501487392&itm=1&usri=9781501487392
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/debt-inheritance
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id904155090
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/466137
If you would like a paperback you can buy them from here. They’re priced at $9.99:
Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4916528
Or you’d like a signed, personalized copy with swag they’re $29.50 and can be ordered here: http://pepperwinters.com/purchase-tears-of-tess-signed-paperbacks/
There is a Facebook Group Read where you can join like-minded readers and chat, question, and interact while reading here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1511645192400372/
I’m also running a campaign which is a bit like a flash mob where at exactly 0930 on the 21st August the news that Debt Inheritance is live will be posted online. I would love it if you could be part of it by participating here: https://www.thunderclap.it/my/overview?locale=en
If you’d like to keep up to date with news, teasers, and other things please join the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/307722962716716/
Thank you so much to everyone who shared, tweeted, and left a review on Amazon. I can’t thank you enough for your amazing support and generosity.
Hope you all enjoy Jethro and Nila!
August 14, 2014
DEBT INHERITANCE SIGNED PAPERBACKS
** DEBT INHERITANCE RELEASES IN THREE DAYS **
Debt Inheritance Signed Paperbacks are available to be ordered. It will take 10 days to reach me and another 10 or so days to reach you if ordered today. Price includes the book, and shipping (I’m so sorry about the cost again, bloody daylight robbery postal service)
if you want a copy best to put an order in soon as I’ve only printed a limited number at this stage, or wait to see me at a signing soon!
DEBT INHERITANCE (INDEBTED #1)
Debt Inheritance Signed Paperbacks come with extra signed swag and the price includes postage internationally.
Please make sure to add your email and address when ordering. And make a note if a different name is to be personalized on the book.
UK & USA:
Australia:
Thanks so much!!!
August 10, 2014
DEBT INHERITANCE RELEASES IN 7 DAYS
The countdown is on for Debt Inheritance to hit kindles and reading devices.
Hope you all enjoy!
Indebted #1 is available for pre-order from these sites:
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/Search/Que...
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id90...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
July 29, 2014
DEBT INHERITANCE iTUNE PREORDER & GROUP READ
I have some exciting news.
iTunes pre-order for Debt Inheritance has just gone live. You can purchase for 0.99 from here:
I’ll let you know when other sites go live.
Also, I mentioned that I would be doing something different with the release of Indebted #1 and have started a Group Read on both Facebook and Goodreads. If you’d like to join like-minded individuals to read, discuss, and interact while enjoying the Indebted Series, please join below:
Thank you so much!
Also, in other news. The Destroyed hoodie, tank, and t-shirt campaign will end soon. So if you want one, now is the time to order.
July 28, 2014
INDEBTED SERIES INFORMATION & OTHER QUESTIONS
I’ve been asked a few times the following questions regarding the INDEBTED SERIES:
1. How big will each book be?
2. How many will there be?
3. How often will they be released?
4. Are they stand alone or cliffhanger?
I’m here to answer those along with the other questions I’ve been asked lately:
1. When is Last Shadow being released?
2. When is Sins of Silver being released?
3. Do you have a list of your future releases?
4. When will Je suis a toi be released?
I’ll start with DEBT INHERITANCE (Book one of Indebted)
This is a Dark Romance Series. Yes, I realize some readers love series as they’re shorter, published quicker than most, and more often than not cheaper than a full book. I also realize that some people don’t like them as they’re shorter and not a complete book. The reason why I’m doing Indebted this way isn’t because of money or because it’s a common trend at the moment, but because I have too many commitments to the new publisher I just signed with, other promised work, and signing appearances to write this as a Trilogy (because that would be the size of it if I waited to release in larger books.)
1. How big will each book be?
Tears of Tess was 107,000 words, Quintessentially Q was 117,000 words, and Twisted Together was 173,000 words. That’s a total of: 397,000 words. The Indebted Series will be this size, if not longer, but published slightly differently. This is so I can bring a new book to you more often while I also work on my other commitments.
Each book will be 50,000 words or more so a BOOK size, not novella. Each one will follow Jethro and Nila as their story is involved, full of twists, and not able to told quickly. I aim to give you darkness and temptation and a vintage feel to a modern story.
2. How many will there be?
I’m not sure how many books there will be at this stage. If I stick with the guideline of Tess and Q’s length of story, I’m guessing six to seven.
Price wise the first book will be priced at 0.99. It will FOREVER be priced at 0.99.
3. How often will they be released?
I’m hoping every 8-10 weeks (this is conservative and I’ll do my best to shorten this depending on my other commitments.)
4. Are they stand alone or cliffhanger?
Yes, they will probably end on a cliffhanger as you’ll have to wait to hear more from the characters, however each book follows a single debt that will be concluded in that one volume.
If you have any other questions, just let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.
In other Indebted news there will be a release day party on the 18th August 2014 and you can join in HERE
There is a signed paperback giveaway going on at Goodreads. You can enter HERE
There will also be an Indebted Book Club set up on Facebook and Goodreads to buddy read and discuss while reading. I’ll be posting those links very soon.
Right, moving onto the next questions:
1. When is Last Shadow being released?
This is hard to answer as it was in talks with a publisher but has since been paused for now. I can’t commit to a release date as I’m over committed at this stage and don’t want to disappoint you. I can say it won’t be 2014, though. And I apologise for the delay but hope you’ll forgive me with delivering other titles.
2. When is Sins of Silver being released?
This one I have some very exciting news. Upon reflection, Chantal Fernando and I agreed we are too different in our writing styles to do a collaboration. She has recently written her own MC series called Dragon’s Lair and available now on Amazon. As the concept for Sins of Silver was mine (and she wasn’t too keen on doing a dark, dark book, she has kindly let me write this book on my own.) I love her to death and know that she’ll be very successful in her new MC series. Because Sins of Silver was a title for the joint project, it’s unfair of either of us to use it as a single author. So, I’ve renamed the book and will be able to release that VERY soon. I’m very excited to advise that this book has been signed by Grand Central (along with a sequel set in the same world) and will be releasing Feb 2015. The moment I’m allowed to release the cover, the title, and pre-order links, I’ll be splashing them everywhere.
So to simplify my long answer, yes the book is coming under a different name and more information is coming very soon.
3. Do you have a list of your future releases?
Not officially but I’ll do one now:
Debt Inheritance (Indebted #1): 18th August 2014
Ruin & Rule (prequel to the MC book I’m releasing with Grand Central) Early November in a box set with some amazing biker authors
First Debt (Indebted #2): October 2014
Untitled MC book coming from Grand Central: Feb 2015 (in ebook and in bookstores around USA, Canada, and England)
I can’t go much further than that as things change and I don’t have all the details from the publisher yet with regards to firm dates. Destroyed will also be re-released very soon along with hitting bookshops nationwide. (look out for a sale when GC takes control on the title)
4. When will Je suis a toi be released?
Q and Tess’s story will come, but I have a lot of books to write between now and November (I have to deliver the draft of the MC book to Grand Central on the 2nd of November) so I’ll be flat out completing that commitment, however I’ll do my best to deliver before Christmas along with releasing the Monsters in the Dark boxset with the extra bonus of the novella in time for the holidays.
Hope that helps and everyone had a great weekend!
Pepper
July 27, 2014
July 18, 2014
DESTROYED CLOTHING
Finally started a campaign for Destroyed Clothing. If you’d like one there are hoodies, t-shirts, and tanks up for grabs for a limited time.
Link to buy:
http://teespring.com/destroyedclothing#pid=212&cid=1025
