Kelly Apple's Blog, page 21

December 3, 2018

Looking Back on November

Looking Back on November at KellyApple.com


Whelp. Another month gone by.


NaNo was a bust for me mostly because my day job TOOK OFF and I was pulling down 9+ hour days. Which isn’t a terrible thing, but it definitely continues to cut into my writing time. (By the by, one of my goals going into 2019 is going to be figuring out how to balance this new insane work schedule with dedicated writing time. Because this slow down in writing hurrrrrts, man. It hurts.)


On the plus side, even though I didn’t hit my 50K writing goal for the month, I did write more in November than I did in October. So, YAY!


On the DOUBLE plus side, November saw a new Monstrous Revelations book come out. Monstrous Acceptance is the 4th book in the series and I have PLANS (big plans!) to get books 5 and 6 out by the end of the year. Book 5 just has some minor formatting to complete, so it should be out within the next week or so.


I also want to finish my cover redesign for the MR series, so THAT should be coming soon, too.


I guess I should wrap this up and get back to work, right? Until next month!


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Published on December 03, 2018 03:00

November 30, 2018

Feature Friday – Laid Bear

Feature Friday at KellyApple.com


Oh, MAN, I adore this quiet, intense bear. Ivan is just…FUN. I liked him. A LOT. Both writing him and seeing him come to life in my head.


Pairing him with shy Callie who loves to bake and creates things JUST FOR HIM? *heart eyes*, people. *HEART EYES*


Yes, I have a massive soft spot for Ivan and Callie. Their story isn’t quite as frenetic as Cami and Bran’s book. It’s not as complicated as Sam and Luna’s romance. It isn’t as argumentative as Kane and Carrie. Ivan and Callie were sweet, okay? SWEET.


Plus, burly, over-sized shapeshifters are my great weakness. *draws glittery hearts around Ivan and his quiet ways*


Laid BearLaid Bear

(Wicked Pride #4)

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | 24 Symbols | Kobo | Inktera

Add on Goodreads

Release Date: August 23, 2017

Pages: 129

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Being a bear in cat territory isn’t easy, but Ivan Hearne is determined to put his best foot forward and show the people of Oak Haven that bear shifters aren’t the rampaging beasts everyone believes them out to be. Scouting the perfect location for the restaurant his clan plans on opening gives him reason to wander around town and show everyone just how non-threatening his people can be.


And if he happens to meet a beautiful, tongue-tied hybrid who bakes the best salmon biscuits he’d ever tasted, that’s just one of the perks.


Convincing the shy beauty to give him a chance is Ivan’s new mission in life. Showing her she’s the treasure he believes her to be is a task he’s glad to focus on.


Introducing her to his clan? That’s when things start getting hairy.


<< White Collared


{series page}


{all books}



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Published on November 30, 2018 03:00

November 27, 2018

Monstrous Revelations 4 OUT NOW!

Monstrous Revelations 4 is NOW AVAILABLE!


Would you look at that! Monstrous Acceptance is FINALLY OUT.


I say finally, because this book was my planned October release and, seeing as it’s now the end of November, I didn’t quite manage to release it in October. Ha. Quite. So close, Kelly. So close.


Part of that stemmed from a virtual cascade of real life things that kept me from focusing as much as I would have liked on the authorly stuff. And part of it was from me deciding I NEEDED new covers for this series and then not having the time to get them done.


So, HEY!, the first three books will be getting cover overhauls as soon as I clear my schedule a bit. SURPRISE!


The good news is I’m still planning on having books 5 and 6 out by the end of the year. You know, once I create covers for them and everything.


The point I’m trying to make? Keep an eye out because the next two books are going to be released fairly close together.


In the meantime…MONSTROUS ACCEPTANCE!


PSST, it’s free to borrow in Kindle Unlimited. GO CRAZY!


Monstrous AcceptanceMonstrous Acceptance

(Monstrous Revelations #4)

Amazon

Add on Goodreads

Release Date: November 25, 2018

Genre: Monster Erotica, Paranormal Romance

Ari’s group might be getting stronger, but it’s not all sunshine and roses.


The newest shifters she’s brought into the house are trying to fit in, but there are still a few rough spots that need to be smoothed over between the packless and Ari’s old friends. Living wild honed their instincts and it’ll take time before they feel comfortable enough to relax with the boisterous, rowdy group.


Time they might not have when instinct takes over for one of them.


Despite her flighty appearance, the nymph who brought them all together isn’t going to let a little misaligned instinct derail her plans. They were going to band together, dammit, whether they wanted to or not.


And this particular nymph always gets what she wants.


Warning: This book contains a shy werewolf. Like, crazy shy. And a cautious wolf. Like, insanely cautious. Until he isn’t. Good thing there’s a nymph on hand to sort them both out.


<Monstrous Rogues - Monstrous Choices >>


{series page}


{all books}



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Published on November 27, 2018 03:00

November 23, 2018

Feature Friday – White Collared

Feature Friday at KellyApple.com


It’s Black Friday here in the US, but that’s not going to stop Kane and Carrie from elbowing their way into Feature Friday.


That’s right! The Alpha of the big cats and the sassy human who asks for his help are here and they’re ready to party!


No lie, the Wicked Pride series was originally written as a two book series. However, when I went back to format and edit books 1 and 2, I just knew I couldn’t leave this series without giving Kane his story. So he got a story.


And in that story, we were introduced to the bear clan. *evil laugh*


White CollaredWhite Collared

(Wicked Pride #3)

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | 24 Symbols | Kobo | Inktera

Add on Goodreads

Release Date: July 26, 2017

Pages: 121

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Kane Mayhew, Alpha of the cat shifters and all around surly guy, has never been one to walk away from a challenge. So when a full-human walks into his business and asks for help, he gives it to her. He never expected to find himself in the middle of a possible inter-species war. Or trying to figure out how to keep the pretty human with him once he’d done as he said.


He was a cat, after all, and cats looked after themselves.


But Carrie Sato is intriguing. She calls to his beast and she’s fierce enough to stand up to him when he’s at his worst. When the help she asked for leads them into the territory of one of the meanest shifter breeds around, Kane knows he’s going to have to be as quick and deadly as his kind are known for.


Not only when it comes to keeping her safe, but also so he can stake a claim on her heart.


Because when a lion finds his mate, nobody better get between them.


<< Dangerous Curves - Laid Bear >>


{series page}


{all books}



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Published on November 23, 2018 03:00

November 20, 2018

Anderson High Wolves Short – Have Courage

Have Courage - An Anderson High Wolves Series Short featuring Lane


Have Courage

Lane

Anderson High Wolves

 


Matty’s steady presence in her life gave Lane the courage to try things she never thought she’d try.


Like the seasonal coffees Matty’s favorite coffee shop experimented with.


It wasn’t that she had been adverse to trying new things before, but rather that the thought of just going somewhere to do something like get a coffee hadn’t been on her radar.


Plus, money had been scarce and she’d never had a few extra dollars to spend on anything as trivial as a coffee. Especially not when it meant being out in public with all those accusing eyes on her.


Matty had changed that.


He gave her courage. Whenever she started to get squirrely, he would put his wide, warm palm on her back and give her a moment to shove her fear into the dark corner where it belonged.


Nobody was looking at her. Not the way she imagined.


Most of the town didn’t remember what she’d done. Not really.


It still made her feel vaguely ashamed that she didn’t have much of her own money to spend, but she didn’t know how to voice that disquiet without making Matty feel bad for making her feel bad about it.


It was a weird, circular thought and sometimes she got caught in it way too easily.


The only way to break out of that headspace was to catalog the things she could do to change the circumstances that made her feel inadequate.


If she had a little money of her own to spend, she wouldn’t be mooching off Matty.


So she put on her big girl panties and started looking for a job.


Matty’s mom had sat her down and told her—in the type of motherly voice Lane wished her mom would take with her—that while she was welcome to work if she wanted to, it wasn’t necessary.


“You’re Matty’s mate, Lane,” Mrs. Bridges had quietly told her. “You’re our daughter in all the ways that count.”


Lane hadn’t known what to think about that sweet sentiment.


But it had loosened the knot in her gut enough that she didn’t try to find excuses to stay in when Matty asked if she wanted to do anything.


That’s how they’d ended up at the coffee shop on a Friday night, two peppermint mochas in Matty’s big hands as he expertly wound his way through the crowd to claim the corner table by the window.


It didn’t take long until a few other pack members wandered over and made themselves at home.


Lane watched them as the settled in, unable to stop the smile that curled the corners of her mouth.


She loved watching Matty with his friends. As Evan’s second, he outranked all the others in Evan’s small pack, but he never treated them like he was more important than they were.


His smile was quick and easy. His laugh made her feel warm.


The way he’d glance over every so often to make sure she didn’t need anything else made her heart swell with love.


She’d been alone and unloved long enough to feel a jolt of sheer joy whenever she caught him looking out for her. She hoped that particular jolt never went away.


Sipping the sweet, minty drink, Lane inched her chair nearer to Matty’s until they were close enough they bumped every time one of them moved.


That was one of the things she loved the most. Being able to touch him whenever she wanted without fear of him drawing away made her heart feel full.


“Have courage,” she whispered into her cup.


Matty tilted his head and smiled at her.


Feeling brave, Lane leaned into him and rested her head against his shoulder. Without pause, his arm came around her and he tucked her in tight to his side.


Matty had given her wings. Every day he gifted her with them anew.


Matty was her center and her light.


With him, anything was possible.


The End



Want to see see how Matty and Lane ended up together? Grab The Girl Most Likely for their story or Anderson High Wolves: The Complete Novella Collection to meet all the wolves of Anderson High.


Missed any of the other shorts? Check out the Series Shorts page and get caught up.


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Published on November 20, 2018 03:00

November 16, 2018

Feature Friday – Dangerous Curves

Feature Friday at KellyApple.com


Sam and Luna. Yeah. Sam wasn’t the easiest character to write. Mostly because I didn’t realize how into Luna he was when I wrote No Reservations and I gave him a bit of a social handicap when I had him mock Luna’s best friend near her.


That’s not the easiest thing to overcome. Especially with Luna as stubborn as she was.


That said, I knew I was going to write their story as soon as I finished writing book 1. Mostly because I’m incapable on a cellular level of writing a standalone. NO JOKE. Every time I try, I end up with a 4-book series.


So Sam and Luna got their story. And the seed for the rest of the series was planted even though I wouldn’t follow through on it for several months…


Dangerous CurvesDangerous Curves

(Wicked Pride #2)

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | 24 Symbols | Kobo | Inktera

Add on Goodreads

Release Date: June 21, 2017

Pages: 112

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Samuel Delaney’s had a rough couple of months. Not only did he find out his mom works for the government in a job she stubbornly refuses to speak about, now he’s helping his alpha deal with a sudden influx of wolves after their alpha mated with one of the cats from his pride.


Most importantly, the leopardess he’s been half in love with his entire adult life is actively looking for a mate.


And Sam isn’t even a footnote on her list of potentials.


Convincing the lovely Luna North to give him a chance would be a hell of a lot easier if he didn’t get tongue tied whenever she was around. He’ll have to rely on his cat’s instinctive ability to land on its feet if he hopes to make any headway with the stubborn beauty.


Because when a lion chooses his mate, he doesn’t back down.


Ever.


< - White Collared >>


{series page}


{all books}



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Published on November 16, 2018 03:00

November 13, 2018

Anderson High Wolves Short – Hard Won

Hard Won - An Anderson High Wolves Series Short featuring Natalie


Hard Won

Natalie

Anderson High Wolves

 


Finding yourself was…freeing.


Natalie hadn’t realized how boxed in she’d been until she opened the door to her gilded cage and was allowed to fly free. Much like the bird she kept comparing herself to, suddenly the world opened up for her and anything was possible.


On the other and of the long couch, Mason shifted in his seat, his pen moving over the page of the notebook on his lap in confident strokes.


Mason. Her love. Her one.


He’d been the one who helped her open that cage. His solid strength at her back when she’d finally grown a spine and told her parents she wasn’t going to follow the ridiculous life plan they’d mapped out for her had been nothing short of miraculous.


That he stuck around—even after seeing firsthand what assholes her parents were—had given her the courage to try anything.


Mason loved her.


He loved her.


Natalie had spent her entire life being admired and feared and envied, but she didn’t think she’d ever been loved. Not by anyone. Including her parents.


Not until him.


Ignoring the book she’d been trying to read between covertly admiring her handsome mate, Natalie gave up being stealthy and just flat out stared.


Good lord, Mason was a beautiful specimen of manliness. He’d left his wild tangle of hair down today (acceptable since they were inside and wouldn’t be seen by anyone outside his family) and there was something about seeing her man so unconstrained that lit a fire in Natalie’s heart.


His shirt was tight enough to show off his massive biceps and carved chest (no other man his age—wolf or otherwise—looked as good with their shirt off, in Natalie’s humble opinion) and his tree trunk thighs turned ordinary jeans into a work of art.


Her man had dips and hollows she hadn’t realized were physically possible in anything outside a sculpture.


Beautiful.


Utterly, completely beautiful.


Mason snorted out an amused laugh and glanced up at her, his pen continuing to move across the page. “You’re staring.”


“Yup.” She really was.


“You trying to distract me, Nat?”


Trying? Pfft. Not at all. When she was trying, her love would know it. This was just casual appreciation.


Another laugh, this one lower, and Natalie almost joined him. Yes, her man knew her well enough to know exactly what was going through her head.


“You wanna come over here and do something about it?”


It impressed her that he never stopped writing. His pen continued its smooth movement across the paper, line of words straight as all the others, even as he looked at her.


Mason Armstrong was incredible.


“Whatcha writing?” she asked instead of taking him up on his offer.


“Story.”


It amused Natalie when they fell into shorthand like this. Mason wasn’t much of a talker most of the time and she’d starting picking up some of his verbal quirks.


“Good one?”


“About you.”


That gave her pause. “You’re writing a story about me?”


“Yep. A warrior queen who’s willing to sacrifice everything for the good of her people.”


That was…wow.


“Is that how you see me?”


“Yeah.”


Mason had never been shy about showing her how important she was to him. He put her first in all things. His attention—hard won and real—had soothed the ragged edges of the heart that her parents had so callously damaged.


“Is there a love interest for this warrior queen?” she whispered, wanting to know.


“Yeah.” Mason paused and looked down at the notebook, a flush of color riding his cheekbone.


Oh, god. Blushing Mason did things to her. Dark, wicked things.


“Who?” She wanted to know. She needed to know.


“Another warrior. A commander in the army. Champion of the people.”


Her heart was so full, Natalie thought she’d burst.


She loved this man. She loved his quiet strength and his willingness to help those who needed him.


He was her champion, her love, her mate.


He was hers, body and soul, and she’d do anything she had to do to make sure he felt as loved as she did every damn day of their lives.


The End



Want to see how Natalie and Mason found their way together? Pick up All the Reasons Why or Anderson High Wolves: The Complete Novella Collection.


Missed any of the other shorts? Check out the Series Shorts page and get caught up.


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Published on November 13, 2018 03:00

November 9, 2018

Feature Friday – No Reservations

Feature Friday at KellyApple.com


Welcome to the first installment of Feature Friday at KellyApple.com.


This week’s featured book is No Reservations, book 1 in the Wicked Pride series.


Okay. I’m trying to think about what to say about Cami and Bran’s book that I haven’t said before. Here goes. These two cracked me up from the moment they appeared in my head. I wanted their book to be a wild ride from beginning to end and I think I accomplished that.


THESE TWO WERE CRAZY.


And by that, I mean they were both crazy for each other from their first introduction and just plain crazy. They both leaped without looking and their devil-may-care attitude ultimately shaped the rest of the series.


They were fun. They were horny. They were meant for one another.


No ReservationsNo Reservations

(Wicked Pride #1)

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | 24 Symbols | Kobo | Inktera

Add on Goodreads

Release Date: May 24, 2017

Pages: 118

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Cami Patterson has the worst luck with men. Everyone in her pride knows it and they steer clear of her so they don't end up with a broken bone or two or, even worse, dead. Needless to say, when her best friend sets her up on a blind date with a werewolf visiting from out of town, she doesn't expect anything to come of it.


She certainly doesn't expect a night of non-stop excitement including thwarting a robbery, getting chased by the police, and almost causing an international incident. Who has time to enjoy themselves with all that going on? Or of hooking up with her sex-on-a-stick date?


Cami just might have met her match in the wolf who laughs in the face of danger and doesn't hesitate to jump in when there's a damsel in distress. Who knew it would take a wolf to brave this cat's run of bad relationships?


Dangerous Curves >>


{series page}


{all books}



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Published on November 09, 2018 03:00

November 6, 2018

Anderson High Wolves Short – Content

Content - An Anderson High Wolves Series Short featuring Jenny


Content

Jenny

Anderson High Wolves

 


Jenny floated on a sea of warmth.


It had always been like that for them. Well, maybe not always.


It had been like that ever since Evan had started sneaking into her room at night to wrap her in his arms as they slept. Jenny woke up warm and content. Happy.


So damn happy.


Breathing her man’s scent in, she couldn’t help the smile that curled up the corners of her mouth. Neither could she stop her fingers from tracing over the firm swells of his pecs.


When those same fingers ventured across his ribs, however, she was forced to stop. Mostly because Even twitched ticklishly and caught her hand.


“None of that, babe,” he said in his deliciously sleep roughened voice.


Boy, did her wolf dislike being tickled. That hadn’t been her intention, of course. She’d only been marveling at how wonderfully muscled her boyfriend was.


Wonderfully, magnificently muscled.


Having his press her hand flat against his ribs wasn’t any hardship, though, so that bubble of contentment continued.


As did his scent.


MAN, she loved how Evan smelled. Like chilly nights and man.


Burying her nose in his shirt, she drew in a deep breath. Evan’s chest moved in a laugh, but he didn’t stop her. How could he? He did the same to her all the time. He sniffed her hair. He wrapped himself around her for the sole purpose of burying his nose against her neck and breathing her in.


She’d gotten over her embarrassment of PDAs because she loved when he did that so much.


It was as wolfish trait. Matty and Mason did it to their girlfriends, too.


Lane always turned a fiery shade of red and giggled, but she didn’t push him away. Natalie…well, Natalie got aggressive. She’d get a gleam in her eye that warned any female in the area away from her man. Then she’d fist a hand in that glorious tangle of Mason’s hair and practically climb him so she could do the same to him.


Jenny didn’t get embarrassed like Lane did and she wasn’t nearly as bold as Natalie. She just loved how Evan would press a little kiss against her skin before taking a deep breath.


She loved it.


Letting out a slow breath, Jenny tilted up her chin until she could see her boyfriend’s face. The sun was barely coming up, so he was more in shadows than anything, but she could make out the familiar edge of his jaw and the sexy line of his mouth.


Channeling Natalie, she scooted up until they were nose to nose. “Hello, handsome,” she whispered.


This close, she could see how his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Hello, beautiful.”


She loved when he dropped endearments. They made her feel warm and loved.


He made her feel warm and loved.


He made her feel beautiful. She wasn’t just Jenny when he looked at her. She was Evan’s Jenny. She’d do whatever she needed to do to make him proud. To make sure he was as content as he made her.


“I like your smile,” he told her.


She doubted he could see her smile. They were too close and his eyes hadn’t moved from hers. “Right back atcha.”


Jenny wasn’t eloquent. She never had been. Fortunately for her, Evan seemed to adore her just the way she was.


Awkward with crazy bed head and everything.


It was weird how life worked out sometimes. Before Evan, she’d done things that still gave her nightmares. She’d been desperate and resigned.


After Evan, she’d seen how different things could when you have a support system to help you out when things went bad.


She tried not to dwell on the what-ifs, but sometimes they crept through her head in the darkest part of the night. What if she’d had someone to turn to when her mom had gotten sick? What if she hadn’t been forced to deal with her stepfather while trying to keep her little brother safe?


What if Evan and his family had never come into her life?


Everything would be different now, that was for sure.


Pushing those thoughts away, Jenny leaned in and pressed a kiss to her wolf’s willing mouth. She loved this man who could take the shape of a beast. She loved his family. She loved his pack.


They were hers now.


All of them.


Wound together like a giant ball of string and she was fine with them never getting untangled.


They were hers. She was theirs.


She was Evan’s.


Another kiss, this one deeper.


They’d weathered a storm of her own making and come out stronger for it.


With her wolf at her side, Jenny knew she could handle anything else life chose to throw at them.


The End



Interested in seeing how Jenny and Evan’s romance began? Grab Anderson High Wolves: The Complete Novella Collection and watch a group of wolves find their special someones.


Missed any of the other shorts? Check out the Series Shorts page and get caught up.


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Published on November 06, 2018 03:00

November 4, 2018

Looking Back on October

Looking Back on October


I’m not going to pull my punches, guys. October totally got away from me. Between family stuff (birthdays, SO MANY BIRTHDAYS) and my day job, I dropped the ball on getting part 4 of Monstrous Revelations out. Whoops.


Needless to say, that’s on my agenda for November. Well, that and part 5. Because WHY NOT?!?! (Which means I need to get the blurbs and covers for 4 & 5 up on the site ASAP.)


On the writing front…you know what? Let’s just say that November will be better. Why? Because November is NaNoWriMo month and I have PLANS I have every intention of blowing out of the water. You can follow along on my writing adventures, if you so desire.


In the meantime, I’m going to start up a Feature Friday, err, feature on, well, Fridays to showcase some of my older books. Keep an eye out for that starting this week.


Now I’m off to WRITE ALL THE THINGS! Toodles.


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Published on November 04, 2018 08:00