Reese Monroe's Blog, page 3

@EPEmbrace Party

 

Come party with us! There will be prizes every fifteen minutes including signed books and gift cards. And the more you participate the more entries you earn toward the grand prize: $50.00 GIFT CARD!

Come join me, Tessa Bailey, Erin Butler and Julie Particka to celebrate our April releases.

It’s going to be SUPER FUN.

CLICK HERE to RSVP–and be sure to mention REESE sent you, you’ll earn extra entry for the grand prize for RSVPing.

And if you invite someone and they leave a comment on the event naming you as the person who invited them, you earn another entry–for every person you invite!

See you there!

 

My Writing Process Tour

What a fun thing I was tagged on by the lovely AJ Pine! The “My Writing Process Blog Tour” is all about–connecting with other writers and readers as well, so I thought it’d be super fun to share it with you and tag a few fellow authors!

Fellow Entangled author, AJ PINE, tagged me to join the tour. Her New Adult debut, If Only, released with Entangled Embrace on March 24th, 2014. Check it out: HERE.

Here’s how the tour works. I’ve got a few questions to answer for you, and then you’ll get to meet a few other authors who will join the tour next week!

1. What am I working on?
 The second book in my Bound by Hades trilogy released last Monday, so I’m still coming down from that…But I’m super excited to be getting the next round of edits on the third book, tentatively titled Bound by Light. And amongst all that fun, I have a book releasing next month under my other name, Lynn Rush, called Absolute Zero, book 2 in my YA/NA Touch of Frost trilogy. **whew**

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?
 New Adult is the “in between” area of Young Adult (YA) and Adult. So the paranormal YA is a little sweeter than NA, but not quite as hot as the Adult (in most cases). For example, NA deals with characters a bit more mature and a bit more experienced than YA characters,  as they face the concept: “Holy crap, I’m an adult…now what?” Or, a concept of, “Now what do I do with my life?”

3. Why do I write what I do? Oh boy, I love this question. I was asked that pretty much the day I started because of two reasons:  1) My characters were too old for YA but too young for Adult & 2) Your romance level was too hot for YA and too sweet for Adult. I was told to change it, but…I just couldn’t. I loved my stories, my characters, and the issues they were faced with. So, I just kept on writing…because I LOVED it.  J Who knew that NA would become all the rage a few years later!  J

4. How does my writing process work?
 I am SOOO a seat of the pants writer. I’ll literally wake up one morning with an idea and start typing. Blank page, everything. I love the rush of that whole process. Sometimes I’ll do a little “thinking” while I’m out biking or running…visualizing the story or the characters. And the most planning I do…those are mind maps. Have you heard of those? Well, they’re just me writing on a piece of paper whatever comes to mind for characteristics, story problems…or whatever. Think of it was free association. I love it!

That’s all from me. Next week you can learn about a couple other fabulous authors

Chris Cannon:

Chris Cannon lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and her three dogs, Pete the shih-tzu who sleeps on her desk while she writes, Molly the ever-shedding yellow lab, and Tyson the sandwich-stealing German Shepherd Beagle. She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures. Her Paranormal YA romance, Going Down In Flames comes out in 2014.

 

Rachel Firasek:  I’m supposed to give you all kind of goodie information about me, but I often find long winded paragraphs boring, so I’m just going to give you a list of things that describe me. I’d love to see how many things we have in common.

Wife, Mother, Sister, Daughter, Me.

Wife, Mother, Sister, Daughter, Me.

Boss, Author, Queen, Overachiever.

Mischief maker, teaser, taunter, lil’ devil.

Water burner, laundry stacker, collector of clutter.

Survivor, Cancer Slayer, Denier of Death.

Artist, Crochet dabbler, mess maker.

42 playing, bones throwing, trickster.

Texan, Accent mimicker, horny toad.

Lizard lady, chameleon, nature blender.

Bye ya’ll.

 

Marked by Hades is Here

It’s release day and we’re going to party! Hope you’ll join me!

One choice away from eternity…

For 911 years, Gatekeeper companion Justin Bradford has denied the possibility of being mated to only one woman. He enjoys them all too much to settle down. So when he feels his mate’s Ahavah mark surface, his first instinct is to ignore it. But when he sees the leather-clad beauty in need of his help that’s easier said than done…

Yvonne wakes up naked on a cold park bench in a small town with no memory of who—or what—she is. All she knows is the gentle man who woke her was turned to dust when she touched him. And now the strange mark that appeared on her shoulder throbs in the presence of the raven-haired man now offering to help her…

As Justin and Yvonne navigate the mystery of her past, their bond grows, but the secrets they discover and the sacrifices that must be made could be enough to rip them apart for eternity.

 

Available here for only $0.99 for a very limited time: Kindle USA | Barnes & Noble | Kindle UK | Kindle Canada | Kobo

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Facebook Party TONIGHT! 7pm-9pm EDT. CLICK HERE to RSVP and you’re automatically entered for the Grand Prize (20+ ebooks, awesome swag, gift cards and more!) We’ll be giving away prizes every fifteen minutes. So grab your favorite drink and come celebrate with us!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Lovers…you have to check this out

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Are you ready to party for FOUR DAYS!! Then you MUST check this awesome event out. Tons of authors, tons of prizes, and tons of fun!

CLICK HERE to head over to the event. Tell them I sent you and give them a wave, okay?

I’m up at 5:45pm, so come chat with me. Okay?

Have a SUPER time.

 

Marked by Hades PARTY TIME

Release Day is almost here!!

April 14th is coming so quickly, and we’ve got some GREAT stuff planned. World-wide blog tour, fun prizes on that, Release day Party with guest authors, oodles of prizes….

So, be sure to join in and spread the word. The more you do, the more entries you earn!

PARTY TIME! Facebook is a fun place to play, so come join us for two hours of prizes, insider scoops, guest author appearances, and so much more!

Location: FACEBOOK Event Page

Date: Monday April 14th, 2014

Time: 7-9pm EDT

So far we’ve got more than 15 e-books, author book swag, and e-gift cards bundled up for a surprise grand prize. And during the two hours, you’ll have chances to earn entries toward that grand prize, and the smaller giveaways posted every fifteen minutes!

Yep, fun stuff to win every fifteen minutes!!

Head over to Facebook to RSVP right now, and you’re entered automatically for the grand prize!

But even better:  Refer people to the party and you’ll earn MORE entries.  All they have to do is RSVP and leave a comment naming you as the person who referred them. You’ll earn entries for everyone who names you!!

Pick up Forged by Fate (book #1) for $0.99 and you’ll be all set for Marked by Hades when it releases. And if you’re already set for Marked by Hades, you can PRE ORDER It right HERE

Marked by Hades Cover Reveal

Super excited for Marked by Hades!!  Thanks to Entangled Embrace for a fantastic cover.  And a big Thank You to Jaime Rush for her wonderful support!  

“Monroe delivers it all–Passion, suspense, and the ultimate fight between good and evil!” -Jaime Rush, New York Times bestselling author of THE HIDDEN

Here’s the blurb:

One choice away from eternity…

For 911 years, Gatekeeper companion Justin Bradford has denied the possibility of being mated to only one woman. He enjoys them all too much to settle down. So when he feels his mate’s Ahavah mark surface, his first instinct is to ignore it. But when he sees the leather-clad beauty in need of his help that’s easier said than done…

Yvonne wakes up naked on a cold park bench in a small town with no memory of who—or what—she is. All she knows is the gentle man who woke her was turned to dust when she touched him. And now the strange mark that appeared on her shoulder throbs in the presence of the raven-haired man now offering to help her…

As Justin and Yvonne navigate the mystery of her past, their bond grows, but the secrets they discover and the sacrifices that must be made could be enough to rip them apart for eternity.

Pre-order on Amazon HERE

Add to Goodreads HERE

 

Thanks for your support!!

Theo and Jax Face Off…

Ruined & Forged by Fate

~~~

Jax Flynn. There was no mistaking this guy, I recognized him from RUINED. And yes, immortality lends to much reading. I often chuckle how demons and angels are portrayed through the humans’ written words, but this one…he was real. That meant his story had to be real. 

I glanced at my watch then back to Jax. Yeah, I had some time. I had to find out more about this unique creature. 

All I wanted was five minutes. Five fucking minutes of peace. I caught the scent of him when he walked inside. Definitely not demon, but not human, either.

Didn’t matter. There were a lot of things out there, crawling and scurrying all over. Most of the time if you ignore them, they ignored you right back. And that’s what I was content to do. I was in town to hunt a demon. A specific one. Whoever—or whatever—this guy was, he wasn’t my focus. 

So, that would have been that had he just kept on his merry way and left me the hell alone. But, no. He was outside the coffee shop, watching me. He was good. Not an amateur in the least. But I felt his eyes on me. Searching and curious. There was a hum to it all. An odd sense that made him impossible to ignore. 

I slammed my now empty cup down and stood, tossing a five on the table. If he wanted to look, least I could do was give him a close up. Down the aisle and around the counter, I pushed through the door and stopped a few feet away. “If you’re looking for a date, I’m not interested. If you’re looking for trouble…” I winked and nodded to the ally around the corner. “I could probably be persuaded.”

“I was hoping you’d come out.” I grinned, my fangs itching to descend, but I held off…for now. “You’re Jax, right?”

Hoping I’d come out, huh. This had potential. “Depends. You applying for the president of my fan club?” I took a deep breath and the demon inside twitched beneath my skin. Azi didn’t like this guy. At all. “Who are you?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his smart-ass attitude. Kind of reminded me of Justin a little, minus the raging anger. I caught a couple thoughts rumbling through his mind, and the mention of someone named Azi…that intrigued me. More my Gatekeeper side.

“President of your fan club, huh? I’m thinking I’d be the last one you want involved in that.” I sipped my coffee studying this guy. “I’m curious about you, that’s all. And this Azi, guy. And as to who I am…the name is Theo Bradford. I’m the Gatekeeper to Hades. I think you and I might have a little in common.” 

Bradford. I’d heard the name before. And if the chatter was accurate, this guy could hold his own and then some. He definitely wasn’t a pushover to look at. My mind ran through several scenarios. Me and him. Locked in combat. Azi liked the idea. Loved it, in fact. But as curious as he was about me, I was more curious about him. 

“Hades,” I repeated, leaning against the building. “Heard it’s one hell of a party. So, what is it you think we have in common, Bradford?”

“We both have a little demon in us.” I grinned, letting my fangs slide down as I joined his more relaxed stance and leaned against the building–keeping several feet between us of course. I had a guess that Azi he’d been thinking about earlier could change Jax’s mood in a heartbeat. “I’m curious, you don’t trip my demon sense, but you’ve got some serious demon in you. Does it hurt to be near me, considering I’m created by The Great One? That demon…you call him Azi? I don’t expect he likes my kind.”

Fangs. Azi had some colorful ideas about what we could do with those. This really could get interesting. “Maybe cause I’m not technically a demon. I feel something, but not pain. It’s like a hum. Irritating. As for your mind…you’re right. Azi isn’t a fan. He’s itching to rip those chompers from your mouth.”

“That’d be an interesting battle…one that Azi would lose.”Technically demon or not, I was sure the Mavet dagger would handle this Azi without a problem. “So, descended from Cain.” I shook my head. “That is losing the genetic lottery, indeed. I’m curious, though. Thriving on the pain of others….how’s that work with your Mate, Samantha? I guess I should ask if your…kind…has Mates.” 

“I’m human,” I growled. There was no need to point out that he was delusional. Azi would eat him for breakfast. And lunch. Then maybe again for dinner. The demon’s patience with this guy was depleted and it was rubbing off on me. In a minute, I might just start swinging. Calm. I needed to chill. “That’s my kind. And Sam understands. I may not like it, but she accepts me as I am. She sees past the demon, to the man. What about you. Rumor has it you’ve got a girl. Sadie, right? What does she think of your…profession?”

I merely chuckled at the thoughts I’d picked out of Jax’s mind about how his demon would eat me for breakfast…and so on. But I didn’t say anything. “Nothing like a great woman who can look past our…faults, is there. Your Sam is a persistent one, that’s for sure. Have to admire that, though, even if you’re dead set against your path with her. And yes, I have a Mate. She bears the sacred Ahavah mark, identifying her as mine.” I smiled at the thought of the first time I saw her in that diner–more saw her Mark. “To tell you the truth, though, she didn’t take too kindly to me, or my kind, in the beginning. She laid me flat the first time I tried to talk to her.”

It sounded like Sadie and Sam would get along great. “You’ve got a hang on up the whole kind thing, eh?” I looked him up and down. A warrior. Bradford, if I could tolerate him, could be a decent ally. “So tell me, what exactly do you do as the Gatekeeper? I hear you get to see some pretty sick action.”

Action…That was an understatement.”The Great One breathes us, the Gatekeepers, into life. We’re charged with guarding the gates to Hades.” I sipped my coffee and glanced around, reaching out with my senses to make sure all was calm. “Regular demon Hunters can vanquish demons to Hades by beheading them with any type of weapon, but it’s not eternally binding. If a demon gathers enough strength and finds a way out of Hades, I’m…notified, and I go take care of it with this….” I dragged out my Mavet dagger from my side pocket. “…and a few choice words. Then it makes their return to Hades more…permanent.”

The quicker I took out this thing the sooner I could get back to Sam. I nodded to the blade in his hands. “Long as you don’t wave that thing in my direction, you’re welcome to tag along. I’m in town to take down a demon. Feel free to take a stab at it—” I waggled my brows and pushed off the building. “As long as you let me have my fun, first.”

As if on cue, the familiar rush of my demon sense ignited. It wasn’t too overwhelming, which told me it was a minor demon. Might be nice to work side-by-side with this Jaxcharacter, see what he was really made of. Plus, I got the sense Azi was ready for some pain. I twirled the dagger and eyed my new friend. “Don’t worry, you’re not meant to meet my Mavet. I have a feeling things are just starting to get interesting for you.” I glanced up the street and nodded. “Feel like kicking some ass?”

I grinned and Azi rumbled, excited about the prospect of a little hand to hand. Gesturing to the ally, I said, “Let’s do it.”

 

~~~~

**WHEW** Glad I was  across the street watching this go down, because if they’d gotten into it, it might have gotten a little…messy.  Though, I had no doubt my Theo could handle himself.

Not that I’m biased at all.

Ready for a giveaway? I have teamed up with the amazing Jus Accardo, author of RUINED for a couple of prizes:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We have a title!

Thanks to everyone who out the title and tagline for my newest project! I am terrible at picking out titles, and thanks to you guys, I had tons to choose from. I liked all of them, but I found one that really suits the story perfectly.

Now, if this book ever gets picked up by a publisher, the title will more than likely change, but for now, I just love the one I chose.

Ready for it?

THE FIGHTER INSIDE

Thank you so much EMMY CURTIS for coming up with that. Please email me at ReeseMonroe (at) reesemonroe (dot) net so I can get your information for my acknowledgements section.

 

And as for the tagline…you guys chose the one I was liking, too.

He’ll be her strength…She’ll show him how to be strong.

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So, here’s everything all together….

THE FIGHTER INSIDE

He’ll be her strength…She’ll show him how to be strong.

Angelina Raine hasn’t left her apartment in over four years, but she’s determined to attend graduation—if she can make it down the hall and to the elevator. On her journey to freedom, she smacks into her worse nightmare: A tall, tattooed hunk of muscle who looks meaner than the men she’d been hiding from for so long.

Hunter Amos has done his best to steer clear of personal attachment and to tamp down the rage that nearly destroyed his family. But when he opens himself to the beauty next door, he will protect her with a vengeance.

When Fate tosses two damaged souls together, they’ll cling to the hope that their love can keep them together, even when the world and their pasts are trying to tear them apart.

~~~~

Now that I have my critiques in for the first fifty pages, I can send them off to Super Agent, and we’ll see what happens.

Thanks again for helping me get this story rolling, my friends. Stay tuned, because I feel another story coming along, and I’m sure I’ll need more help!

Have a super day!!

Which Title Do You Like Best?

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with their title ideas. You guys ROCKED IT! Click to see the previous post.

And here’s the blurb to help with the voting (Oh, I changed the hero’s name from the last one):

Angelina Raine hasn’t left her apartment in over four years, but she’s determined to attend graduation—if she can make it down the hall and to the elevator. On her journey to freedom, she smacks into her worse nightmare: A tall, tattooed hunk of muscle who looks meaner than the men she’d been hiding from for so long.

 

Hunter Amos has done his best to steer clear of personal attachment and to tamp down the rage that nearly destroyed his family. But when he opens himself to the beauty next door, he will protect her with a vengeance.

 

When Fate tosses two damaged souls together, they’ll cling to the hope that their love can keep them together, even when the world and their pasts are trying to tear them apart.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

As for tag lines…which of these do you like?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

 

Thanks for chiming in!

Sincerely,

 

 

You’re doing great!

Wow. You guys rocked the “Name my next book” post last week.   to visit that.

I’m going to start narrowing down the selections and I’ll be back with a little poll.

IN THE  MEAN TIME….I thought I might post a little bit of that first chapter to give you a little taste. The last excerpt was from Angelina’s POV, so I thought we’d try Paul’s this time.

If any more title ideas or TAG LINES come to mind, leave a comment. I’ll look at everything before the poll goes up next week.

“Whoa. Hold on!” I raced toward the girl sagging to the ground. Her wide, green eyes flashed a fear I’ve seen before. All too often. “I’m not going to hurt you,” I said. “Not going to hurt you.”

 

Her tiny body sagged back and would have fallen to the floor had I not grabbed her shoulders. What the hell?

 

“Hey. You okay? Hey!” I gently shook her, but she was out.

 

I didn’t catch the scent of alcohol or anything, so she didn’t pass out from that. And considering I was a bouncer, I’d seen that as well more times than I could count.

 

But the fear I’d seen in her eyes. What was that about? I was scary looking, yeah, but not that scary looking. Then again it was two in the morning, and I probably reeked with grease, sweat and beer from a long night at the bar.

 

“Hello?” a tiny voice called out. “Hey, you. Hello?”

 

I glanced around and saw only the open elevator door behind me. “Hello?” I called out.

 

“Here. Here.”

 

The voice sound like it was coming from the unconscious girl—wait, she had a Bluetooth wedged in her ear. I scanned the floor and found a smart phone off to the side. There was a woman on the screen waving her hands. Holy shit. I snatched the thing up and looked into the camera. The woman was pointing to her ear now.

 

“Oh. Yeah. The Bluetooth.”

 

I plucked it out of the unconscious girl’s ear and shut it off.

 

“—you so much. Thank God you came by. Please. You have to help her,” the woman on the screen of the phone said.

 

“What the hell is going on?” I said as I looked around. Maybe I was being punked or something. Maybe there was a hidden camera around. Hopefully not considering I needed to stay off the grid as much as possible.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Paul. You?”

 

“Jenna. Can you please press the 21st floor? Oh wait, you need the pass. Hers is—”

 

“I got one. That’s my floor.” I leaned to the side and swiped my key fob then clicked floor twenty-one.

 

So, this girl lived next to me? I hadn’t met the neighbor yet, but I’d only moved in last week, and I made it a point to not mingle much. No personal attachments allowed.

 

“Thank you. Wait, you’re Angelina’s neighbor?”

 

“Angelina?” I shifted the stranger around and hoisted her into my arms. Light little thing. Fit, too. Those yoga pants suited her. “Is that your name?” I asked, looking into her relaxed face. She looked more like a Lina…yes, that’s what I’d call her.

 

No. No nicknames. No connections.

 

But there was something about this girl that tugged at my rigid no dating rule. Maybe because it’d been so long since I’d been with a woman. I was primed and ready—

 

“Yes. Oh, thank goodness.”

 

“So, what’s your deal? What’s going on?” I asked, totally confused how I’d ended up holding a total stranger in my arms after a long night of plucking drunks off the floor of the club. None were as pretty as Lina, though. Such a fragile looking thing. Her head lulled against my chest, and a strange sensation of electricity and tingling ignited where she touched me. It wasn’t even skin on skin, but I felt it through my shirt.

 

Even through the stench of greasy food and sweat clinging to my shirt, her fresh scent sifted through. What was that, cucumbers?

 

“…was that what your name was?”

 

The voice from the phone yanked me out of my staring, and I said, “Yeah. Paul…Amos.” Holy crap I almost gave her my real last name. Didn’t give that out to anyone, though. “So, what’s her deal? Should I be calling an ambulance or something?”

 

“No. If you’re okay with it, can you just get her to her apartment?”

 

“As in…like bring her in there?”

 

“I’ll stay on the phone with you the entire way. It’ll be fine.”

 

There was nothing fine about me, a total stranger, bringing another total stranger into her apartment. I took care of drunks at the bar, but the furthest I’d ever gone was to get them to their cab or their car if they had a sober driver.

 

“Look. I know this might seem strange, and I can’t tell you much, other than she’ll be fine. We were trying something out and…well, you were a little unexpected.”

 

“You her shrink or something?” I glanced up at the numbers as they edged toward our floor. I was actually a little sad at the thought of letting this warm body go. It’d been so long. So very long since I’d just held a woman.

 

I couldn’t chance getting close to any female. I wasn’t safe. I ground my molars, the all too familiar anger rising up. It was my dad’s fault I couldn’t get close to a woman. Damn violent prick ruined not only my mom but me, too.

 

But at least Mom was safe now from that monster.

 

“Paul? Is everything okay?”

 

“Um yeah.” I cleared my throat, focusing my thoughts on this girl in my arms. She needed me to keep my shit together. Even though she didn’t know me, she depended on me to protect her. I could do that. Hell, it was my mission in life to keep people safe. I had a lot to make up for what I’d done to Isabelle all those years ago. “So, did you answer me? Are you her shrink?”

 

“You seem distracted.”

 

“Nice deflection, doc.” So she was a shrink. Great. What the hell did I walk in on? “Am I holding a crazy chick? Or—”

 

“No. Look. If you could just…help her, we’d be greatly indebted to you.”

 

Shrinks cracked me up, but I did have to give props to this one. To be on video chat at two thirty in the morning, and she’d yet not admitted to being Angelina’s shrink—this girl was good. “Jenna you said your name was?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of her. What do you need me to do? We’re at floor 18.”

 

“Her key fob is in her—wait, she’d been holding it. No she hadn’t. Those pants have a zip pocket on the lower back. It should be in there. Can you try and find it?”

 

“Okay, but if she wakes up and freaks out thinking I’m trying to cop a feel, you gotta back me up on this.”

 

“Let’s pray to God she doesn’t wake up, for her sake.”

You guys are rock stars!

Thanks!