Shiloh Walker's Blog, page 158
April 7, 2011
A Forever Kind of Love…Snippet #2
ebook release April 2011
You can always come home.
Second chances come a little harder.
Chase and Zoe were the high school golden couple. Football captain, cheerleader, prom royalty.
After graduation, though, Chase couldn't resist the urge to experience life outside their small town. He didn't exactly expect Zoe to wait twelve years for him, but now that he's back, he finds some small part of him hoping she did.
It's no big surprise she's married. The kick in the face is she married his best friend.
Zoe was devastated when Chase left, but she's filed those bittersweet memories under "Moved On". She loves her life, and loves her husband. She has all she needs. And Chase keeps an honorable distance.
One cold, wet, miserable day, tragedy turns Zoe's world upside down. Chase never expected her to simply fall into his arms, but a man can dream. Except his dream doesn't include the fact that this time, she's the one hitting the road…and he's the one left behind.
The town of Warren hadn't changed much in fifteen years.
But Chase Cochran hadn't much expected it to.
Honestly, he had hoped it wouldn't. He'd returned here hoping to find…home.
And so far, that was just what he'd found.
He didn't realize it, but he was smiling as he strolled through the town square.
He hadn't thought he'd miss it.
When he left here right after graduation, all he had been able to think about was getting out, as fast as he could, as quick as he could, as far away as he could. Getting away from his dad, this town, all of it.
His dad.
Not because he didn't love the old man. He had. His dad had been everything. Mom had decided she couldn't be a mom, after all, a decision she came to right before Chase had turned a year old and she walked out on them both. Ever since then, it had just been Chase and his dad.
And then Chase had gone and done the same thing, walking away without much more than an, "It's been fun".
Chase couldn't have stayed, though. He'd been strangling here—strangling, choking. Getting out had been paramount. At the time, it had been the right decision for him. The only decision for him.
Still, it had been a selfish one.
He didn't doubt his dad would welcome him back. They'd kept in contact and Chase was still amazed that his dad didn't have some leftover resentment for him. Walking away like he'd done—walking…hell, he'd run.
Sometimes, Chase wished he had more of his dad in him. But that was part of the reason he'd left…he could see himself spending his entire life in the same small town, doing the same job.
It had taken him fifteen years to realize that really wouldn't have been such a bum deal.
Slowing to a stop, he studied the small town hall.
Dipping a hand in his pocket, he pulled out the gold necklace in there.
Zoe's.
The stylized gold Z still gleamed.
Was she still here?
Dad would know.
After he'd left, it had taken him a year to call back home, but since that first call, he had kept in touch with his dad. Regular calls, letters—hell, they were closer now than they'd been when he was growing up, and they'd had a pretty good relationship then.
But Zoe had always been off limits in those conversations.
His dad wouldn't discuss her. Period. But now that he was home…well, hell. His dad would have to discuss her.
Chase closed his eyes and blew out a breath. Shit. Rubbing a thumb over the smooth surface of the Z, he looked up at the town hall. He needed to prepare himself for the fact that he just might find out that Zoe wasn't here.
That she was here…and married.
Considering how he had left, he really didn't have any right to expect much of anything different.
He hadn't warned her, hadn't told her. Not until the day he left. He'd gone by there, told her he was going, kissed her… And that was it.
He had left her behind, even though he had loved her like crazy.
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April 6, 2011
My selfpublished titles and time
Just a note… my selfpublished/indie titles take a lot of time. I don't always have a lot of time. I get the basic formats because those are the quickest to get, PDF, HTML, LIT, EPUB… they work or can easily be made to work for most, if not all, readers. I don't tend to send out to many (if any) review sites, other than doing the occasional call for reviews on twitter.
There is a lot more work that's involved in doing a title solo-I got to figure out the cover art and since it's just me and the graphic artist, that usually involves me spending hours searching over stock art sites.
Edits involve me figuring out which editor, since I'm still trying to figure out the freelance edit thing-I think I'm looking for a 'perfect' fit, and finding freelance editors isn't as easy as dropping by the store for eggs. So it's not just sending the book to get edited.
Then it's formatting the book-not even getting it in the right file, but formatting the original and for me, that takes hours. Then getting the various files and that's another time consuming task.
All of this adds up to a lot of work. I have to fit it in around a workload that is sheer chaos. I have a novella due in July, two full-length books due by fall and that's not touching on any books I may try to do for my epubs, if I do any. So, unfortunately, I can only spare so much time for the indie stuff-things like going with the basic files, not spending hours worrying about reviews or file conversion services, etc-I can't do that if I'm going to keep up with my workload.
If I have to choose between being pressed to do all of that or just shelving any indie work? Well, the indie work gets shelved for the time being. I'm contracted to finish certain books by certain dates and those do have to come first.
I do what I can, but the time involved in doing it yourself is mind-boggling…and I can only do so much. I hope you understand…if there are certain things I can get around to when time allows, I will, but it has to wait it's turn in line. And it's a scary long line. :O/
April 5, 2011
Open Door… been a while…
Quick reminder… EC has slashed prices on more than 150 titles at places like BN's Nook store, the Kindle store and ARe. If you've wanted to check out some of my EC titles, now is a good time. There's a link to Hunters Declan and Tori on my sidebar…it's the featured read for the next few weeks.
I recently registered for the Moonlight and Magnolias conference in Decatur, Ga. I believe there is a booksigning…so I may be signing there in September.
I have copyedits. Massive. Not any rewrites, just line edits, typos, etc. I think it's been probably well over a year since I've done any paper edits. I think. It's weird. One of my traditional pubs has switched to digital so having the pile of paper on my desk is weird. I also have edits on Locked in Silence I need to get done. They always hit in multiples, I swear.
It's been a while since I had time to answer many Q's. But I'm not required to wear that other hat this week. So, if anybody has any Qs…fire away…
April 4, 2011
A Forever Kind of Love
So… here is where I start the teasing. With snippets. Little teaser excerpts. Randomly posts between now and the day A Forever Kind of Love releases.
Second chances come a little harder.
Chase and Zoe were the high school golden couple. Football captain, cheerleader, prom royalty.
After graduation, though, Chase couldn't resist the urge to experience life outside their small town. He didn't exactly expect Zoe to wait twelve years for him, but now that he's back, he finds some small part of him hoping she did.
It's no big surprise she's married. The kick in the face is she married his best friend.
Zoe was devastated when Chase left, but she's filed those bittersweet memories under "Moved On". She loves her life, and loves her husband. She has all she needs. And Chase keeps an honorable distance.
One cold, wet, miserable day, tragedy turns Zoe's world upside down. Chase never expected her to simply fall into his arms, but a man can dream. Except his dream doesn't include the fact that this time, she's the one hitting the road…and he's the one left behind.
"Chase's back in town."
Those words, once upon a time, might have toppled the very foundation of her world.
Once upon a time…thirteen, fourteen years ago.
But Zoe didn't believe in fairy tales anymore.
Glancing up at Beth, she cocked a brow. "Is he?" Then she focused on the glass cabinet and finished wiping it down. Damned fingerprints. She couldn't keep them off.
"Yeah." Beth leaned on the counter and sighed, a familiar look in her eyes. "Damn, Zo. He still looks…wow. Just…wow. Came riding into town this morning on a Harley, and man, may I say, I think my heart stopped."
"Hmmm." Zoe scraped her nail over something sticky and opaque. It looked suspiciously like some sort of candy residue. Like some little child had been sucking on something sweet, and then went and touched their fingers to her display cases. Absently, she grabbed the glass cleaner. Before she could do anything, Beth reached up and caught her hands.
"Are you hearing me?" Beth said, staring at her. "Chase is back."
Zoe frowned. "Yes. I hear you. But what does it have to do with me?" She looked down at her hands. At the gold band on her left hand. The diamond anniversary band had been a gift for her tenth anniversary. Just the sight of it made her smile.
She was married.
To the man who'd been Chase's best friend in high school.
Neither of them had spoken a word to Chase since he'd up and disappeared the day after graduation. He'd just…left. Just like that.
"Zoe…"
Glancing up, she smiled at Beth. "Honey, it's been fifteen years. I'm married. I love my husband—he loves me. You know this. Chase…well, we don't even know each other anymore. It's not like he could have expected me to wait around, right?"
Married…happily.
Even if her gut was all in tangles over her husband lately.
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April 3, 2011
Friday Reads Winner–from 3/25/11 (Maya Banks' No Place to Run)
Hello all, Nicole here. Shiloh's still catching up on things since getting back from her vacation (did you see the gorgeous waterfall pic?). Hope everyone's having a great weekend. I know I know, just get on with announcing the winner, right? 
. So here we go
Without further ado….CONGRATS to:
Cathy M
for winning the Friday Reads contest from Friday 3/25 . Cathy, you'll be getting a copy of Maya Banks' No Place to Run. It's the second (and my fave I might add 
) of Maya's KGI series. You have 2 weeks to email me at grimmhunter.shilohwalker (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing information.
April 2, 2011
MORE stuff…*G* Marines, Marion P'Udongo, EC Titles…
So this is another hodge-podge.
It sounds like this guy's unit is getting ready to head home soon… for questions on what not to send, please see this page-I'm still playing catch up from vacation and having too much going on and I'm not hitting my blog as often as I usually do so I may not see questions right away.
Letters or packages should be mailed within the next three weeks. Easter themed candy and treats would be nice!
Shane Louk
2nd BN 3rd Marine
E-CO unit 44050
FPO,AP 96607
Although I've ended the drive/push to help raise funds for Marion P"Udongo, I wanted to share this latest update I got from the organizers:
After running into numerous roadblocks with hospitals in South Africa and Rwanda, we were delighted to discover that doctors at Nairobi Hospital could perform the operation in shorter time and for a fraction of the cost. The news couldn't have come at a better moment. A week prior, Pastor slipped into a coma in Kampala and nearly died, making our campaign even more fevered and necessary.
However, we still need to raise $8,000 to cover the remaining cost of the procedure and post-op care. If we don't raise this money, all of our efforts will have been in vain.
So I need your help. If you can give just one-third of your original donation, we'll be covered. And if that's asking too much, I urge you to send this to friends, family, and colleagues, and ask them to please contribute.
They've raised over $30,000 and now it looks like there's under $8,000…if any of you have been following his story with me and want to help out, please do. His time is running out. In the next week or so, I'm going to making the full $400 even though I didn't get the 400 comments. You can read more about it at Indiegogo.
EC News…
For the next few months, EC has cut prices on upwards of 150 titles (including mine) at 3rd party vendors…places like the Nook store, Kindle, Sony, ARe, etc. Prices will be reduced for the next few months and if things go well, they may be reducing prices on more titles. Wanted to try out the Hunters series for the Nook or Kindle but haven't? Now's a great time…
Shiloh Walker
Amazon
Other authors included (amazon listings)
For the Nook readers, you can check out my Nook titles here…and also, ARe titles here. Not sure which titles are my EC titles? Well, that's a long list… O.o
Whipped Cream & Handcuffs
Hunters: Declan & Tori
Hunters: Eli & Sarel
Touch Of Gypsy Fire
Firewalkers: Dreamer
Hunters: Byron & Kit
Hunters: Jonathan & Lori
Mythe Vampire
Back from Hell
Djinn's Wish
The Dragon's Woman
One Night With You
Good Girls Don't
Firewalkers: Sage
I'll be Hunting You
Hearts & Wishes
Her Best Friend's Lover
Once Upon a Midnight Blue
Under Your Spell
Hunters: Rafe & Sheila
His Christmas Cara
Every Last Fantasy
His Every Desire
Hunters Belonging
I'm probably missing a few, but there's a quick list. You can check out all of the titles at my ebookshelf. Remember, the pricing cuts are only on my EC titles…
April 1, 2011
Coolness
The wicked writers have their own romance novel trading cards…
Most of these I'll be saving for the few reader cons/booksignings I'm doing this year, although if you want to win a set, I'll probably give one away with my Friday Reads contest here.
In other cool news…I do more detail about it tomorrow, but if you do your ebook shopping through sites like ARe, Nook & Kindle, you can now buy my EC books at a much cheaper price. Including my Hunter books… 
Books 1 & 2
Books 3 & 4
Book 5
Book 6
Check out the excerpts, then check out the books at ARe, Nook & Kindle.
UTA: Because I can't concentrate… I just did an Amazon store. Has all my titles that have the reduced prices.
Friday Reads…Eternal Rider
This. Is. So. Damn. Good. Loved this book…
That is all. (My 5th line/56th page may be different…it's from the ARC)
This was so weird. She put her face right up to the cage, oddly unafraid of the creature inside.
About the Friday Reads
Want to enter for a chance to win this book? Do the following…
Grab a book…any book.
Turn to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) in the comments section of this blog to enter
A winner will be posted here within a week or so-please read the disclaimer-entering means you've READ the disclaimer and all entries must be via the blog-not FB, not goodreads, etc. Standard contest rules apply, and yep, those are in the disclaimer…please make sure you read it!
March 31, 2011
Stuff
We watched this last night.
It was…weird.
This book is out now. It's not weird.
It's awesome. You should buy it. But here's some more info about it first.
I'm posting the winners for the drive money for Marion P'Udongo. We didn't hit 400 comments, but I'm going to see if I can't donate the $400 anyway-waiting to see if something shows up soon.
There will be one extra ARC given away. One random draw, one was the highest amount, the other was pretty close but she's getting one, too, I think. Then there's the blogger…
Once more…Kelly M gets a prize, showing that what goes around comes around.
She donated the highest amount.
Kelly M, by now you know my email. :) She gets an Hunter's Fall ARC AND the arc stack-all of the ARCs, including the RS trilogy due out at the end of the year. I think this is the third thing Kelly's won from me.
crazybookfairy@gmail.com
Random winner
The random draw…
Stacie
User1123@
Because her comment really touched my heart
Casey H
c4casey@
and the blogger
Dawn
drmgrl99@m
Today is the last day to get Tempt Me for 99 cents. Well, mostly. It takes a few days to update. But it will be gone soon…grab it while you can!
Kindle |Smashwords | Nook | ARe
Hunter's Choice is now on All Romance Ebooks/Omnilit (this is the short story that was in the mammoth book of vampire romance)
There you go. That's enough stuff.
March 30, 2011
A Forever Kind of Love…coming out later this month
I'm planning something to teas…um…share with you all starting next week.
Yeah, share. Not tease. Never that.
You can always come home.
Second chances come a little harder.
Chase and Zoe were the high school golden couple. Football captain, cheerleader, prom royalty.
After graduation, though, Chase couldn't resist the urge to experience life outside their small town. He didn't exactly expect Zoe to wait twelve years for him, but now that he's back, he finds some small part of him hoping she did.
It's no big surprise she's married. The kick in the face is she married his best friend.
Zoe was devastated when Chase left, but she's filed those bittersweet memories under "Moved On". She loves her life, and loves her husband. She has all she needs. And Chase keeps an honorable distance.
One cold, wet, miserable day, tragedy turns Zoe's world upside down. Chase never expected her to simply fall into his arms, but a man can dream. Except his dream doesn't include the fact that this time, she's the one hitting the road…and he's the one left behind.
Preorder
