State of the Union: Works-in-Progress, Crowdfunding, and More!

I haven’t done a State of the Blain Union address in a while, so here I am, ready to dig into my crazy and insane life.

Let’s Get Personal…

My life has been a bit of a rollercoaster lately. The big thingie is the impending move to California, which I am so not ready for. House is a mess, I have no organization skills at current, house is a mess, I have repairs to do, house is a mess, the basement still isn’t finished and money doesn’t grow on trees to finish the repairs, house is a mess, and everything is crazy.

Did I mention the house is a mess?

Shitfuck.

In actuality, I’m actually doing pretty okay. There are some rough spots, most of them financial, but California will mean a lot for us; husband’s pay will go up dramatically, and while our living expenses will also go up, we’ll be fine. Probably debt free on top of fine, too, which is even better. Well, mostly debt free.

The sewage flood really did sink us. It sucks. But, we’ll get through it. All-in-all, it could have been a lot worse. And boy, do I ever mean a lot worse.

Let’s Talk Books…

Beneath a Blood Moon was my last RJ Blain release.

It’s basically about a young, smart woman who ran from her past and became a stripper in order to survive and get the education she wants (and needs) to truly move on in her life. When she comes down with a severe case of werewolf, her world is turned upside down…

This title is good for those who want an introduction to the Witch & Wolf world, as it follows the story of someone who went from being a Normal everyday girl to someone not quite so normal. It’s also one of my favorite books. I’m biased.

This is also my longest novel published to date, coming in at 180,000 words. It’s a bit of a monster. The cover artist is the delightful Holly Heisey, who does the vast majority of my cover art work nowadays.

New Books are Coming…

Before I dive in and talk about the new titles, I’m going to discuss the crowdfund I’m working on. It’s to help me get my novels back into print. The two new books I’m about to discuss are included in several perks. You can get them in the $17 “Coloring Book & New Books” perk, the $30 “Coloring Books & 7 ebooks” perk, the Original Coloring Page perk, the Pick Your Page perk, and you can get them in the unsigned and signed print books perks.

Anyway, onto the books.

Pack Justice is the story of a cheetah shaman, Sean, who serves as a prosecuting attorney. He has kept his supernatural nature secret from everyone, uncertain of what would happen if they found out he had a ghost cheetah for a campaign and limited shapeshifting abilities.

Sean has gotten everything he has dreamed of in his career, but something is missing: a wife who isn’t psychotic and out for his blood. Filing for divorce is his first step towards freedom, but he never anticipated the lengths his wife would go to keep him–or that he isn’t the only one with a secret.

A last ditch effort to save his marriage ends in ruins. In order to save Sean’s life, his cheetah risks his life and sacrifices his freedom to strike a bargain with a wolf. With a pair of spirit beasts lurking in his head, adapting to his new life won’t be easy.

If Sean wants to protect himself and his loved ones from his ex-wife, he’ll need to to the lines between justice, mercy, and vengeance. One wrong decision could cost him his life–and the lives of those who mean the most to him.

Pack Justice will be released sometime in 2016. There will be no preorders for this novel, so if you want to know when it’s out, please go to my amazon page and click the follow button!

Shadowed Flame is one of the hardest books I’ve ever worked on. When I write, the world is full of senses; sight, sound, taste, and touch. I love trying to bring a world to life using as many senses as I can.

Shadowed Flame tells the story of a young woman who was involved in a major car accident when she was an infant. Her mother was killed. Her father disappeared. In order to redeem himself, the drunk driver who had caused the accident adopts Matia and raises her as though she were his own.

The evidence of what her adoptive father did touches every part of her life, for Matia lives in a world without color. Her cursed eyes see more–and less–than they should, and she has dedicated her life to erasing the dark aura of guilt cloaking her father.

Matia’s life is forever changed when she’s caught in a bombing of a busy airport. With her health in tatters, she must come to terms with her mortality. Aware of the fact her next breath could be her last, she is determined to make the most of the time she has left.

If she wants to survive, she will have to fight fire with fire, and the truth behind her colorblind eyes could prove her salvation–or lead to her ruin.

And finally, I’m working on another Witch & Wolf standalone novel about a former government agent who discovers the art heist he had been hired to pull off is a cover for a far more dangerous mission, one that could cost him his freedom, his sanity, and possibly his life.

It doesn’t have a title yet, but it’s a seriously fun little romp, and I’m having a blast working on it. Unfortunately, as it contains all the spoilers!!! I can’t release this one until after Silver Bullet is released. Boo!

Oh, yes. Silver Bullet. That’s coming, too. Late 2016 or Early 2017, if things go to schedule. We’ll see.

Let’s Talk Crowdfunding…

I’ve talked about this before, so I’ll keep it brief. I love writing, I love my books, and I love entertaining people. Writing as a career choice is pretty difficult, although I’m doing the best I can. Print editions have been an expense I haven’t been willing to afford. It sucks.

However, I’ve started work with a super-awesome cover artist, Holly Heisey, who has been able to work with me and my budget to bring my novels back into print. Here’s a breakdown of my basic costs, which are being covered in the indiegogo campaign:

$550 for an omnibus edition of Books 1-3 (Inquisitor, Winter Wolf, and Blood Diamond in one book.)
$550 for book 4. (Silver Bullet.)
$150 for Beneath a Blood Moon (Standalone.)
$150 for Pack Justice (Standalone.)
$150 for Shadowed Flame (Standalone.)
$300 for Copyright fees
$50 Misc. Expenses

You’ll notice there are two drastically different price points here. The covers costing $150 I’ve already purchased the front cover layouts for and paid for; they are the digital ebook covers, which will be used to create the print edition versions. The covers costing $550 need full design work.

So, in order to gather funds, I’m putting a second passion of mine to good use: my art. I’ve always been good at sketching and line art; I can’t color or paint worth a shit, though. I also love coloring books, although I’m pretty much like Matia when it comes to them–absolutely colorblind. I don’t care, though. They’re fun.

So, I’m melding passions together by creating a fantasy-themed coloring book suitable for adults and kids. There will also be plant & animal coloring pages, too. These are digital pages, so you can print them out and color them as often as you like. The coloring book can be acquired in the basic $10 perk, and will include 50+ pages.

Here’s an example of some of the pages:

Here is a breakdown of the available perks:

$10: 50+ Coloring Pages
$17: Coloring Pages & the unreleased W&W ebooks (Shadowed Flame, Pack Justice, and SIlver Bullet.)
$20: Coloring Pages & released W&W ebooks (Inquisitor, Winter Wolf, Blood Diamond, Beneath a Blood Moon.)
$30: Coloring Pages & main W&W ebooks (Inquisitor, Winter Wolf, Blood Diamond, Beneath a Blood Moon, Shadowed Flame, Pack Justice, and Silver Bullet.)
$50: Original Coloring Page Art: You will receive the original line art for one of the coloring pages, plus all 7 W&W ebooks. (Shipping costs extra) (5 available.)
$60: Unsigned W&W novels: You will receive a copy of the W&W 3 book omnibus, Silver Bullet, Pack Justice, Shadowed Flame, and Beneath a Blood Moon. These will be shipped as the books are ready. (Shipping costs extra.) You will also receive ebook versions of the book. 20 available.
$75: Pick Your Page: You will pick a theme of a coloring page, and I will draw it for you. The page will be included in the coloring book, plus you will be mailed the original art. This perk also comes with all 7 W&W novels. (Shipping costs extra)
$150: Signed W&W Novels: You will receive the W&W print editions, signed (and possibly drawn in, because I tend to doodle with my signature…) and sent to you. These books ship when the entirety of them are available. You also receive ebook versions of the books. (10 available.)

So, if you’re interested, please drop over to the indiegogo! If you’re not in a financial position to contribute, there are lots of ways you can help. Share this campaign with your friends and family–lots of people love coloring books. I try to keep the art as kid friendly as possible, so families can enjoy coloring together. (That said, there are more complex pieces in the book, which are meant for adults to have fun with.)

Thanks so much. Back to work with me so I can get all of these unwritten books finished and released. Hope you all have a fantastic day.