Today’s blog is a guest post by one of my favorite authors, Kellyann Zuzulo:

Nobody knows the formula for a bestseller. And everybody in publishing likes to grouse about it. In a recent issue of Salon.com, http://www.salon.com/2012/05/01/recipe_for_a_bestselling_book/singleton/

the author presumes to offer the recipe. It’s not. Really just a long-winded article saying the same thing: nobody knows the secret. Essentially, every author is shouting into the ether, “Look at me!” How can you be heard. I’m not going to pretend I know the answer. I think it’s a little of this and a lot of that. I am, however, in the midst of an experiment for one way to reach readers.

The new buzz word around selling books is “discoverability” (as opposed to the old buzz word: “distribution”). But how do you get discovered? Here’s my new theory and I’m going to share it with you. I say we take a lesson from the AMC hit Mad Men. Advertising. The difference is that unlike the days of narrow ties and two-martini lunches, ads today don’t have to cost a month’s operating budget.

So this morning, I hopped a virtual taxi over to blogads.com to shop for blogs that might be suitable to place an ad for THE GENIE IGNITES, a paranormal romance about a hot genie and a strong-willed woman. I started with the hot genie aspect and, oo-la-la, some of the blogs I clicked on nearly burned out my hard drive. Let’s just say, I immediately cleared my history so my husband wouldn’t think I was shopping for illicit sex or that any of the exotic paraphernalia exhibited would be arriving in our mailbox. Sorry, hon. For example (I know you were waiting for that), there’s a site that sounded fairly sexually highbrow called The Eros Blog. I clicked. Much of my coffee ended up on my computer screen. Use your imagination (or your mouse).

There are also several naked celebrity sites and a generous representation of homoerotic imagery.  It will be up to you as to what blog you think will be most suitable for your book.  I ultimately selected a book review blog that likes sizzle but doesn’t fry my hard drive and the very inspirational site called WelcomeHomeBlogs.com. I blew my budget on this one: $120 for one week. But within three hours of placing the ad, I had 21 click-thrus.  I also noticed that the minimum ad rate has now jumped to $240/week.  Meanwhile, I picked up another nice little blog space on morningquickie.com, a blog that’s sassy and smart with national and international news, arts and entertainment for $20/week.

I would never buy a print ad for my book. The Genie Ignites is an ebook. That fact demonstrates that I’m looking to a digitally available audience. My ads should be digital as well. And ads should be tailored to the venue. For Welcome Home Blog, I added the copy above the book cover: HE’LL KEEP HER SAFE. And below the book cover: BUT SHE’LL SAVE HIS LIFE.  For MorningQuickie, I added the copy: HE’S HOT AND CURSED. And below: SHE CAN HANDLE HIM. The audience here is reported to be women with feminist sensibilities. With blogads, you’ll also get the estimated number of impressions and the audience demographics for the blog. Now my budget is gone, but not a lot of my time, which I need to write book two of The Zubis Chronicles.  I don’t yet know how much that time is worth. I’ll have to wait and see how many copies of the book are sold. But according to blogads metrics, somebody is looking at me.

Go look for yourself at THE GENIE IGNITES http://www.boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/genie-ignites

Best Wishes,

Kellyann

www.kfzuzulo.com

www.twitter.com/kfzuzulo

www.facebook.com/kfzuzulo

BIO:

Kellyann is an author and editor who started her writing career as a journalist. Her books of fiction usually weave the lore of the jinn into a modern setting. Her interest in Middle Eastern legend stems from her stint as a Managing Editor of Publications for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. Her new novel, The Genie Ignites, is the first installment in a series, The Zubis Chronicles. A native Philadelphian, she lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three children, and two terriers. You can learn more about her writing and background by visiting her website, www.kfzuzulo.com

Reblogged from John R. Knotts:

Enter the world of The Savage Soul(tm) and Scorched Earth(tm) — the advanced society of the twenty-first century that died a painful death — and the killer’s name was Yellow Mike.

Join Anthony Moon, a Native American U.S. Marine, who finds himself in a unfathomable apocalyptic world of 150-year old technology, magic-wielding demons, flesh-eating zombies, and monsters of every imagination. Journey with him in this first volume of many where Lance Corporal Moon learns to survive–barely–in a fanatical environment built out of the madness of a twisted drug and an ensuing great disaster.

Read more… 42 more words

My SAXtreme Magazine business partner just published his first foray into fiction. Check it out.

It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader. If you do not believe in the characters or the story you are doing at that moment with all your mind, strength, and will, if you don’t feel joy and excitement while writing it, then you’re wasting good white paper, even if it sells, because there are other ways in which a writer can bring in the rent money besides writing bad or phony stories.

~ Paul Gallico, Author of The Poseidon Adventure

Leaving some blood on the pages of Stealing Liberties

I have a confession to make.

I’ve put off Stealing Liberties for two years because there was a very important scene that I found too difficult to separate myself from.  It is a scene that has to happen for the storyline, for the characters’ growth and for better things to ultimately come along for these characters.

Knowing the eventual outcome didn’t help me very much.  My personal life was chaos and running parallel to the storyline (as has happened often with my TF125 books) and I just needed time to process all of it.

Yesterday, I stood my ground for nine hours.  I rewrote the scene.  The characters and I came together on a very difficult issue and we did what Task Force 125 does, we pressed on.  They stayed with me, questioned my motivation and their own and I bled all over the pages.  It was emotionally exhausting!

Eight pages later…

Yes.  I said EIGHT.  Now I can get on with the other 160+ pages of manuscript and handwritten notes and get this story out to readers!

What genre do you write and why?

Thrillers because I’m an adrenaline junkie.  I like books that get my heart pumping and make me look over my shoulder, so it only makes sense that I write in the same vein that I love to read.

Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?

I tend to have supernatural themes running through most of my books.  Ghosts and angels appear from time to time, and an occasional demon, but for the most part the supernatural aspects are more personal, like telepathy or telekinesis.

What would you like readers to take away from your stories?

That perhaps when that stranger raises an eyebrow in your direction, he actually is reading your thoughts.

What inspires your stories?

It’s a walk into the darkest corners of my imagination where my nightmares fester until something living and breathing escapes onto the screen of my laptop

Will you be attending any book or writing conferences this year?

Unfortunately, no.  It isn’t in the budget this year. My daughter was accepted to college a year early, so we’re trying to wrap our minds and our pockets around that opportunity.  Maybe once the dust settles and we get into a groove, I’ll look at going to BEA in New York with our publishing house next year.

What is your writing schedule like?

Crazy.  I have a full-time day job in addition to writing and running a publishing house, so lately, my writing schedule has been sporadic.  I’ve got two more releases this year and am struggling to find time between job and family and everything else to get into the writing zone.

What is your best memory?

I have so many – but I guess it would have to be the look on my children’s faces when my first box of books arrived at the house and we opened it.  The realization in their eyes that if they worked hard enough, they could reach and attain a dream.

What is your favorite comfort food?

Chocolate.

What relaxes you?

Walking the beach in Maine.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

Chocolate (sense a theme?)

What decade has been your favorite? Why?

This one, because I’ve made a dream real, my kids are old enough to understand and they are growing up to be fine young adults.

What is your favorite way to promote your work?

Social Networking and blogging, at least for now.  I’ve done a reading and signing but because of my schedule, those are few and far between.  Someday I’d like to do more of these because I had fun meeting fans face to face.

What was your favorite vacation?

Lake Tahoe in the summer.  We didn’t do the hot air balloon – but we did horseback ride up Mount Tallac and had a picnic.

If you had another career, what was it?

I’m a business analyst in a big insurance broker dealer.  So in essence I do write for a living, just not fiction.   Before I stepped into the insurance realm, I worked in a television station – fun times.

If you didn’t write, what would you do instead?

Spend more time with my family.  Random dance with my kids – oh wait, I do that today.  Seriously – it would be more family and entertaining time than I have today.

If you could have one wish, what would it be?

One wish. Hmmm.  There are many, like seeing my kids succeed and find happiness.  Beyond that – it would be to see my books turned into movies.

Are you a cat or dog person? Do you have any pets and if so, please tell us about them.

Dog hands down.  I’m allergic to cats.  We had a German Shepherd when we were first married and my daughter knew her, but my son didn’t and sometimes that makes me sad.  But having been without a pet for so long, it’s hard to imagine bringing one back into the mix since we haven’t had the responsibility in so long.

What is the one thing you most want to do that you haven’t yet?

See my bucket list post here: http://redtash.com/

When the zombies take over, what will you do?

Aim for the head and hope my shot is true.

Vampire or werewolf?  Why?

Werewolf because I have a thing for wolves.

Thanks for swinging into this stop on my Blog Tour!

Ciao,

JET

EXCERPT:

CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS by J.E. Taylor – released April 2012

Assistant D.A. Carolyn Hastings has an uncanny knack for putting away criminals. With one of the best prosecution records in recent history, her future as Manhattan’s next District Attorney looks certain. But her sixth sense for winning cases threatens to work against her when she starts seeing a string of murders through the eyes of the killer.

With suspects piling up as fast as bodies, and the motives of those closest to her questionable, Carolyn doesn’t know who to trust. When the FBI assigns Special Agent Steve Williams to the case, Carolyn discloses her deepest fear – that the man she loves may be the one responsible for the city’s latest crime spree.

The only thing Steve knows for sure is Carolyn has an inexplicable psychic connection with the killer, and all the victims have one thing in common…a striking resemblance to Carolyn Hastings.

And he knows it’s only a matter of time before this psychopath knocks on her door.

Praise for CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS

“Taylor has a strong thriller where every single character has reasonable doubt flashing like a neon sign hanging over them, and right from the beginning you are trying to guess who the killer really is. Gripping, rich and magnificent – crime whodunnits don’t get any better than this!” Author Poppet / Gemma Rice – Author of Quislings, Blindsided, Djinn and Dusan

Buy Crystal Illusions now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords

Visit J.E. Taylor online at www.JETaylor75.com.

Subscribe to her blog at http://JETaylor75.blogspot.com

Friend her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/JETaylor/190872939774

Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/JETaylor75

Connect with her on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3153969.J_E_Taylor

The transformation (http://xtremetransformations.wordpress.com) that I started in November 2011 has stalled a bit but I’m still in there.  I started 2011 weighing in at over 200lbs.  Not my proudest moment but it was shortly after I had finally declared my marriage dead and I had self-medicated with a lot of starch.  By the end of 2011, I was down to 170.  Having lost 40lbs that year was something to be proud of.  Now, amidst parenting, injuries, moving to a new home and getting my career off the ground, I still have the Figure competition at the Lackland Classic in my sights.  (You’d think it would be enough to get my weight down and get fit, but no, I have to be competitive about it.  That’s how I roll!)

In 2011 I started a new career as a marketing consultant.  I worked mostly with authors in 2011.  I’m finishing some work with clients like Buffy Christopher (http://buffychristopher.com/), Virginia Nelson (http://virginianelson.blogspot.com/), Tina Gerow (http://www.tinagerow.com/) and currently working with Donna Barker (http://www.donnabarker.com/) on her social media platform for her upcoming “Drinking Scotch with Strangers”.  I’ve also branched out to work with service providers, executives, restaurants, publishers, graphic artists and models.  It is exciting work that I truly enjoy so I look forward to doing more of it this year.  I’ve joined forces with the amazing advertising brain, Jeanie Valenzuela, on a project for Fresh Fiction.  Fresh Fiction is a great site for readers and authors and I’m exploring both sides of that now (http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=4254).  One of the big events that Fresh Fiction hosts every year is Readers & Ritas (http://readers-n-ritas.org/blog/).  This year, as I’ve self-published my Task Force 125 series, I’ve agreed to sponsor their Romance Trading Cards Pages in the gorgeous binder they’re giving to all attendees this year.  Though hard core romance readers will argue that my books aren’t true romance, and I agree, I’m still very excited to be a part of this fantastic event.

We’ve recently put the finishing touches on the articles for the Fiesta Issue of SAXtreme Magazine (http://saxtreme.com/).  John Knotts (http://johnrknotts.wordpress.com/) and I created SAXtreme in 2011 and this will be our third issue published.  We’re very excited about where this project is going and how it is helping people in the San Antonio area to realize just how much healthy fun there is to be had here.  As part of our work on SAXtreme Magazine, we’ve partnered with the American Diabetes Association Expo this year (http://www.diabetes.org/in-my-community/expo/2012/san-antonio-expo-2012/) and we’ll be talking to folks there this Saturday about some of the great ideas and information we have in our free magazine and how they can use it to control their diabetes.

I’ve mentioned once or twice that I’m moving but it is finally becoming a reality.  On Saturday, my ex returns from two months away and will resume his place at our kids’ house and I will start moving from my tiny 500 square foot transitional apartment to a glorious 4,000 square foot home in the Texas Hill Country (the kids love it!).  The two places are like night and day!  Of course I’m not independently wealthy so I have two housemates and I’ll be working some long days and nights to pay my end of the rent but the beautiful home and location will be well worth it.  A part of this whole new life and inner peace thing I’m vibing on lately, I’ll be checking out a new church this weekend (http://www.brcc.net/).  I was raised Catholic and had some bad experiences with the church, as many Catholics have, so although I’ve always considered myself very spiritual, I’ve never really felt comfortable in a church.  I’m thinking this one may be worth a look.  Speaking of reality…I’ll soon be in talks with my housemates about a possible online reality show, The Three ^Drama Queens.  Look for details on that project coming soon!

And last but not least on my project list is my writing.  All my friends tell me I should be a writer so I may finally take that challenge.  LOL  The first three books in the Task Force 125 series are available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Pietsch/e/B002BMMGCK) for only 99 cents each.  I also host the occasional giveaway.  I’m working on the fourth book in the series, Stealing Liberties, which is a story that is very dear to me.  In fact, this series has been running parallel to my life in many ways for some time now.  This fourth book hits particularly close to home.  In addition to that, there are loads of new characters, two main storylines and a bit of subplot.  It’s been quite a stretch for this hack writer.  I have a whole list of other projects I hope to self-publish once Stealing Liberties is released (My goal release date is my birthday, May 14^th).  I have a postapocalyptic zombie adventure that will never be mistaken for romance.  It is just action, blood, brains and goofy dialogue.  Then I have an erotic romance that is off the heat charts.  I never thought I’d be able to write something like that but I have a new muse that has been quite cooperative.  I have a hundred other stories I’d like to write but I think these, along with my other projects, will keep me busy for a while.

Thanks for reading!

All the information and connections you need to schedule and execute the blog book tour that will put your new release on bestseller lists.

Click here to download the PDF

Please use the sharing buttons below and/or share this free handbook and link (http://bit.ly/Rockbbt) with your friends!

Here’s my playlist for today’s writing.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL59D7755F92FD72E5&hl=en_US

My thanks to Lisa for allowing me to share with you my thoughts and news of my erotic romance, Off Limits (now available from Red Sage Publishing).  Lisa isn’t simply a friend and fellow veteran, she’s my coach, my guru of marketing magic, so a small amount of self-imposed pressure (Lisa is to kind to ever apply any sort of pressure in this situation) is involved in this post.  I’m pretty sure I can handle it, though, and you can let me know how well I did by leaving a comment or sharing your own pressure situations.

The pressure to perform that I feel writing this blog is minor compared to the pressures that my characters, Senior Chief Hank O’Mara and Lieutenant Bethany Morton feel as they confront the unexpected and irresistible force of passion and love.  When that irresistible force collides with the immovable object of duty and obedience to military law and regulations disaster seems to be the only possible result.

I’ll tell you that I did not write a tragedy, but if you want to know how Hank and Bethany deal with the pressures they encounter, you’ll need to read the story.  As encouragement, you can find a sample at Red Sage Publishing and more information at the Rue Allyn website.  Please share your thoughts and leave a comment.  I’ll be giving a free download of my previous release, The Widow’s Revenge, to one lucky commenter.

Check it out if you dare!

Click here to see it.

Today I want to talk about communication.

Good communication is underrated.  Sometimes it feels like we are screaming something from the mountaintops and yet no one hears a word we are saying.

Other times…we wish we could hit delete and undo whatever it was we just said.

At the start of Lips of Velvet, my new release from Rebel Ink Press, Sandra and Lucy have great communication.  Even though Sandra feels socially awkward, they have this spark and just hit it off.

Then Sandra does what we all have done at some point.  She opens her mouth and says words that she can’t take back.
What is the worst thing that you have ever said and couldn’t take back?

Go ahead and leave your answer in the comments section below and I will let my pal Lisa pick one of you to win a $5 Amazon giftcard.  With it, you could find out what it was that Sandra said…   The contest closes when my book is a week old so…March 10th, 2012.

About the book:

When bookworm Sandra is dragged out for a night on the town, she meets Lucy and sparks fly, but can they survive long term?

Bookworm Sandra is dragged out for a night on the town by her sister.  When she meets the sexy and exotic Lucy, she is instantly attracted to her.  But will their spontaneous combustion burn out as quickly as it ignites or will it lead to a long term flame?

Lucy can’t help but be drawn in by Sandra’s intelligent and fun nature.  But when Sandra suggests that she was just using Lucy for sex, Lucy is a strong enough woman to hide her broken heart and walk away.  A chance meeting brings them back together.  Will Lucy seek revenge for a moment of stupidity?

Available at Barnes & Noble for $2.99

Available at Amazon.com for $2.99

 

 
Virginia Nelson spends her days chasing three very active kids around.  When she is not doing this, or plotting taking over the world, she likes to write, play in the mud, drive far too fast and scream at inanimate objects.  She can often be found listening to music that is far too loud and typing her next fantastic tale of blood, sex and random acts of ineptitude.  Romance, in Ms. Nelson’s opinion, is not about riding off into the sunset on the back of a horse with the knight in shining armor— it is about riding the dragon.  If the knight can keep up… well, that is love.

Find me online!

Website: http://virginianelson.webs.com/

Blog:http://virginianelson.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/virg_nelson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virg.nelson

Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3188348.Virginia_Nelson

Luckily, the universe gave me credit for the work I’ve done in the past and serendipity has once again given me a gentle nudge.  I’m blessed to be making wonderful new friends, both virtual and face-to-face, as well as finally meeting some virtual friends in person.  I’m also blessed to be able to enjoy the process of acquaintances becoming friends and friendships moving to new levels.  After a difficult transition, my heart and my life are filling up again with joy, laughter and love and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Stealing Liberties is still eyeing me from it’s binder and reminds me daily that I need to finish writing Sarah Stevens’ next story.  Writers often talk about how their characters talk to them, or rather, they whisper about it amongst themselves because they think everyone else will think they’re crazy.  I’m no exception.  My characters have been talking to me lately and here’s what they’re saying:

Vince is sitting in a high-backed leather chair, gently swirling melting ice cubes in a cut crystal lowball glass one-quarter filled with Scotch.  “It’s been two years, Lisa.  We’ve been patient, but don’t you think it’s time?”

Will is sitting in the twin of Vince’s chair, his right ankle resting on his left knee.  The top button of his shirt is unbuttoned and his blue silk tie has been loosened.  A dark blue sport coat has been carefully folded and laid over the back of his chair.  He takes a draw from a dark cigar and gently exhales, filling the room with the smoky scent of sweet wood and earth with just a hint of chocolate.  He fixes me with his sky blue eyes.  “You’ve had a lot going on in your life, kid.  I gotta hand it to you, you really turned that train wreck around.  But you need to keep writing us.  Let us help you do this?”

Jason bounds into the room, his jeans are worn with holes in the thighs and his black tee shirt sticks to his sweaty chest.  “Am I late?  Are we finally having a come to Jesus meeting for Lisa?”

Will nods from his chair.

Jason takes a deep breath, exhales and then pulls off his sticky tee shirt.  “I just want to have some fun again, you know?  We used to go spar in the desert, shoot golf balls off the deck of the yacht and drink tequila in shitastic Vegas dive bars.”  He grabs a nearby pack of Marlboros and flips a cigarette out of the box.  He places it between his lips and speaks out of the side of his mouth as he lights the cigarette with his silver Zippo.  “Let’s just do some more of that!  Besides, you need to tell all those dames about me.”  He winks.  “Make me look good to your readers so I can start getting the kind of action Brian gets.”

Brian pipes up from the sofa against the wall.  “Action I haven’t had in two years.  How long are you going to keep us locked up in the waiting room in your mind, darlin?”

“Let’s look at the situation here.”  Chris has been quietly sitting at the other end of the sofa.  He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, smiling softly at me.  “You’ve had a lot going on.  You didn’t have the benefit of The Camp like Sarah did, but you managed to do what you needed to anyway.  And I should add that just because the loser men currently in your life haven’t said so, does not mean you aren’t looking good.  You look great!  It was a hard road, but it’s behind you now.  It’s time for you to have the good life too.  Sarah got it.  Isn’t it time you did too?”

Sarah stands from the chair where she had been sitting quietly in the corner of the room.  She tosses her long, wavy, light brown hair over her right shoulder.  An extra button on her blouse is unbuttoned, exposing just enough breast to show her confidence in her body.  Her long, tanned legs stretch to the mid-thigh hem of a short black skirt.  The red soles of her black Louboutin Mary Janes flash as she crosses the room to stand behind Vince’s chair.  She leans against the chair on her right elbow and hooks her right foot behind her left ankle.  “We know why you wrote me, Lisa, and we both know who I am.  For four years now, you’ve been putting this future together for yourself.  You need to get on with it.  You knew twenty years ago where your future was.  It’s time we had it.  It’s time to live your story.  Time to make some magic.”

Photo by http://www.unikphotos.com/

She’s right.  It’s time to make some magic.

Marshall: They just pay me to drive the limo, sir. I’m not here to tell you who you are.
Joe Banks: I didn’t ask you to tell me who I am.
Marshall: You were hinting around about clothes. That happens to be a very important topic to me, sir. Clothes, Mr. . .
Joe Banks: Banks.
Marshall: Banks. Clothes make the man. I believe that. You say to me you want to go shopping, you want to buy clothes, but you don’t know what kind. You leave that hanging in the air, like I’m going to fill in the blank, that to me is like asking me who you are, and I don’t know who you are, I don’t want to know. It’s taken me my whole life to find out who I am, and I’m tired now, you hear what I’m saying?

Tomorrow, I’m having my first professional photos done in over a decade.

Yeah, a camera phone goes a long way but when it comes right down to it, I needed some pictures taken.  I’m planning to release my books in paperback and that means publicity and book jacket photos are needed.  I’m beginning to do some speaking to writers’ groups about marketing and the speaker package requires a photo.  I also have a magazine, website, Facebook, Linkedin…you get the picture.

So I’ve been thinking about what I should wear for my photos.  Clothes are important because they convey your brand just as well as any website header will.  Speaking of website headers, mine is tequila and coffee.  Do you really think a little black dress and pearls goes with it?  Granted, a little black dress is very versatile, but I needed something that was me.  I thought about a skirt and blouse for a moment.  Then I made a “bleh” sound.  Then realized that I need to be who I am in these pictures.  The main outfit I needed to wear was a no-brainer – thigh-high black boots, denim leggings and a very piratey white blouse.  (I’ll still do the little black dress and some formalwear too.)

Like Marshall, it has taken me my whole life to find out who I am.  I don’t fit a mold and I have never fit into anyone’s tidy little expectation box.  I am bold, brash and bodacious.  Hell, the name I was born with, Thibault, means “Bold Family” (The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree).  It has taken a long time but I finally know who I am and revel in it.

It’s good to be me!

Look for photos coming soon!

Available March 1, 2012 at Amazon.com

As I write this, I’m thinking about which scene from Stealing Liberties I want to add to the end of Freedom’s Promise.

You caught me.  I’m writing my blog early.

By the time you read this, Freedom’s Promise should be available at Amazon.com.

Just click here to see if they’ve added it to my author page yet.

Freedom’s Promise is the third novel in the Task Force 125 series and, in case you’re wondering, there will definitely be a fourth.  The fourth is “Stealing Liberties” and I believe it is the best adventure yet.  You might have noticed that Sarah is growing.  She’s evolving as a person and as a spy.  She’s getting better at what she does and she’s learning as much as she can to be the best at what she does.  Sometimes it seems as though her lessons are involuntary but she learns from each of them none the less.  If you read Stealing Liberties, you’ll see Sarah arrive at a whole new level.

I’ve decided on the excerpt I’d like to share with you from Stealing Liberties.  Here it is:

Sasha toasted Vince’s good fortune and smiled the way he always did before launching into one of his tall tales.

Vince chuckled.  “What’s it going to be this time?”

Sasha glowed.  “So my friend who usually flies arms and ammunition picks up three passengers at an old air base outside Moscow.  They pull up in an armored Mercedes and out come two big American brutes and this knockout brunette with green eyes.  They have no luggage but they’re all packing under their jackets.  You know?”

Vince nodded and took a sip of his drink.

“It turns out she’s going to Afghanistan and these brutes are her bodyguards.  She’s some hotshot who’s connected with my friend’s boss through her business.”

“What’s she do?”

“She’s the biggest opium transporter in the world.”

“What’s her name?”

“Scuro, of course!  So they land the plane in Afghanistan and swap it for a Sikorsky and fly toward Kunduz when my friend sees a skirmish in the valley below.  He moves to avoid it and that’s when things get really weird.”

~~~

Sarah had a bad feeling about what she saw going on below.  Guys from three beat-up trucks appeared to be moving in and firing at people in a single, newer model truck.  This was no carjacking.  She pulled out the binoculars from a pocket beside the seat and peered at the newer truck while the pilot changed the Blackhawk’s course away from the action.

Jesus!  Its Jay!

“Go back!  Pilot, go back!”

The pilot shook his head.  “No way!  They might have rockets.”

Sarah pulled the sidearm from her thigh holster, locked a round into the barrel of her .45 and tapped the pilot’s helmet with it.  “I’d be more concerned about what the crazy bitch in this helicopter has if I were you.  I said go back.”  She tapped his helmet one more time for emphasis.  “Now do it.  You’ve got plenty of firepower.  Engage and destroy those trucks.”

“Uh, Sarah…are you sure you want to do that?”  Brian whispered.

Sarah glared back at Brian.  “We’re going back there now.  I don’t care if he flies this rig or one of you do.  I’d do no less for any of you.  That man down there saved my life.  Now we can return the favor.”

Jason smiled wide as he scrambled into one of the gunner seats.  “I’d give my left nut to have a woman like you.”

Sarah didn’t flinch.  “A woman like me would cost you both of them.”

Brian nodded at Jason and slid into the other gunner position to check his weapon.

Sarah nodded to the pilot.  “Now let’s see what you’ve got.”

The pilot made a wide turn and flew low and fast back toward the fray below.

Jason and Brian opened fire with the mini-guns and reduced the beat up trucks to charred heaps within seconds.

Sarah watched Jay and his partner use the distraction to their advantage.  They scrambled back into their truck and hauled ass out of there.

Sarah holstered her handgun and leaned back in her seat.  “Follow that truck.  That’s where we’re going.”

~~~

Sasha took another sip of his drink while Vince waited for more of the story.  “So my friend follows the truck and lands in this mercenary camp.  Scuro apologizes for hijacking him and gives him one thousand American dollars for his trouble.  By now, my friend is so hard for this bitch he can’t even think straight so he takes the money and waits with her bodyguards in the chopper while she struts into that camp, bold as brass. How crazy is that?”

  Stealing Liberties, coming soon!

For those of you who have commented on my website, Facebook, Amazon or emailed me personally, thank you very much!  “The Path to Freedom” is now back to the $0.99 selling price and “Sarah’s Summer” and “A Taste of Liberty” have been available since Monday of this week.  This week’s sales of all three books combined have been over 500 copies.  I only get a small percentage ($0.35) of sales revenue and I’m only selling them for $0.99 each but these sales have shown me that somebody besides me likes this team and their stories.

Not long ago, I had come to the conclusion that it might just be time to retire Task Force 125.  Then I tried this giveaway experiment that went unbelievably right.  Since readers are still asking for more, I’m planning to re-release Freedom’s Promise at the beginning of March.  I’ve also ordered the cover art for Stealing Liberties (Book#4 that has never been released) and it is scheduled to arrive at the end of March.  Needless to say, when I’m not working for dollars (Cover art costs a chunk of change and a girl’s gotta eat – royalty payments only come quarterly) I’ll be working on the final draft of Stealing Liberties.  I have a few beta readers who have agreed to look the manuscript over when I’m done and now I’m working on booking an editor for the job.

Hopefully I can make it all happen before readers lose interest in Task Force 125.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out any of my books yet, please visit my Author Page at Amazon.com and check them out!

Thanks for reading!

Finally, I just said to hell with it and you get Fine Fae Fellows.   And in Cassandra’s Dilemma, I introduce you to a fine Fae fellow of my own, named Helcyon.  Helcyon is gorgeous to look at, kind, mysterious, deadly with a sword, and possesses a wicked sense of humor.

Helcyon’s Heritage

A lot of people have asked me where did the idea for the book come from and a few have asked where it is going.  The book does feature a trio and I’ve talked about Jacob’s pushiness and the fact that the character moved into the story and stayed. I’ve talked about Cassandra being the voice of the story, the prophet who isn’t necessarily believed but who is in a position to sway a lot of minds, but Helcyon remains a bit of a mystery.

Why you ask?

Well, part of the reason I wanted to write this book was to explore a world where Elves, Goblins, Brownies and others of the Fae courts joined with our world. Where they lived parallel to us, but wanted to cross that invisible barrier back to our side.  So why?

Maybe it dates back to Spock, but I’ve always had a thing for a guy with pointed ears. First it was Leonard Nimoy’s Spock on the original Trek and in the later films, who didn’t want to melt that frosty exterior and see just how hot Pon Farr could get?
Later it was the tragically torn between his heritage Tanis Half-Elven, the child of mixed races who found welcome among very few.  When I read his saga written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman as a part of the Dragonlance Cycle, I was deeply invested in his character.  Could he make a place for himself amongst the high elves that looked down on him or would he forever walk that lonely road between human and elf…pretty powerful stuff when you’re a kid.

And then there’s Legolas.  He’s interesting, entertaining, and loyal and funny in the J.R.R. Tolkien series but to see him in the skilled hands of Orlando Bloom definitely gave my heart a good squeeze.  Whether he was charging up a war elephant, firing his arrows or sliding down its trunk as the beast collapsed in defeat and later still as he caught a horse’s reins and flipped himself onto its back as it galloped or kept score with Gimli during the Battle of Helms Deep, I was completely enamored of this seemingly delicate man’s insurmountable strength, fierce will, and cunning skill.

Are you seeing a trend here?

I hope so, because every single one of these Fae contributed to the formation of Helcyon in my mind.  Attributes lovingly honored for this fictional ancestry.  I added the ingredients together like, he was big and broad like Tanis, but cunning and reasonable like Spock, with just the right dash of mischief like Legolas and somewhere in the mix he became his own elf.

Strong.
Fierce.

Proud.

Powerful.

So please allow me to tip my hat to Gene Roddenberry, Leonard Nimoy, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, J.R.R. Tolkien and Orlando Bloom for inspiring me and express my fervent hope that my fine Fae fellow Helcyon, inspires you.

Cassandra’s Dilemma is available now from Siren Bookstrand.   Heather is offering an e-copy of the novel to one lucky commentator.

A prolific author, Heather always has some new story idea unwinding from up her sleeve to meet the paper.  You can keep up with Heather via her website: http://www.heatherlong.net

Cassandra’s Dilemma

A woman on the edge.

Cassandra Belle is about to break the story of the century. But one well-placed bomb devastates her plans and leaves her on the run and in a fight for her life and her heart. Caught between wild allure and primal need, Cassie is torn by the desire to submit to both of them.

Two enemies on a mission.

The sexy Fae lord Helcyon wants to protect her, but his pleasure leaves her quaking at the loss of control. The dangerous Wizard Jacob wants to save her, but his war with the Fae frightens her even as he captivates her with passion.

With her enemies closing in, Jacob and Helcyon must challenge everything they’ve ever known to work together or risk losing her.

A Siren Erotic Romance

Excerpts available on both Siren Publishing and Heather’s websites.

Leave a comment about your favorite elf and you just may win a free copy of Cassandra’s Dilemma!

I thought I’d share my inspiration for Angelo in my blog today.  If you have your own ideas and don’t like it when authors tell you who inspired what characters then stop reading now and don’t play the video!

I’m a very big fan of Eros Ramazzotti.  He’s an Italian singer I first heard in Europe in the 90s.  As it happens, he also sings in Spanish and is popular here in the U.S.  L’ombra Del Gigante is a cool video.  I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have.

lascia che il vento porti
con le sue ali forti
l’ultimo dei sogni che farò…
che io farò

The Path to Freedom will continue to be available FREE until midnight on February 14, 2012.  Thank you to the 13,000+ people who have downloaded their free copies over this past weekend.  I truly hope you’ve enjoyed the story!

The short bridge story, Sarah’s Summer, is available for only 99 cents.

A Taste of Liberty (Task Force 125 book#2) is now available (one day early) at Amazon.com http://amzn.to/yfcUn7 for only 99 cents too!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thanks for reading!

Pretty much the same as when they go to work: barroom brawls, arms deals, Russian mobsters, and a body left on a beach. The only difference is, when they’re off duty, mom comes by for happy hour. Sarah’s Summer is a short romp for the Task Force 125 characters between The Path to Freedom and A Taste of Liberty, Sarah Stevens’ first and second missions with Task Force 125.

I’m giving the original version of A Taste of Liberty the once over this morning before uploading it to Amazon.com.  If all goes well, I’ll have it loaded tonight and it’ll be available first thing tomorrow morning.

Though my original plan in The Story That Must Be Told was to rework A Taste of Liberty (book#2) and Freedom’s Promise (book#3), the fact that 12,000 people have downloaded The Path to Freedom over this past weekend has changed my mind.  These first three books are done and need to be available while I get cracking on this semi-finished manuscript for Stealing Liberties (book#4).

If you were one of those 12,000 people, thanks for that kick in the pants.  I needed it!

I woke this morning to see The Path to Freedom had been downloaded over 600 times as I slept last night.  Over 9,000 free copies have been downloaded this weekend!

My hope is that some of those readers will stick around for A Taste of Liberty, the next book in the series, which I’ll be re-releasing on Tuesday.  Don’t have a Kindle?  Download the free app for your desktop, tablet or phone here.

Freedom’s Promise, the third book in the series is also ready to release soon.

As for Stealing Liberties, book #4, I plan to make some quality time for that manuscript so I can finish it before summer.  It is twice the book The Path to Freedom was so it’ll be a big project but I’m feeling really motivated to see so many people interested in Sarah Stevens and the team.

Have you read The Path to Freedom?  Who is your favorite character so far?

I can barely type this morning!  When I put The Path to Freedom up for free at Amazon.com, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Would anybody even want the book?

I was thrilled when downloads in the Kindle store hit 3,000 last night, but when I woke up this morning to find over 5,000 had been downloaded in the past 24 hours, I was beyond elated.

Since Sapphire Blue Publishing closed its doors, I’d been thinking I’d like to rewrite books 2-3 (A Taste of Liberty and Freedom’s Promise) in the Task Force 125 series for some “Declassified” versions, but the last 24-hours lead me to believe I should release them as originally written and focus my energies on book #4 (Stealing Liberties) which is where my real writing passions lie.  Stealing Liberties is a much more involved look at the Task Force 125 team, who they are and how they work.  There are also some key characters that are introduced who really deserve to see the light of day.  I love Vince, Will, Brian, Chris and Jason, but it is time readers meet the man I fell hopelessly in love with, and couldn’t kill when I was supposed to, Jay Stanstead.

So, on Valentine’s Day, I’ll re-release Sarah’s Summer, a free short story that occurs after The Path to Freedom, and A Taste of Liberty, book #2 in the series.

Thank you for reading The Path to Freedom and recommending it to your friends while it is FREE at Amazon.com!

For those who haven’t read it because they don’t have a Kindle, get the free Kindle app for your PC or phone by clicking here.

The Path to Freedom will continue to be available FREE at Amazon.com through Valentine’s Day.

Thank you for downloading it and telling your friends!