Welcome to My World
Two years ago, I was an unhappily married, overweight, stay at home Colorado housewife with no car, income, social life or passion in my life.
Since then, I moved to Texas, left my husband, began working as a marketing consultant, lost 55lbs, started a lifestyle magazine called SAXtreme (San Antonio Xtreme), bought a new Jeep, self-published my out-of-print books, made some fantastic friends, moved into a beautiful home, started work on a new book (several new books), and found my passion again.
Exciting things are manifesting in my life and I’m loving every minute of it! You can read about them all right here.
Making Magic
I’m a big believer in the Law of Attraction but I’ve been a little lax in really working it lately. Yesterday, I bought Rhonda Byrne’s new book, The Magic, to remind myself. I have yet to read it, but I loved The Secret and The Power so I have high hopes for this book.
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.
Who Are You?
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!
New Release: Freedom’s Promise
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!
Giving Away Books and Finding My Muse Again
Last Friday, I ran a promotion at Amazon.com to give away my novel “The Path to Freedom” FREE for 5 days. During those 5 days, Amazon and I gave away 15,518 copies and it made #1 in Amazon’s Action & Adventure rankings for free books. Knowing that 15,518 people had my book in their Kindles was pretty exciting but, as it happens, a few of them actually read it!
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!
Heather Long Presents Fine Fae Fellows (or Hot Guys with Pointy Ears)
As our Cassandra’s Dilemma blog tour winds to a close, I wanted to say a big thank you to Lisa Pietsch for hosting our final stop. Since we are at Lisa’s and she also authors one of my favorite blog features (“Hot Guys with Guns”) I wanted to do something similar, only with Fae or in this case Elves. Of course, this led to a near hour-long internal debate of what to call it.
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!
Inspiration for Angelo from The Path to Freedom
Trixie, a reader friend, reminded me of Angelo today. If you haven’t met Angelo yet, he’s a character in The Path to Freedom (which is still available free at Amazon.com until Midnight tonight). Angelo, though a very attractive, wealthy, and always well-dressed man was most importantly sensitive and especially kind. He plays a very big part in Sarah Stevens’ life, if only for a short time.
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
13,000+ Free Copies of The Path to Freedom and A Taste of Liberty is Now Available!
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!
Sarah’s Summer Available Now, A Taste of Liberty within 24 Hours!
What happens when a bunch of highly trained super spies have a week off?
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!
“A Taste of Liberty” Coming February 14, 2012
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?
THANK YOU!!
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!
