Vampires Rule is FREE

Finally, the first in the Rule Series is free, totally free.  You can download it at Amazon now as well as Smashwords, B&N, etc.

Summary:  They don't call him Jackpot for nothing.

Jack has always beat the odds... at least until now.  When a werewolf tried to kill him, vampires saved him.  Later, when he got tired of life as a vampire, he returned to his original mortal state. Now all he wants is to be normal, but what's normal about a werewolf hunter for a girlfriend, an English who is head of the werewolves, and a brother who can't decide if he should welcome his brother home or stake Jack to be on the safe side.

You can download it here if you have a Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Rule-Series-ebook/dp/B004YZB8XU

You can download it here for Nook, Ipad, etc.  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54214

Here is what people have to say about Vampires Rule:

Plot: I'm disappointed this book isn't more popular. After reading this book, I'm craving for more. I was hesitant that it revolved around a guy main character, but this book definitely pushed away my fears. I loved hearing Jack's thoughts on going from a human to a vampire to a human. It was intriguing to hear about a vampire going back to being mortal, especially when he turned mortal because he was scratched by a werewolf. Of course, the werewolves and vampires have a raging feud towards one another, but now there are hunters and wraiths thrown into the mix. The romance in this books was genuine. They didn't instantly love each other from the start or pushed away the other's flaws. They did have issues, but they eventually worked through them. It was new to both of them, so each time something intimate would happen, I was holding my breath. The climax and ending did still have a few loose ends hanging in the air, so I'm hoping the rest of the series ties up the loose ends.   --Alisha, Black Nailed Reviews

Vampires Rule took me by surprise. I was not expecting this book to have the awesome story line that it did. K.C.Blake has written a winner with this series. Jack’s character is terrific. He's a human turned vampire, then back to human again, who says you don't get a second chase at life. Jack's second chance comes with a beautiful werewolf hunter whose name is Silver. They are destined to be together, in order to kill the first werewolf and save the human race. But that same destiny has a plan for Jack and Silver's love life, which Jack's ex vampire girlfriend, Summer, isn't too happy about. I fell in love with Jack. Jack is seventeen, handsome, and has a down-to-earth attitude. His great sense of humor had me laughing the whole time as I read this book. Silver is also seventeen, strong-willed, and a take-charge girl that can kick some serious werewolf butt. The romance between these two has lots of laughs, a few tears, but is definitely hot. Jack has a younger brother Billy, who now is his older brother. This is a funny situation that they find themselves in. Vampires Rule has fantastic romance, humor, action, and I enjoyed reading this book from Jack's POV. Especially with his humor. The second book in this series is Werewolf Rule. I'll be putting it on my to-read-list. I definitely recommend Vampires Rule as a must read!! -- Debbie, I Heart YA Books

This book was fast paced, with many twist & turns and very entertaining. K C Blake has managed to take a book based on vampires and werewolves and give it a new energetic story line with like nothing i have read yet. --Tabatha, Goodreads

OMG!!! I so loved this book, I hate that I waited so long to read it...This book is another vampire and werewolf war thing, but it does have a different kind of spin to it. The reason it keep me so interested is because of the “diary” and the “stone”, these all tie into the destiny of these characters. Let me just say that I love the history the author laid out (the reason for vampires and werewolf) and the character development.  -- MsBdiamondDiva, Goodreads

Fav quote copied to Goodreads, 4 people liked it:

“Stop!” she screamed. “Don’t hurt him.”

“Back off!” Billy shouted.

She yanked harder on Billy’s arm.

“He isn’t a vampire anymore, idiot. Look! Do you see that big, yellow thing up in the sky? That’s called the sun. It’s shining down on him, and he isn’t exploding. His fangs are gone. He’s as human as we are. Case closed.”

Billy stared up at the sky, his jaw slack. “Not possible.”

Jack mumbled, “They don’t call me Jackpot for nothing.”

“What?” Billy blinked at him.

“Private joke.” — 5 people liked it

“You aren’t a vampire.” Silver's voice mirrored his shock. She repeated the phrase with a huge smile on her face. “You aren’t a vampire!”

“They don’t call me Jackpot for nothing,” he joked.” — 4 people liked it

YA Indie Carnival: KDP Select

This week at the Carnival we are discussing Amazon's borrowing program called KDP Select.  If you belong to it and pay (whatever the cost to enroll) you get to borrow books for free.  The problem is they won't let authors have their books anywhere else.  It is Amazon or nothing.  Because I have fans with Nooks, not to mention people who buy my books from places like Kobo, I refuse to put my book on the KDP Select thing.  I did try it once for a short time.  Before I uploaded Witch Hunt anywhere else, I put it on Amazon and enrolled it in the program.  You have to give them exclusive rights for three months each time you enroll it.

Why did I do it?  Because Amazon allows you to offer it for free for five days for every three months enrolled.  This means people will see it and try it who otherwise wouldn't even know the book existed.  It worked.  Over a thousand downloaded it for free.  At least some of them have returned since then to buy Crushed and some of my other books.  After the three months ended I put my book on Smashwords.  As far as people borrowing it goes, not very many people have.

I also have a romantic suspense book available on KDP Select for borrowing called Pandora's Box.  Because I didn't care to put it on Smashwords or anywhere else, I've left it on Amazon's program.  Sometimes someone will borrow it.  Sometimes someone will buy it, but it is definitely not one of my best sellers.

Check out the other carnies to see what they have to say about it.

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series

3. Heather Self

4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga 

6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 

8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series 

10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey

12. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter  

13. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy
14. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga

15. Courtney Cole Writes
16. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.

17. Ella James
18. Maureen Murrish

19. Valerie Sloan
20. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
21. Terah Edun, author of Red Madrassa and An Amlah's Diary

Are You in Love with Your Book???

I think writing is like falling in love with the guy (or girl) you want to spend the rest of your life with.  When you first get together, it is exciting.  All you can think about is them.  You don't see their flaws, only the perfection in them.  Then time goes by.  You get to know them better.  Things you used to find endearing start to irritate the crap out of you.  All of a sudden, you are wondering why you chose this person.  You start to doubt they are the right fit for you.  At the point a lot of people give up.  Writers move onto greener pastures (another story).  The problem is this will happen again and again.  Just like a good marriage, you have to work to create a good book.  You have to stick with it even when you no longer feel that wonderful love you started out feeling, even when the excitement has died down and you don't have butterflies anymore.

Stick with it. Keep writing.  Look for those things in your characters and story that first drew you to it.  In no time at all, you will be in love again.

I can't even count how many times I fell out of love with my newest book: BAIT.  There were times when I wanted to throw it in the trash and do something else.  It seemed hopeless.  Surely a good story can't come out of all this disappointment and doubt.

But it did.  When I went back and read the entire finished manuscript, I was pleasantly surprised.  It's official.  I love my book again, and this time it's for keeps.  :)

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Suzy Turner

Spotlight Interview Questions:

1) What is your all-time favorite book and why?
Ooh it's so tough to just have one book. But I'd probably go with The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I studied the book at college and totally fell in love with it. I guess it was because it was so different to anything I'd ever read. Perhaps the dystopian side of it also appealed. I'm not sure. Strangely though, I've never read anything else by Margaret Atwood. Not sure why!

2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?
Recently, my newest series (The Morgan Sisters) was described by a book blogger as 'possibly the next Harry Potter'. Clearly this made my decade and I'd love to be compared to the Great Almighty JK, but I would never compare myself to another writer. I'd like to think my writing is my own... kind of unique, you know?

3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?
My favourite quote? That's a toughie, hmmm. How about this...
'She could hear her heart beating, feel it thudding in her chest. She couldn't open her mouth; it was too dry. All she wanted to do was scream but she couldn't even do that. Please God don't let me die, she thought.
A sudden massive gust of wind took her feet from beneath her and she was forcefully pushed from the top of Carlton Point, falling silently and peacefully to the rocky hills below.'
The reason I like this scene so much is because I have such a vivid image of it in my mind. When you read on to the next chapter, you'll see that she didn't actually fall. That image of Lana slowly floating, almost in slow motion, reverberated with me. Almost like a scene from Alice in Wonderland.

4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?
I am particularly inspired by places. For instance, my first series (The Raven Saga) was inspired by the awesome mountains and forests of Western Canada. My new series (The Morgan Sisters) was inspired by places I've been to in London (as well as by a London actor I met last year).
I think the UK is perhaps one of the most inspiring countries I've ever been to. Every time I visit (although I'm English, I currently live in Portugal), I am blown away by its capacity to inspire me... with its historical buildings and heritage. I'm actually selling up and moving back to England. One of the reasons why we chose England is because of its hold over me with my writing. I can't wait! (Anyone wanna buy a villa in the Algarve?)

5) Describe your typical writing day or week.
When I have deadlines, I write every morning until I've reached my target (if I'm in the zone, I'll write a lot more) and then I chill out with my favourite TV show and a nice cup of Rooibos tea :)

6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?
Just Rooibos tea and water.

7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)?
I'm about to start the second novel in The Morgan Sisters series but it doesn't have a title yet!



EXCERPT - THE GHOST OF JOSIAH GRIMSHAW
     Lightning shattered the darkness. Not even Emma's thick purple quilt could shut out the light as it filtered through to her closed eyelids. A low echo of rumbling thunder made its way across the North Sea towards Andilyse Island and she shivered. Suddenly something landed on top of her head
and she shrieked.
     The sounds of laughter emanated from the bed across the room.
     'Lana, you cow,' shouted Emma as she threw back the covers and tossed the pillow back at her sister who just shook her head and giggled.
     'It's only a storm. There's nothing to be scared of.'
     'There is everything to be scared of,' she replied as she cowered beneath the quilt again.
     'Oh come on, Sis. We're quite safe in here. This house has been standing for hundreds of years, it's not like it's going to collapse is it?'
     'It nearly did the last time,' Emma croaked.
     'That was like sixty years ago, Em, and none of the houses collapsed. The only thing that took the brunt of the storm was the pier.'
     'And the church.'
     'Exactly. None of the houses. Stop being such a coward. You're fifteen! It's a storm, it's rain, it's not the end of the world.'
     'It was for all those poor people.'
     'Oh stop being so dramatic. Things were different back in the 50s, Em. We're safe, now stop worrying.'
     The sound of the front door slamming downstairs made both girls jump. Emma glared at Lana before they both hopped out of bed and ran to their bedroom door which they opened, looking down over the banister.
     'Dad?'
     Peering up at them from the bottom of the stairs stood an attractive grey-haired man in his early 50s, taking off his soaking coat.
     'Shhh, we don't want to wake Greg and Lucy,' he said as he summoned them downstairs.
     'Oh Patrick, they should be in bed too,' whispered a voice from the kitchen as the two girls skipped down to find out what was going on.
     'You know what they're like, Audrey,' he said as he hung his dripping coat on the stand in the hallway.                   Tutting, his wife promptly removed it and placed it in the sink in the downstairs cloakroom before going back to give him a kiss.
     'What's happened, Dad?' asked Emma as she sat huddled up to her sister on the bottom step. A clap of thunder made her jump and she shivered, her eyes wide open with apprehension. Lana rolled her eyes and put her arm protectively around her sister.
     'Let's have a cup of cocoa,' Audrey said, recognising the look on her husband's face. There was bad news.
     While they waited for the milk to heat up on the stove, Lana went into the lounge looking for candles as the lights continued to flicker, constantly threatening to go out for good.
     'I've found some,' she said, setting them down on the kitchen table with a box of matches, 'just in case,' she smiled. 'So what's going on, Dad? Why did you have to go out so late?'
     'He's the Chief Constable... it's his job,' answered their mother as she poured steaming milk into the four mugs, before stirring them as quietly as she could.
     Lana stood beside her, adding a spoonful of sugar to her own mug before passing the calming drinks to her family, who stood sipping the chocolatey goodness silently for a moment.
     Rubbing his forehead, Patrick put his cocoa down on the table just as the rain began to clatter loudly on the roof tiles.
     'Oh no,' whispered Emma as she pulled her feet up towards her bottom and rocked back and forth in her seat.
     Patrick put his hand on her shoulder, 'it's okay sweetheart. It's just a storm, it'll pass. Everything will be all right.'
     'Well then why did you have to go out in it, Dad?' she asked.
     'I was called out to the old Grimshaw farm... Josiah was seen wandering close to the pier again.'
     'What? In this weather? Does he have a death wish?' said Lana without thinking as her mother tutted, glancing towards Emma. 'Did you find him? Is he okay?'
     'I'm afraid he's nowhere to be seen. And in these conditions, it's impossible to send out a search party.       We can't send out the lifeboat without risking the lives of everyone else, I'm afraid. He's a silly old man, he should never have been left alone in this storm. Everyone on the island knows how it affects him.'
     Audrey patted her husband's hand, 'there'd be no stopping him, love. He's just looking for her.'
     'Well, maybe he's finally got his wish.'
     'Daddy?' said an innocent child's voice from the stairs.
     'Oh we've woken the kids,' said Audrey as she stood up and went to check on her two younger children.
     'Hey sweetheart. Sorry we woke you. Come on, let's go back to bed,' she said to her family. 'There's nothing we can do now. We should all try and get some sleep.'



SOCIAL NETWORKS: website: http://suzyturner.com
Blog: http://suzyturner.blogspot.com Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Suzy-Turner/e/B0050BSH1I Facebook: http://facebook.com/suzyturnerbooks Twitter: http://twitter.com/suzy_turner Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/suzyturnerbooks



SUZY'S BOOKS
Raven (FREE) http://www.amazon.com/Raven-Saga-Part/dp/9899734810
After the inexplicable disappearance of Lilly Taylor's parents, she has no choice but to move to Canada where she unravels some frightening yet intriguing family secrets... Her whole life had been based on a lie. Lilly had grown up in a loveless home with a father who she had barely ever seen and a mother who was... well, not very motherly. After they mysteriously disappear without a trace, Lilly is sent to Canada where she finds a whole new way of life. A life filled with love and people who care for her. But that's not all she discovers, Lilly also finds out that she isn't who, or what, she thinks she is. Lilly has a very special ability and it's just a matter of time before her true self starts to shine. And when it does, her life will never be the same again.



December Moon http://www.amazon.com/December-Moon-Raven-Saga-ebook/dp/B005JOXSZ6
On her 15th birthday, December Moon discovers she is the descendant of a family of witches, kept in the dark her entire life in an effort to protect her. But when Lilly, her best friend, finds herself in danger from one of the world's most evil vampires, December will do everything in her power to stop him.



The Lost Soul http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Soul-Raven-Saga-ebook/dp/B007NHUEAO
December and Lilly have got their work cut out for them. Not only are they desperately trying to figure out the identity of the Lost Soul, and track him down, they've also got to investigate why Powell River's newest resident has got all of their men falling at her feet.
But when they learn that the Nephilim might be involved, it becomes clear that they're all in extreme danger...




The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw
A Morgan Sisters novel http://www.amazon.com/Josiah-Grimshaw-Morgan-Sisters-ebook/dp/B00A37SE0I/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
Adopted sisters Lana Beth and Emma Jane are polar opposites, but when the same strange 'tattoo' suddenly appears and winds its way up their bodies within days of each other, they soon realize there's more to their relationship than they could ever have imagined.
Sent off to London for two weeks of 'work experience', the Morgan Sisters soon find themselves being initiated into the ancient Praxos Foundation, one that protects the innocent while fighting evil, both human and supernatural.
At the same time, Lana Beth and Emma Jane must also investigate why the sweet but sometimes pesky ghost of Josiah Grimshaw just won't leave them alone.

Daisy Madigan's Paradise (FREE)
A Morgan Sisters novella http://www.amazon.com/Madigans-Paradise-Morgan-Sisters-ebook/dp/B00ALUMQE2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_5
When tragedy falls upon 15 year old Daisy Madigan, she escapes to the only place she feels safe, the cemetery of Abney Park. There, in the company of the dearly departed, she realizes she is changing, growing stronger and faster by the day. But in the darkness lurks a terror even she can't imagine facing.
Daisy Madigan's Paradise is a Morgan Sisters novella. Check out The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, the full length first novel in the series.



AUTHOR BIO
Suzy Turner has worked as a journalist, assistant editor, features editor, magazine editor and has even been the Script Supervisor for a full length feature film. Early in 2010 however, she began writing full time and has since completed a trilogy for young adults, The Raven Saga (the first of which is FREE) and started a brand new series, The Morgan Sisters. The first full length novel in this series, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw is now available, as is a shorter novella, Daisy Madigan's Paradise which is FREE!
Although Suzy is a Yorkshire lass at heart, she left her home town of Rotherham, UK, to move to Portugal with her family when she was ten. For now, the Algarve continues to be her home, where she lives with her childhood sweetheart and husband of 14 years, Michael.

YA Indie Carnival 2013

It is a new year and a new format for the YA INDIE AUTHOR CLUB.  We'll be rotating our weekly posts in order to spice it up for our members/followers.  With our new set-up, we'll alternate biweekly between our INDIE AUTHOR SERIES and INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT.

With the biweekly INDIE AUTHOR SERIES, we'll continue our current mission where we write topics geared toward helping other indie authors.  In the spirit of paying it forward, we'll make a special effort to share/promote people, sites, software, etc. that make our jobs a little easier.  Whenever possible, we'll provide a coupon or referral code for discounted services from the people we depend on to help us with our writing, editing, book covers, marketing, etc.

With the INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT, we'll be interviewing a new indie author every other week.  You'll want to visit the YA Indie Club sponsor's sites in order to participate in any potential giveaways.

You can visit the above YA Indie Author Club highlighted in purple to check out this year's topics.  Next week we will start things off with a SPOTLIGHT on Indie Author LAURA A. H. ELLIOTT.

BAIT is Finished Finally

After three years of planning and two and a half months of laboring over it, Bait is finally finished.  Round of applause please.  :)

There were times when I thought this book would never make it to the page.  It has been in my head, tormenting me, for years.  Now I need to start on the second book in the series before I lose the tenuous grasp I have on my characters.

This is the longest book I have ever written, over a hundred thousand words.  Of course I have no idea how long it will be after rewrites and editing.  It could be shorter.  Or it could be longer.  We'll have to wait and see.

I will put up an excerpt soon.

YA Indie Carnival: New Year's Resolutions

This week at the Carnival we are going to talk about New Year's Resolutions.  Do you have any?  Well, I don't even bother to make them anymore because they don't make it to February.  But since I need to do it for the Carnival, I am going to make a list of my new 'writing' resolutions.  I'll let you know at the end of 2013 if any of them stuck.



1.  I am going to put my butt in the chair more often, writing at least six days a week, a few hours each day.

2.  I am going to write at least four books this year:  Bait, Hunter, Tempting Fate, and Dragon's Breath.

3.  I will read more books this year.

4.  I am going to use my Kindle more.

5.  I will spend a bit more time marketing my books than I did last year.

I think five are enough, don't you?  Check out the other Carnies and see what their new resolutions are.

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series	4.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
5.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	6.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
7.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	8.	Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
9.	Ella James	10.	Maureen Murrish
11.	YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings	12.	A Little Bit of R&R
13.	Melissa Pearl	14.	Terah Edun - YA Fantasy

Mystery Writing: Hiding Clues

I used to write for Harlequin Intrigue.  Mysteries were my thing so I know a little about hiding clues.  I'll share what I discovered by trial and error and what I've learned from research.  Remember, clues aren't just needed for mysteries.  I think all books have need for clues.  Maybe the hero in a romance novel is hiding a secret from his girlfriend.  She needs to find a clue.  I think all genres need some sort of mystery whether it's about the characters or some event.  So here are some tips on keeping the clues from jumping out and being obvious to your reader.

1.  Bury Clues in Lists:  This is something I've used in the past.  I remember one book where I wanted to put a clue in a drawer but didn't want anyone to notice until later.  So I had the character go through the drawer and I listed the items.  None of them seemed important at the time.  One, however, was extremely important.

2.  Hide Clues in Dialogue:  This is a good one.  Write a seemingly innocent conversation.  It seems mundane to the reader, but there is a clue if they read it carefully enough.

3.  Distract the Reader with Action:  It's a fact that readers get distracted by action.  They are living in the moment.  There eyes are going faster, heart beating, and they just might miss a clue if you carefully place one here.

4.  Have a Hair-brained Character Figure it Out:  If you have a character who talks a lot of nonsense, the reader won't see them as reliable.  So have them hit the nail on the head, just once.  Have them say something incredibly brilliant in such a way that the reader won't believe it... until later.

5.  Place the Clue in a Joke:  This is sort of like the above rule.  If a character is making a joke of the truth, the reader probably won't believe it.  J.K. Rowling used this one in Harry Potter.  It was brilliant.  She had Dumbledore joke that Harry and Hermonie couldn't possibly be in two places at once when that was exactly what was happening.

6.  Point the Finger at the Bad Guy:  This method was used in the first Scream movie.  They made Billy look guilty and then cleared him.  Once you clear the bad guy no one will suspect them later.  Smart move.

I'm sure there are other clever ways to hide clues.  These are some of my favorites.  As a writer you want to place the clues around so the reader won't fill cheated later, but you don't want them to figure it out too easily.  They won't buy your books anymore.  Readers want to play detective and sometimes they want to figure out the mystery before the detective does, but not too soon.  Happy writing!