Hello! My name is Kasi Blake

When I introduce myself as an author, I get varied reactions, most of them pretty funny in retrospect.  What people don't understand is how hard it is for me to do this in the first place.  For years I felt awkward about telling people.  I felt like a fraud.  Even after publishing with Harlequin, it just felt weird to say.  My tongue would tie up in knots, and part of me expected people to call me out on it.  "You aren't an author!"  I would nod.  "Yes, I am."  "Oh really," they would say.  "What awards have you won?  How much money did you make last year?  Are you on the NY Times Bestseller List?"

Then I read a book about 'owning' it and forcing myself to introduce myself as a writer.  So, I do it when I can.  It's gotten easier, but some of the reactions are priceless.

Some people don't even blink.  They don't care.  A wary look comes into their eyes like they're afraid you're going to 'bore' them with details of your latest masterpiece.

Some people ask what I've written.  When I tell them I write YA Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy, their are two possible reactions.  Half of them get excited because they love those kind of books.  The other half take on a disdainful expression as if they wouldn't be caught dead reading 'those' kind of books.

Some people get excited because they want to tell me about their idea for a book.  I try to tell them they should write the book if they love the idea so much, but that is usually met with the response, "I can't write, but if you want to use it..."  I don't.  Even if the idea is awesome, I have too many of my own to make room for someone else's.

I've had people roll their eyes at me, quickly change the subject, and flat out tell me they don't care.

By some reactions you would think I just told them I kick puppies for fun.

There have been a few people over the years who are just so delighted to hear that I write, they make it worthwhile.  I love to talk to them about their favorite books.  Sometimes I even find a new series to read when discussing books with strangers.

If you write, don't be afraid to tell people.  Get used to it.  Someday you might even make a living at it.  Then you'll be glad you had all that practice saying it.  :)

Big Problem

WRONG BOOK AT KOBO

In an experiment gone awry I tried to do a pre-order launch for WIZARDS RULE at Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, etc.  Well, in order to do it, they want you to upload your manuscript early.  Problem was, my manuscript wasn't even finished yet.  So I put up SHIFTERS RULE in its place as a temporary place holder, you know?  I didn't see any harm in it as long as I got the right one on their before it was time for the books to go out.  Well--guess what?

The wrong book is still on Kobo.  People are upset, and I don't blame them.  Someone finally told me about the problem so I contacted Smashwords.  Hopefully they will get the right one sent to Kobo ASAP.

If you bought the book from Kobo and got the wrong one, please write to them and ask them for the most recent edition.  They should have it soon.  Thank you for your understanding and your patience.  I will never try to do a pre-order again.

Bloopers, Mistakes, and Screw-ups

Third Rock from the Sun

This is one of my favorite shows.  I have all the seasons on DVD, and I'm watching a Third Rock marathon right now.  I've noticed a few odd things.

1. Did Sally pick her own body or was she forced to be 'the woman?'  At the beginning of the series Sally complains several times that they made her be the woman.  Then later they talk about picking their bodies from a catalog and they act like she wanted to be the woman.

2.  Dennis Rodman makes an appearance.  The famed basketball star runs into the gang at a hardware store.  When he sees them he calls them by name, but later it is stated that they chose their names on purpose to blend in.  Tom, Dick, and Harry.  Get it?

3.  Is Dick Canadian?  At one point they mention Dick is from Canada (at least that is what his papers say, the papers put together by Tommy), but at another point they are laughing about other people being from Canada.

4.  A fake high commander takes over and replaces the real high commander.  How does this guy know everything about the world and how it works when the rest of them had to learn?  Did someone make him a cheat sheet?

5.  Why do they forget what music and dancing are?  When they first arrive on Earth, a song is playing on the car radio and they are bopping along to it.  But later when Harry joins a CD club, they act stunned when they start dancing around the room and don't know what it is or why they are doing it.

6.  What happens after Nina finds the alien curling iron that vaporizes things?  She finds it at the end of one season, but there is no mention it at the beginning of the next.

There are more, but I can't think of them right now.  Is anyone else a fan of the show?

Top Ten

TOP TEN REASONS TO READ BAIT (and the other Order of the Spirit Realm Novels)

1. Nick Gallos is a rock star slash vampire hunter.  I mean, come on, how cool is that?

2.  Bay-Lee is a Van Helsing.  Also awesome.

3.  Sometimes they cross over to the Spirit Realm to fight monsters.

4.  There is a banshee living among them.

5.  A dark prophecy is hanging over their heads.

6.  Mock Battles are epic!  Participating students fight each other, teachers, and sometimes even real monsters.

7.  Nick fights a Border Monster.

8.  A little girl says a monster is in her closet, and it isn't her imagination.

9.  Nick and Bay-Lee share a forbidden romance.

10. Wraiths are killing students on their birthdays.

You can find Bait here on Amazon.

EXCITING NEWS!!!

Crushed is being published by Clean Teen Publishing.  If you wanted to read it but haven't, you'll have to wait now until it comes out next year.  It is getting a new cover, more editing, and some much needed marketing.

Sometimes good books slip through the cracks.  I focused most of my marketing energy on Vampires Rule and Bait (both of those series), and I didn't have time for Crushed.  But I always felt this book series-- teen witches using their powers to play dangerous games at school-- deserved better than what I gave it.

I'll keep you up to date on what is happening with it.  Just wanted to let you know.  :)

Interview with Sasha Leigh

1. Give us a brief description of your book.

Alyssa Frank dies during a brutal attack brought on by students from a neighboring school. She wakes up in an "in-between" and soon learns that second chances exist. Sent back to relive the last week of her life, she tries to turn the week from hell into the very best days of her life. But when she learns of what she failed to see the first time around, her easy-go-lucky ambition turns into a fight to make things right.

Fate’s Exchange is a story of right and wrong, love, friendship, and the consequences that every decision you make reveals. Being marked by Death leads to only one outcome: dying. But when the Sisters of Fate have other plans, tasking angels to protect Alyssa, anything is possible.

2. Where did the idea come from?

A few years ago, I wrote a synopsis for a book like this. I think the initial idea came from a dream I’d had—or that state in between being asleep and waking up. When I decided to start writing it, I couldn’t find the synopsis, but the idea was still quite clear. Initially, it was a way to get my head out of another series, but "pantsing" my way through, the story developed as I wrote it, and eventually became the series it is now.

3. Who was the hardest character to write for and why?

Mr. Tinsley was difficult to write about, not so much in what he does, but who he is and how others view him. To get away with what he’s done for so long he has to be charismatic and unassuming while in the public eye, but then he also has to have the Creep Factor that makes Alyssa suspicious. There were a lot of rewrites and fine-tuning to his character i.e. what he says, how he says it, and the way he carries himself.

4. When did you decide you wanted to write?

Writing definitely wasn’t something I thought about seriously growing up. I always had my nose in a book, and members of my family have some notable accomplishments for writing, but I was more into writing poetry and drawing than stories. Before really sitting down to write, I penned two novels that found the delete button just so I could get the story out of my head.

Going back to university changed things for me, I think, though not right away. After a lot of humming and hawing, and then a lot of research (about writing fiction, plots, characters, etc.), I started to really start writing approximately a year ago.

5. What are you working on now?

I am simultaneously writing the fifth novel for Twisted Fate, Fate’s Disguise, and the third novel for Cast from Power, Casting Light. My day job and daughter take up most of my time, but when I’m not writing or working, I am blogging, updating my website, or figuring out marketing for Fate’s Exchange by methods of trial-and-error—does anyone ever get that down pat?

6. Where can readers find you online?

All of my information, including links to Author Central and Goodreads, can be found on my blog: http://www.MythicWords.blogspot.ca

NEW BOXED SETS!!!

I'm super excited to announce that The Raven Saga and The Morgan Sisters are now available as ebook boxed sets - just in time for Christmas! Both sets are priced at a reduced cost making them perfect Christmas gifts for lovers of YA urban fantasy. If you have friends or family who love Harry Potter, then these sets are perfect for you (or so I've been told)!

The Morgan Sisters

Books 1-4 of The Morgan Sisters

THE GHOST OF JOSIAH GRIMSHAW

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

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.

THE TEMPORAL STONE

It's been a couple of months since Emma and Lana entered the Praxos Academy and life has been hectic ever since. What with regular A level classes combined with learning all about the supernatural world, control classes, self defence and fight night, the girls are constantly busy.
But when their world seems to stop right in front of them, they and their fellow Watchers, have a huge mystery to solve. A mystery which will lead them on a long road trip across south west England where they will meet all kinds of strange creatures, some intent on causing harm and others desperate to put a stop to the problem.

LOOKING FOR LUCY JO

It's their first Christmas since entering the Praxos Academy and 16-year-old sisters Lana Beth and Emma Jane Morgan are looking forward to some serious R&R. But when their little sister mysteriously disappears from her bed on Christmas Eve, all thoughts of fun disappear with her. Emma and Lana must do everything in their power to locate her and bring her home safely. Easier said than done, they are forced to go on yet another journey, this time taking them out to the murky depths of the North Sea as well as to the far reaches of southern Portugal.

˃˃˃ "I would go so far as to say that this could be the beginnings of a series as good as those by J.K. Rowling!"
˃˃˃ "I loved the bad guys, the graveyard antics, the talking dead, the superpowers of the kick-a** ninja chicks, and the rite of initiation the sisters go through"

The Raven Saga

Books 1-3 of The Raven Saga

RAVEN

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.
Raven is a fantasy novel for children and young adults set in the beautiful province of British Columbia.

DECEMBER MOON

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. December Moon is a fantasy novel for children and young adults set in BC, Canada.

THE LOST SOUL

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...

About Suzy

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. The Algarve continues to be her home, where she lives with her childhood sweetheart, Michael, two neurotic dogs and a cat who thinks she's a princess.
Shortly after completing her studies, Suzy was offered the position of trainee journalist for a local English newspaper. Her love of writing developed and a few years later she moved on to become assistant editor for the region's largest English language publisher. Since then she has also worked as the editor of one of the Algarve's most loved monthly lifestyle magazines. Early in 2010 however, Suzy began working as a full time author. She has since written several books: Raven, December Moon, The Lost Soul (The Raven Saga), Daisy Madigan's Paradise, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, The Temporal Stone, Looking for Lucy Jo (The Morgan Sisters), Forever Fredless and And Then There Was You (for adults only!).

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