Work-in-Progress

I have finally picked a title for my current work-in-progress.

Ruler of the Dead

And this is my cover without the title.

Here is a short excerpt:

Kevin took a visual inventory of Riley Bishop and wondered if he too would develop a crush on her someday. Her hair was the color of a Hershey’s candy bar: deep, dark brown, and her eyes reminded him of the blue on Superman’s costume. Boys flirted with her all the time when she came into the diner, but she talked to them with what his mom called a ‘smart mouth,’ indicating she wasn’t interested. They still kept trying.

Riley glared at him. “Why are you staring at me?”

“I was trying to decide if you’re pretty.”

She kicked him under the table.

“Ow!” He rubbed his sore leg. “What did you do that for?”

“Because you’re a moron. You don’t tell a girl that you aren’t sure if she’s pretty. No one wants to hear that. It should be obvious that someone is pretty.”

“All the guys like you, so I was trying to figure out if I’m going to lose my mind and like you someday. I mean, like you as more than a friend. You didn’t have to kick me.”

Riley’s eyes narrowed. “And? Am I pretty?”

He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to get kicked again either. His father told him there was always a wise way to answer every question. A person just needed to give it some thought. So he did. He thought long and hard about the best way to respond.

He shrugged. “Guess the only girl I think is really pretty is my mom.”

Riley’s mouth spread into a wide smile. “Good answer. See? You can use your brain when you want. Now focus it on your math.”

He gave her a you-think-you’re-funny-but-you’re-really-not look.

Math sucked!

Available for Pre-Order

CRUSHED is now available for pre-order at many online outlets. 

Available August 4, 2015

Get your copy early. The price will probably go up after August 4.

The Noah girls have beauty, powers, and brains. They use all three to play their games. They blow the dust, the boys are crushed, and no one is ever the same.

Each year the Noah girls play a secret game— Crushed. The rules are simple:

1. Use wisdom to pick your target. The boy can't be too weak or too strong-willed.
2. Blow the enchanted dust into your target's face to enchant (Crush) him.
3. Give verbal commands and assign them tasks to perform throughout the year. The more tasks completed, the stronger the witch's power grows.
4. At the end of the year, the witch with the most power wins cold, hard cash.


As if being a witch in high school isn't complicated enough, Kristen picks the wrong boy to Crush. Zach is tall, handsome, and a little scary. Her Crush spell isn't working on him like it has with the others. In fact, he is behaving the opposite of every other boy she's Crushed, hating her instead of adoring her. Something is definitely wrong. After someone attempts to kill her, Kristen realizes there is more at risk than a few hundred dollars. She may be betting with her life.

Links:
Amazon

B&N

Smashwords

Kobo

Top Ten Indie Authors

Top Ten Indie Authors
This is a list of MY favorite Indie Authors and has nothing to do with who sold what, awards, or how many books they've written. These are Indie Authors that I know and respect. Let's see how many of them you know.  In no particular order:

1. Quinn Loftis: Quinn lives in Arkansas and has several YA books available on Amazon and other sites including the popular Grey Wolves Series and her newest fabulous novel titled "Dream of Me." This is one talented lady. If you haven't read one of her books yet, you should do yourself a favor and pick one up. Here is the link for "Dream of Me," only 2.99 at Amazon.

Dream of Me at Amazon


2. Holly Kelly: Holly lives in Utah and is a mom to six rambunctious kids. How does she find time to write? I have no idea. But I do know that her Rising Series is awesome. I mean, come on, how can you beat a series on mermaids? I'm currently reading book one and enjoying it. Can't wait to move on to the next, and you can download the first book for free at Amazon (I can't guarantee it will be free when you decide to go look, so hurry).

Rising at Amazon


3. Jon Messenger: Jon serves in the Army and wrote "Brink of Distinction" while serving in Iraq. But his book "Wolves of the Northern Rift" is what I'm most interested in at this time. You have got to check out the cover here. Beautiful. I admit I haven't read any of his books YET, but they sound awesome and are on my ever growing TBR list. If you want to try a book for free, "Wind Warrior" is available for download at no cost at this moment.

Wind Warrior at Amazon


4. Suzy Turner: Suzy lives in Portugal, lucky girl, and I've had the pleasure getting to know her through a writing group we both belong to. She's always willing to give someone a helping hand, and I love her writing style. Her book Raven is free right now, but my favorite is "The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw" and it is available for less than a dollar.

The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw at Amazon


5. Keary Taylor: Keary lives on an island. That's right. You heard me. She lives on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. How cool is that? This girl is a cyclone of activity, always doing something creative, working hard, taking care of her kids, traveling the country to meet her fans at book events. And she has a LOT of fans. She writes a variety of genres, so I just picked a free book for you to try at random.

The Bane at Amazon


6. Sherry Ficklin: Sherry is a popular author. Perhaps you've heard of "Queen of Someday." But I want to talk to you about "Haunting Zoe." I haven't read it yet, but it sounds awesome. Seriously, a love story where one of the characters is a ghost. Sounds good to me. You can try it for free (at least at the time that I am writing this.)

Haunting Zoe at Amazon


7. Heather Hildenbrand: Heather has two homes; she splits her time between Virginia and the island of Guam. That's cool. Don't you think? Anyway, I haven't read these books yet, but I keep hearing about them. Rumor has it that NBC is thinking about making a show based on them. That would be awesome. You can check out Imitation for free (at the time of this post)

Imitation at Amazon


8. Bryna Butler: Bryna and I met through a writer's group. She's a wonderful lady and extremely busy with her writing. Her book was featured on a coffee table in the background on an Internet vampire series inspired by Rachel Caine's "Morganville" series. Bryna's first book, "Of Sun & Moon" is free at this time.

Of Sun & Moon at Amazon


9. Liz Long: Liz and I have been friends for a while now. We share a love of super hero movies. Her favorite is Captain America, but I prefer Iron Man. She has written an interesting series with a circus, a girl who can control fire, and a murder mystery thrown in. It isn't free, but it is under a dollar.

Gifted at Amazon


10. Kasi Blake: LOL. Well, I threw myself in because I am worn out from trying to come up with enough Indie Authors I personally know to fill this list. Anyway, I live on a farm in the Midwest, surrounded by animals, and I am a Supernatural-fanatic. You can read Vampires Rule for free or get Bait for under a dollar (at this time).

Vampires Rule at Amazon

Bait at Amazon

Do you know of any incredible Indie Authors not on the list? Feel free to talk about them in the comments. If they have a book for free or one under a dollar, let us know. I'd be willing to give them a try.

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.

Sneak Peek: WARRIOR

Chapter One:

"Can I get a little help over here?" Bay-Lee shouted.

She lifted the heavy shield attached to her arm as a demonic tree tried to pound her into the ground.  Using a thick branch as a hammer, it slammed against the metal barrier, driving her to her knees, and the sword slipped from her cold fingers.  She used the flat of her empty palm to brace the shield.  Frantic, she glanced over her shoulder, wondering why her mentor wasn't yelling out instructions or encouragement.

Where was Nick?

If a resident of the Spirit Realm stepped out into the clearing at that precise moment, they would think she was worshiping the giant tree.  On her knees, she stared up at it in a combination of awe and terror.  The most shocking thing about the situation was that she was still alive.

She cursed Nick's teaching methods beneath her breath.  Every muscle in her body ached.  Tomorrow--if she made it to tomorrow--she was going to be covered in endless bruises.

She felt around for the sword, fingers tapping the soft dirt, but her gaze stayed locked on the Devil Tree.  During yesterday's lecture Nick said they were close to extinct, and she was lucky to be able to battle one.  Yeah, right.  In less than ten minutes the thing had almost killed her... twice.

Bare, mangled branches twisted this way and that in constant motion.  Rough bark fit together like a mosaic puzzle, covering the huge trunk.  A few pieces were missing, rotted away to reveal trails of dark red sap resembling blood, and that wasn't even the worst part.

Nick insisted it had a mouth that spit fire; although she hadn't spotted it yet.  If the mouth appeared, she had a surprise for it.  No way was she going to let a stupid tree set her on fire.

Her hand searched loose black soil for cold metal as the tree continued to twist.  The borrowed weapons came from her father's private collection.  Nick's idea.  Since she was training to become a Warrior, he thought she should have the best stuff at her disposal.  She'd chosen the shield, the sword, and a secret third item currently tucked into her ankle sheath.  Her mentor didn't know about it.  If he'd seen her reach for it, he might have objected.

She found the sword's hilt, and her eager fingers grasped it tight.

"You're doing fine."  Nose in a book, Nick spoke from a few feet away, leaning against a 'harmless' tree.  His tone lacked interest.  "Keep it up."

She mumbled, "Some mentor you are."

Gunshots in the distance stole her attention.  Nick didn't seem bothered by the noise or by the fact a war raged nearby.  Hunters and monsters fought over the border, growing in intensity with each passing week. Casualties on both sides...

A soft creaking sound reached her ears.  It rose in volume to an ominous level.  She turned a split second before a branch tried to decapitate her.

She dove, hit the ground hard, and banged her elbows and knees against the deceptively soft-looking surface.  It felt like there was concrete beneath the top layer of dirt.  The branch swung over her head.  Dark hair obscured her vision.  She blew it out of the way just in time.

Another twig covered bough sliced through the air, coming straight at her.

Want to know what happens next?

Warrior is available for pre-order at B&N, and will be available everywhere on 7/13.

Audiobook Now Available

VAMPIRES RULE the AUDIOBOOK
Brought to you by the good people at Audible(dot)com.  You can now listen to Vampires Rule on your way to work, while you're falling asleep at night, or while you're cleaning the house.  Personally, I love to listen to books while doing other things that require my hands and my eyes.

Vampires Rule at Audible
Vampires Rule at Amazon

April 22, 2014

BOOK CHARMS

When I first discovered these cool little things, I wanted hundreds of them.  Not just for my book covers.  These are a great way to show support for your favorite author or series.  You can probably even get your favorite shows on them.  At Etsy--which is where I got my charms--you can ask for a custom order.  Pretty much anything you want on them is possible.  You can get them on bracelets, necklaces, or keychains.

Here is my bracelet:

They have sample pictures of bracelets ordered by customers.  The most popular one seems to be Harry Potter.  It is a cool idea, and I love these little charms.  

Harlequin Intrigues: Romantic Suspense Novels

Today, my second book with Harlequin has been released as an ebook!



Julia Keller's world shattered the night her beloved husband, Jack, was gunned down on her ranch. Now, two long and lonely years later, a mesmerizing stranger with Jack's face appeared on her doorstep, minus a memory. So the only way to recover the truth was to join forces with the rugged, reticent man who was either her little boy's father--or a mysterious impostor. This tough yet tender amnesiac roused churning emotions--and smoldering passions--in Julia that left her aching for answers. However, a cold-blooded killer was bound and determined to keep this case unsolved. And in a race against time to prevent the perpetrator from striking again, a deadly showdown would pit good against evil...and "husband" against wife!

This book is available at eHarlequin (dot) com and Amazon!

My first book Borrowed Identity is also available at each place.

 

A groggy Kelly Hall didn't understand why her dead husband was standing in front of her, telling her their wedding night that had ended in his grisly "murder" had all been a dream. Was she going insane or was someone trying to kill her? Sinister threats lurked in the melancholy halls of Moore House...and all Kelly could be certain of was that this cold, magnetic man who bore an uncanny resemblance to the Michael Taggert she vividly remembered marrying was suddenly fiercely protective, cloaked in mystery and set off a lightning bolt of desire at the merest touch. As passion and peril spiraled out of control, would Kelly trust her life to the man whose deception could shatter the only love she'd ever known?