Weekly Update: March 5th to 11th

Weekly word count: 3050 words

As part of my draw this week, I asked my readers to share something they'd learned.  This week I have learned that I was crazy when I thought I could combine a family road trip with writing.

Writing while sitting in the car for hours on end.  Sounds like a great idea, until factoring in that I can't see the screen with my sunglasses on.  And the constant interruptions for music changes, snacks and other challenges just made it incredibly hard to concentrate.

But there's still the option of writing at night.  It's not my most productive time but even a few hundred words is better than nothing.  I'm limping along but still making progress.

On to other news, I was blown away by Book Partners In Crime's tour.  They had 30 sign ups and 28 blogs ended up featuring my book.  And my twitter feed has been exploding with retweets.  That is much better than the tour I did for Metamorphosis, which had 5 sign ups, and the only two which ended up actually posting were two blogs which I referred.  It's comparable with the tours I do through Xpresso Books, (which had 50 posted out of 100 sign ups), however those blogs tend to be aimed at a younger crowd than my ideal audience.

I was also excited to be chosen for an author spotlight on Eskie Mama and Dragon Lady Reads.  Again, their readers promoted the heck out of me.

I'm starting to get preliminary reviews back for Inquisition, and so far, people seem to love it.  Including those who don't know me personally and have no reason to be nice about it.

All in all, it was a good week.  Now, on to recovery mode.

Release Day: Inquisition

It's official!  Inquisition is now available in print and ebook on Amazon.com.  (It will take another few weeks for the print book to be available in Canada but the ebook is available.)

Police detective Joe Cabrera used to have a pretty good life.  Promising career, plenty of flirtations, and he never once needed to question the nature of his reality.  All of that changed when he discovered the truth of the lalassu.  Suddenly, he fell deep into a rabbit hole of paranormal powers, shadowy conspiracies and millennia-old secrets.  Now, his old no-nonsense approach to his job just doesn’t work any longer.  If he wants to stop his old enemy, André Dalhard, from hurting anyone else, Joe will need to find a more flexible option.

A master of disguise, Cali has assumed so many identities over the years that remembering who she was born to be is impossible.  Abandoned on the streets as a child, she was rescued by André Dalhard.  She’s served him loyally for many years, using her shape-shifting abilities to take on new personas in the blink of an eye, such as Boomerang, the master thief.  To save Mr. Dalhard from prison, she becomes Colleen Avila, a meek and mild personal secretary.

Joe initially planned to use Colleen as a confidential informant, but wasn’t prepared for the intensity of his feelings for her.  When he meets the arrogant and brash Boomerang and the determined and fearless Cali, he finds himself torn between the three women.  For Cali, she knows she must inevitably either break Joe’s heart or turn against the man who saved her from a life of uncertainty and poverty.

As Joe and Cali work together, they discover an even greater threat to the lalassu, one that could send everyone tumbling down into a new rabbit hole.  If their fears are realized, neither their friends nor their enemies will be able to escape.

It's Cover Reveal Day!

Woo-hoo!  I can finally share my beautiful cover for Inquistion with everyone!

It's another great design from Streetlight Graphics.  I love how Joe and Cali are back to back, partners but also moving in opposite directions.  It's a great visual representation of their relationship.  I also love the subtle hint within the mirror.  Although Cali is blond, the reflection is a brunette.

To celebrate the new cover, I've got Revelations, the first book in the lalassu series, on sale for 99 cents and a giveaway for a a $25 Amazon card.  And you can preorder the ebook for Inquisition.  Release day is March 8th.

December 25th to 31: Inquisition Available for Pre-Order

Line Edit Countdown: 12 chapters of 45 done this week

It's been fast and furious editing this week (and likely for the next two as well) but the big excitement is that Inquisition is now available for preorder on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

I've spent most of this weekend updating the website and getting everything ready.  Inquisition will be released on March 8th and I'm hoping to have both the ebook and the print book available that day.  (It takes some coordinating and I'm at the mercy of Amazon and Createspace's scheduling but I'm confident I can make it happen!)

The cover will be revealed on January 17th and there will be a big blog tour and special giveaways.  I'll be posting and tweeting links on the day, so keep an eye out.

Weekly update: October 9 to 15

Weekly word count: 2700

Editing countdown: 7 chapters this week, 11 chapters total, 49 days left to deadline

This week was the release of Rose on the Grave and to celebrate I put Revelations on sale.  There's been a lot of interest and I've learned a lot about targeting Facebook ads.  I was surprised when one of my ads got rejected for having "too much text" even though it had considerably less text than an ad which ran fine a few days earlier.

Definitely a busy week with the latter part spent plugging a plot hole.  I think it flows much better now.

It's been a grueling schedule but so far, I'm keeping up with it.  I'm a little brain dead (at least the part of my brain which isn't preoccupied with editing), so I'm afraid I won't be doing much on social media.  I'll try to stick my head up periodically and remind people that I'm still here.

Weekly update: October 2 to 8: Release of Rose on the Grave

Weekly word count: 2800

Editing countdown: 4 chapters done, 55 days until deadline

I'm trying something a little different this year.  Last year, from October to February, I concentrated almost exclusively on editing Metamorphosis, with only brief periods of new writing.  This year, I'm going to try and give myself one or two big chunks of writing time per week as well as my goal of editing one chapter per day.  I'm hoping that I can get some good progress on the first book my new series.  I've still got the fourth book of the lalassu simmering in my back brain, though.

On Tuesday, I will be releasing my latest Spirit Sight short story, Rose on the Grave.  It's in review on Amazon right now.  I'm very excited to share the beautiful cover done for me by Samianne.

Rose on the Grave is a continuation of Jessica and Greg's story, begun in Whispers In the Dark.  After their harrowing encounter with the demon box, both of them are dealing with fresh scars.  Jessica's freshly bloomed medium gifts seem to have shut down and Greg isn't sure if his continuing nightmares are signs of trauma or of some dark entity still lurking in his mind.

When the pair are invited to investigate Rose on the Grave, a haunted bed and breakfast, they find themselves increasingly on opposite sides.  They are quickly drawn deeper into a world of ghosts, fraud and strange powers.  Otherworldly messages warn of dramatic changes to come and send them on a mission to rescue a little girl named Bernie, a name that readers of Revelations will find familiar.

As part of the release for Rose on the Grave, I'll be putting Revelations on sale on Amazon.com and Amazon.uk from October 11th to the 17th.  I wish I could put it on sale in Canada but unfortunately I don't have that option.  (Maybe some of my Canadian readers can contact Amazon and ask for Canada to be included in the Kindle Countdown deals?)

I'm very excited to share this newest installment of the lalassu world and can't wait to hear what people think.