About Books

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    Writing the seasons into books …

    Note: This post appeared at Magical Musings a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share it here too.

    Fall officially began last week. Woot!

    I love fall. It’s my favorite time of year for so many reasons — pleasant days, cool nights, changing leaves, football, all sorts of apple, cranberry, and pumpkin dishes to make, eat, and enjoy. 🙂

    I also find myself writing about fall a lot in my books too. To me, it seems like fall and winter can become actual characters in my books more easily than spring and summer. Maybe that’s because many of my books are so dark and gritty, like my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. To me, the darker and colder seasons of fall and winter just seem to suit those books better.

    Bitter Bite (2)And I love it when the cover reflects the season that’s in the book, like in the cover for Bitter Bite, Elemental Assassin #14. That book is set in November, and I talk about it snowing, so I think the cover really captures that well.

    But in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, the books take place during the summer months, mostly because the heroine Lila Merriweather lives in a tourist town full of magic, monsters, and mobsters. Since I’m talking about tourists being in the town, it made sense to set the books during the summer when more folks go on vacation.

    But no matter which season I’m writing about, I always try to make sure that it has a presence in my books, whether I’m talking about how beautiful the colors of the fall leaves are, how cold the winter wind is, or even how muggy and oppressive a summer afternoon can feel. I like adding in those descriptions, and I think the seasons add another layer of interest for readers.

    What about you guys? Readers — do you like it when books are set in a particular season? Authors — which seasons do you like writing about in your books?

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    Audiobook available for Cold Burn of Magic, Black Blade #1 …

    Black Blade #1The audiobook for Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series, has been released today, Sept. 29. Woot!

    The audiobook is available through Audible and Amazon, and Brittany Pressley is the narrator.

    It seems like audiobooks are getting more and more popular, and I’m glad that the book is now available in that format as well.

    Cold Burn of Magic is also available in print and e-book formats at all the usual book retailers:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon paperback / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / IndieBound / Google Play /  Kobo

    And here is the book description:

    THERE BE MONSTERS HERE…

    It’s not as great as you’d think, living in a tourist town that’s known as “the most magical place in America.” Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

    I try to keep out of it. I’ve got my mom’s bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

    But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend’s pawn shop, and I have to make a call—get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn’t. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I’m stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I’m going to end up just like her…

    You can read the first chapter of Cold Burn of Magic here. Scroll down and click on the Read Excerpt tab.

    So basically, Cold Burn of Magic features magic, monsters, and mobsters. The heroine is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who does her best to avoid the Families (mobs) that run her town, a total tourist trap known for the monsters that haunt the area. But, of course, Lila finds herself in the middle of a feud between two of the Families. There’s a cute guy in the mix too. As of right now, there will be three books in the series.

    Dark Heart of Magic, the second book, will be released on Oct. 27. Bright Blaze of Magic, the third book, will be out in May 2016. There will be print, e-book, and audiobook versions for those books as well.

    I hope that everyone enjoys the audiobook for Cold Burn of Magic. Happy listening!

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    Cold Burn of Magic giveaway …

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    I’m gearing up for the release of Dark Heart of Magic, Black Blade #2, on Oct. 27. Only about a month to go now. Woot!

    Dark Heart of Magic is available for pre-order at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon print / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million / iBooks / IndieBound / Google Play / Kobo

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon. Brittany Pressley is once again the narrator.

    But while we’re waiting on Dark Heart of Magic, let’s go back to Cold Burn of Magic, the first book in my Black Blade series. I haven’t done a contest here on my blog in a while, so let’s fix that. 🙂

    Black Blade #1I’m giving away 5 copies of Cold Burn of Magic. The contest is open to those 14 and older, U.S. only. To enter, use the form at the bottom of this post.

    Here’s the book description for Cold Burn of Magic:

    THERE BE MONSTERS HERE…

    It’s not as great as you’d think, living in a tourist town that’s known as “the most magical place in America.” Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

    I try to keep out of it. I’ve got my mom’s bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

    But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend’s pawn shop, and I have to make a call—get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn’t. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I’m stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I’m going to end up just like her…

    So basically, the book features magic, monsters, and mobsters. The heroine is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who lives in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America.” Tourists come from around the world to tour all the magic-themed shops and attractions, as well as see monsters like tree trolls, copper crushers, and more in their natural habitats.

    Lila also does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But when she saves a member of the Sinclair Family during an attack, Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.
    a Rafflecopter giveaway

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    Bright Blaze of Magic, Black Blade #3, cover revealed …

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    Book #3Today, I am sharing the cover art for Bright Blaze of Magic, the third book in my Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series that will be out on April 26, 2016.

    As of right now, this will be the third and final book in the series.

    Bright Blaze of Magic will be available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats from all the usual retailers. The book is already available for pre-order at the following sites:

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon print / Books-A-Million / Google Play / IndieBound / Kobo

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon, and Brittany Pressley will once again be the narrator. Those pre-order links should go up about six weeks before the publication date — so probably sometime in March.

    And here is the book description. This doesn’t contain any real spoilers for the book/series, but if you absolutely do not want to be spoiled, you might want to skip reading the book description:

    BAD THINGS ALWAYS COME IN THREES…

    As a thief, I’m good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls.

    Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families—and kill every last Sinclair. What they don’t know is that I’m on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I’ve got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting right by my side…

    The heroine of Bright Blaze of Magic is Lila Merriweather, a 17-year-old thief who lives in Cloudburst Falls, West Virginia, a town dubbed “the most magical place in America.” Tourists come from around the world to tour all the magic-themed shops and attractions, as well as see monsters like tree trolls, copper crushers, and more in their natural habitats.

    Lila does her best to stay off the grid and avoid the Families — or mobs — who control much of the town. But Lila finds herself caught in the middle of a brewing war between the Sinclairs and the Draconis, the two most powerful Families in town.

    Hope that everyone enjoys the look at the cover art and the book description.

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    Listening to and writing for audiobooks …

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    Note: This post first appeared last week at Magical Musings.

    Do you listen to audiobooks?

    It seems like audiobooks are becoming more and more popular these days. I’ve had folks tell me that they listen to audiobooks in a variety of places and ways — everything from while they are in the car or on the train commuting to work or even while they’re at home doing housework.

    Out of my various books, the audiobooks for my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series are the most popular. They are narrated by the awesome Lauren Fortgang, who does a great job of bringing my heroine Gin Blanco to life. Instead of getting e-mails asking when the next book will be out, now I get e-mails asking when the audiobook will be out. LOL.

    Spider's TrapThe audiobook for Spider’s Trap, Elemental Assassin #13, was released on July 28, the same day as the print and e-book versions. You can order the audiobook through Audible and Amazon.

    I don’t usually listen to audiobooks, but I’m interested in trying them. But what has really impacted me is that I find myself writing my books with the audiobook version in mind.

    When I’m writing a new character, I will ask myself questions like “What does this person’s voice sound like?” and “How can I make them sound different and distinctive from the other characters?” Then I’ll put in some tags for the audiobook narrator to pick up on and hopefully use. Here’s are some examples from Spider’s Trap:

    “Well, Blanco?” Dimitri demanded in a low, gravelly voice.

    “I can’t let you go anywhere, can I?” Owen murmured, a teasing note creeping into his deep, rumbling voice.

    “But what about you, sweetheart?” Mallory said in a twangy voice that was far more hillbilly than high society.

    I think adding the voice tags not only makes for a better audiobook, but that it is also a little bit of extra description for folks reading the print and e-book versions as well.

    What about you guys? Do you listen to audiobooks? And for all the writers out there — do you describe your characters’ voices with audiobooks in mind?

    GIVEAWAY TIME

    Thanks to the folks at Audible, I have 3 download codes for the Spider’s Trap audiobook to give away. To enter, use the form below. Open to those 18 and older, worldwide.
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