On Writing

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    Favorite books in a series

    Note: This post will also appear tomorrow, Feb. 16, at Magical Musings.

    Bitter Bite, the 14th book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be out on Feb. 23.

    Bitter BiteFourteen books. Wow. Part of me still can’t believe that I’ve written so many books in one series. And there are more to come, as I will be writing at least 16 books in the series now.

    When it comes to a long-running series, there are certain books that readers like more than others. In my Elemental Assassin series, it seems like Spider’s Revenge (book #5), Heart of Venom (book #9), and Black Widow (book #12) are particular fan favorites. (Leave a comment on this post if you agree or have another book in the series that’s your favorite.)

    Why do these books seem more popular than others in the series? I think it’s because they all have lots of action, truly nasty villains, and really great dynamics/relationships between my heroine, Gin Blanco, and the other characters.

    Readers like certain books in a series better, and I feel the same way as an author. Some books just flow easier than others as you are writing them. Sometimes, there’s a particular character that you love writing about, or you get to write a story/plot that you’ve been thinking about for a long time.

    When it comes to Bitter Bite, I had a lot of fun writing the villain, and I think the book features one of the best villains in the entire Elemental Assassin series. The cool thing about this villain is that the character comes in and is not only a physical threat to Gin, but also an emotional one as well. So it’s like a double dose of evil, but in a good, entertaining way.

    Bitter Bite is definitely one of my favorite books in the series, and I hope that it will be one of the books in the series that becomes a fan favorite as well. Fingers crossed anyway. We’ll see soon, since the book is out on Feb. 23. 🙂

    What about you guys? What are some of your favorite books in a long-running series? What makes you like a certain book in a series more than others?

    Bitter Bite will available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats from all the usual retailers:

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

    Audible / Amazon audiobook

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon, and the awesome Lauren Fortgang will once again be the narrator.

    And here is the book description:

    Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? That’s the question Gin Blanco is asking when a friend’s long-lost relative comes strolling back into Ashland under suspicious circumstances. 

    It’s not easy being queen bee of an underworld abuzz with crooks and killers. Wielding my potent Ice and Stone elemental magic will only get me so far—my real secret is my tight-knit makeshift family, a motley crew of cops and criminals, dwarves and playboys. My foster brother Finnegan Lane is my right-hand man, but when his suddenly not-dead relative comes back into the picture, I’m the one on the outside looking in.

    It’s funny how life works: one minute your best friend is rock-steady, and the next he’s doe-eyed and buying into this whole loving-relative routine to the point of ignoring you. I’d like to be happy for Finn, I really would. But all of my instincts are telling me that beneath the syrupy sweet demeanor and old-fashioned charm, this sudden interloper is planning something. The whole shtick leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. This person might have avoided the grave once, but I’ll put anyone who hurts Finn in the ground—for good.

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

    I hope that everyone enjoys the book when it is released. Happy reading!

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    Bitter Bite audiobook up for pre-order …

    Bitter Bite, the 14th book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be out on Feb. 23. Only about two more weeks to go now. Woot!

    Bitter BiteThe pre-order links for the Bitter Bite audiobook are online:

    Audible / Amazon audiobook

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon, and the awesome Lauren Fortgang will once again be the narrator.

    Bitter Bite will also be available in print and e-book formats from all the usual retailers:

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

    And here is the book description:

    Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? That’s the question Gin Blanco is asking when a friend’s long-lost relative comes strolling back into Ashland under suspicious circumstances. 

    It’s not easy being queen bee of an underworld abuzz with crooks and killers. Wielding my potent Ice and Stone elemental magic will only get me so far—my real secret is my tight-knit makeshift family, a motley crew of cops and criminals, dwarves and playboys. My foster brother Finnegan Lane is my right-hand man, but when his suddenly not-dead relative comes back into the picture, I’m the one on the outside looking in.

    It’s funny how life works: one minute your best friend is rock-steady, and the next he’s doe-eyed and buying into this whole loving-relative routine to the point of ignoring you. I’d like to be happy for Finn, I really would. But all of my instincts are telling me that beneath the syrupy sweet demeanor and old-fashioned charm, this sudden interloper is planning something. The whole shtick leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. This person might have avoided the grave once, but I’ll put anyone who hurts Finn in the ground—for good.

    In other words, this book is all about Finn. 🙂

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

    I hope that everyone enjoys Gin’s (and Finn’s) latest adventure when it is published. Happy reading!

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    Bitter Bite, Elemental Assassin #14, up for pre-order …

    Bitter Bite, the 14th book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be released on Feb. 23. Less than a month to go now. Woot!

    Bitter BiteBitter Bite will be available in print, e-book, and audiobook formats from all the usual retailers, and it is up for pre-order at the following sites:

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

    Audible / Amazon audiobook

    The audiobook will be available through Audible and Amazon, and the awesome Lauren Fortgang will once again be the narrator.

    And here is the book description:

    Which is stronger: blood ties or a battle-tested friendship? That’s the question Gin Blanco is asking when a friend’s long-lost relative comes strolling back into Ashland under suspicious circumstances. 

    It’s not easy being queen bee of an underworld abuzz with crooks and killers. Wielding my potent Ice and Stone elemental magic will only get me so far—my real secret is my tight-knit makeshift family, a motley crew of cops and criminals, dwarves and playboys. My foster brother Finnegan Lane is my right-hand man, but when his suddenly not-dead relative comes back into the picture, I’m the one on the outside looking in.

    It’s funny how life works: one minute your best friend is rock-steady, and the next he’s doe-eyed and buying into this whole loving-relative routine to the point of ignoring you. I’d like to be happy for Finn, I really would. But all of my instincts are telling me that beneath the syrupy sweet demeanor and old-fashioned charm, this sudden interloper is planning something. The whole shtick leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. This person might have avoided the grave once, but I’ll put anyone who hurts Finn in the ground—for good.

    In other words, this book is all about Finn. 🙂

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

    I had a lot of fun writing this book, and I hope that everyone enjoys Gin’s (and Finn’s) latest adventure. Happy reading!

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    Spider’s Trap giveaway …

    Bitter Bite, the 14th book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be out on Feb. 23. Only about a month to go now. Woot!

    But in the meantime, let’s do a book giveaway. 🙂

    Book #13I’m giving away 5 copies of Spider’s Trap, Elemental Assassin #13. The contest is open to those 18 and older, U.S. only, due to shipping costs. To enter the giveaway, use the form at the bottom of this post.

    Spider’s Trap is available at all the usual retailers, including:

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

    The audiobook is available at Audible. You can also get the audiobook through Amazon. The awesome Lauren Fortgang is once again the narrator for the audiobook.

    Here is the description for Spider’s Trap:

    Keep your friends close but your enemies within stabbing distance.

    One important lesson I’ve learned in the assassination business is that to be the best you have to roll with the punches. Now that I’m queen of Ashland’s underworld—by default, not by choice—a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that’s the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld’s top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position. Just when I think things are finally settling down, someone tries to murder me during a hush-hush underworld meeting. But the real surprise is how strangely familiar my shadowy assailant seems to be.

    My job is to maintain order among killers, crooks, and thieves, and soon I’m embroiled in a bloody game where the ability to keep secrets could be the greatest superpower of all. My enemies have all sharpened their knives and laid their traps, waiting for me to fall. But this Spider weaves her own webs of death …

    You can read the first chapter of Spider’s Trap here. Scroll down and click on the Read Excerpt tab, although beware of spoilers for previous books in the series, especially Black Widow.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

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    Attending the Frankfurt book fair …

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    A shot of one of the many convention floors/halls at the 2015 Frankfurt book fair.

    Back in October, I got to do something really, really cool — attend the annual book fair in Frankfurt, Germany.

    My books — especially my Mythos Academy young adult books — are very popular in Germany, and my German publisher, Piper Verlag, invited me to attend the fair. So away I went.

    It was a really wonderful experience. The book fair is huge — something like 300,000 people attend it every year — and it takes up large several convention halls, all of which have multiple floors. We are talking miles and miles of books here, and every different kind of book you can possibly imagine, from fantasy books like mine, to cookbooks, to sports books, to calendars, to stationary … You get the idea. And many of the book displays were just stunning — works of art in and of themselves.

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    A large banner with the German cover of Cold Burn of Magic, along with a display of my other German books/covers, at the 2015 Frankfurt book fair.

    I did several readings and Q&As, meet with bloggers, and of course signed books — lots and lots of books. I knew that my books were popular in Germany, but I had no idea how popular. For a couple of my signings, there were probably 100-200 people in line. It was like being a rock star. LOL. And all of the readers were so enthusiastic, not just about my books, but about all of the books and just the book fair in general. It was great being around so many folks who love and are so passionate about books.

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    A charm bracelet with the German cover of Cold Burn of Magic.

    And everyone was so nice, from the folks at the publishing house, to the book bloggers, to the readers. One blogger brought me a lovely gift basket of chocolates, while another made me a personalized charm bracelet with the German cover of Cold Burn of Magic, which was awesome.

    Some of the cultural differences were interesting too. For example, in the U.S., people shake hands when they meet. In Germany, people shake hands when they meet and when they leave. And if you ask for water in a German restaurant, you will often get sparkling/fizzy water, whereas in the U.S., you would just get plain old tap (non-sparkling) water.

    I had such a great time and met so many wonderful people. I want to give a big, big thanks to everyone who helped with my trip and all the bloggers, readers, and other folks that I met at the book fair. It was a fantastic experience, and I hope to go back again some day. Danke schon! 🙂