Thank goodness for weekends!!

I just wish they lasted longer.

After a long week at work, I came home to a great surpise.

Proofs for my print book have arrived!

I called my husband, and we sat down and opened the box together. Beautiful!

I’ve thought long and hard about whether or not to read the book again. I’m not sure I would be able to read it and resist the urge to tweak things. I don’t think I’d be able to tell if any changes would be an improvement or not. Isn’t that when a writer should put down their pen?

I skimmed a few pages, and already want to ‘fix’ things. Stylistic changes.

Must.

Resit.

The urge.

So I left it up to a test reader. The first copy of my proofs went out last night.

Wish me luck!

On another note, I sent off my next book, The Demon Within, to my editor this week.

I should be getting the cover in about two weeks. Things are moving along.

Now I just have to find time to write something new.

You know it’s spring when the dog starts the hunt for the perfect throwing stick.

This one is too small.

This one is too short.

Yes, this is an image from our yard when we left the dog unattended for an hour.

He’s been a busy, boy. I think he’s debating building his own log cabin.

If only he could find the instructions.

“Is there a problem?”

Tiger.

He broke through the wall of people who circled the small group. Broad shouldered, lean but roped with muscles, he easily drew attention to him and it had nothing to do with the elegant clothes or wildly untamed mane of hair. The combination should’ve looked ridiculous but only succeeded in making him appear all the more dominate.

It gave him a dangerous air. An aura of bored arrogance seeped from him, but Raven knew different. Power thrummed beneath his skin at his annoyance for being disturbed. The beast roamed close to the surface even in his human form.

“No, sir. The lady here claimed me, and Miss Jackie objected.”

“A challenge?” The tiger’s eyes sharpened in the muted light, his attention never leaving her face. He brushed against her shields, then shoved against them as if surprised to find resistance. The intensity increased, seeking a weakness. Her eyes narrowed. Usually only vampires or very powerful alphas had such strong mental ability.

Protocol dictated certain rules, and he broke them by probing her without permission. They both knew it if his sudden, impudent smile was anything to go by. If he pushed harder, she’d retaliate. She refused to let him enter her mind, refused to let him harvest all her secrets. It was too dangerous for either of them.

When he persisted, she twisted a strand of energy around his shields, using tremendous control to surround him instead of breaking through. Then she slowly tightened her hold. She let it rest there, let him feel her perusal, the threat. Her fingers trembled. Her stomach flopped like a fish out of water. It took everything she had to hold back more power and ignore the dangerous lure to crush the threat.

Then his aura fluctuated, rubbed against her own shield in a way that sent a shiver down her spine in a very pleasant way. Her blood heated, and she could almost swear she felt a purr from her core. From the startled look and the aroused flush to his face, the reaction wasn’t something he’d anticipated either.

Then he relented and retreated, bowing slightly in deference. “Please forgive my rudeness. I’m Jeffrey Durant, manager of Talon’s.”

She reeled in the string of energy, suppressing the unholy need to curse. A formal greeting. Rules of the pack dictated she reply in kind, supply her name at the very least, and the bastard knew it. She had to work with shifters. She couldn’t piss in the pond just because she didn’t want to do something.

I should be getting my last round of edits for Electric Storm any day.

One step closer to being published.

Here is a little preview. I hope you enjoy!

“In or out?”

“Excuse me?” Raven whirled, her gaze unerringly finding those of a man…no, a werewolf who stood a little over six feet. He towered over her by at least half a foot, forcing her to take a step back in order to meet his gaze without cricking her neck.

Damn touchy-feely shifters. They didn’t have any boundaries or understand the concept of personal space, especially between unclaimed men and women.

Fresh air clung to him, relaxing some of her initial surprise at finding him so close. Though handsome, there was something a little too masculine about him, a little too purposeful in his actions that left her unsettled. She resisted the urge to fidget, glad she took care to make herself as forgettable as possible. Dressed in black, her distinctive hair pinned back like a prim schoolmarm, she little resembled the carefree, underdressed partygoers that frequented the place.

“I said are you going in or out?” Dark brows lowered in annoyance, and those deep brown eyes shone brightly in the hallway, revealing his animal nature. Power wrapped around him, barely leashed, rubbing against her. It didn’t hurt, though it wasn’t quite pleasant either. More of a brusque probe to find out if she was a threat. The taste of his magic revealed he had no interest in her.

She stepped aside to let him pass, refusing to shrink in front of him, taking care to ensure they didn’t touch. He didn’t seem to notice, not even sparing her a glance, just grunted, gliding by on silent feet. The noise of the club rose as he entered the room beyond.

Raven pried open her clenched fingers, finding them reluctant to obey. Though she should be pleased, his dismissive attitude annoyed her. Her mind blared a warning that all males inside would react the same. Like was attracted to like, and she most definitely was not one of them. Not really.

DESCRIPTION:

Harper Blaine was slogging along as a small-time PI when a two-bit perp’s savage assault left her dead.

For two minutes, to be precise.

When Harper comes to in the hospital, she begins to feel a bit…strange. She sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring.

But Harper’s not crazy. Her “death” has made her a Greywalker-able to move between our world and the mysterious, cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift (or curse) is about to drag her into that world of vampires and ghosts, magic and witches, necromancers and sinister artifacts.

Whether she likes it or not.

REVIEW:

I had high hopes for this series. The beginning started off with so much drama and action, it sucked me right into her world. Harper is my kind of girl: kickass and not afraid to give as good as she gets. The plot built slowly, increasing the intensity as you turned the pages. I wanted to know what happened next!

The downside of the book was how the story unfolded. So much of it felt like a lesson in paranormal lore, I was a bit disappointed. Although I really liked Harper, the vampires, ghosts and Quinton the werewolf, the magic left a bit to be desired.

Will I pick up the next book? Yes, the unique world is too fascinating not to give it another try. But it won’t be for a while. Reading two books in a row would be too much repetition and burn me out on this series.

I’m so excited!  I finally got the official cover art for my Urban Fantasy, Electric Storm.

What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful? The designer did an awesome job!!

Blurb:

A woman with too many secrets dares to risk everything to claim the pack destined to be hers…if she can keep them all alive long enough.

Everything changed when Raven, a natural born conduit, accidentally walks in on a slave auction. She only wants a night out with her friends before her next case as a paranormal liaison with the police. Instead, she ends up in possession of a shifter and his guardian. When your touch can kill, living with two touchy-feely shifters is a disaster waiting to happen.

To make matters worse, a vicious killer is on the loose. As mutilated bodies turn up, she can’t help fear that her new acquisitions are keeping secrets from her. The strain of keeping everyone alive, not to mention catching the killer, pushes her tenuous control of her gift and her emotions to their limits. If they hope to survive, they must work together as a pack or risk becoming hunted themselves.

We live in the country and have frequent visitors to our neighborhood. One of them is a sneaky critter that often wanders into our yard.

And every six weeks or so, our dog finds one.

Here’s a hint:

Yes, you guessed it. The dog always comes back reeking!

Sometimes I get lucky and it just stinks like skunk outside for a day or so. Other times, the dog will just corner the skunk in a tree.

Then there are the times when I’m not so lucky. Of course, this always happens at night. Not fun to wake up in the middle of the night to let the dog go out to the bathroom, then have him come back inside the house as one big pile of rot. Worse, when you don’t catch it until he’s in bed with you. Sigh. Yes, it’s happened. Don’t ask me how I missed it. Not fun giving the dog a skunk treatment in the winter…in Minnesota.

This weekend, I got lucky. It was only stinky outside. I’m glad it faded so I didn’t have to go to my first day of work stinking of skunk. That would’ve made an impression!

Hubby went out searching for the critter, but no luck. Everyone went to bed all safe and sound and relatively smell free.

Until next time. Sigh.

I have a Sony reader and love it. It’s a few years old and has ton of books on it waiting for me to read.

But I love paperback books. If I have a choice, I will go paper all the time. Also, there is the fact that I refuse to pay more for an ebook than a paperback. Unfortunately, with the new revolution of indie-publishing, a lot of books don’t have that option anymore.

I purchase most of my books from Amazon now (both digital and paperback). I can convert the digital files and put them on my Sony, but part of me is whispering to just get over it and buy a kindle.

So that brings me back to my dilemma. Do I really need a second ereader? If I go to my TBR pile, I almost always go to my paperbacks, not the few thousand digital files I have waiting for me. So my problem…What do you suggest?

Do you have a kindle? Do you like it? And if you could do it again, what type of kindle would you get this time around?

Title: Firelight

Author: Kristen Callihan

Series: The Darkest London Series

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Release date: February 2012

Pages: 372

ISBN: 10: 1455508594

ISBN: 978-1455508594

Rating:  

DESCRIPTION:

Once the flames are ignited . . .

Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented.  Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire  life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but  irreversible mistake has left her family’s fortune decimated and forced  her to wed London’s most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . .

Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary  man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it’s selfish to take Miranda  as his bride. Yet he can’t help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose  touch sparks a passion he hasn’t felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of  a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought  so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied.  Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker  intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

REVIEW:

It’s been a while since I’ve read a historical romance, and I wasn’t sure how I would like it after being away from the genre so long. What immediately drew me to the book was the gorgeous cover. I’m so glad I picked up Firelight! Talk about falling in love with a book and the characters. Miranda Ellis is a compelling character, doing her best to make good of a bad situation. Not only is her family destitute, it’s because of her. Now, guilt will make her do anything to get the money back. The only problem is she’s not a normal debutant, she has a devastating secret that could destroy her, which leads her to seek other avenues to gain a fortune. Until the oh-too-tempting Lord Benjamin Archer bursts into her life.

Archer is determined to ruin the man who cost him the one thing that he wanted most. That was before he met Miranda clashing swords outside her home. The home of the very man he wanted to kill. Instead of seeking vengeance, he wants her and will do anything he can to have her in his life. Too bad an accident many years ago has left him unsuitable, even for a hoyden like Miranda. But that doesn’t stop him from offering her a deal she can’t refuse.

Oh my gosh, talk about a luscious man. You immediately feel for Archer and his situation. Yes, he’s brooding and arrogant at times (love it!), but he also goes all gooey inside at the thought of Miranda. Who doesn’t want a hero like that! Talk about steamy attraction between them. I love the first scene when they meet! I adored that Miranda wasn’t weak, that she could match Archer step for step. She was also strong enough to grab for what she wanted…Archer. Yummy! Their relationship is one you don’t want to miss!

If you love magic, forbidden love, mystery and mayhem, you won’t want to miss this first full length book in The Darkest London Series. There is an edge, a type of grittiness to the writing that kept me turning the pages. This book gets 4.5 stars from me, only because I thought Archer should’ve had a bigger part in the last scene. I will definitely be reading the next in the series, Moonglow, scheduled to be released in July.

Previous books in the series (prequel):

Only available as a digital book.

After nearly two weeks of solid edits, my mind is a little scrabbled. I can’t tell up from down anymore. It’s frustrating when you’re trying to make your book the best it can be.

So I took a few days off. No writing. No editing. No blogging. No emails. Er…okay, very little emails. I swear I only read a few…hundred. Sigh… Just a few hundred more to go!

You know what? It feels weird not to be focused on a writing goal. The first thing I did was rummage through my pile of books waiting to be read. Nearly an hour later (yes, I do have a few hundred…cough…thousand…cough…books to read), I found the perfect book. I’ll post a review tomorrow.

And you know what? Reading someone else’s work was the perfect antidote! Maybe it helped that the book was awesome. It brought back all the writing juices and why I love doing what I do. Though I mourn the days when I used to read one to two books a day, I’m glad I dabbled my toes in the writing pool.

I really need to read more often to remember what it’s all about. Maybe it will keep me more focused on my own writing, and I’ll get more pages turned out. I purchased two books recently, but I can hear Amazon calling my name, whispering sweet nothings in my ear…purchase me…you know you have to replace the books you read. I think I just heard my credit card gulp. Mwahhhhh!