New books, old books...

This week, I signed a contract for a new book (yay!). It's for a collection of paranormal erotic novellas, being published electronically by Escape Publishing (the electronic publishing arm of Harlequin Australia).

While I've written sex scenes before (many, MANY sex scenes), I'd not written erotica. It was a real challenge, to try to come up with new and interesting ways to keep things steamy and hot, throughout four interlinked stories.

As I've said here before - I like a good challenge. I like to test myself by trying to write things I've never done before. If they don't work that's fine - I've undoubtedly learnt something from the experience.

In this case, the publisher believes it has worked. In June, I'll find out if the readers thing so too!

Here's the blurb:

Cursed after death to live in a grey nothingness until they atone for their sins, four spirits have spent centuries doing good for others. Finally they stumble upon the true key to their salvation – because they hurt women in their real lives, they’ll only find release by now helping women to become all they should be. One by one, the spirits meet a woman and as sexual delights unfurl, the women find their happily ever after and the grey nothingness disappears, allowing the spirits to find contentment for the rest of eternity.

Meet four remarkable women – Luisa, Anna, Cara and Jan – and the four spirits that set them on a new destiny of sexual freedom and delight.

February also brought some good news about an old book.

In April, HarperCollins Australia will be re-launching the Dream of Asarlai trilogy in an omnibus (electronic only). That means you'll be able to buy all three books in one! There will be a new cover and a new price point. It's like a re-birth for the books, and I hope that it pays off.

So there you go - so far, 2014 has started with a bang. And hopefully it won't be long before I'll have MORE news to share with you.

Hope 2014 is treating you well!

New Release: The Asylum Interviews: Bronx

Do you like elves? Do you like warlocks? Do you like trolls?
Do you like vampires, ogres, incubi, werewolves, sirens, and all manner of craziness?

If so, then I think you should take a trip to Low Town, where all the creatures of the world have gathered to try to live in some semblance of peace.

On Tuesday, my new series The Asylum Tales officially launched with the release of the first novella, THE ASYLUM INTERVIEWS: BRONX.  This novella takes place in Low Town and introduces readers to the main character Gage Powell, a former warlock in training who is now a tattoo artist and general magnet for trouble.  The story tells of how Gage meets Bronx and comes to hire him at the tattoo parlor Asylum. 

The tales starts of with Gage trying to help his friend Parker with his love life.  It doesn't go so well, but then you'd expect an incubus's love life to be complicated.  Throw in a succubus, a Vestal Virgin, a troll, and it's a big crazy party that you don't want to miss.

The novella is about 80 pages and the e-book also includes a sneak peek of my first Asylum Tales novel, ANGEL'S INK, which comes out on October 16.  What's more, the e-book is a bargain at only $1.99!  A great summer read at a great price.

If you'd like to read more about the characters that will be appearing in The Asylum Tales, check out the following interviews:

Gage
Parker
Bronx
Trixie
Gideon

I took a risk in traveling to Low Town myself for those interviews and it was an interesting experience.  Though, I still feel the urge to throw something large at Gage's head.

And finally, if you're looking for some other great e-book deals to help pass the time as we wait out this horrible summer heat, check out my recent blog entry here. Great deals on great books!

Taking A Break

Breathe, Jocelynn.  Breathe.  It’s over.  You’re safe.  The book is over.

No, I wasn’t reading a scary book.  I was finishing up the second book in the Asylum Tales series.  The race to the end shifted to a break-neck, screaming run as if the hounds of Hell had been let loose from their chains and were foaming on my heels.  As I push through the last 100 pages of a book, it becomes harder and harder for me to step away from the computer to do things like eat, sleep, shower, laundry, and other basics of life.  My mind never drifts far from my main character as I desperately try to maneuver him through this wicked, tight maze of dangers that I’ve set before him.  As we near the end of the book, I’m cursing him, myself, and the lack of more hours in the day.  My husband and the animals have learned to keep their distance as if some feral wolf has somehow gotten trapped in the house with them.

On the last day of writing, I finished two chapters, wrote more than 10,000 words over 11 hours.  When I walked away from the computer late that night, I was shaking, laughing, and crying with joy and relief.  Writing books is a love unlike any other.  It’s frustrating, confusing, funny, surprising, and so all-consuming, but I love it.  I can’t imagine not doing it. 

But it’s done now.  The second book of my new series is finished at over 110,000 words and 349 pages.  I got to spend time with several characters that I’ve grown to love over the past year and got to meet many new ones that are trying very hard to creep into my heart as well.   The world is becoming so familiar to me now.  I feel like I can walk down the street and wave to the people as if I had been living among them for years.

I’m completing a quick revision now before turning it into my editor.  What’s next after that?  Will I be lounging by the pool, basking in the summer sun while I wait for my revision letter?  Ha.  Not likely.  No, my new main character Gage and I will be huddled around my desk, arguing about plans for another book.  He’s asking me to take it easy this time.  He’s still a little bruised and sore from his last adventure.  I wish I could, but it isn’t going to happen.  In another month, he’ll be fully recovered and ready for action.  Poor guy.

Looking forward, I’ve got several stories coming out, introducing you to a new world of warlocks, elves, trolls, and my own unique brand of chaos and madness.  The fun kicks off when my first novella, The Asylum Interviews: Bronx is released on July 3.  The story introduces you to my main character Gage and tells how he met his coworker Bronx.  The second novella, The Asylum Interviews: Trixie, will be released on September 4, telling the tale of how Gage met Trixie.  And finally, on October 16, readers will be able to get the first novel, Angel’s Ink.

Get ready.  It’s going to be a crazy year.

Bound To Me: Top 10 Countdown

The countdown continues to tick away until the release of my “final” Dark Days story.  I say “final” because I had planned for Burn the Night: The Sixth Dark Days Novel to be the final story, but then some lovely readers of the series teased me with an idea I had long ago regarding my beloved Mira.  As a result, I wrote another novella about the hot-tempered Fire Starter and while I have no plans to write more, I’ve learned not to say “final.”

So, as the last couple of days trickle away, let me provide you with a countdown of the top 10 reasons (in no particular order) you need to pick up Bound To Me on Tuesday, April 10.

10.) A great introduction to the series:  You’ve never read the Dark Days series, but you happen to like urban fantasy, paranormal romance, or just love vampires.  Bound To Me is a great starting place.  Set roughly 200 years before the first book, Nightwalker, this novella introduces readers to the main character, Mira, and many other characters that appear in the series, while taking you on a wild adventure through London, Spain, and Venice.

9.) You’ve finished reading the series but need MORE Mira!: The last book in the Dark Days series was released last summer and you’ve been going through Mira withdraw.  I know what it’s like.  You find yourself wishing you could wave your hand and light some candles, you’re now planning a trip to Venice, or you simply wonder what Danaus would think about the state of vampires in books.  Mira was a lot of fun, but you are longing to know a little about her past.  I mean, she was nearly 600 years old when the series started. What was she up to before we met her in Nightwalker?  Bound To Me will help answer your questions and get your through your withdraw.

8.) It’s only a short story: Maybe you’re not ready for the commitment that a full-length novel requires. I understand.  Some days I just want a little taste rather than a complete dinner.  The story comes in at 94 pages in the print version, so that could just be one afternoon of reading.

7.) It’s only $0.99 for the e-book and $2.99 for the print edition.  Afraid of breaking the bank?  Carefully watching your wallet?  Trust me, I know the danger of ordering new books.  Once you get started, you find yourself clicking on more and more, until the pile in your cart is threatening to steal away your grocery budget.  Don’t worry! This adorable little novella only costs $0.99 as an e-book and if you prefer print, it is less than $3.  Treat yourself to a few hours of pleasure for only a dollar.  You’re worth it!

6.)  Valerio: Bound To Me give you a heavy dose of the ultra-sexy vampire Valerio.  A great supporting character throughout the series, Valerio has never had much time to shine – Until Now!  Valerio has always been extremely secretive about his age, but Mira knows that he is quite old and powerful.  However, he prefers to hang back and simply fill his life with amusements rather than try to control other nightwalkers like many his age.  His one weakness has always been Mira.  Bound To Me gives you a closer look at the relationship that ended centuries ago, but still has Mira wearing his ring despite her feelings for Danaus.

5.) Mira and Valerio are HOT together: And I’m not talking about Mira lighting a couple candles when she walks into a room because she’s the Fire Starter.  No, I’m talking bedroom hot.  Hot enough to melt my computer and blush when I think about my parents reading this story HOT.  They might not be the most emotionally healthy couple, but … wow … they know how to have fun. 

4.) Mira: Or maybe I should just say, the Fire Starter.  Not only is she a powerful centuries old vampire, but she can light stuff off fire whenever she wants.  Who doesn’t want that power?  Honestly! Bound To Me is a chance to get to know this hot-tempered, playful nightwalker before she runs off to the New World to set up her own domain and become a “grown-up”.  It’s a chance to see Mira before Danaus steps into her life and turns it upside down.  It’s a chance to see some of the dark past that she doesn’t remember too well because of you know who.

3.) Because you requested this story:  Readers asked and I listened!  Yes, a little over a year ago, I held a little gathering of readers.  We sat around and I answered all the burning questions you had regarding the series, Mira, Danaus, and all the other characters.  One thing that was almost unanimously requested was a look at Mira’s relationship with Valerio.  In roughly a year, my publisher and I are responding to your request with the novella Bound To Me.

2.) Glimpse of new series: With the Dark Days drawing to a close, it was time for me to direct my attention to other worlds and characters.  Later this year, the first book in The Asylum Tales series will be hitting shelves and e-readers.  Angel’sInk is entirely new world and new cast of characters.  As a treat, my publisher has included the first two chapters of Angel’s Ink in copies of Bound To Me.  Read the first two chapters of the book before it is released in October

1.)    Because this really is the last Dark Days story: As I look at my writing schedule for the next year, I find that a new story featuring the characters of the Dark Days series is not on my list.  Bound To Me is the last story that I will ever write with Mira as the main character.  I also have no plans to write a story with Danaus as the main character.  While I love the Dark Days world, I feel that it is time to move on.  I’ve left the characters in a good place at the end of Burn the Night and I’m ready to move on to new chaos with my Asylum friends.  Help me say good-bye to Mira and the gang by picking up a copy of Bound To Me.

Reading order for the Dark Days series:

Bound to Me (novella)

The Dead, the Damned, and the Forgotten (novella)

Nightwalker

Dayhunter

Dawnbreaker

Pray for Dawn

Wait for Dusk

Burn the Night

Also, thanks to everyone who has supported me and the Dark Days series over the years.  Mira, Danaus, and I have had many great adventures and we are filled with so many fond memories.  They are all because of you!

All for the Love of Valerio

While the Dark Days series has come to a close with the release of Burn the Night last summer, I decided to take one last stroll down memory lane with a few of my characters.  As the series plunged forward with the momentum of a runaway mining car down an abandon shaft, I didn’t have much time to look back with some of my characters, which was a shame since many of them had already lived extremely long lives prior to the events in Nightwalker.  But with the world saved in a manner and my main characters set firmly on a good path forward, I chose to pause and revisit a couple of old friends in the form of a novella.

One in particular is the ever-so-dashing and frighteningly dangerous vampire, Valerio.  If Valerio had ever stepped foot in Hollywood, producers, directors, and casting directors would have stopped in their tracks and pointed at him, shouting: “Him!  That’s him!  The perfect vampire for our movie!”

Valerio represents the quintessential nightwalker in the Dark Days series.  The creature is devastatingly handsome with blondish-brown hair and haunting Mediterranean blue eyes.  His human descent is either Spanish or Italian, but he refuses to talk about his past.  In fact, little is known about Valerio and none can actually confirm his age, though it is believed that he is an Ancient (over 1,000 years old).

Valerio’s main pursuit in life is pleasure in all its forms.  He knows that he is at the top of the food chain and revels in his powers.  There are few who would dare cross him, for while his past is unknown, his cruelty and twisted sense of humor is well known among the nightwalkers.  When he is not hunting for blood or seeking diversions in the pleasures of the flesh, he amuses himself with the torment of those creatures about him, whether they be human, nightwalker, or lycanthrope.

Now you can’t dig into Valerio’s lurid past without talking about his long relationship with Mira, the Fire Starter.  For more than two centuries, Valerio and Mira were nearly constant companions as they wandered about Europe.  Valerio knows bits of Mira’s past that even she cannot remember.  He knows secrets that he’s been forced to keep from the one and only woman he has ever let himself love.

Want a closer look at this dashing figure and one last great love?

Want to know why Mira still wears his ring despite years of separation and a mad love for Danaus?

Want to how she got that ring?

Coming on April 10, BOUND TO ME will be released as a novella e-book.   Take a trip into Mira’s past, as she and Valerio go on a mission for the coven and get trapped in dangerous game being played by two vicious opponents who don’t care about potential casualties.

A Quick Bite of Vampire Goodness

Have you hugged your vampire recently?
Have you held her close, admiring the way the candlelight dances on her fangs?
Have you enjoyed the fact that he doesn't have that annoying heartbeat under your ear when you rest your head on his chest?


Tell me, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Err.. sorry, these questions had me channeling a little Jack, but I'm back now.

Seriously, have you been needing a fresh bit of undead love in your life?  Or maybe you're just longing for violence and chaos?  Well, I can provide both with a couple quick clicks.

[WARNING: WHAT FOLLOWS IS A DASH OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION.  KEEP READING, IT WILL BE QUICK AND RELATIVELY PAINLESS.  MORE LIKE THAT FIRST KISS THAT HITS YOUR CHIN INSTEAD OF YOUR LIPS AND LESS LIKE RIPPING OFF A BAND-AID]

The Dark Days series is waiting for you.  The six-book series follows the roller-coaster adventures of a centuries old vampires named Mira and her companion, a vampire hunter named Danaus, as they race around the globe, fighting creatures determined to crush the human race.  When they have spare time, they are either fighting each other or fighting their attraction for one another. 

The first book in the series is Nightwalker.  Here is a description of the events in the first book:

For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker—an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed . . . and may be all that prevents her doom.


The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt . . . or be hunted. 

In the first book, Mira and Danaus race from Savannah, U.S. to Aswan, Egypt to London, England; chasing a nightmare from Mira's past while they try to figure out if they can trust each other long enough to save the human race.

This dark adventure does have an undercurrent of romance, but you have to remember that these two hate each other.  It's a slow burn that leads you to a forest fire before the last book in the series.

Are you interested, but the holidays have left your wallet feeling light?  Don't worry.  My publisher has helped with that.  For the next month (until February 6), the Nightwalker e-book is available for download for only $0.99!  That's right.  Get the entire first book for only $0.99.

Maybe you're still not sure that you want to devote your time to an entire book.  Maybe you just want a taste of the Dark Days world.  I understand and I can help.

On January 31, the prequel novella to the Dark Days series will be released as an e-book.  This novella originally appeared in the Unbound anthology and for the first time, will be available as it's own e-book for downloading.

The Dead, the Damned and the Forgotten

A nightwalker is slain, and suspicion falls on Mira—Fire Starter—the last hope of her immortal race.

Well, that's kind of short for a novella description.  Let's me add this: 

The prequel story takes place in Mira's home of Savannah about a month before the events of Nightwalker.  The story focuses on Mira's investigation of a murder that puts her in a bad spot as Elder vampires are looking to use it as an excuse to kill her if she can't clean up the mess.  You meet several character that will be making appearances later in the series and get a feel for how Mira's world works within the Dark Days series.  That and it's just a fun, short whodunit-type mystery.

When the novella is released on January 31, it will be downloadable for $0.99.  Yep, for less than $2, you can have two stories.  Not a bad deal.

So, if you're now excited about getting some good deals on some books, here are some links to help you along.

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
iBookstore

Thanks for your patience and I wish you happy reading!  I'll return to my usual rambling on about writing and tattoos and addictions next month.

But why is the rum gone?
Hide the rum. 
Err... sorry.  That was the other Jack now. Happy reading!