First off, I should say I was inspired to start this new weekly post by Should Be Reading’s WWW post (you can read mine from last week’s here), but I decided to put my own twist on it. You see, although I love reading and I do read, I can’t say I devour book after book like some people. If you do that, you are way more awesome than I. I do read a lot of nonfiction, but unless you want to hear about the potential public health and environmental effects of energy production, I’m not really going to have a lot of books to talk about week to week.
Thus, here’s my twist: a weekly post about what I’ve written this week. This way I can not only update you all about what I’m working on, but I can keep track for myself and set personal goals. Instead of WWW, I’ll host WIP (Work-In-Progress) Wednesday. I hope you’ll join me and link back to your own!
To play, just fill in the following:
1. What are you currently writing?
2. Inspirations:
3. Plan for the upcoming week:
*****
1. What are you currently writing?
This past week I’ve written about 3600 words of the Reborn sequel! Although writing the outline has been a struggle. Somehow I’ve managed to outline an idea for a Loki fanfic before finishing the Reborn sequel outline. (By the way, it’s tentatively called Relapse.)
2. Inspirations:
For some reason I just love Placebo. I listened to them while writing Reborn, and they’re continuing to inspire me, particularly right now their Meds album.
Also, it’s been weeks now since I saw Thor 2: The Dark World, but I’m still obsessing over it. And by it, I mean Loki/Tom Hiddleston. Seriously, I have a problem.
3. Plan for the upcoming week:
I hope I can crank out 1000 more words for Relapse. (But this fan fiction idea is distracting me a little. I don’t even know what I would do with it if I wrote it. Maybe post a new chapter weekly on here.)
What have you written this week? Tell us about it and link back to your post in the comments!
“As soon as Jasper and I go inside his apartment, his lips find mine again, and he picks me up and carries me to his bed with ease. He sits on the edge of it with me straddling him, rocking myself against his erection. Breathing hard, he reluctantly breaks our kiss to ask me, “Are you sure you want to do this?…”
Want to hear the rest of this steamy excerpt? Then tune in to my interview on the internet radio show Freshly Booked. And hopefully, I’ll be able to read it without giggling. 😉
Every Wednesday, authors Tricia Andersen and Heidi Sieverding interview newly published authors who have turned their dream of becoming published into reality. I’m super excited and honored to be their guest tomorrow at 8 pm CST/9 pm EST. We’ll talk writing, influences, inspiration, and about my debut novel, Reborn. If you have a question for us, you can call in: (917)889-8080.
As part of her NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) series of posts, my friend Sara over at WhatANerdGirlSays wrote this post about her dream cast were her WIP The Reawakened ever to be made into a movie (as I’m sure it will be!). Anyway, it made me think about my own dream cast for my debut novel, Reborn. Who would you cast? Let me know in the comments!
1. Candace Accola as Siobhan Elliot
Ms. Accola is one of my favorite actresses on The Vampire Diaries. Her Caroline is beautiful and upbeat but also independent and even a little neurotic at times. Siobhan is also very outgoing and at times a bit (a lot) of a control freak–Candace would play her perfectly. Plus, she looks the part: petite, pale, blonde. She just needs some violet-colored contacts and a pair of blue and purple butterfly wings. Amanda Seyfried would also make a good Siobhan.
2. Tom Hiddleston as Jasper Hart
If you know me at all, I know you’re shaking your head right now, groaning, “Oh, Shaina…” I have a ginormous little crush on Tom Hiddleston, most well known as playing scene-stealing Loki in the Thor franchise. Jasper has slightly longish, dark hair, pale skin, intense blue eyes and…well, you know, muscles. He’s charming and sexy with a dangerous, sinister edge. I’m not sure how told Tom is, so he may be slightly older than Jasper is supposed to look, but other than that he’s perfect for the role. Ok, we need to move on because I’m getting a little hot and bothered from this Google image search…
3. Leighton Meester as Anna Wallace
I’ve only seen a little bit of Gossip Girl…to be honest, it was too much fluffy drama, even for me. (Maybe the early seasons are better?) Anna is Siobhan’s ex-best friend from high school. They had a huge falling out in high school, but at the beginning of Reborn Siobhan realizes Anna is the only one who will understand what she’s going through; she needs her best friend back. Anna is a tall, willowy brunette with a healthy tan and hazel eyes. She’s a singer and a music education major. While Siobhan is rather flighty and impulsive, Anna is practical and discerning. At first, I wasn’t sure who would be a good fit for Anna, then Leighton popped into my head. I think she could pull Anna off, plus she contributed vocals to that one Cobra Starship song, didn’t she?
4. Mark Salling as Jimmy Wallace
This was also a hard one to “cast.” Jimmy is Anna’s brother and Siobhan’s ex-boyfriend from high school. They give their relationship another go in Reborn, but Jasper always seems to cause problems for them (like he does wherever he goes…). Jimmy’s character is inspired by Iggy Pop in his Stooges days, but Iggy’s kinda older now. If I could go back in time, extract 20-something Iggy and cast him in my pretend movie, I would. (To do list: Build time machine.) Jimmy has brown hair and hazel eyes. He’s the wild and arrogant frontman of fictional punk rock band Search and Destroy. This was hard for me because I feel like there are few male celebrities or even musicians nowadays that truly embody rebellion. Adam Levine fits the arrogant, sexy rock star stereotype well, but he doesn’t look like the Jimmy I have pictured in my head. Mark Salling played bad boy Puck on Glee, can sing and looks good with a guitar, so I think he’ll do.
5. Charlize Theron as Farrah
Farrah is the mysterious new house mother of Siobhan’s sorority, Gamma Lambda Phi. She has long, ash blonde curls, golden skin and jade green eyes. She has a bubbly personality and is nice to pretty much everyone except Siobhan. Although she seems like one of the “good guys,” she holds a grudge and has a vicious jealous streak. I haven’t seen Snow White and the Huntsman, mostly because I can’t stand Kristen Stewart’s “acting,” but I’ll bet Theron’s Queen was wonderfully evil. She could definitely pull off Farrah’s nice and naughty sides. She just needs to grow her hair out again.
6. Anna Kendrick as Victoria
Victoria is Siobhan’s big sister in Gamma Lambda Phi. She’s tall, athletic with auburn hair and amber-colored eyes. She’s not supposed to be that pretty, but her beauty and strength comes from inside. As president of her sorority, she’s a charismatic and wise leader. (Not that Reborn is a super deep book or anything, but I see Victoria and Anna as reflections of each other. They’re both characters Siobhan trusts and goes to for advice. Victoria is Anna’s counterpart in the Olympian world.) I think Anna Kendrick is very pretty, so casting her as Victoria isn’t some insult to her or something. I just think Ms. Kendrick is great at playing offbeat characters. Victoria is sort of a nice blend of offbeat, awkward but strong that I think Kendrick could pull off.
*****
So these are the “lucky” folk I’d cast as the six principal characters in Reborn. There’s quite a handful of secondary characters, so I could keep going, but I’ll save those for another day. Who would you cast? Who would you cast for your own book?
Since you’re taking the time to read this, you probably already know that Reborn released last week: on Tuesday, November 5. You probably also know that I had a pretty exciting release week. The free promo on Amazon went better than I could have dreamed. Reborn peaked at #15 among free New Adult & College ebooks and #16 among free Paranormal & Urban Fantasy. A handful of people have rated Reborn on Goodreads, and it has a few reviews on Goodreads and Amazon as well. Although (as I expected, ha!) the excitement died down a bit once Reborn went back to its regular price, I hope that the people who downloaded it enjoy it and take a moment to rate it and/or review it -and if they really liked it, help spread the word. It’s nice to make a little bit of money off of this first book, my priority is expanding my audience. So thanks for reading. 🙂
Although release week was super exciting, I know this is only the beginning of this journey. With each book in a series, an audience gets a little bit bigger. And many readers also like being able to read through a whole series at once without waiting a long time for the next book to come out. (I’m definitely one of those people who tends to jump in at the end. I get curious about book series like Twilight and The Hunger Games that get a lot of press, and then I read them all over winter break or something like that. So hopefully as I keep writing this series, I will catch all the “me’s” along the way, haha!)
My point of talking about this is, well…I’m a really impatient person. I have to remind myself that it’s only been a week…that I’m a new author -a self-published author, which comes with stigma -that there is still much work to be done. Even though I know these things, I’ve still been obsessively checking everything all week -my Amazon sales report, and Amazon and Goodreads for ratings and reviews. My thoughts go a little something like this: OhmyGodIknowallofthesepeoplehavedownloadeditwhyisn’tanybodysayinganythingratingorreviewingitcrapthey musthateiteverybodyhatesitwhatifit’stheworstthingI’veeverwrittennothat’severbeenwrittenever?
As you can probably tell, I need to chill.
Of course, not everything last week was puppies, unicorns and rainbows. Someone gave Reborn two stars on Goodreads. Was I sad? Yes, lol. Do I think said person shouldn’t have rated it thus? Not really. She’s entitled to her opinion. She probably doesn’t know the author is checking Reborn’s status updates on Goodreads every hour. (Seriously, I need to stop doing that.) And even if she did know…I guess I just feel differently about bad ratings/reviews than some other independent authors do. I mean, I get it -it’s hard when you’re just starting out, and someone gives you a bad rating, it shifts the whole average down. It’s a sucky feeling. But I’m also not sure I agree with the whole “reviewer etiquette” guidelines I keep reading about on blogs. Yes, there are trolls and people who are just mean because they can hide behind a computer screen and get away with it. But someone just being honest about how they feel…yeah, it sucks, but then I think as writers we need to rise above it and keep working, keep working hard to prove “the haters” (for lack of a better term) wrong. There’s enough stigma around indie authors without people also thinking we can’t take a little criticism. There, I said it. Sorry for the rant. If you feel differently, I hope we can respectfully agree to disagree…
There is also a pirated copy of Reborn floating around out there. I have mixed feelings about this, too. On the one hand, I just want people to read it…but on the other hand, when you pirate the work of an independent artist/writer/musician/whatever, it’s not like you’re withholding a little bit of money from a big industry that’s going to make a big profit from it, anyway. You’re stealing something from the artist herself, who probably isn’t going to make a lot of money from it. (Rather than pirate it, if you really don’t have the money to spend on it -which I totally get -ask me for a free pdf in exchange for a review. I will give you one, and probably a lot of other indie authors will, too. You can email me: urge2write@gmail.com.)
But really it’s been a fabulous week -I can’t complain! 🙂 To end on a positive note: My Facebook page also got a bunch of new likes (hello, fabulous people!) and is only a few away from 100. And if you’re the 100th person to like my page……well, you get the satisfaction of knowing you’re the 100th person to like my page. Teehee. I also saw an epic movie this weekend. It was called Loki 2: Loki is Still Awesome. Yep, I’m pretty sure that’s what it was called. 😉
Reborn is available for download to Amazon Kindle today! Right now it’s only $2.99, but tomorrow will be even better–it will be free! The free day was originally supposed to be today, but it wouldn’t let me select the same day it went live (today). But tomorrow (Wednesday November 6) it will be free ALL DAY! After 11:59 pm it will go back to its original price of $2.99. You can purchase it here. Also right now it’s enrolled in KDP Select, so it will only be available in digital form from Amazon until that enrollment period ends. A print version will be available on a date TBD.
I’m super excited!!!
P. S. Don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads feed. 😉
Reborn goes live tomorrow! As I announced earlier, it will be available as a free Kindle download all day tomorrow. (If you don’t have a Kindle, I’m also giving away free pdf copies through tomorrow!) Actually, the link on Amazon will probably be live around 11 pm EST – before I go to bed, haha – and will be free through 11:59 pm November 5. After that it will be $2.99.
I haven’t really written anything substantial on the good ol’ blog for a while because I’ve been focusing, of course, on self-publishing Reborn. But I’ve been thinking a lot about how far I’ve come since I started writing Reborn a little over a year ago. I started out posting the earliest version of Reborn (then called The Fallen) chapter-by-chapter on this blog. As I’ve mentioned before, that wasn’t the best plan – it’s definitely come a long way since then. But I can’t completely regret it because I was able to lay the foundation for what Reborn would come. As far as writing advice goes, one thing I’ve heard over and over again is, when you’re trying to get back into writing, just writing something – no matter how crap-tastic it is. That first version was 33,000 words – not a full-length book, obviously. Now Reborn is just over 68K.
When I started writing it, I knew I wanted to do something with it – whether that would be getting an agent or self-publishing or whatever. I did give the traditional route a shot and queried a handful of agents a few months ago, but nothing stuck. Not that I really tried that hard, to be honest – I’m sure people send out tons of queries. Once I was done with the second (or third? fourth?) draft of Reborn, I decided that I was going to aim for self-publishing and to see that goal through. I know there are publishing companies now that don’t require an agent and will publish it for you on all of the e-book retailer sites – and that’s awesome. I know a few fellow writers who have gone down that path. Maybe I’ll give that a shot for th sequel, but for now, I’m happy with my decision.
I know there’s stigma to self-publishing, but I’m working hard to rise above that. I feel pretty lucky that I know a lot of smart people who were willing to help me with my book. It’s been beta-tested, edited, and copy-edited. For now, it feels nice to have control, haha! I also feel so incredibly lucky that my family and friends have been so supportive. It makes me so sad when I hear about writers that don’t feel supported by their friends and family. I can’t say enough how lucky I am.
Me on Halloween
So, what exactly do I hope to get out of all this? Well, writing/publishing a novel has always been my biggest dream – and now it’s becoming a reality. Maybe not exactly in the way I’d first envisioned it, but I’m making it happen. I sort of feel like I’m stepping into the great unknown. My friends and family will read it, and that’s awesome. I know not everyone will like the book – that’s an unreasonable expectation for anyone to have – but I hope I can find an audience who loves this book, and the series (more about that in a second). I love that feeling you get after you read a good book. How the world and the characters get under your skin, how you can’t stop thinking about it for days, weeks after you’ve read it. I hope Reborn can be that book for even a few people. And, eventually, I would like to make some money from writing fiction. I’m not talking blockbuster fiction and Hollywood movies – I really don’t know why that happens for some authors and not others, and really it kind of seems like a fad. (I think it’d be cooler for a series to end up as an HBO show.) But I would like to be able to make some money doing this because I love it.
Reborn isn’t the end of my writing journey. I have a sequel planned in my mind. It’s probably going to be called Relapse, and it’s probably going to come out around this time next year. I think it will take 3-4 books to tell Siobhan’s story, but I have ideas for books in the same world focusing on some of the other characters you first meet in Reborn. So really what was once a one-book project has exploded. And at some point I should probably write a dissertation. And get married and have babies.
Finally, Reborn has a Goodreads page! So if you are planning on reading it, you can add it to your shelf and leave a brief rating and/or review! (If you want to help an author out, ratings and reviews are probably the most helpful!)
Okay, so, I don’t really like Katy Perry that much, and it’s not like her videos need help getting views. BUT this song is a really good motivational song, so for today I leave you with the Roar video:
P. S. I just re-remembered that Thor 2 comes out Friday and am getting unreasonably excited. So the question of the night is: Thor or Loki? Don’t get me wrong – Chris Hemsworth is hot, but I’m kind of a Hiddlestoner. 😛
I announced this on the Facebook page and Twitter last week, so this is the official blog announcement: My debut novel Reborn releases Tuesday, November 5, 2013!!!!! (Speaking of the Facebook page…I’m two away from 40 likes…a nice round number. So scroll down a bit and give it a like if you haven’t!) I’m super excited to share my baby (my baby being the book, of course) with my family, friends, and strangers on the Internet!!! I started this blog a little over a year ago to get back into creative writing, and I’m proud of myself for actually sticking with it and following through with a project! This post has a lot of exclamation points!!!
The Amazon Kindle edition of Reborn will be FREE on release day. The Smashwords and print versions will be released on dates TBD. For now, I leave you with the “back cover” book synopsis, updated book trailer, and Heidi Sieverding’s beautiful cover art. Like what you see? You can read an excerpt from Chapter One here.
***
Back in high school, Siobhan Elliot’s life was simple: Cheerleading, friends, and parties. But that all changed the night she and her friends investigated a mysterious light in the woods. There they found an injured man –an irresistible man with hypnotic blue eyes and magnificent black wings. A man Siobhan recognized.
He was the handsome dark angel from her dreams.
And with one touch of his hand, he left her with a special gift: A set of mythical wings that would change her life forever. Then he disappeared without a trace. Siobhan thought she would never see him again.
Now, six years later, her dark angel reappears –this time as a teaching assistant at her college. He calls himself Jasper. He challenges everything Siobhan thought she knew about herself and her world. And he’s come back for only one thing:
Her.
Or so he says. Siobhan is about to find out that nothing is what it seems in this strange, new world.
Here is the official cover for Reborn, designed by Heidi Sieverding! You may remember my interview with Heidi. She’s a blogger over at Inside the Mind of a Fantasy Writer, a Secret Cravings author, a graphic designer and a fabulous human being. I am thrilled she designed the book cover for Reborn…every time I gaze upon it I get so many feels, haha! She also designs banners, book trailers, postcards and badges, and I highly recommend her! I’ll have some more announcements later in the week, so stay tuned…
And it wouldn’t be Monday without a little music: Lana del Ray’s Summertime Sadness. This is one of the few instances where I like the remix a little better than the original. I want to use this version in one of my book trailers.
Back in April of this year, I posted my first ever author interview with H. N. Sieverding. Well, a lot of exciting things have happened since that interview, so I thought it was about time to check back in with her! Now a Secret Cravings author, Ms. Sieverding has published the first two books in her delectable Christina’s Kisses series, Initiation and Seed of the Master. (Follow the links to purchase them on the publisher’s web site. You can also find them on Amazon, Bookstrand, All Romance ebooks, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.) They were bestsellers on Bookstrand and the publisher’s web site. I’m also especially excited for the release of her paranormal romance The Bloodlust Prince. I was a beta reader for it and loved it! The ebook comes out in December, the print version in June 2014.
Ms. Sieverding’s stories have strong themes of dark fantasy, paranormal romance and sexy horror. Right now she’s jumping between edits for her upcoming releasesand working on Black Hawke, a Paranormal Romance about a photographer and her secret bad boy boyfriend. (Throughout the book she is trying to figure out his real identity…or if he’s married…) She’s also one of the hosts of Freshly Booked.
Check out our interview below, followed by an excerpt from Initiation and a list of all of her upcoming releases!
“What you produce as a writer is art. A voice that opens a vein and leaves the reader lapping at the blood that’s been drawn.”
-H. N. Sieverding
***
SL: When did you first start writing stories?
HN: When I was in grade school, I used to write about a family of alligators that I named the Ellers. I wrote my first novel, Alexandria, my junior year of high school. I decided to write a novel and I sat down on the desktop in our crowded kitchen (I come from a family of seven) and did just that. I was so proud of it (though now it makes me cringe to read through it) and to me that was a huge feat that most people would never accomplish. From that day on it was my dream to become a published author and now I am.
SL: Who or what most inspires your writing?
HN: I get inspired by things around me but it’s not always people or stories. It might be a line I heard someone say or facial expression that sparks a character/story idea. I find the most inspiration when I’m alone listening to music or during a nice drive in the countryside.
SL: Do you listen to music while you write, or do you need peace and quiet?
HN: I write in front of the TV or while cuddling with my son and his ipad, so I can write anywhere. My ideal writing place is sitting on the bed donning a pair of earphones without any distractions. Whenever I get a moment to myself where I can do that, I will take it. Music drowns out the world and helps me concentrate better, giving me that escape I need to write. I’m a big fan of hard rock so on my playlist is Darkest Days, Hollywood Undead, Disturbed and Saliva. The song in my head right now-Levitate (damn it’s catchy).
SL: Which of your stories is your favorite?
HN: Ooo…hard question. If I absolutely had to choose, I’d say The Bloodlust Prince. I could read that story a million times and never get bored. I’m also a big cat person and I love that they are both Cat Demons (more like anime Cat Demons/vampires than real cats) and have lots of cat-like qualities that make their courting both unique and super cute.
Coming in second would be Nero, even though most people ignore that one. I think the whole description of the ‘zombie army’ throws people off. It’s actually a love story about Nero coming to terms with the tragic death of his love (who isn’t really dead-sshhh) and his father’s insanity. My favorite thing about it-the character of Nero. He’s by far my greatest creation-I love em 😀
SL: Who is your favorite author?
HN: Myself. I write all the stories I would love to read. Beyond editing and reading others writing on blogs, I don’t read (unless some asks me to read something of theirs). The last book I read was Paula’s, Queen of Ages, which was pretty sexy by the way. I could say Reverend Wilbert Awdry is my favorite author but not many people would get that reference 😉
SL: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
HN: If you’re serious about becoming published, make sure you have a thick skin and can take bad reviews. Know in advance you will most likely be met with A LOT of disappointment-whether it be having no fans/readers, bad reviews, no reviews and having your awesome novel be ignored and blend into the woodwork. Remember that writing is something you do because you love it, not to get rich or popular. Most authors don’t make much money (if any), so don’t expect to get rich off this career path.
Below is a sexy excerpt from Christian’s Kisses Book 1,Initiation. Happy reading!
***
Her eyes wandered over to the table where the elites sat near the back of the room. She tried to avoid eye contact with them but soon found herself trapped by a pair of curious eyes. Her brow rose when her eyes grew wider, her baby blues reflecting the innocent fear of child as she returned Christian’s relentless gaze.
Although she knew how dangerous this man was, she couldn’t break the stare, her dazed expression showing her intense fear of him. She watched him take a slow drink from his glass, a devilish smile gracing his lips as he took in this angel that would soon meet the fate he would create for her.
He was drinking what appeared to be blood, the rings on his tanned fingers sparkling under the lights. He was surrounded by beautiful women, all of them fighting to sit next to him and get as close as possible. Addison took a few steps backward, the intensity and promise of sin in Christian’s gaze terrifying her. Even though the sight of her pleased him, he didn’t appear to be in a good mood, his mind seeming distracted.
Swallowing the lump building in her throat, Addison decided she should leave instead of seeing what more could come from this silent staring contest with Christian. She quickly turned around and started toward the large double doors. She wanted to get out of the room as fast as she could, her lower lip quivering as fear overtook her body. Then, someone grabbed her hand, making her turn around and halting her retreat.
One of the elite vampires, Samson, was holding her fingers, his large fangs kissing his bottom lip as he smiled at her. “Come join us.”
Addison nodded, her fear of him silencing her voice. Samson put a loose arm around her shoulders, leading her over to their table.
Samson laughed when he felt Addison tremble under his hands. He ignored her uneasiness and maneuvered her through the crowd gathered around the table. She kept her head down as she passed people so she didn’t see Christian motioning to the girls around him to leave.
Samson placed her next to Christian, and Addison slowly sank down in the chair. She tried not to look over at all the women that were staring at her angrily, but she could still feel their eyes on her.
Christian sat up a little straighter, pushing a glass of champagne in front of her, “What’s your name?”
“Addison.” She forced a smile, glancing up at him briefly then back down at the drink in front of her.
Addison knew who Christian was, her nervousness about being around such an important person wearing thick on her gentle features. She had seen him a few times at swanky functions held for museum fundraisers and auctions, but their only interactions had been a small smile or a wave in passing.
She worked in the preservation department at the CartwrightMuseum, one of the largest in the country. As a member of the staff, she was allowed to attend the events, but mostly as another body to fill the room. The museum employees weren’t allowed to converse with the donors, like Christian, unless they had reason or were approached by them.
He eyed her curiously, licking his lips as he set down his half-empty cup. Addison studied the contents, noticing it wasn’t blood, but some kind of unidentifiable brownish red drink. Her shaky hands picked up the glass in front of her, and she purposefully took a sip, her long fingers wrapping tightly around the stem.
“Are you enjoying my club?” Like a cat, Christian’s eyes scanned the room quickly, watching a few people that walked by their table.
Addison’s voice was soft and inaudible over the voices of the crowd around them, “Yes. It’s great.”
“What?” Even though he had heard her, Christian pretended like he hadn’t. “I cannot hear you over the music.” He scooted his chair closer to her, his hips banging against hers and making her jump a little. A sly smile appeared on his face as he caught her in his gaze. He knew he was making her nervous.
Addison laughed, her light blue eyes darting all over Christian’s handsome face, “I said it’s great.”
Christian picked up his drink again and took an unhurried swallow, the shifting of his stare smooth as he once again scanned the crowd in front of them. Christian’s poise was unfailing. He was extremely attractive, his firm build and striking eyes enough to cause Addison’s heart to race and make her slightly dizzy.
Even though she knew he was a killer, being in his presence was intoxicating. His good looks were a sin against nature, and sitting next to someone so inhumanly flawless carried an indescribable feeling. This was the lure of the devil that made any woman bow to his every whim.
A beautiful girl with platinum blonde hair and perfect breasts sat down next to Christian, rubbing his shoulder and making him turn to her. However, his attention didn’t stay on her and quickly switched back to Addison. He placed his hand on Addison’s knee for a few seconds before letting it slide up her dress. Then, he rubbed her inner thigh, his touch soft and light. Addison jumped at his action, a fearful expression on her face as she choked a little on the champagne she was drinking.
He looked over at her and chuckled, his devilish eyes settling on hers before he spoke softly into her ear, “Relax sweetheart.” He moved her hair behind her shoulder, gazing at her neck for a few seconds. Leaning even closer, Christian continued to brush his fingers up and down the inside of her leg. “I am not going to bite.”
Christian felt her body shake a little at his comment, which ignited a small chuckle from his lips, “Yet.”
*****
Upcoming release dates (the links take you to the book trailers):
Initiation (Christian’s Kisses Book 1) releases in print January 2014.
Who is the handsome, mysterious and elegant Jasper Hart?
Tonight, as another shameless plug for my romantic urban fantasy novel Reborn, I’m reposting this character profile for one of Siobhan’s love interest Jasper Hart. [To those of you who had the misfortune honor (sorry, I’m feelin’ silly tonight) of reading the earliest version of Reborn, Jasper has undergone a surname change. It’s still a clue as to his true identity, but I kinda, maybe changed the underlying mythology of the book…..]
Jasper Hart
From:Reborn (paranormal romance, urban fantasy)
Character Type: Antihero
Age: Really old, but he looks about late-twenties (of course)
Physical Description: Tall; shoulder-length, slightly wavy dark hair; midnight blue eyes; well-built with magnificent black wings
Species: Alien from a parallel universe
Occupation: PhD student in the history department; teaching assistant for World Myths and Legends
Relationship Status: Widower
Love interest: Siobhan
Goals: To win Siobhan’s trust and heart
Obstacles:
Farrah, Siobhan’s sorority’s nosey new house mother (who probably isn’t human, either)
Siobhan’s stubbornness and independence
Strengths: Physical strength and power; seductive; persuasive
Flaws: Arrogant; chauvinistic
Enjoys:
Learning about new cultures
Flying around the city at night
Enticing Siobhan
Brooding
Inspiration: Ville Valo, HIM frontman
“You belong to…”
You belong to me. I know that’s what he wants to say, but after a pause he corrects himself.
“We belong together. I love you. You believe me, don’t you?”
2. Inspirations:
slstacy.com 