As a kid I was obsessed with Greek Mythology. Now, I love mythology and fairy tale retellings. I get excited about a good twist on an old idea. And in my opinion, if it’s good enough for Neil Gaiman, it’s good enough for me. He loves mythology and always includes three witch sisters in his books.

When I sat down to write my current series, also about three witch sisters, I didn’t know where it was going. I just wrote a scene about a witch with the gift of compulsion getting caught in a bank robbery and then wrote a connected scene and kept going until I had a whole book. That bank robbery scene is nowhere near the book anymore, but it will be a bonus for subscribers, so it hasn’t gone to waste.

By the third book, it turned quite steamy and I knew I had to write a steamy prequel to introduce my series to the right readers. So, I started to think about my urban fantasy, Red Riding Hood retelling that had been banging around in my head for years.

So it was the Christmas holidays, the kids were off school, and I was supposed to be NOT writing. But after a few days, my brain revolted, obsessing about this new Red idea. Once I figured out how to tie it into my series and make it a prequel, I was hooked.

I just had to tire my kids out in the morning, so I could have a clear afternoon to write.

Crimson Morte was inspired by a certain, popular music video about a rich boy-crazy girl. She looks like a spoiled, promiscuous, party girl, but she’s secretly a very dangerous blood mage, headed out to the woods to confront her mother’s murderer after ten years of preparation. But the hot wolf shifter she bar-tends with shows up threatening blackmail if she doesn’t let him tag along.

There’s a lot of tension, a lot of chemistry and, of course, some spice to go with that basket of goodies. Readers so far have fallen in love with them and want to read their series, which is percolating. They’re spicy side characters in my upcoming series, already. One more book to write, and then I’ll start releasing them. Follow me to find out when.

Blazing Hearts of Justice is free here [ https://dl.bookfunnel.com/4m2nicy1km ] when you sign up for updates from me.
Visit my website: www.dahliatdrake.com
Or www.facebook.com/dahliatdrake
Or www.instagram.com/authordahliatdrake

Why give something away for free?

A reader recently posed that question.  And it’s absolutely valid.  I’ll try to explain my logic – which should not be extrapolated out to other authors as they have their own marketing strategies.

I’ve written a series.  I didn’t intend to.  I had a few book ideas swimming around in my mind for years.  I’d write a couple of chapters for this book, add a scene to another, come up with some random idea for a third.  Nothing ever gelled.  I moved around in that nebulous space for fifteen years.  Then, ten years ago, I decided the time was right to take writing seriously.  I started writing a book, wrangled a secondary character who wanted their story told first, finished a book…then came up with something completely different and wrote that book.

Then, after I sent that one off to a publisher, I kept writing.  Best piece of advice I ever got as a writer: write the next book.  So I did. Then I picked up some of those half-written manuscripts and dusted them off – and actually finished several!  And then I sat down and put all those ideas floating around in my head on paper.  I had exactly fifty stories I wanted to tell.  50 books to write.  And since they were all set in the same small town, I decided to make them into a series.

The publisher rejected my book, but by then I’d written 21 full or partial other books in the series.  I’d gotten a hang for it and had created a world with people who were absolutely real to me.  And I’d created more secondary characters who also wanted books – my series bible was up to almost 75 stories.

Knowing I’d never find a publisher for 75 stories, I decided to self-publish.  I hired an editor (a critical step) and then I set about learning everything I could about self-publishing.  I attended conferences, workshops, met writers who would become mentors, and generally absorbed stuff for years.  Meanwhile, under a different penname, I wrote gay romances set in that world, using characters I’d created.

Finally, this year, I was ready to launch the first few books.  Now, starting a new penname means no one knows me.  The advice given by most gurus is to create a newsletter.  One way to get people to sign up for your newsletter is to give them a book.  Some authors do short stories, or some kind of special content.  I’d written another book for a publisher they’d rejected.  A perfectly good story that required a good edit.  Once I did that, I had a 65k word book that I’d written for fun.  Now, I paid to edit it and get a professional cover, but I didn’t have a lot invested in the book.  I was happy to put it out as a prequel to the series and ask, gently, for people to sign up for my newsletter in exchange for a copy of the book.  People can always unsubscribe, of course, but I try to give them a reason to stick around.  My hope is they’ll read that book.  And pick up the next book in the series.

Today, though, I’m giving away book 1 of the series on Amazon.  Now, I love this book as much as all the others.  Although it’s book 1, I only wrote it last year.  I’ve had time to settle into my small town and had an idea of a series arc I want to create.  A reason for readers to keep coming back.  I also hoped to pull in some of the readers of my gay romance books, so I had a few cameos with favorite characters.  I’m giving away that book today in the hopes readers will pick it up, read it, love it, and want more.  It’s a risk, for sure.  With thousands and thousands of free books out there, what are the odds I’m going to find the right reader at the right time? That they’ll fall in love with my book and be so intrigued by the secondary character that they can’t wait to read her story? (That character was always quite mysterious and although her book was written first, I realized I needed a bigger lead in.)

I hope that explains how I’m trying to launch my new penname.  Delilah’s been great about letting me share the journey with you and I appreciate you hanging in there as I show you how the sausage gets made (or how you launch a new penname/series in 2023…)

To celebrate, I’m giving away not just the free book, but a $5 Amazon gift card.  Let me know – what is your thought of free books?  Do you think they have less value?  Or do they give you the opportunity to try a new author you might not otherwise?  Drop a comment and a random winner will win the GC.

Love in Cedar Valley Series

What’s better than love in the beautiful Cedar Valley in British Columbia, Canada? Find small town romances with a touch of angst, a bit of heat, and a lot of heart…

Each novel is a standalone, but they are best read in order:

The Luminosity of Loriana Harper (A small town interracial romance)
The Making of Marnie Jones (A small town enemies-to-lovers romance)
The Redemption of Remy St. Claire (A small town single-father fake-marriage romance)

The Luminosity of Loriana Harper
FREE READ!

Loriana Harper is the head librarian of the Mission City Public Library. She considers herself a matchmaker in this little town in British Columbia—especially for her employees. When a gorgeous technician arrives to update their computers, she can’t help musing about who might be his perfect match. Except, the more time she spends with Mitch, the more she wants him for herself.

Mitch Alexander left in disgrace from a good job in California. He’s come to this small town to make a new start where no one knows him. Although he has no plans to get involved with anyone, he’s drawn to the nosy, vivacious librarian who makes him smile. The local matchmaker might go overboard, but she has good intentions. Except he’s not in the market for any match, unless it’s with her.

When Mitch’s past catches up with him, and the police come calling, he has to decide if he’ll stay with Loriana or leave to save her from the taint of being associated with him. Loriana’s not ready to let her new man go without a fight—but maybe this is a match that wasn’t meant to be.

The Luminosity of Loriana Harper is an older-woman age-gap interracial romance with a touch of angst and a large cat named Plato. The book is the first in the Love in Cedar Valley series set in a small town in British Columbia, Canada.

UBL: https://books2read.com/Loriana
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVL3X4JZ
Add it to GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122872288-the-luminosity-of-loriana-harper

About the Author

Gabbi Powell has been a lover of romance since she first put pen to paper in the eighth grade to write her first romance.  She writes her novels while living in Beautiful British Columbia with her trusty ChinPoo dog a as companion.  She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary dark erotic BDSM novels as Gabbi Black.

Personal links:
Website:   https://gabbipowell.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbipowell
Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/3142441314
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbipowell/
Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/gabbi.powell.9/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/powell_gabbi
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Powell/e/B08T8NTQNY
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21065056.Gabbi_Powell

UPDATE: The winner is…Sara D!
*~*~*

Solve the puzzle, then tell me a little story for the chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! What would you wish for?

UPDATE: The winner is…Gail S!
*~*~*

This is the last day of March! Where does the time go? Without any further ado, I’ll dive right into my recap…

March

Work-related:

1. I completed work on my latest Montana Bounty Hunter story, Mica! And I published it!!!
2. I’ve been doing minimal work on the Silver Soldiers anthology, which comes out May 9th! Mostly, working on a promotional calendar with the authors in the anthology.
3. I completed only 3 editing projects for other authors in March. The injury to my hand severely impacted my ability to work at my usual pace, at least for the first half of the month.

Health-related:

1. I continued wearing the brace on my hand until March 17th. The break is healed, but now I have to work on physical therapy to improve my hand’s function. My hand aches after I use it for a while, and my fingers get numb when I hold a paintbrush or pen for very long.
2. I had a visit with a cardiologist this month. He has me wearing a monitor stuck to my chest for a week to see how it functions day to day. It’s beating a little slowly and has a slight arrhythmia. My blood pressure is still way too high, but the cardiologist adjusted my meds, and we’ll see how that goes.
3. I haven’t been dieting like I should, what with my heart and blood pressure issues, and I haven’t been great about cutting my salt intake. My weight loss is stagnant! I think I was a little depressed by my hand injury. I could tell because I wanted to sleep way too much and didn’t want to go out at all. I don’t like to wallow in negativity, but it has been hard to motivate myself to move forward.
4. As for physical activity, I’m not doing enough. Again, I’m feeling tired all the time. Which I know has to do with my weight, meds, and inactivity. All my issues are interrelated. I just need to get my fat ass off this chair and move more often.

Happiness-related: 

1. I’m back participating with my local art guild or humanities council. We had some planning meetings for upcoming exhibits and programs. It felt good to get out and mingle again.
2. I am still participating in the #the100dayproject art online art challenge. As of today, I’m on Day 38. Here are a few of my March pieces…

    

April

 
For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete my short story for the Silver Soldiers anthology.
2. To compile all the Silver Soldiers stories into the anthology and get it formatted for release on May 9th.
3. To begin work on Cold Hard Cash, the first of the We Are Dead Horse series.
4. To complete 4 editing projects in April!

For health related, I plan:

1. To restart counting those points for my Weight Watchers diet (I hate that word) and hopefully shed at least another 5 pounds, remembering, as always: Slow is good!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas, red wine).
3. To get the pool cleaned up—as soon as the weather cooperates—so that the minute the water is warm enough, I’m swimming (hopefully by end of April).
4. To begin walking and counting my steps.
5. I’ll re-dedicate myself to doing more housework, too, because my art room is a disaster. And cleaning is exercise, right?

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To continue producing some small piece of art every day as part of #the100dayproject. I’m volunteering several times a month to sit in the Art Center to keep it open. I use those quiet days away from my computer just to paint!
2. Try to complete one of the many already paid-for online art classes I’ve lined up to do.
3. To blog about art (on my Emerald Casket site) just to keep myself honest!
4. To work toward re-opening my Etsy store!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read in April…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Today is National Virtual Vacation Day and having just come back from a little getaway in my part of the world, I’d love to share it with you.

The Murray River is an icon that divides two states, Victoria and New South Wales, and then flows along into a third, South Australia. It’s our largest river, running 2508km, and is popular for family camping, fishing, houseboat, and water-skiing holidays.

After many trips to Albury (NSW)/Wodonga (Vic) and a 2019 houseboat trip around Renmark (SA), we decided to have a getaway in Echuca (Vic)/Moama (NSW).

Having reserved a cabin right on the river, six months prior, we didn’t expect this part of the river would flood due to severe rainstorms in October 2022. It reached 94.79 metres above sea level, the highest levels for the past 30 years. The riverside holiday park where we stayed, had 15 cabins flooded and were still being repaired, so we had to alter dates but were still able to have our getaway. You can see the lines on the trees where the water level reached.

 This paddle steamer goes for hour long cruises a few times a day and still has its original steam engine.

I love that the area has the tranquillity of country town life while still offering the convenience of shops and other necessities. And yes, it has a library. I also love being on the border of two states. You feel like you’ve travelled far away but still get the local news. There’s a golf course and wineries, plus lots of places to eat and a museum in the Port of Echuca.

After a few leisurely days in Moama, we then travelled 90 minutes to another border town, Mulwala (NSW). You will see I added it to my map because it is situated on Lake Mulwala but flows onto the Murray River.

Our accommodation overlooked the lake and just across from it was the Mulwala RSL (Returned & Services League) with a small museum. My grandparents and my hubby’s grandparents served in WWII so seeing all the memorabilia was fascinating and a little nostalgic. My Gran was 98 when she passed in 2018 so I was blessed to have a grandparent into my early forties and heard a lot about the war.

 As soon as I saw this Rotunda next to Lake Mulwala, I was compelled to take a pic because my hubby and I were married in one similar (yet larger).

You are greeted with this tank on the drive in and a Royal Air Force plane is situated at the entrance to the RSL.

We had a great trip and of course there are many more photos, all of which are on my TikTok, Instagram and Facebook pages for your perusal.

I hope you enjoyed this little trip without leaving the comfort of your chair… or bed… or bath.

Until next time, Deb x

About Deb Robinson…

 She’s just a humble little writer who loves what she does. She lives with her lovely husband in their little haven in Melbourne, Australia. She loves all things romance and believes it takes many forms. Her current catalogue consists of hot, contemporary romance under two series: 5 Shades of Brothers Browne and A Sexy Tradie Novella.

She recently joined TikTok and you can follow her @debrobinsonbooks.
Follow on Facebook
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Follow on Instagram @debrobinsonbooks

When I started the Forgotten Brotherhood series, I envisioned a unique group of paranormal assassins. They’re not the monsters lurking under the bed. They’re the ones the monsters under the bed fear.

They live by a strict code: Kill only those that truly deserve it and let their gods sort them out. Kill them before they kill you. Never, ever betray a fellow assassin.

It started with FURY UNLEASHED when a fallen angel named Maccus Fury stepped onto the page. Feared by both Heaven and Hell, he’s a force to be reckoned with. Now one of Hell’s bounty hunters has been sent to assassinate him. Trouble is, they’re falling for each other.

Next came ARCTIC BITE and Alexei Medvedev, a secy hybrid vampire/polar bear shifter. He’s been sent to hunt down a missing reaper, who is much more than she seems.

In BURNING ASH, we meet Asher, the father of vampires. He crosses paths with a human vampire hunter, and the both of them become embroiled in a conspiracy to harm the Brotherhood.

BJORNED CURSED—Ancient Viking warrior Bjorn Knutson, the father of werewolves, is tasked by Odin himself to return a woman who’s escaped from the Norse afterlife. Problem is, she’s his long-dead wife, his love. Now they’ll have to fight the gods and Lucifer if they hope to survive.

Nothing was supposed to wake half dragon, half human Lucius from his Deep Sleep, but someone has. Waking a sleeping drakon wasn’t in her plans. Neither was falling in love with him. Love and intrigue challenge their growing relationship in ANCIENT DESIRE.

Last, but not least, is HUNTER AVENGED. Immortal Viking hunter Sven Knutson is on the hunt for an angelic librarian suspected of being part of a plot against the Brotherhood, and she’d led him on a deadly chase. But there is a greater force behind it. Someone powerful enough to take on the most dangerous assassins who have ever lived. Someone who could unleash the fury of both Heaven and Hell. This time the Brotherhood will end the threat to their existence or die trying.

Fury Unleashed
Forgotten Brotherhood, Book 1

Maccus Fury, a fallen angel, is trying hard to keep his sanity. Seems being an assassin might be catching up with him. Now, Heaven, or Hell, has sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. Lovely. She’s pretending to seduce him, and he’s okay with that. She’s smart and snarky—but she has no idea what she’s walked into. And he’s more than peeved that they only sent one person. They’re going to need an army if they want him dead.

Morrigan Quill is one of Hell’s bounty hunters. She sold her soul to keep her sister safe, and now she’s working off her contract by catching bad guys and dragging them back to hell. When Lucifer makes her a new offer––that’s definitely too good to be true—she can’t say no. All she has to do is kill a powerful and crazy-hot fallen angel, who will totally kick her ass in battle.

Good thing he won’t see what’s coming next.

Find FURY UNLEASHED here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084M1NQ88
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/books/fury-unleashed
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fury-unleashed-n-j-walters/1136398720
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fury-unleashed-1
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/fury-unleashed/id1498471438

Find THE FORGOTTEN BROTHERHOOD SERIES here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086BT7QJL/

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

Dear Friends! Mica is here! I hope you’ll read it and that you’ll love it! As always, there’s plenty of action, humor, and sexiness! And if you have the inclination, leave a review somewhere. Tell another reader it’s okay to take a chance on a crazy little town called Dead Horse! ~DD

MONTANA BOUNTY HUNTERS:
DEAD HORSE, MT

Authentic Men… Real Adventures…

An ex-Special Forces bounty hunter, who likes working alone, accepts the challenge of teaching a feisty young woman how to hunt…

Former Army Special Forces, Mica Ford, is a bounty hunter now. He likes the work and likes being his own boss. When a hunt goes awry, and a team of hunters from Montana Bounty Hunters provides an assist, he’s persuaded to at least listen to what the head of their agency has to offer and agrees to a meeting.

Amy Calloway wants more than anything to prove to the people of Dead Horse, Montana, that she’s not a loser simply because she shares a last name with “those Calloway brothers.” Since she’s not cut out for any other more reputable job, she has set her sights on being a bounty hunter. She’s fit, has spent an afternoon or two at the firing range, and has watched every episode of Bounty Hunters of the Northwest – We’re Dead Horse. When she walks into the MBH office to ask for a job, she knows she’s as ready as she’ll ever be.

Mica has no intention of accepting a job with MBH, but he watches Amy work up the courage to demand her chance. Her sincerity and courage impress him, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s cute as hell. He finds himself accepting a trial run working with the team and then commits to training Amy—just to make sure she stays safe. However, keeping her safe while teaching her how to hunt becomes a challenge when Amy starts improvising during takedowns…

Get your copy here!
FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Also Available in Print!