Enemy Within Updates & #SaveTheMonkeys!!

Hey guys!! I have been meaning to write a new blog post for EVER!!! But somehow, I keep forgetting. It's like I'll think, "Oh! Gonna write my blog post!" I open the browser and then Facebook happens or Twitter happens. But mostly, writing is what is happening! Which is freaking AWESOME!! Enemy Within is coming together MARVELOUSLY!

• The writing is fantastic (And who wouldn't want to spend more one-on-one time in Mirko's head, right!?)
• I scheduled my editor--the flippin' FAB Kara Malinczak (LOVE you chick!). 
• I have the cover (the new one) and am in the process of planning the reveal.
• I have the release date! YEP!!! "I" know when Enemy Within is coming out! That reveal is in the works along with the cover. However, my newsletter subscribers will probably find out a day earlier than everyone else. Just sayin'! Newsletter sign up is over there *grins* -->

Okay, so the next thing I wanted to tell you all about is what I have planned for tomorrow! As some of you may know, I am a Scorpio. It's not uncommon for Scorpios to get crazy obsessive about stuff. We know nothing about that thing called moderation. And my obsession just so happens to be Enemy Within. Right!? Good effing news for the readers, I know! So anyway, I've been pounding at the keyboard like a mad woman who thinks each click will bring her to the other side of heaven or something. I eat, breathe, and sleep this book right now. And weekends are the time when I have all day long to just embrace that! So what better way to spend a Saturday than to have a WRITING MARATHON?

So, here's the plan:

I'm going to write 10,000 words in 10 hours!! And to up the anti, I'm making this about saving something, because it's not as an intense of a marathon unless you feel like you're saving something. So, I threw in that this is all about saving the monkeys (no money has been set aside for the monkeys. They just go bananas when we make it about them. They're down, so you don't have to hate on me for not really saving the rain forest of something like that). And it's not really a mission unless you enlist people to save the monkeys with you, right!? So thus far, I have KC Neal and Heather Hildenbrand willing to save the monkeys too!!

And I'm inviting all of you to join in with us!!! The Twitter hashtag will be #SaveTheMonkeys. But NO messing around on Twitter or FB or wherever while focusing on saving these monkeys, people! We get on, we tweet our hashtag with our numbers--can be word count, pages edited, whatever your goal is you're committing to for the monkeys--then we get back to it!

See? He's excited about this plan!

http://www.radioactiveghostmonkey.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Monkey-01.jpg

#SaveTheMonkeys

Who's coming with me!? Are YOU in!??

Double Cover Reveal!!

OMG, you guys!! I am so excited about this post! You have no idea!! KC Neal is not only sharing her new cover for book 2 in the Pyxis Series, Alight, but also the NEW cover for Pyxis!! That's right! Pyxis went and got herself a face lift! And I must add, she looks GORGEOUS!! Okay, I'll shut up now and show you the pretties! ;)

Pyxis: The Discovery (Pyxis Series Book 1)

by K.C. Neal

Corinne lives an average teenage life working at her

dad’s cafe, hanging out with her best friend, and

trying to forget a falling-out with her almost-boyfriend

Mason. Then she discovers she and Mason are

haunted by the same dreams of a dark force that

consumes everything in its path. Pursued by

shadowy figures and a dangerous woman with

secrets from the past, Corinne must find out who her

grandmother really was. In her quest to unravel her

family’s history, she learns she is destined to protect

this world--and the dark world of her dreams. She

races to find the answers she seeks before her

nightmares break free.

Pyxis is FREE for Amazon Kindle today and tomorrow!

Pyxis on Amazon.com

Pyxis on Amazon.co.uk

Gorgeous right!? I LOVE the light dots in the background. Having read the book, I think it fits perfectly with the scary, encroaching other-world that Corinne meets in this book!!

Alight: The Peril (Pyxis Series Book 2)

Anticipated release date: July 27, 2012

When Corinne learns who the second Guardian is, she

must find a way to make peace with the last person in

the world she wants to deal with. As she struggles, her

nemesis unleashes an otherworldly evil, and a

mysterious illness strikes Corinne’s friends. Faltering

under the weight of her destiny, Corinne escapes to the

dream world. There, she meets Zane, an Australian guy

with a hot accent and a revelation that binds them

together and alters the path of Corinne’s life. She throws

herself into fighting for everything she loves, but just as

she’s certain she will prevail, she’s robbed of what she

needs most.

Don't they look pretty together!? And you get to see part of his face on this one! WIN!!! Oh, and did you notice that wee little blurb on this one? That's ME, yo!! That means I'm like famous or something relatively as Brazil, right!? I totes think so too!!

So go get your FREE on with Pyxis!! And Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand is FREE too!!!! Go swoop them both up! Free and awesome! Doesn't get any better than that! 

My Weekend of Epic Proportions-Book 2 Updates

I am flying so high right now off of excitement that I just had to write a blog post for you guys!

As some of you know, I have majorly struggled with writing Enemy Within. Things just weren't clicking like I wanted them to, and between tax season and school taking over so much of my time, I wasn't going anywhere fast. And things were all over the place. Well, I had a lovely chat with my blogger friend, Jessica at Confessions of a Bookaholic, last night. She basically told me to just write the book "I'D" want to read. That may not seem like world-rocking advice, but where my mind was last night, it was for me. I've let the pressure of wanting to please you guys, the lovers and the haters of Descended by Blood, block some of the natural creativity within me. I still want to please you guys, but it will just be done in a way that I know I LOVE, and then secondly hope you all love as well.

After that chat, things started rolling for me in my wee writer's brain. I have been thinking about writing Enemy Within from not only Brooke's point of view, but also Mirko's (Squee, Right!?). But I kept telling myself that it would be too weird to add a point of view in the middle of a series. Well, last night, when I decided to just write the book I wanted to read, I knew I wanted to read Mirko's point of view, too. And he's been basically bugging me to let him have his side told, so I just rolled with it. And then the flood gates opened up. So many awesome scenes came to me. Some of the ones I have written and never really felt like they packed the punch I wanted were now uber awesome if told from Mirko's point of view.

I still had some hang ups with the story, though. I've always struggled with confidence about this story. Mainly because I never felt like it was strong enough. I've been reading Larry Brooks' Story Engineering, and he talks about how Character, Theme, and Concept all work together to create a GREAT story. Lack in one area and it's a weak story. And I was lacking in the concept area. Well, my writer buddy, KC Neal who is also reading this book, and I started to talk about our concepts. I told her what mine was and she nailed it on the head where I thought I was lacking. Then the whirl wind of explosive ideas happened.

We figured out how to fix my concept, make the stakes in the last 50% of the book higher, and basically make this book ROCK! I truly feel like Enemy Within will now be a better book than Descended by Blood is. #Wicked Right!?

And my whirl wind of  "Holy Smokes! YES!!!" didn't end there. I ended up going on to book 3, which will be titled Forbidden to Kill. I'm feeling generous, so there you go with that golden nugget. ;) But anyways, I went on and basically wrote out the gist of everything that happens in book 3. And it is BEYOND AWESOME!! This series is going to end on a higher note than I could have hoped for or ever imagined it would. This is a series I can be more than proud of. And I am more than in love with it! I think I might have actually reached that amazing place that is so rare for an author--I'm OBSESSED with it!

As for a release day, I don't have one yet. I have a set date in my head of when I want to have the first draft finished, and then another of when I'm hoping for the editing and revisions to be finalized. However, I'm doing more editing rounds with this book than I did with Descended by Blood, so it's hard for me to even have a set date in my head right now as I don't have an idea of how much I'll end up having to fix. But it shouldn't be "too" much longer before I have a date.

And also, because I'm feeling generous and because I love you guys, I'm gonna tell you that I've redone the cover for Enemy Within. Yes, the original was pretty, but it didn't "speak" to me. And because I am such a VISUAL person, which also carries into my writing, I had to switch it up. And let me tell you, this new one is SO EFFING AWESOME!!! And no, you can't see it yet, but I'm in the beginning stages of planning out the cover re-reveal.

And finally, because I am totes feeling generous (Gosh! It's like you guys got me drunk and I'm giving away all my secrets!) I also have the cover finalized for book 3. And it may just be my FAVORITE of the series. Okay, I lied. It IS my favorite! And no, you can't see that one yet, either. Neener-neener-neener. #EvilAng ♥

Whisper Releases TODAY!!

Hey everyone!!! Today is a VERY special day! My good friend Heather Hildenbrand is realeasing a book today! It's called Whisper. This book is special in a different way than any of her other books, or any book I've heard about actually. This book has a unique story beyond it's plot, beyond it's characters.

Heather gave birth to a beautiful, chubby cheeked baby boy named Tyler back in December 2011. He lived for 5 days. The pain Heather has experienced and still deals with on a daily basis is something I can't even begin to imagine. Heather is a strong and courageous woman, and blows me away pretty much all the time. She turned to writing as a way to deal and express some of her pain. The result: Whisper.

Whisper is a remarkable story of pain, loss, finding love, reincarnation, Native American legends, and finding a will to carry carry on and live. The emotions in this story are raw and honest in a way that's unlike most stories I've read. It's a journey, an experience. And one well worth traveling. Here's an early review of the book. I liken this to a heart touching a heart, and leaving a stamp on the soul. This is the kind of book Whisper is.

Whisper is now LIVE on Amazon and Amazon UK for just $2.99. Barnes & Noble seems to be the slower  one, but as soon as it's available, I'll update with the link.

Whisper is also on tour! And this tour is a pretty fun one. It's called Fact or Fiction, and it's all about what aspects in the book are real and which ones are made up. Here's the tour schedule and they all have giveaways!!

A Diary of A Book Addict - 4/19

AwesomeSauce Book Club - 4/20

What's Your Story Book Reviews - 4/21

Cambria Hebert, Author of Masquerade - 4/22

A Book Vacation - 4/23 - SIGNED PB giveaway! 

The Bookish Babes - 4/24

Nightly Reading & Taking It One Book At A Time - 4/25

Magnet 4 Books - 4/26

Talking Supe - 4/27

SupaGurl Books - 4/28

Seeing Night Reviews - 4/29

The Rest Is Still Unwritten - 4/30

Bookerella Reviews - 5/1

So HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to Whisper, and congratulations to Heather on the release!! 

Lots of EPIC stuff happening!

There has been some pretty awesome things happening this week! I thought I'd share them all with you because of they're just that cool!

• First up is an interview I did with Isa over at the Book Soulmates. It's fun and has some interesting questions and random stuff about me if you're interested. You can find that here.
• Isa also has a giveaway going on right now for DESCENDED BY BLOOD! Two copies, yo! You can enter here.
• I wanted to highlight this review by Creative Deeds because it's just so awesome in its gushiness over the book! I could totally feel Shirley's enthusiasm in this one so it's a fun one to check out. It's here. 2 other great ones are here by Smash Attack Reads and here by Isa. 
• This next one is pretty freakin' high on the epic scale! As part of the Month of Indie Epicness Isa's doing, she sent me questions for Jaren & Mirko to do a Dating Game. Right!? How wicked awesome is that! From question about their fave dates, to their preferences on leather or lace! ;)
• I posted a teaser from Enemy Within (book 2) on my Facebook Fan Page, so all you Mirko fans might wanna check that one out here. ;)
• And finally, the AMAZING group chat that Isa hosted on her blog for the final day of my week-long feature in her Month of Indie Epicness. It's Isa, Ashley from The Bookish Brunette, Loretta from Between the Pages Reviews, Ash from Smash Attack Reads, and Amy from Book Loving Mom all talking about Descended by Blood and fighting over Mirko. It's pretty darn hilarious! Check it out here.

Letters From Mirko & Jaren!!

First, I want to say THANK YOU to every freaking one of you. Thank you for spreading the word about Descended by Blood's free promo. Thank you for downloading it. Thank you for the RTs and the Facebook posts and shares. And special shout out to Bookish Brunette and Stuck In Books for doing a blog post about the freebie! You ladies rock my face off! And anyone else who blogged about it that I'm un aware of THANK YOU!! We had over 15,000 downloads in the US and over 1,200 in the UK. I'm blown away! That is a HUGE amount of potential readers! If only 10% of those downloads end up being people who will actually read the book and like it, that's over 1,600 new fans!! In TWO DAYS!!! Thank you guys! Seriously! I'd be a sad little author with no readers if it wasn't for all of YOU! <3

Now, we can get to the juicy stuff!! That's right! The letters to you from Jaren and Mirko! Now the letters will be sent out in the form of my newsletter no later than next weekend! Yep, if you aren't signed up, you best hurry, yo! But here's the thing, Mirko and Jaren have stuff they want to tell you, but they also want to know what YOU want to hear from them!! Yep! We're taking REQUESTS people!! So in the comments below just tell me what you wanna know and who you wanna know it from! Simple, right!? And AWESOME!! It's like a direct line to these guys!

On your mark!! Get set! GO!!!!!

Oh, and I'll leave you with some eye candy while you think about what you wanna know! Just remember this is at least PG 16. lol :)

You're welcome. :)

Descended by Blood is FREEEEEEEEE!!!!

Hello my lovelies!! I have so many things to tell you all, but the first, most immediate item is

Descended by Blood is FREE!!

Yeppers! You can download this bad girl off Amazon RIGHT NOW for ZERO dollars people! And it's free on all the Amazon sites around the world! Please download it and share it with your friends, tweet it, Facebook it, get the word spread like it's the end of the world yo! I greatly appreciate all your love and support and sharing! Mucho LOVE from this wee author! ((Hugs)) Oh! And if you're a blogger, if you'd blog about it, I'd seriously love you forever. Well, I already do, but it'd sure make me smile! 

Next up, we have some winners! Congrats to Annie for winning the Kindle on the St Patty's day hop. And Congrats to Tiffany, Wendy, and Megan for winning the Descended by Blood over 10,000 copies sold giveaway. 

I also have a giveaway going on right now for the Kick Butt Characters hop. Your choice of some wicked awesome books! Oh! And we're giving away a copy of Descended by Blood, a copy of Dirty Blood or Cold Blood by Heather Hildenbrand, and a copy of Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer over on the Accendo Press blog! Check these out guys!

So go get your free on and your hoppin' on! Descended by Blood is FREE on Amazon ONLY today and tomorrow!

ALSO!!! OMG, you guys!!! You do NOT wanna miss this either!! Across the Galaxy by Heather Hildebrand is FREE too!! It's #6 in Adventure in the Kindle free store, so you wanna get this one!