#WriteTip + #Giveaway - Re-read Your Series! by @EMorgan2010, spotlighting her #Vampire #UrbanFantasy BLOOD SECRETS

I'm delighted to welcome urban fantasy author Elizabeth Morgan to my blog today. Before we segue into our regularly scheduled writing tip break (which is particularly useful for series writers such as I), I should inform you that Elizabeth is giving three lucky winners an ecopy of Cranberry Blood (Blood Series: Book One) AND an ecopy of Blood Secrets (Blood Series: Book Two). So, if you are interested in winning yourself this set then make sure to leave an entry on the Rafflecopter at the bottom. Also, don’t forget to go download your FREE copy of She-Wolf (Blood Series: Prequel), which you can read while you wait. Good Luck!

Always Re-read Your Series!

by Elizabeth Morgan

It doesn't matter if you are writing your second book or your tenth in your series, always go back and read from the beginning. Yes, you will have notes on characters, locations etc and you will have all your important facts and links listed out, but through re-reading your series you will find that there is something that you a) might have forgotten about, b) something you might have got mixed up, or c) find that there is something trivial in one of the books that links up and cements a situation or fact in your next book.

It's also a good idea to re-read a series just to make the story arc fresh in your mind once more. It's fine having outlines for each book, but it's not the same when you have had a break of so many months between finishing one book and starting the next. Plus, it's always nice to see how your characters have grown from book one, and have you have progressed as a writer.
 

Start the Blood Series for FREE!

If you’re new to the Blood Series, but think you might enjoy the books then download your copy of She-Wolf (Blood Series: Prequel) for FREE today.

And in preparation for the long awaited sequel, Cranberry Blood (Blood Series: Book One) is available for the bargain celebratory price of $2.99 until April 30th. Thereafter it will go back to its former price of $3.99.

Blood Secrets

Blood Series: Book Two

by Elizabeth Morgan

When your life is messed up to begin with, how much worse can it really get?

Heather Ryan's life has never been simple. The latest in a long line of descendants who have made it their mission to hunt down and slay the Ancient Vampire, Marko Pavel, she is also the first born Infected. Up until recently, the biggest downside to living with the Vampyrric Virus was simply that she craved blood, but after receiving a DVD from her deceased Grandmother Sofia and being kidnapped with friend and so called guardian Werewolf, Brendan Daniels, she quickly discovers that she is also the inspiration behind the Vampires’ attempt to create a whole new breed of super monsters—Hybrids.

The truth comes at a cost, but how much does one have to sacrifice to gain success?

Following the breadcrumbs left by her psychic Grandmother, Heather and Brendan find themselves in new territory. Venice is where Heather hopes to find Marie, the second Bloodling of Marko, along with Brendan's three taken Pack members. But an old Peace Pact between the Italian Pack and the Colony means they are left hunting blind, and due to the Italian Alpha's reluctance to believe their story of kidnap and experimentation on Loup-Garous, time is running out. So when help comes from an unlikely source, they have no choice but to accept.

All families have secrets, but blood can't lie.

Caught up in an intricate and complicated scheme spun by the one she trusts the most and the friend of her enemy, Heather soon discovers that she is the pawn in a plan she would never have been able to conceive. But how many of her new allies were in on the game, to begin with?

This title contains explicit language, violence, and some scenes of a sexual nature.

 

Download your copy of Blood Secrets (Blood Series: Book Two) at the celebratory release price $3.49. Thereafter it will revert to the price of $4.49. 

SMASHWORDS | ARE AMAZON US, UK

EXCERPT

The walkway appeared desolate... Darkness almost shrouded the passage, but the streetlights of Venice, which stretched across the seemingly black water of the Grand Canal, cast slithers of light through the tall stone arches. A gust of wind ran past me and I shivered, the small tremble causing drops of water to fly from my soaked clothing and stain the grey slabs beneath me.

A howl pierced the night sky, then another and another; a unison of agonizing cries echoing around the maze of buildings that made Central Venice so unique.

To say that Ken doll was going to be pissed that I had took off was an understatement, but I couldn’t lose this chance. I wasn’t going to lose Marie.

Pulling my sword from its sheath, I made my way towards the intricate iron gates which were open, held in place by chains that locked into two hoops that protruded from the grey bricks.

Moving past the rough metal, I peered into the square, outer foyer to find the main double doors to the nest stood wide open in invitation, giving me the perfect view of the long, quiet hallway. I inhaled deeply. The stench of ancient earth polluted the air.

With a steadying breath, I stepped through the doorway and past the two round pillars. Three large iron lanterns hung from the ceiling. A mosaic of stained glass caging the bulbs inside, casting fragments of multi-coloured light across the cream walls. The glow from them curled around the sculptures lining the walls, the shadows of their perfect forms stretched across the blank canvas, disfiguring as I moved past them.

My heart thundered in my chest, so loud that I was pretty damn sure it was drowning out the squelch of water in my boots as I tread lightly and swiftly across the coral and ivory diamond tiles. Droplets of water continued to travel down my skin and beneath my clothes, which already clung to me like a second skin. My curls were a drenched mess. Stray strands had escaped the bun I had shoved my hair in earlier, the wet chunks sticking to my face and neck.

I walked past the two sets of closed double doors which sat across from each other. My focus strayed to the enclosed, dimly lit stairwell on my right.... It was now blocked off by an iron gate similar to the one protecting the front entrance. Another set of doors sat closed to my left, but it was the archway at the end of the hallway that I was drawn to—the only other doors that lay wide open in invitation, and despite the light in the chamber being dim, I knew she was in there, waiting for me.

Oxygen burned my lungs. A stitch had claimed my right side, and the scent of blood from my weeping wounds had my senses peaking. Only this task remains.

Tightening my grip on the hilt of my sword, I moved into the large chamber. No furniture filled the space. All the curtains were drawn. The dark, thick material ran the length of the wall, indicating that the windows stood from ceiling to floor. The walls were painted in panels of patterns so fine, but I couldn’t make out the details. Not that the particulars of the interior of a nest ever really mattered. Although, this was by far the fanciest I had been in. My feet faltered as my gaze landed on him.

He stood like a statue in the centre of the room, his unseeing eyes, like white, misted glass, vacant and icy, focused on me. He could see me. He could see right through me....

The air caught in my lungs as pain seared through my lower back. I lurched, a scream lodged in my throat.

“You should have run while you had the chance.”

About the Elizabeth Morgan

Elizabeth Morgan is a multi-published author of urban fantasy, paranormal, erotic horror, f/f, and contemporary; all with a degree of romance, a dose of action and a hit of sarcasm, sizzle or blood, but you can be sure that no matter what the genre, Elizabeth always manages to give a unique and often humorous spin to her stories.

Like her tagline says; A pick ‘n’ mix genre author. “I’m not greedy. I just like variety.”

And that she does, so look out for more information on her upcoming releases at her website: www.e-morgan.com

Away from the computer, Elizabeth can be found in the garden trying hard not to kill her plants, dancing around her little cottage with the radio on while she cleans, watching movies or good television programmes – Dr Who? Atlantis? The Musketeers? Poldark? American Horror Story? Heck, yes! – Or curled up with her two cats reading a book.

Website | Blog | Twitter | GoodReads | Facebook ProfilePage | Pinterest | TSU | Zazzle

#WriteTip - Learn from Each Edit by @LandraGraf, spotlighting her @DecadentPub #BDSM #Romance

Landra Graf has been a busy bee, so she has yet another BDSM romance from Decadent Publishing out this year. We'll get all the smexy details about this 1Night Stand after this short, writing tip break. (P.S. By smexy, I mean kinky--as in wax play. Feel free to skip ahead!)


Self-edits are important. Each editor, round of edits, or critique recommended edits can teach you something about writing. Learn from them and start self-editing your own work. I save old edit rounds and I go back and look at them before I read through and edit my own work on the second draft. Doing this makes you a better writer and helps you grow. ~ Landra Graf
 

What You Want

1Night Stand Series

by Landra Graf

When her sister gets sick on the night of her 1Night Stand date, Laney Malcolm is asked to fill in and pretend to be her twin. Treating it as a lark, she looks forward to an adventurous event with a free dinner and not much else. She isn’t prepared for the fierce attraction nor the urge to help the Hawaiian, tattooed submissive she’s introduced to.

Kanoa Mahelona has spent the last year trying to find himself, but he’s tired of random hook-ups and women who only want him for his bad-boy image. Madame Eve helped his boss, so he turns to her for assistance. Attractive and damn good at breaking through his barriers, the blonde Domme challenges him in a way he can’t seem to turn down.

Only she’s not who she appears to be, and, once the truth comes out, it may be too late to go back.

Excerpt (for Mature Audiences Only)

Kanoa was ready for another round of wax. Honestly, he’d been surprised by her tactic, expecting a barrage from a flogger. Instead, she’d turned to something he hadn’t expected. When she let the wax drip onto his back, he’d believed she’d never get him to react. Until his feet. Holy hell, his restraint to stay still got tested there, especially when she removed the wax.

Somehow, in blindfolding him, she created a connection between his body and hers. Her body heat radiated against him whenever she got near. When she left his proximity, his body ran cold.

He expected her to do more wax play. Instead, she moved away. Minutes ticked by. He struggled to hear the slightest shuffle or jingle, except maybe she’d slipped off her boots or stopped moving entirely. His heart thumped, blood pumping rapidly through his body and drowning out the other noises in the room he’d picked up on. The hum of the air conditioner, the ticking of a clock—all gone, leaving him with nothing but his anxious need to move. To do something. Only the fear she’d end everything if he moved kept him in place.

Finally, he couldn’t take any more. “Pretty Woman, are you still here?”

A low laugh echoed from across the room. “You don’t like being left in the dark, do you, Kanoa?”

He cursed under his breath. Everything about this room, this scene, this woman seemed to be a never-ending test. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t leave me.” Honesty helped in all situations.

“You should trust in our mutual pleasure occurring from us occupying the same room. Now, what shall your punishment be?”

“Name it and I will do it, Pretty Woman.” How he wanted it to involve worshipping her. To touch her, even. The waiting sent him to new heights of torture.

She approached him, crouching on his left side. Whispering in his ear, she said, “I want you to be silent and taste what you do to me.”

ABOUT LANDRA GRAF

Landra Graf has been crafting stories since the tender age of too-young-to-watch-rated-R. When she finally got old enough for adult material, she believed adult meant anything besides the smexy. Then she discovered erotic romance and all things kinky. Since then it’s been a journey down a rabbit hole. Landra writes BDSM erotic romance and historical erotic romance, among other less smexy offerings.

Website | Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon Author

#WriteTip - Is SAID Dead? by M.S. Kaye (@MSKosciuszko), with a #CoverReveal for ONCE

Have you ever seen authors/editors geek out over dialogue tags? It's a sight to behold. Anyway, I've invited M.S. Kaye over to explain the debate over the most controversial of all tags--"said."

Is Said Dead? by M.S. Kaye

I recently saw a Facebook post that claimed “said is dead.” It went on to list all the other “better” options to use, along with the emotion that correlates to each word.

I do agree that sometimes yelled, demanded, or murmured are the best words for the job, showing how the dialogue is being said, especially if it’s difficult to show the emotion through the particular dialogue. However, most of the time, “said” is exactly what I want.

Said is dead, huh? Of course it is. That’s the whole point!

Readers barely even notice it. It serves its purpose of clarifying the speaker and then shuts up and stands in the corner like it’s supposed to. Dialogue tags remind the reader of the author’s presence, so when you have to use a tag, why not use the one that’s almost invisible?

Once

Book One

by M.S. Kaye

Her first and also her once.

Jonathan and Rebecca’s paths cross at exactly the right moment, when each most needs to hear what the other has to say.

But Jonathan is three days from entering the priesthood, and Rebecca leaves him to his peace. But he is unable to find peace.

Without each other’s comfort and strength, they must each struggle to forge a new path, with only memories of the one day that changed everything.

But are they able to forget and let go?

Releases July 2, 2016 from Inkspell Publishing. 
Pre-order on Amazon or Kobo, and add to your Goodreads TBR list today! 

Excerpt

“What’s the answer?”

He paused. “A switchblade.”

With my fingertips, I reached out and traced the scar across his cheek. “Did you win?”

He removed my hand and closed his eyes. “Yes.”

I slid his Book back to him. “This says we can find forgiveness.”

His eyes still closed, his jaw clenched. He bowed his head. “It also says ‘Thou shalt not kill.’”

I took his hand in both of mine, petted his rough skin, and then brought it to my lips. He had a talent for guiding invisibly, but I didn’t know how to do that.

He watched me again. His eyes were intense, like the black of the night sky, and his forehead was furrowed, as if his emotions were scattered, as if he was shocked at my reaction, as if he had been sure his answer would drive me away. But I knew him. Already, I knew him.

“You’re still a good person,” I said.

His jaw clenched. “I’ve been trying to believe that.”

“I have faith in you.”

He continued to watch me. His forehead never smoothed, as if he was fighting for strength, but his eyes softened. He slid around the booth, closer to me.

I didn’t move, not sure what to do, what was right, what he wanted.

He leaned closer.

I only watched him.

He touched his lips to my cheek, the faintest pressure. I struggled to sit still, to keep my hands in my lap, not to grab hold of him. And then his lips were gone, such brief contact that I couldn’t be sure if he had actually kissed my cheek or if I wanted his contact so much that I’d imagined it.

He spoke in my ear. “You must be some kind of final test.”

My heart pounded into my ribs, against the point of the blade. “Are you going to pass?”

His lips brushed against my jaw. “I don’t know.”

He trailed to my neck, his mouth softly pressing. My hand curled into his hair, the other on his shoulder, holding, clutching. His mouth found mine, barely touching. His warmth invaded my head.

“God give me strength,” he murmured.

The door slid open, and the compartment filled with laughter.

He closed his eyes. Then he slid away from me.

About M.S. Kaye

M.S. Kaye has several published books under her black belt. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband Corey in Jacksonville, Florida, where she tries not to melt in the sun. Find suspense and the unusual at www.BooksByMSK.com.

To receive news on upcoming releases, sign up for email updates on her website.

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