new book video!

Don't you just LOVE a new book video? This one is hot off the C-drive.

Now THAT is what I'm talking about...representative cover art

No. Not my own today. But, I'm talking about how important representative cover art is to books and authors.

Now, everyone knows I love 90% of my covers. I adore when cover artists can give me a tie-together look for an entire series. But, who else is doing it right?

Logical-Lust has a great cover for Zetta Brown's Messalina: Devourer of Men. If this doesn't say sassy, I don't know what does.


When looking at a branding issue, I've discovered a series from Annette Blair that has seriously caught my eye. This is a fine example of a group of covers that undeniably belong together. In addition, they speak highly of a fun read. Can't wait to try them out!


Other covers that fit really well for their books?


So...what do you think? In the age of online shopping, does the cover still play a role in book-selling?

I think it does. The reasons we stop and read more are still the same as they were when browsing the book store...cover art, title, blurb and excerpt. Those being the top four selling cues for decades, they seem to have made the jump from print to electrons, right along with the books.

How pirates hurt writers

Several days ago, Jude Mason posted a great blog post about e-books, piracy and the laws surrounding them. A few days before that, Charlotte Boyett-Compo posted one in Bitten By Books about the same subject. over at EPIC, Rob Preece and I have articles on the subject. A few people with the subject on the mind at the same time? Unfortunately, no.

e-Piracy is rampant. Between those who don't know better and really need to read one or more of the articles I've linked above...and those who do know better and get off on being the bad boy/girl online, stealing in such a way they think they can't possibly be prosecuted for it...authors and publishers (especially the small fish who are trying to survive and make a career flourish) are being monetarily discouraged and/or destroyed.

How bad can it be? Even I can't say for certain. I can say that I've found 800 entries for my books on a single pirate site and fought to have them removed. Multiply even a fraction of that number by the dozen or so pirates I've had to address in just the last year or so, and it's easy to see that my losses from piracy (me...a very small fish in the big pond) are upwards into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Now, before some self-righteous pirate goes off half-cocked about that being a drop in the bucket, it's not a drop in the bucket for me. Like most authors trying to build that career, it's a long hard road. I don't make $10,000 in royalties in a year yet, let alone enough not to notice the loss of it. I'd be writing even more, doing more appearances, and so on, if I were seeing that $10,000 per year more in my budget.

Lie #1 that pirates tell themselves and others... Some actually tell people they are playing Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. That is a load of crap. Even if we dismiss the NY publishers laying off editors, not buying new books, and so on... The fact is, there are only 7 NY conglomerates vs, 70,000+ indie presses. Half or more of the e-books pirated come from the latter. These people aren't rich, publisher or author. Most are lucky to be clearing a few thousand dollars writing in a year. We'll come back to that. But, the bottom line is, by pirating, these thoughtless, self-centered wastes of air are taking the food off the table and presents from under the Christmas tree from authors' (publishers', editors') families.

So, why do pirates steal?

For many, it's simple ignorance of the laws. For more information on the laws, read Charlee's article and mine from the list above. Be sure to read the responses to Charlee's post, as well, since it has even more information for the uninformed that will help you recognize pirates...as does Rob Preece's article on the subject.

Many readers don't realize that e-books are inherently different than paper books. You aren't buying the e-book, as you do a paper book. You are purchasing the license for a piece of book software, as you purchase the license for Windows or Adboe or ReadPlease or some other program.

For others, it's a matter of the entitlement mindset. What they were never taught (or have abandoned) is the solid fact that no one OWES them anything, certainly not free entertainment they don't want to pay for. These are the selfish wastes of air of which I speak.

So, what are the other lies pirates tell themselves and others?

"I love authors and books. I'm just giving them more readers." NOT! They're hurting the authors and publishers. That means they might decide to stop offering the books the pirates claim to love so much. That's right. Discourage, dishearten or monetarily strap an artist of any type enough, and he/she might decide to stop offering his/her creations, altogether.

Not only that, but every pirated copy is a copy that doesn't SELL. Okay, not every copy, because there is the rare individual out there who is going to purchase a copy of a book he read for free. Back to the subject.

The vast majority of pirated copies don't SELL. The choice of a publisher putting out the next book is highly entrenched in the subject of what sold before...previous books. If the books don't sell, the publisher drops the author.

If you really love an author, give him/her word of mouth. Pass along the approved excerpt and blurb. Write a review of a book you like. Rate it on Fictionwise, Amazon. Library Thing and Goodreads. Encourage friends to buy it. I'd even go so far as to say letting a SINGLE friend read your copy of it is good, but don't pirate to hundreds or more people. There is nothing helpful in that.

"Information wants to be free." Or some other idiocy, loosely based on the Freedom of Information Act. All of that is bull. Sorry, but that particular law deals with public records NOT IP (Intellectual Property, which includes copyright and trademark). Any spouting to the contrary is just that...mindless attempts to excuse breaking the law...copyright, at least, and possibly Millennium, if you are breaking DRM or using a hack or hacked copy to bypass DRM.

This is another entitlement issue. Because the law "frees" one type of information, these people feel it's "unfair" that creative literature isn't covered too. (Need I mention that life isn't FAIR? It should be either equal or equitable, and this law is equitable.) Back to their twisted mindset... We're infringing on their "rights" to freedom of information, if ALL printed material isn't free.

I won't go into my full discourse again, but... That's not a right. It's a privilege, and you only get privileges, if you use them responsibly, in the first place. Pirating books is not using the privilege of freedom of public records responsibly...or several other privileges, either. This is a good time to suggest you read Rob Preece's article on the subject of pirates. It fits very nicely here.

"There is no close book store, so it's okay for me to..." Even if you live in a place where you can't order print books to be delivered to your door, which is true of some overseas readers, you can order e-books, in all likelihood. I've had friends stationed in (or expat in) China and the Middle East (and not just on military bases), which are usually portrayed as the hardest places to access what you want to on the net... I've had these people check several key e-book resellers and publisher sites. They can, in fact, access the resellers like Fictionwise, even if they can't reach certain publishers (and those are few and far between).

In fact, my friend who was expat in China thanked me, because it saved him a monthly flight to Singapore to purchase English-language print books and the money to send those books home, when he was finished with them. Reading e-books on his laptop and/or PDA was the method of choice for him overseas. Friends in the UK also tell me they prefer e-books, because they don't have shelf space to hold all of their paper favorites.

So, the lack of a physical English-language bookstore selling paper books is NO excuse for stealing e-books. Buy the e-books...or borrow them from a REPUTABLE public library that offers e-books for lend. They exist.

"I can sell or trade or give away paper books. You're infringing on my rights of ownership. Help! Help! I'm being repressed." Okay, my own time to acknowledge copyright here... That final part is from Monty Python's Search For the Holy Grail, Dennis the Annoying Peasant. See, always respect the copyright of others!

Back to the subject... Entitlement insanity again. The truth is that e-books have much more in common with software than with paper books. The pirates that don't know better don't understand this. The ones who do and are self-righteous entitlement freaks do know it and disregard it. Digital media is covered, at length, in my article linked above.

Authors love their readers. We sweat and bleed and go without sleep to give you the books you love to read. But any creative person eventually feels put-upon by pirates.

Don't argue that X author specifically put his book out viral and... Sure, there are some who elect to, either to increase sales of a newer version of the book or the second book in the series... I've done something similar to the Baen's Free Library model with one of my series, and it worked well. I won't argue that it CAN work. But, as Rob Preece says, "If one restaurant is offering free pizza, it doesn't give you the right to go to another restaurant and demand free steak." It's only common sense.

To end, I want to quote the lovely and talented Angela Knight. On the subject of how lack of sales can harm a career and the psychological effects of pirating can affect a rising author, she commented: "Don't steal from artists, whether it's downloading pirated books, music or movies. It's stealing, and eventually you will destroy the very artists whose work you enjoy."

PUBLISHER SALES

Mundania and Phaze are holding their sales this week.

For 25% off on all Mundania books, just put in the coupon code SANTA!

Phaze's sale is their third annual ONE-DAY sale. For 5o% off on Christmas Day ONLY, put in the coupon code FESTIVE!

Now is a great time to get those Mundania and Phaze titles you've been wanting.

What Brenna Lyons books are included in the sales?

Mundania-
Fairy Dreams (dan Aidan Fairies book one)

Phaze-
Black Sail (Mythos collection)
Enslaved (Blood Mages series)
Fates Magic (Fate War series)
Mama's Tales (Naughty Nursery Rhymes collection)
The Color of Love (contemp sensual romance...Christmas themed)
We Shall Live Again (paranormal erotic romance)
Coming Together: Under Fire, including "The Fire God's Woman" (paranormal erotic romance)
The Last of Fion's Daughters (Kegin legends)
Conquest (Kegin legends)
Last Chance for Love (Kegin book 1)
Rites of Mating (Kegin book 2)
In Her Ladyship's Service (Kegin book 2.5)

Happy holidays from Mundania, Phaze and Brenna!

Brenna

taking stock and something to think about

At the end of the year, we tend to take stock. I've accomplished almost everything I set out to PLUS a bunch more I hadn't seen coming a year ago. I'm sure everyone has successes to share. Here are mine...

12 releases, which included:
5 reprints and 7 new works
8 in both print and e-book and 4 in e-book only

EPPIE finalist 2009 for "The Fire God's Woman" in COMING TOGETHER: UNDER FIRE

Signed 24 new contracts, between 4 companies, one a new company to me.

I've also been offered an RPG deal for one of my series worlds, and I'm working with the number crunchers to create a working system for it that stays true to the books.

Something to think about? I got to musing this morning, and I ended up with this blog post .

Brenna

Interview Time with Lillian Cauldwell!

It's Interview Time again, and today's guest is the vivacious Lillian Cauldwell! Lillian is a bit off the beaten track for my interview slots, but it was a real breath of fresh air. The lovely lady writes tween books for Star Publish and with Publish America.

If you use a pen name, how did you choose it?

I use my grandmother’s name because there are very few Lillian’s who publish young adult books. Then I added a “u” to Caldwell to distinguish me from the thousands of other Caldwell’s out there in the media world. The result my pen name L S Cauldwell.

How long have you been writing? How long have you been published?

I started writing 10 years ago with three books to my credit. I tend to write slowly and do many drafts before I release a book to a publisher. That’s why I have only 3 books at the moment. I’ve been published since 1996.

How long did it take you to publish your first book, once you started looking for an agent or publisher?

For my first book, it took me about six months before I found a publisher interested enough in my non-fiction book, “Teenagers! A Bewildered Parent’s Guide.”

How long does it take you to write a book?

If I add in the research, it takes about two years. The first draft can take anywhere from one to 12 months depending on what else is complicating my writing schedule.

Do you write one book/story at a time or multiples?

I tend to write multiple stories at a time.

What is the most books/stories you've had WIP at the same time?

Three is the magic number so far.

What is the highest number you've actively been writing on at the same time?

Three.

What genres do you write?

Paranormal mystery, historical science fiction, psychological thrillers, and non-fiction

Are there any genres you'd like to try but haven't?

I would like to try writing fantasy, but it’s very difficult to construct a world and stay true to it.

Are there any genres you'd never consider writing in?

I’ve found that writing romance isn’t my strong point. I’m not sure if it’s because I married for practicality or that I’m just not a romantic at heart, but every time I tried writing romance, even my characters get bored and go to sleep.

What's your writing process? (i.e. pantser/organic writer or plotter or mix? write on the computer? longhand? mix? how many passes? etc.)

Compose the first page in head while exercising. Come home and commit to paper. Sit down at computer and translate onto screen.

Sometimes, in bed, I’ll come up with an idea. Write idea in longhand on paper, and then try transcribing it the next morning.

The strangest place and/or time you've written something?

At a funeral, I came up with a terrific idea and on the back of the program, I wrote several paragraphs.

What's the strangest thing you've had happen to you at a public appearance? The most disturbing or amusing?

At the last school I visited, I spoke to a group of 3^rd and 4^th graders. The feedback from the teachers wasn’t pretty. They said I cursed two or three times (damn and hell) and it was offensive to the young sensitive ears that I spoke to.

What's the strangest way you've sold a book/story (either to a reader or to a publisher/agent)?

I used my Campbell’s alphabet soup to illustrate a scene from my young adult book. That caught the teen’s attention immediately. Of course, the teen was scolded by her parent for playing with her food.

What's the strangest way you've SEEN someone else sell a book/story (either to a reader or to a publisher/agent)? Do you think it would work for you?

My good friend, Janet, takes a large bag filled with books, flyers, brochures, postcards, and everything in between with her whenever she goes out somewhere. She sets up her book on the table in a restaurant in such a way that people see it when they go past her table. Janet stands out on street corners and hands out her flyers and book’s business cards. If you ask her what time of day or what’s she doing, she’ll always mention one of her books while giving you the answer in an indirect manner.

What authors inspire you? Who are your favorite authors?

Rowena Cherry, Anne Perry, Daphne du Murier, T. H. White, Kenneth Roberts and Madeleine L’Engle inspire me.

My favorite authors are: T. H. White, Tolkien, Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, Edward Allen Poe, Mark Twain, and Alexander Dumas.

If you could choose two authors to be seated between at a signing...or to have your books shelved between in the bookstore, who would they be?

Louisa May Alcott and Laura Ingalls Wilder

What authors would you most like to meet, past or present? Shakespere, T. H. White, and Mark Twain.

How many books do you read in the average month? e-Book or print or both?

I do book reviews. For pleasure, I read maybe 2 or 3 books. To review books, I do around 5 to 10 books per month.

What is the funniest or strangest editor/crit request/comment you've encountered?

The editor asked me not to use curse words because it wouldn’t be age appropriate for tweens 9 to 13. When the book came out, all the curse words appeared as they were previously written by me.

What is your ideal location to write a book, if you had the money to live there or sequester yourself there?

My ideal place to write a book is at the exercise building where I go to get away from the house. For some strange reason, I do most of my creative thinking and plotting when plugging away on the epilateral.

If you could have a book signing anywhere in the world, where would you like to go?

To England.

What would you like to own/have that would make your writing faster or smoother? (Yes, you can name everything from computer programs to a personal maid here.)

An additional brain, fingers, and plenty of classical music.

Introvert or extrovert?

I use to be quite shy. My spouse and kid laugh at me when I tell them that. So I have a split personality. One side of me is, the writing side is an extrovert and the other side of me, the one that needs to market and promote is an introvert.

What's the strangest/worst job (outside of publishing) you've held?

I worked as an administrative assistant with minimum pay because I didn’t hold a bachelor’s degree.

If you could choose your dream job, besides writing, what would it be?

Professional speaker on a cruise line.

What's your dream car? Your favorite car you've ever owned?

My dream car?

Leave the driving to someone else!

The #1 holiday or birthday gift to purchase for an author is...

Every day is a good day to purchase something for an author or an illustrator.

Your favorite leisure activity or vacation spot?

My favorite leisure activity is walking or watching the waves roll in.

My favorite vacation spot is the Rocky Mountains in Vancouver, Canada.

Have you ever included a real experience of your own in a book? Did anyone who knows you notice it?

In “Sacred Honor,” I had a migraine headache, but was scheduled to get the draft in at the end of the week. I wrote the character in with a migraine headache after something she attempted to do, failed. I don’t think anyone caught it, but thought it was part of the character’s behavior.

Have you ever included someone who irritated you in the book? As what, and what comeuppance did he/she get?

Not yet, but I’ve been tempted.

Where do you get your character names?

From the phone book or cemeteries.

Where do you get your inspiration for a book? How do you get your ideas?

Reading, listening, watching television, and talking to people.

What is the best reader or reviewer comment you've ever received?

“I fell in love with your characters” and “I read the first two chapters and I was hooked.”

What does your family think about your writing? How, if they do, do they support you in your writing endeavors?

My spouse is very supportive. The rest of my family is indifferent.

If you write with small children around, what agreements or rules have been made to preserve your writing time?

Don’t have small children. I raised my kid to go away and he did.

When and where do you do the bulk of your writing?

I do the bulk of my writing at my desk in my studio. Mostly, late at night when things go bump in the night.

Do you have animal companions while you write? How do they help or hinder the process?

Pudding, the cat bonded with my spouse. The only time he visits me is when he’s hungry or needs a rubbing. He spends a lot of time sleeping on the keyboard or in the chair with me sitting on the edge of the chair.

What's your favorite part of being a writer?

Creating a new world and peopling it with characters larger than life.

What's the thing you wish you could hire someone else to do or wish you didn't have to do as a writer?

I hate editing my manuscripts. That’s what editors are for.

Do you use any special software to write? Voice to text? Audio edits? etc.

Nope, I use my head, fingers, a keyboard, and electricity. It works out most times.

What advice would you give a new writer?

Read, read, read. Write a first draft non stop.

Write a second draft out loud and have someone go over it.

Keep rewriting it until it’s tight, consistent, and believable.

Have an editor go through it with a fine tooth comb.

What are your writing goals? Where do you want to be in a year? Five years?

Finish my series and start another one.

My first book becomes nationally and internationally known.

Making money so that I can quit one of day jobs.

Do you belong to a crit group or other writing group? How helpful do you find it?

Nope, don’t have the time to crit other people’s work. I often found that most writers are insecure, and don’t want their manuscripts gone over and told what’s wrong with them. I’ve learned how to handle that problem. I leave the room when my editor starts in and I don’t come back until they’re finished.

What online lists or forums are your favorites?

Don’t have any at this time.

What book, if you have written several books, is your favorite and why?

The Anna Mae Mysteries: The Golden Treasure. It’s for girls who need to know that they’re okay the way they are. It’s the rest of the world that’s out of whack.

Which of your own characters would you like to meet in real life, and what would you do?

Anna Mae Botts, she reminds me of me.

Zora Kingsley, she reminds me of my grandmother who took out a bag snatcher in downtown New York City. My grandmother almost clubbed the purse snatcher to death with her pearl handled cane. The police had to restrain and drag her away from the poor slob who was unconscious and lying face down on the concrete.

Do you prefer to think of yourself as a hero/heroine or villain/villainess and why?

I prefer to think of myself as all of the above. It’s harder writing a hero/heroine because no one is that perfect – that good. Villains and Villainesses, I like better because they’re more rounded in their beliefs and emotions. They are who they are, and they’re not about to change just because the status quo doesn’t approve or like them.

If you could have one magical power, what would it be and why?

To heal myself so that I could go on writing books without chronic pain.

If you were the overlord of the world, what would your first decree be?

Adults treat their children with love and respect because once upon a time parents were in the same position as their children now are.

Give us your backlist... with all publishers...

Don’t have much of a backlist.

“Sacred Honor” I’m waiting for it to get out of print so I can place it with another publisher.

“Teenagers! A Bewildered Parent’s Guide” out of print. The publisher went out of business in 1998 because Atrium went bankrupt and took out this publisher.

Tell us about releases you expect within the next year...

I’m working on the second book of The Anna Mae Mystery series: Solomon’s Ark.

The Black Hat Society – young adult psychological thriller

Vampire Turf Wars – young adult vampire story set in South America.

Tell us about your current release...

Three ‘tween sneaker-toed sleuths find Jefferson Davis’ lost gold with help from a disembodied Black fist and divining rods.

http://www.amazon.com/Anna-Mae-Mysteries-Golden-Treasure/dp/1932993983/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228602025&sr=8-1

Give us your URLs (web site, MySpace, Facebook, blog, etc.)

http://lilliancauldwell.homestead.com/radioshow.html

UPDATE Tis The Season!

Tis the season! Unfortunately, in addition to all of the craziness of holidays, it seems everyone is having a horrific season health-wise. A lot of my friends have lost relatives or nearly done so. I've been off line quite a bit, because my SIL was in the hospital for open heart surgery. So, it's time to play catch-up!

I had a great interview post with Biblio Paradise...and another over at Paperback Diva. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

In addition, I was a guest blogger over at Oh, Get A Grip and at Star-Crossed Romance! At Get A Grip, I was talking about Stereotypes and Archetypes. At Star-Crossed, I was talking about the appeal of paranormal romances.

I'm anticipating edits on CLOSE ENOUGH TO HUMAN this week from LooseID. And, I should have cover art for THREE WISHES and UNDEAD EMBRACE from UTM within the next few weeks. Can't wait to show them off.

TYGERS has released (10 days early!) from UTM in e-book. The print release is slated for Feb 2009.

Happy holidays and may your family have a safe and prosperous new year!

Brenna

WIN BIG with IWOFA this holiday season

Where would authors be without readers? The holiday season being one of fun, friends, family and being thankful for what we have, IWOFA (Infinite Worlds of Fantasy Authors) is giving something back to the readers we love!

Join us from Dec 15th through Dec 31st for the IWOFA Holiday Contest, one of four yearly contests IWOFA will be holding. Sponsored by 73 of the more than 300 IWOFA authors, the scavenger hunt is split into three sections, to appeal to the tastes of all spec fic/paranormal readers. Sweet Cocoa is for straight genre, sweet romance and YA books. Spiced Cider is for traditional to sensual cross-genre romance books. Hot Toddy is for erotic romance and erotica cross-genre books. Entrants can enter only their favorites or for all three. The choice is up to you.

The prizes are as varied as the styles of the sponsoring authors. From t-shirts and bath items through Celtic goodies, stuffed animals, jewelry, and a fluted ivory vase, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The authors are offering a sum total of 89 books valued at more than $600, four gift certificates, not to mention the grand prize of three $100 gift certificates.

Rules for entry can be found at this link! Good luck and happy holidays from the authors of IWOFA.

More AWARD news

The REC is a reader-voted award. Many of the usual suspects were nominated and took awards.

For instance, Sherrilyn Kenyon took best erotic paranormal author of the year, best erotic (I know...she's sensual, but this year, there was no sensual in REC, so people were nominating sensual authors and books in erotic, and we all sort of rolled with it) paranormal novel of the year, best erotic paranormal female character, and best erotic paranormal male character. You can probably guess that the male character and novel were for Acheron. The best female, which I personally agree with, was for Xephera.

Back to the subject... So, Sherrilyn took four. Christine Feehan took one (best erotic romance paranomral seduction scene for Nicholas and Lara in Dark Curse).

I took one! In THAT kind of company, I took best erotic romance paranormal sex scene for Ondrea and Kieran from FATES MAGIC!

In addition, I came in a close second in several categories, but considering who won, I'm not ashamed at all to lose to these people!

I'm not sure if there's an icon for the award. If there is, I'll post it later.

Brenna

2009 EPPIE FINALISTS announced

Announcing the
2009 EPPIE FINALISTS

Permission is hereby granted by EPIC to all Award Winners, Artists, Authors, and their publishers to use the above graphics on any website, marketing, and promotional material.

The Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC) is proud to present the 9th annual EPPIE Awards. These awards, which honor the finest electronically published books of the year, will be presented at the EPPIE Banquet during EPICon 2009.

Category 1 - Action/Adventure

• Beneath the Surface by Suzanne Perazzini—Wild Child Publishing



• Hollywood Havoc: The Trouble With Fat Boy by John Klawitter—Double Dragon Publishing



• Mogollon Rim: Seeds of Destruction by Darrell Bain—Twilight Times Books



• The Red Dragon by Clifford Gissell—Whiskey Creek Press

Category 2 - Anthology - Complete (Fiction)

• Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad by Danielle Ackley-McPhail (Senior Editor), James Chambers, Bernie Mojzes, Trisha Wooldridge, Christy Tohara, C.S. Haviland , L. Jagi Lamplighter, Elaine Corvidae, Den C. Wilson, Skyla Dawn Cameron, Lorne Dixon, Steven Earl Yoder, CJ Henderson, Brian Koscienski, Chris Pisano, Lee C. Hillman, James Daniel Ross, Steven Mangold, Jason Franks, Phil Brucato, John Passarella, Jeff Lyman—Marietta Publishing



• The Veil and Other Tales by Chris Neeley—Forbidden Publications



• The Vernal Equinox of Death and Kisses by Antonio Hopson—SynergEbooks, Publisher

Category 3 - Anthology – Complete (Non-Fiction)

• Inside Scoop: Articles about Acting and Writing by Hollywood Insiders and Published Authors by Marilyn Peake, Editor (contributors: John Klawitter, Geoff Nelder, Sara Reinke, Rachel DeFriez, Larriane Wills, Michael J. Wallach, Michael A. Ventrella, Kenneth Dolin, Jo Kelly, Sue Thurman, Lincoln D. Bandlow, K.L.Nappier, Lee Barwood, J. Richard Jacobs)—Double Dragon Publishing



• Nothing But Red by Skyla Dawn Cameron, Editor—Lulu

Category 4 - Anthology - Complete (Romance/Erotica)

• EcoErotica by Selena Kitt, Editor—eXcessica Publishing



• In Deep Waters 2: Cruising the Strip by Radclyfe and Karin Kallmaker, Editor—Bold Stroke Books



• Mischief in Moonstone Series by Christine DeSmet—Whiskey Creek Press, Publisher



• Sexual Deceptions by Brenda Williams and Rayne Forrest—Whiskey Creek Press, Publisher



• Three's Company by Angela James, Editor, Lorelei James, Jess Dee, Jayne Rylon—Samhain Publishing

Category 5 - Anthology - Single Title Story/Novella

• Busybodies and Dead Diamonds by C. J. Winters—Hard Shell Word Factory



• Sonata's Story by Christie Shary—Whiskey Creek Press



• Summersong by Sheri l. McGathy—Double Dragon Publishing

Category 7 - Anthology - Single Title Story/Novella (Romance/Erotica)

• If All The Sand Were Pearl by Pepper Espinoza—Samhain Publishing



• Moor Love by Carol Lynne—Total-e-Bound Publishing



• No Fear In Love by Jamie Craig—Samhain Publishing



• Oh My God by Ashlyn Chase—Total-e-Bound Publishing



• The Fire God's Woman by Brenna Lyons—Phaze Books



• Walk Among Us by Vivien Dean—Samhain Publishing

Category 8 - Children/Young Adult

• Moonlight Dancer by Mona Ingram—Wild Rose Press



• Rainbow Sheep by Kim Chatel—Guardian Angel Publishing



• Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery by Christine Verstraete—Echelon Press: Quake

Category 9 - Contemporary Romance

• Codename: Romeo by Kathryn Attalla—Freya's Bower



• Love with a Welcome Stranger by Lynnette Baughman—Wild Rose Press



• One Night in Memphis by Allie Boniface—Samhain Publishing



• Southern Exposure by Kimberley Dehn—Wings ePress



• The Seduction of Shamus O'Rourke by N. J. Walters—Samhain Publishing

Category 10 - Contemporary Erotic Romance

• Erotic Research by Mari Carr—Samhain Publishing



• July Vintage by Jamie Craig—Amber Quill Press



• One For The Team by Jet Mykles—Loose-Id



• Teaching Molly by Desiree Holt—Ellora's Cave Romantica



• The Flavor of Summer by Lyra Marlowe—Loose-Id



• Til Death Do We Part by Madison Layle and Anna Leigh Keaton—Cobblestone Press



• Winds of Fortune by Radclyffe—Bold Strokes Book

Category 11 - Erotica

• A Good Student by Elliot Mabeuse—eXcessica Publishing



• Oh Yum! Impulsive Pleasures by KyAnn Waters—Ellora's Cave Romantica



• Teddi Turns On by Sloane Taylor—Aspen Mountain Press

Category 12 - Fantasy

• Bloodlines by Skyla Dawn Cameron—Mundania Press LLC



• Eagle of the Kingdom by Joanne Hall—epress-online



• Tarbaby Trouble by Phoebe Matthews—BookStrand



• The Dragonslayer's Sword by Resa Nelson—Mundania Press LLC



• Willing Sacrifice by Gloria Oliver—Zumaya Publications

Category 13 - Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

• Final Words by Teri Thackston—Cerridwen Press



• Sherwood Charade by Mimi Riser—Amber Quill Press



• The Gelidus Factor by Patricia Otto—Cerridwen Press



• Welcome to Mudflat, Baby by Phoebe Matthews—BookStrand

Category 14 - Fantasy/Paranormal Erotic Romance

• A Wolf At Her Door by Kate Willoughby—Ellora's Cave



• Animal Attraction by Paige Tyler—Whiskey Creek Press



• Curses by Cindy Spencer Pape—Wild Rose Press



• Dangerous by Monica Burns—Samhain Publishing



• Eternal Brothers by N. J. Walters—Ellora's Cave



• Jackie and the Beanstalk by Jacqueline Meadows—Ellora's Cave



• Mercy of These Bones by Vivien Dean—Liquid Silver Books



• Mosaic Moon by Jamie Craig—Amber Quill



• Nature's Pentacle by Eden Rivers—Loose-Id

Category 15 - GLBT

• A Spirit of Vengeance by Angela Benedetti—Torquere Press



• Beyond the Reef by A.J. Llewellyn—eXtasy Books



• Orientation by Rick R. Reed—Amber Quill Press



• Phoenix Rising by Kimberly Gardner—MLR Press



• Strictly Business by Cat Grant—Lyrical Press



• Tabula Rasa by Tory Temple—Torquere Press: Top Shelf



• Tinder by Tory Temple—Torquere Press: Screwdrivers

Category 16 - Historical/Western Fiction

• Gold, a Tale of the California Gold Rush by Steve Bartholomew—epress-online



• Saving Mattie by Phil Dunlap—Sundowners and Mountain View Publishing



• The Goodbye Trail by Del Garrett—Whiskey Creek Press



• Tomorrow's Promise: Survival on the Plains by D.L. Rogers—Awe-Struck E-Books

Category 17 - Historical/Western Romance

• Draegon's Lair by Linda Ciletti—Wings ePress



• Kentucky Green by Terry Irene Blain—Wings ePress



• Silverhills by Sandra Cox—Cerridwen Press



• Song of My Heart by Barbara Baldwin—Samhain Publishing



• Sweet Serenity by Catherine Stang—Whiskey Creek Press

Category 18 - Historical/Western Erotic Romance

• Mirage by Monica Burns—Samhain Publishing



• Stealing Northe by Jamie Craig—Amber Quill Press



• Stealing West by Jamie Craig—Amber Quill Press

Category 19 - Horror

• Death Masks by Kim Richards—Eternal Press



• Pit-Stop by Ben Larken—LL-Publications

Category 20 - Inspirational Fiction

• Joshua's Hope by Carol Ann Erhardt—Wild Rose Press



• Shadow of the Soul by Sylvia Rochester—Wings ePress



• The Keeper's Promise by Penelope Marzec—Awe-Struck E-Books

Category 21 - Mystery/Suspense

• High Risk by Rick R. Reed—Amber Quill Press



• Just Add Trouble by Jinx Schwartz—Treble Heart Books: WhoooDoo Mysteries



• One Too Many by Marie-Nicole Ryan—Samhain Publishing



• Ready for the Defense by Mike Langan—Treble Heart Books: WhoooDoo Mysteries

Category 22 - Mystery/Suspense/Horror Romance

• Candy, Corpses and Classified Ads by J L Wilson—Wild Rose Press



• Chasing Shadows by Erin Richards—Cerridwen Press



• Deception by Sharon Cullen—Samhain Publishing



• Hot Shot by M.J. Fredrick—Samhain Publishing



• Just a Memory by Lois Carroll—Echelon Press

Category 23 - Mystery/Suspense/Horror Erotic

• Dominion by Jamie Craig—Amber Quill Press



• If Not For You by J L Wilson—Cerridwen Press



• Jackson's Jewel by N. J. Walters—Ellora's Cave Romantica

Category 24 - Non-Fiction, General

• Dog: Pure Awareness by Margot Lashe—Twilight Times Books



• Tinsel Wilderness by John Klawitter—Double Dragon Publishing

Category 25 - Non-Fiction, Self-Help

• A Core Curriculum for Creative Writing by Barri Bryan—Whiskey Creek Press



• The Curse of the Manuscript Eating Slushpile Monster by Cindy Appel—Uncial Press



• The Power of Promotional Groups by Karen Wiesner—Twilight Times Books



• The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing by Mayra Calvani—Twilight Times Books

Category 26 - Poetry

• Burnt Coffee by Larry Rochelle—AuthorsDen



• New and Easy Poems by John Blandly—SynergEbooks



• Rollicking Anthropomorphisms and Other Observations on the Human Condition by Richard Satterlie—Whiskey Creek Press

Category 27 - Science Fiction

• Blade Dancer by K M Tolan—Champagne Books



• Hobson's Planet by John Paulits—Wings ePress



• The Infinite Instant by Danielle L. Parker—Lachesis Publishing

Category 28 - Science Fiction/Futuristic Romance

• A Greater Art by Ainsley Davidson—Amira Press



• Game Time by Mary Ann Chulick—Cerridwen Press



• Prophesied by Liz Craven—Samhain Publishing



• Undercover Alien by Barbara Romo—Crescent Moon Press

Category 29 - Science Fiction/Futuristic Erotic Romance

• Desperate Alliance by Robie Madison—Ellora's Cave



• In Service by Mima—Loose-Id



• Law's Deliverance by Melany Logen—Loose-Id

Category 30 - Single Story - Mainstream

• Embezzled Love by Ginger Simpson—LBF Books



• Glory Girls by Linda Bleser—Cerridwen Press



• Over The Wall by Trisha FitzGerald-Petri—Wings ePress

Internal Art!

I love, love, LOVE my UTM books with the internal art. Now, TYGERS doesn't have the hand-drawn art that the Forbidden Love anthologies did, but it has some great internal pieces, and Sam Pray and I have a fabulous time working together on art.


This is one that Sam made of a secondary character named Kyle. If you look very closely, you'll see the tiger reflection in his uncovered eye.


I originally made this oil painting adaptation of a tiger for the book page on my site, but lo and behold, it and two others I created ended up in the book as gray scale additions to the art Sam made.

WIN BIG THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Since we have so many paranormal readers in here...

http://www.romancingthewolf.com/contests.html
From Dec 1 through 21, the Paranormal Christmas Scavenger Hunt will be going on. Three lucky winners will be gifted baskets of goodies (including paranormal books) cobbled together from the 24 participating authors. To play, all you have to do is visit the participating authors' sites and find the contest icon there, then send the full list of URLs/pages that the icons are on for each author to the contest address! Only where not prohibited by law, of course.

And stand by to win even more in the IWOFA contest. From Dec 15-31, Infinite Worlds of Fantasy Authors will be running a slightly different scavenger hunt. Each author will have icons that mark the pages containing answers to trivia questions. Find the icons, answer the questions and be entered to win big!

Happy Holidays!
Brenna

MEGA NEWS DAY!

Everything is going right today, and that's a good feeling! So, what news do I have?

It's lucky #7, or so I hope! That's right, I've finaled for EPPIE again this year. "The Fire God's Woman" from COMING TOGETHER: UNDER FIRE is a 2009 EPPIE finalist in the Anthology: Single Title Story Romance/Erotica category. That means I've finaled for 7 EPPIES in 6 categories and in 5 years. Will I finally take the trophy this year? Only time will tell!

Newest release out? TYGERS, book one of the Renegades series is out in e-book from Under The Moon. TYGERS will be coming in print for the first time in Feb 2009!

writing contest for kids and EPIC news

EPIC runs the New Voices contest every year. They are looking for judges and entrants for this year's contest. You can find the judges' form at this link

Here is the basic information... It's for middle school and high school students worldwide, writing in English language. There's no entry fee. The kids win prizes that EPIC and EPIC members underwrite. Every entry gets feedback from the three first-round judges, and finalists get additional feedback from the final round judges. The entries are short...no more than 1000 words of fiction or non-fiction or 30 lines of poetry for the high schoolers, and middle school limits are less, so you can whip out scoring them in short order. Published authors, editors, publishers, teachers and librarians are welcome to judge. NO unpublished authors judging, please, unless you are a publisher/editor, teacher or librarian. And, you do your part to encourage kids to write and read. Karma points and all.

Other EPIC notes? EPPIE finalists will be announced Dec 1. ARIANA/DIRK cover art contest closes for entries at midnight EST tomorrow, Nov 22nd. ARIANA/DIRK winners will be announced Dec 15th. Find out more about the contests at the EPIC site.

EPICon is open for reservations!

Please, feel free to pass any and all of the information above!

Brenna