28 September 2009

JUST RELEASED- excerpt NEVERMORE




In the mood for some Halloween-type reading? Try the Raven Heat Sheets from Phaze, including...


Nevermore- In a world where vampires, werewolves, and zombies haunt the night, no one is more revered than a mistress-level witch. Traia is just such a woman, but suddenly she's not the hunter. Instead she's hunted by a werewolf who inexplicably passes through her wards and shields, a man who nullifies her magick. If he finds her, he'll rip her throat out...or will he? Though her resistance to his advances enflames him, it seems he's more lover than fighter.

HEA-yes, VIOLENCE-moderate, LANGUAGE-moderate, SEX-erotic...BDSM overtones, consensual sex

To purchase NEVERMORE from Phaze...in e-book...

Cover art created by Skyla Dawn Cameron



Traia sat before the fire, fuming that she’d been reduced to this. She was a witch. A witch! She was supposed to be smart. At the very least, she was supposed to be more powerful than her adversaries were, than the pathetic creatures that skulked in the darkness.

How a pointed-eared, shape-shifting mutt had tricked her in the first place was a mystery. His getting a hook in her soul was unbelievable. Traia was hardly a dabbler or even a journeywoman. Far from it.

She was Mistress Traia, strong in the natural magicks and learned in spells of protection and healing. People traveled days to barter for her aid. Those who were in great need paid modestly for what they sought. Those who asked for the frivolous or foolish paid more than they could afford as a lesson.

If she failed tonight, those days were over. All she had to do was keep the stinking werewolf away from her...or kill him.

For some reason she couldn’t name, the thought of killing him sent a completely unwarranted pain through her. It wasn’t right to feel this way. If he reached her again, her wards were useless.

“He’ll rip my throat out.” Traia pressed a hand to it, abruptly nauseated. Losing her livelihood would be bad enough. Losing her life was decidedly worse.

And what werewolf wouldn’t kill a witch who knew what he was? None that she’d heard of.

* * * *

Galen watched the cottage from the tree line, his palms sweating at what he was about to attempt. Of all the women to set off his mating instincts, the usually fair and kind Goddess had cursed him with a witch.

What did I do to deserve this one? He tried to live a good life, despite his cursed birth. Galen wasn’t a nomad like most of his kind. He didn’t kill farmers’ stock and deprive the innocent of their livelihood. But he’d obviously gone wrong somehow.

“Badly wrong,” he muttered.

His shoulder ached in a stark reminder that Traia would doubtless try to kill him again, given the chance to. It had taken several weeks to heal the wound that would have killed any human man.

Had he been any slower, or Traia’s aim been true, Galen wouldn’t have needed the reminder. Instead, he would be the occupant of a shallow grave, laden with monkshood and witches’ potions to guarantee his descent into hell. Still, he couldn't help wondering if Traia’s aim was so bad or if her heart hadn’t been in the attack.

There was only one way to solve this. He would have to go to her. Either the night would end with Traia as his mate, or Galen would be dead by her hand. With his instincts raging, Galen couldn’t walk away. Nor could he harm her.

He could, however, seduce her again, if she gave him the chance to do so. Just the thought of it had him hard in anticipation. It was a certain wager that Traia wouldn’t submit without a fight, and a buck in the mating cycle loved nothing more than a challenge.

The tickle of the near-full moon on his neck reminded Galen that it was time to claim his mate. “Or die trying,” he reminded himself. That was a disheartening thought, but it was accurate. There was a good reason bucks avoided the chance of scenting a mate.

Galen ambled to the border of her circle of power, shivering at the tingle of her wards and shields against his skin. They were stronger now, but by the decree of the Goddess Herself, they could not keep him from what was his own.



22 September 2009

NEW CONTEST

Contest time! Become a fan of my Facebook page and e-mail me to let me know by Sept 30th... Existing fans can just e-mail me, since you're already fans, and in my contests, nobody gets left behind. Winner gets signed print copies of the entire Renegades series (TYGERS, Renegade's Run,... and Max Sec)! e-Mail to brennalyons(at)comcast(dot)net and put FACEBOOK CONTEST in the subject line. Happy reading!

The lowest of the low

You know, I USED to think pirates selling copies of my free reads was the lowest of the low in the world of e-piracy. I would give a gift to my readers, and some jerk would try to make money off of it and cheat my readers, in the process.

I've found a new "lowest of the low." These people are bottom feeders. They don't care who they hurt, who they cheat. Let me explain what I mean.

Some of you probably know that I do a lot of charity anthologies, most but not all the Coming Together anthologies. Some of you are cringing already, and you're right to. I felt the bile rising in my throat, when I saw this one.

Alessia Brio, editor of the CT anthologies, found them being pirated on one notable pirate site. Her reply was a real class act, IMO. It probably won't make any difference to these people, because they have little or no shame about anything they do. My only hope is that one of the few pirates who really don't know they're doing wrong will see it and realize that there are very real consequences to pirating books.

I figure the site will erase the comment sometime today. In case you can't see it at the link, I'll quote it on here...just for posterity, because this was the perfect answer, IMO.

It takes a special breed of asshole to even attempt to pirate a charity anthology.

Violating copyright & stealing from authors, editors, artists, and publishers is one thing. It's both illegal & unethical. Stealing from a charity? There's a special hell for that.

Go Alessia! Whether it does any good or not, it made my day.

18 September 2009

Petition for authors, artists, and musicians!

Are you an author, artist, or musician who lives and/or publishes in the US? Are you concerned about piracy? If so, consider signing Copyright Alliance's letter to President Obama and VP Biden. Let them know we care about our IP rights and need their help to protect them when new legislation comes up!

Copyright Alliance is hoping for 500 signatures in the next week. We can do better than that. Can't we?

Brenna

17 September 2009

SUBMISSION CALL- Charity Anthology- Fantasy


This call comes from Karen Woods of Sleeping Beagle Books. Over the last few years, both she and I have lost several friends to pancreatic cancer. For that reason, Karen has decided to fight back. How do authors and publishers do that? They commit to a charity anthology (or more than one, if she gets enough submissions for them) titled FORSWORN. No one (save the distribution channels) will be taking a cut of this. Authors and cover artists will be donating, and as publisher, she's donating her portion as well.

What is she looking for? Fantasy stories between 5,000 and 10,000 words in length, dealing (at least loosely) with the consequences of being dishonest. It's not as hard as it sounds, since many disagreements and internal struggles come down to people being dishonest with themselves or someone else. All manner of fantasy is welcome EXCEPT fantasy erotic romance and fantasy erotica. Reprints are welcome, as long as you have rights back.

The rights are non-exclusive. The book/s will release in e-book (anthologies AND stand-alone stories) and print, via Amazon. It is a lifetime plus copyright agreement, but with non-exclusive, you can use the story later for your own purposes. Not to mention you'll be getting exposure for your work and supporting a great cause!

Additional details can be found at Sleeping Beagle Books. You can reach Karen directly at forswornanthology@gmail.com.

Brenna

16 September 2009

New contracts!

I'm still on a roll. Last month, I signed five new contracts. This month, I've signed another two so far. 2010's schedule is really starting to fill up for me!

The newest two are contracts for the novelettes "The Master's Lover" (Star Mages series) and "Marked" (cyborg erotic romance). The works are already available in print in the UTM Forbidden Love Anthologies (Sacred Bands and Wicked Women, respectively), but I like having my works available in both print and e, when I can.

For those who aren't familiar with these stories...

MARKED- Money clips and microchips...that’s what little boys are made of. Lace and flair and grave malware...that’s what little girls are made of. Who knew a fatal crash could feel so good?

HEA-yes, VIOLENCE-mild, LANGUAGE-graphic, SEX-erotic

Releasing in e-book from Phaze Feb 1st, 2010.

The Master's Lover- Mages' Law states that a Star Mage must reproduce, if he is able. King's Law allows a mage any sexual partners he wishes. The life of a male mage who prefers the company of other men on the sheets is far from easy, but what starts as a hard lesson in survival, ends up as a hard lesson of another sort. My first M/M story, it explores how a Star Mage survives breaking with Mages' Law on the subject of sexuality.

HEA-yes, VIOLENCE-extreme, LANGUAGE-moderate, SEX-erotic- CONTENT NOTE: M/M

Releasing in e-book from Phaze March 22nd, 2010.

15 September 2009

New Art and Winning My Books!

I love it when I get new art, especially really great-looking art. Debi Lewis over at Phaze has done it again. This time, she made the covers for my first two Bride Ball books (Bride Ball and Bride Ball II: Poison, Lies, and No-Win Choices).


Now...how do you win books? It's really not difficult. Go to Long And Short Reviews and find out what today's question is. Then go to the Whipped Cream blog, read my daily post, comment if you want, and answer the question back at LASR to be entered to win a PDF copy of a backlist title from me. There will be a new question and blog post every weekday, so you'll have five chances to win this week! Don't miss out.

07 September 2009

WHAT stopped you from writing all day?

You know... We hear all sorts of things that interrupt our writing flow. The phone won't stop ringing. The kids get sick. You get sick, for that matter. Appointments. Meetings... I've got to say I've encountered a new one.

I took most of the day off yesterday to take the kids to the local amusement park. And I got stung by a yellow jacket...an inch or so in from the span between thumb and forefinger.

I iced it down then went to the first aid station for ibuprofen. They also gave me lidocane wipes to dull the pain that didn't work worth squat. Well, they did, sort of. They numbed the fingers on the opposite hand that were pressing on the wipes. They didn't seem to have any effect on the sting, at all.

I managed to do the day at the park, though my hand swelled so markedly that I couldn't make a fist and the ring I wear on my middle finger wouldn't fit on my pinky. I couldn't hold a piece of paper, let alone a pen, and pressure on my fingertips was excruciating. So, I got no writing done when I got home from the park. Why does this sound like "The dog ate my homework?"

I did learn some fun facts about myself. I always knew I was moderately ambidextrous, though I don't write left-handed unless I have to. I always knew I could eat with either hand (use the fork and spoon and such). Until I injured my hand yesterday, I never knew I could skeeball as effectively with my left as I could with my right. Pumping fist in the air. Yeah...I can finally make one.

04 September 2009

SALES ON BOOKS THIS WEEKEND

Phaze is having a Labor Day sale on Sunday and Monday only, 20% off e and print. The checkout code to use is HARDLABOR. http://phaze.com

LooseId is having a sale. From the 3rd to the 6th, they are offering 5% off all e-books purchased. No gimmicks. No codes. Just buy and save. http:// www.loose-id.com


Happy reading!

SALES ON BOOKS THIS WEEKEND

Phaze is having a Labor Day sale on Sunday and Monday only, 20% off e and print. The checkout code to use is HARDLABOR. http://phaze.com

LooseId is having a sale. From the 3rd to the 6th, they are offering 5% off all e-books purchased. No gimmicks. No codes. Just buy and save. http:// www.loose-id.com

Happy reading!

03 September 2009

Won't you come out and play...

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, literally. Okay, I can't help myself. I was on Mr. Roger's once, when I was a kid. I've met a couple of the characters. Can't help it when you're from Pittsburgh, I guess.

It's a great day. I feel like I'm in the song DEAR PRUDENCE. The sun is up. The sky is blue. It's beautiful! And writing is going very well, which isn't in the song, of course.

Or...maybe I've just watched the movie ACROSS THE UNIVERSE too many times in the last week. Nah...no such thing. I could never get tired of that movie. If you haven't seen it, do.

What's so great? For one thing, I've signed five contracts in the month of August. In addition to the contract for the Christmas story at LooseId I signed in July (ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU), in August, I've signed "Foundling" from the Instinct series to COMING TOGETHER: INTO THE LIGHT (coming from Phaze), "Mine for the Night" to COUGARS (coming from Logical-Lust, edited by the fabulous Jolie duPre), the first two Bride Ball stories (BRIDE BALL and POISON, LIES, AND NO-WIN CHOICES) to Phaze and the first of the Fire and Ice series to Phaze (MAGMON'S HUNGER).

Along with new contracts comes new release dates. It looks like I'll have four releases or so this month: WRITTEN IN THE STARS (Star Mages series) from Mundania Press, the print versions of RENEGADE'S RUN (Renegades series) and UNDEAD UNDERWAY (Undead In Blue series) from Under The Moon, and NEVERMORE from Phaze.

And the next year is starting to fill in. In October, you can look forward to the print release of MAX SEC (Renegades series) from Under The Moon. In November, VERIEL'S TALES II: LOSING REGANA (Night Warriors series) from Phaze. In December, ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU from LooseId. In January, BRIDE BALL from Phaze. In February, COUGAR from Logical-Lust. In March, POISON, LIES, AND NO-WIN CHOICES (Bride Ball series) from Phaze. And in May, MAGMON'S HUNGER from Phaze.

That's the way the schedule grows for me. All told, it looks to be another big year of releases coming up. In addition to the four with firm release dates in 2010, I may have as many as another 8 or so releases next year.

Last but not least, I just got a great review from Night Owl Romance. Samantha Ann gave VERIEL'S TALES I: CROSSBEARER TURNED 4.75 hearts and named it a Reviewer's Top Pick. She says: "
I’ve been a Swordchaser for a long time and I’m really glad to see this series being released again. These books are filled with characters you can’t help but love, or hate, and will want to revisit regularly. There is passion, intrigue, and just plain old fun wrapped into every exploit as you are pulled into the universe of the Night Warriors." You can read the full review at the following link.