The Quest for 1,000,000 Words - Crushed It! Now what?

Last week, I hit the goal I set out for myself in January: to hit 1,000,000 words written. Now I'm looking toward the next year. Without goals, how do you measure success? How do you know what to shoot for?

Sometimes to look forward, you have to look back. To make goals for next year, you need to look at your accomplishments for this year so you can build on them.

For me, this year has been a blend of frustration and achievement. Frustrating because I'd put myself way behind in 2013 by running a lot of promotion and one huge blog tour. This killed my writing production, which carried over into the first half of this year. What I learned from that is to do a much better job planning and organizing promotion, and to ensure I always put writing first. After all, I'm a writer. I should be writing at least as much as I'm promoting. 

Year In Review

Once I recovered from my promotional misstep and the ensuing stress it caused, I got back on track. I spent a lot of time completely shut off from social media. In February, inspired by the Olympics, I plunked out a 60,000-word novel called Finding Lacey Moon in two weeks. That novel is now in the hands of my editor and slated for a February 9, 2015, release. Finding Lacey Moon is a winter story, so it made sense to hold it through the summer. I'm glad I did. During editing, I rewrote half the book, and my toughest beta reader, who was lukewarm with the first version, said that she absolutely adored the new version. This was the first time she didn't have any feedback to improve the story, so I guess it's good.

After writing Finding Lacey Moon, I finished my AKM prequel, All the King's Men, which I published in April. Then I hunkered down on book one of the Strong Karma Trilogy, Good Karma. This 150,000-word novel had haunted me for two years and during two-and-a-half full rewrites, I think I wrote more than 600,000 words to get Good Karma to its final version.

The other challenge preventing me from finishing GK was that I kept putting it off so I could work on my All the King's Men Series. Good Karma finally forced me to shut down everything else so I could focus only on it. I hated stopping work on Bound Guardian Angel, which is the next AKM novel, but with the Strong Karma Trilogy taking up every single brain cell, nothing else could get through. My choice was to finish Good Karma, along with all the other Strong Karma books, or stop writing completely.

In August, Good Karma came out. Book two of the trilogy flew out of me at that point, and Coming Back To You was published in November. Both book have received rave reviews, for which I'm so grateful.

Then I took time out to rework an old novella called The Arms of Winter I got the rights back to. I added 40,000 words to the novella, turning it into a novel, and completely reworked the plot and the ending. This was the story as I'd always envisioned it, and I republished it under the new name Winter's Fire this month. 

Now, with the end of the year less than a week away, I just finished the first draft of Full Circle, the final book of the Strong Karma Trilogy, and have begun work on Bound Guardian Angel again. 

The Year Ahead

Now that I know where I've been, it's time to look toward where I'm going in 2015. 

I didn't spend a lot of energy and effort on promotion in 2014, because I needed to get back on track with my writing. This year, with the release of the much-anticipated Bound Guardian Angel, I am planning another massive blog tour. But instead of trying to coordinate it myself, I'm hiring three blog tour coordinators and will let them handle ninety percent of the coordination. This way I will still be able to hit my writing goals instead of focusing four months of energy on the tour.

With that said, I'm planning a new release every other month in 2015. Finding Lacey Moon comes out in February. Full Circle is projected for April. An All the King's Men omnibus is planned for release in June, and Bound Guardian Angel is currently slated for August, although I have vowed not to rush that book. If by some chance it's not ready, I won't release it. Trace's book is too important. Right now, I don't see any reason why it won't be ready, but I've recently been diagnosed with a tumor on my pituitary gland. I don't think the current treatment plan will negatively affect me too much, but if the treatment changes, my productivity could change, as well. We'll have to see. In October, I want to release the Strong Karma Series Companion, which will include some deleted scenes, and perhaps a novella and a handful of short stories. Lastly, I'm shooting for Severin's Muse to come out in December. 

Each of the projects scheduled for 2015 is already started, thanks to a very productive 2014, so hopefully that will bode well for each of them releasing on time. But now I need to get back to splitting my time with promoting my books. Thanks to a solid plan, I think I'll be able to make it work without losing my mind.

And Beyond

I've already started scheduling for 2016-2018, because in this business, you need to plan in advance to meet readers' and publishers' expectations. 

So, are you ready for a new year? Have you taken stock and looked ahead? If not, what are you waiting for? Time's a wastin'.

See you next year!

Hot Halloween Heroes Blog Hop!

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I like it better than Christmas. What other holiday allows you to dress up like your favorite character (or like a table and a lamp—yes, we had a trick-or-treater at our house a couple of years ago dressed as a table and a lamp. She was way cool.) and solicit everyone for candy? It's got to be a dentist's favorite holiday.

But there's more to love about Halloween than just the costumes, the carved pumpkins, and the treats, especially if you're a paranormal lover like I am, whether a reader or a writer. Vampires have come a long way since the days of Dracula pulling his cape around his face and whisking a damsel in distress into his coffin for a little one-on-one time that usually ended with two red dots on her neck. Nowadays, there are vampires like Wrath, Vishous, Vlad, and even my hot blood-sucking tamales from my award-winning All the King's Men Series, who make Dracula look like a pansy. These are alpha vampires with muscle, moxy, and attitudes bigger than Texas. They're also vampires with human-like problems to overcome. And we love a sexy vampire with problems, don't we? I know I do.

Today (October 29) is my birthday, and I want to celebrate it with my vampires while browsing through the other bloggers involved in this blog hop. The vampires I'm inviting as special guests to my birthday party are the hero and heroine of my new book, Return of the Assassin, book five in the AKM Series, which just released today. Malek and Gina have waited a long time for their story to be told, and I'm excited about adding their heart-wrenching love story to the mix alongside, Micah & Samantha, Severin & Arion, and Io & Miriam. Malek & Gina are two vampires who must overcome tragic, painful pasts if they are to find happiness, and I'm thrilled to have been able to tell their story in Return of the Assassin. I love me a good vampire story, don't you?

As part of the blog hop, I'm giving away a $10 Amazon gift card, as well as all five e-books in my AKM Series to one lucky winner:

1. Rise of the Fallen
2. Heart of the Warrior
3. Micah's Calling
4. Rebel Obsession
5. Return of the Assassin

Make sure you enter your email in the comments and answer the question: What do you like most about Halloween? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Return of the Assassin Now Available!

My latest book, Return of the Assassin, is now available, albeit three days earlier than anticipated. It was due to come out on Oct. 29, but for the first time ever, Barnes and Noble pulled the trigger finger faster than lightning to make the listing go live within five hours of my uploading it. So, ROTA went up everywhere as of last night.

The first eighteen hours of publication have been amazing, with the book ranking the highest of all my books within ten hours of initial upload to their site. Two five-star reviews have already been posted, and fan reaction has been incredible. Lots of tears (everyone I've asked so far said they cried while reading the book), and many have said already that this is the best book yet in the series. I'm blessed for that, because a lot of times, books in series become less interesting as the series ages. Five books in, and my readers say the books just keep getting stronger.

Reviews have been outstanding, including a fabulous GraveTells review that had this to say:

"If you've been waiting for the next Black Dagger Brotherhood, this is it, but with a story arc and featured characters that stand on their own merit and writing that is as complicated and talented as J.R. Ward's without the abrasive, almost gangster style. I dare you to read Return of the Assassin and remain completely unmoved by the events in this book. And to think, this series has so much potential awesome left to explore!"

I do get compared to J.R. Ward quite a bit, and I'll admit she's been influential in my writing. I love the multi-POV story lines, and I like brash banter, much like she does. So, I don't mind the comparisons. It's an honor to be compared to her.

Now it's time to turn my focus to the next book in the series, Bound Guardian Angel, which is Trace's much-anticipated story. With high expectations come increased odds that those expectations won't be met, so I have to work extra hard on this one to make it the epic story fans hunger for. But I think I can do it. With the draft already started, Trace's story promises to deliver a few interesting scenes of action I've never seen anywhere. I think readers will have to peel themselves off their ceilings after they read his story. We'll see.

But for now, let me introduce you to a few new characters you'll meet in Return of the Assassin:

Savill Hawke is introduced in Return of the Assassin as "just a boy," but as you can see, he will grow up to be quite a man. Savill is a musical prodigy and a half-blood vampire with gentle powers, despite his scary exterior. His story is tragic, and he will endure a lot of anguish once he recovers from the induced coma we find him in in ROTA. Consequently, and partly inspired by another character he meets when he awakes from his coma, he will cover himself in tattoos: cobras up both arms, scorpions on his chest, the devil on his torso, and possibly a black widow on his back. What he's been through will make him want to push everyone away, and the tattoos are part of the armor he'll use to meet that objective. (muse: DeAngelo Demonio)

Trevor Knight, a full-blooded vampire, is Gina's best friend. At one time, he dated her brother, Gabe. He was also romantically involved with his business partner, Talon Justice, who he started the Knights of Justice with. The Knights of Justice is a security detail in Miami that's similar to All the King's Men, only without the royal credentials. Trevor wants a mate. A true mate. One he forms a biological bond with. This is something he yearns for, and it's why he broke up with Talon, because that link never formed with Talon. He is loyal to his friends and deadly to his enemies, and he will go to great lengths to protect those he loves. (muse: Alejandro Corzo)

Kieran Teague a deadly half-blood vampire who possesses special powers that caused him to be "marked" and ostracized from his clan. Even though this pic doesn't show them, his chest, torso, back, and arms are covered in tattoos so black and dense, they look burned into his skin. These markings are warnings to others of how dangerous he is. But deep down, Kieran is a tender-hearted, misunderstood male. And he aches that his clan banished him. His markings shame him, and he carries a lot of guilt. Instead of hiding his tattoos, he readily shows them to push anyone away who dares to get too close. The pain of losing everyone he loved has made him wary of anyone who threatens to enter his heart, and he would rather chase them away than let them in, only to lose them later. (muse: Ivan Rusilko)

Accolades, Contests, and Awards - Oh My!

This has been an exciting year—and an exciting summer. Not only did sales of my All the King's Men Series take off in January like a horse out of the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby, but three of my AKM books won some awards and recognition that make me a proud momma.

Rise of the Fallen, book one in the series earned the following distinctions:

• Gold medalist in the 2012 eLit Awards in Erotic Fiction
• USA Today Recommended Read
• GraveTells Runner Up for Readers Choice Favorite Story - January 2013
• GraveTells Reviewer Top Pick for January 2013
• Finalist in Parajunkee's Best Adult Book 2012

Heart of the Warrior, book two in the series, and—surprisingly—the most popular book in the series also earned a nice honor, coming in second to Rise of the Fallen in the Erotic Fiction category to earn the silver medal in the eLit Awards...and that's pretty awesome since HOTW is a male/male romance, which don't usually fare well in contests geared more toward male/female romances.

The big surprise was Micah's Calling, which is book three in the series, as well as a novella that continues Micah's, Sam's, and Trace's story from Rise of the Fallen. Micah's Calling earned the followed award:

• Silver Medalist in the 2013 IPPYs for Best Romance/Erotica E-Book

The IPPYs are like the Grammy Awards for Independent Publishing, so to win an IPPY is an amazing honor! I'm so proud of my smexy vampires and their hot stories. 

Rebel Obsession, book four in the series, was released in January, and I plan on entering it into at least one contest, maybe two, but the reviews for RO have been some of the best in the series so far, which speaks volumes for how fans have enjoyed Io's story. We'll see if that translates into another win to keep the streak alive. 

Next up is Return of the Assassin, which is due out at the end of October. Even though ROTA isn't yet published, it already earned its first accolade. I found out Monday night that it's a finalist in the paranormal category for the RWA Heart of the West contest, which is hosted by the Utah chapter of the Romance Writers of America. This is huge, in my opinion. RWA is the epitome of romance writing, and to be a finalist in a chapter contest is an accomplishment in and of itself. The winners for all categories will be notified in mid-October, but even if I don't win, it's an honor to be a finalist, and the distinction has put my work in front of a literary agency. RWA contests are excellent ways to get in front of industry professionals. 

Now it's time to set my sites on the next goals: Another IPPY, another eLit Award, and an RWA Golden Heart. Maybe even a RITA. As I've said before, you've gotta have a goal. :) Those are mine.

If you're a fan of AKM, come and join my AKM readers group on Facebook for updates and fun chats. Also look up my fan page
.

Happy Reading!

Counting Blessings & An AKM Update

Really? It's February already? Where did January go?

2013 has already started off with a bang. A loud, very wild KABOOM! But in a good way.

Aside from having to dodge a couple of stalkers, January was an outstanding month. I released my fourth AKM book, Rebel Obsession, while simultaneously offering book one, Rise of the Fallen, as a free read.

Oh goodness! I can't describe how successful the free offering was. Best thing I think I could have done to celebrate the release of book four, because January was a record-breaking month. I sold more books in January than I did in all of 2012, and my final results amazed even me. Fan feedback was incredible, with my AKM boys pulling in hundreds of new fans, and Rise of the Fallen being voted by readers as their second favorite story for January on GraveTells, ahead of books by Lara Adrian and Kresley Cole. I'm one extremely grateful person right now for a lot of reasons, one of which is that I have a mountain of respect for Adrian and Cole, and I love their work, and for my little story to be voted so favorably by readers in a category of stories that included theirs is humbling and unfathomable. So, many thanks to those who have shown such love for Rise and all the other AKM books.

Additionally, book two of the AKM series, Heart of the Warrior, has won over a tremendous amout of first-time m/m romance readers, and the feedback from readers has been heartwarming. I have received so many comments about how a reader had never considered reading a m/m romance before, but Heart of the Warrior won them over. Readers love the raw emotion and love between the characters in Heart, and if I had a nickel for every reader who said they broke down in tears from the story (in a good way), I'd be rich. One reader actually told me Heart touched him on a very real, personal level, because Sev's and Ari's story reminded him of his own. That means so much to me to know that something I wrote touched someone in such a very personal way.

Furthermore, the initial feedback for Rebel Obsession has been outstanding. I've had several tell me that Rebel is the best of the series so far, with a few more saying that this story also brought them to tears. The pain of the characters seemed to touch readers on a deeper level than I thought it would. And who would have thought Io could redeem himself after the way he behaved in Heart of the Warrior? But, he did. And fans love him.

Lastly, the response to Rise of the Fallen carried over to Micah's Calling, the novella follow-up to Rise. MC was my #1 seller in January, which is simply amazing. I actually feel like MC is my weakest of the series, but fans have loved it. Just loved it.

Next up is Malek's book, Return of the Assassin, and I hope he continues the trend so that readers can once again cry and rejoice through his pain and eventual (hopefully) salvation.

And I know you're all waiting for Traceon's story, Bound Guardian Angel. He's on his way. His story comes after Malek's, and it's shaping up in my mind to be worth the wait. But something tells me that even after his story, we'll hear more from him. A lot more.

In addition to those two books, I'm also working on a four-part prequel, which will include a view into Tristan's and Josie's story, as well as a novella for Sev and Ari (yes, my hot m/m couple get a novella). Beyond that, there's lots more to come in the AKM world, with a sister series beginning to develop, as well as 5 more AKM books already in various stages of planning.

Happy reading and writing! And HAPPY 2013 TO ALL!

-D

Release Day At Last! Rebel Obsession Is Here! #BlogTour #Giveaway

I've been a busy author for the past week, getting my latest book ready for release.

Rebel Obsession is the third novel in my All the King's Men (AKM) series, and tells the story of the ill-reputed playboy, Io, as he finds himself lured out of his Casanova ways into uncharted territory: monogamy. As you can imagine, for Io to discard his womanizing lifestyle, which he was quite content living, takes a pretty special female. Enter the king's daughter, Miriam. She's one such female, and not because of her royal connection. Io was smitten with her even before learning she was the princess. Unfortunately, her father stands in their way of being together, and when a rebel like Io goes up against the king to stake a claim to his daughter, sparks will definitely fly. But it sure makes for an entertaining story as we follow along and see how Io will overcome the adversity King Bain represents to take what's his, Miriam.

Rebel was a labor of love, the hardest book I've written to date, but the one I feel the most proud of. This story morphed numerous times through about a dozen edits, partial rewrites, and proofs, finally closing up at 114,800 words. It's the longest book of the series by a mile, and it's chock-full of action, as well as a couple of juicy sub-plots. New enemies are introduced, and a couple of other new characters come into play who will play pivotal roles in future books.

A special thank you goes out to cover model, Zach Tesar, and photographer Joem Bayawa (Joem Bayawa Photography in Chicago). Between the two of them, they gave me the perfect Io for the cover of the book, and Zach captured Io's rebellious, protective essence brilliantly. You can find Zach on Facebook here: Zach Tesar. Joem Bayawa has an impressive portfolio on Facebook, and you can see all his shots of Zach and so many more fabulous models here: Joem Bayawa Photography. Many blessings and gratitude to them for helping make the cover of Rebel Obsession a fan favorite. Make sure to swing by and tell them hello when you get the chance.

I hope you enjoy my latest installment, but be sure to follow the blog tour (schedule below) for a chance to win a free copy of the book, along with some swag, and make sure to pick up copies of the other books in the series:

Book 1: Rise of the Fallen
Currently FREE!
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
All Romance ebooks








Book 2: Heart of the Warrior
$3.99
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
All Romance ebooks

Novella Supplement: Micah's Calling
$2.99
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
All Romance ebooks







Blog Tour Schedule

Jan. 2 - I Smell Sheep

Jan. 3 - Ramblings From This Chick

Jan. 4 - Romancing the Book

Jan. 5 - Close Encounters with the Night Kind

Jan. 6 - Bookworm 2 Bookworm

Jan. 7 - The Reading Café

Jan. 8 - United by Books

Jan. 9 - Sizzling Hot Books

Jan. 10 - Vampires, Werewolves & Faries..Oh My!

Jan. 11 - Reading Between The Wines

Jan. 12 - Pimpin' Reads

Jan. 13 - Book Monster Reviews

Enjoy!
-D

New Year's Resolution For All Writers - The Patient Edit

"I will never rush through an edit again. I will give my first draft a month to breathe, then edit it, then another month to breathe, then edit it again, and another month, and another edit. Then a final edit and a proof...unless it needs more edits. And I will be honest with myself and not accept my book as finished until I feel to the bottom of my soul that I can't make it any better. I will also encourage my beta readers to be brutally honest with me and not get upset with them. I will listen objectively to what they have to say and if they don't like something or think it's not working, I will take their critique seriously and look into the issue and make necessary changes to alleviate the problem they pointed out."

I've already made this resolution. I took this vow earlier this year, and I kid you not, once you go through this exercise once, as long as you're editing right and utilizing your critique group correctly (by encouraging them to absolutely shred your manuscript and be blunt-force honest down to the ugly, hard, no-holding-back-for-fear-of-hurting-your-feelings truth), you will NEVER go back to editing in a rush again.

[A word on beta readers: They are there to help you. If you argue with them and don't listen to their critique, they will stop being honest with you and will stop reading for you. They can see things you can't, because you are too close to your manuscript. They have distance, so they can see where the piece falls short better than you can. LISTEN to them, and DISCUSS with them, but do not argue with them. Make them feel a part of the process by trusting their judgment. If you do that, you will win their trust and their loyalty.]

Okay, that's my lecture on how to work with a beta group. :) Back to the resolution and why I am so passionate about encouraging other authors to make it:

Four months ago, I thought my latest AKM novel, Rebel Obsession, was ready. I set it aside for a two months and when I picked it back up to proof it, I was appalled at how flat areas of the story were, and how a few scenes didn't flow smoothly. So I edited it again and set it aside for about a month. In that month, I read a powerful book on Deep POV (I blogged about it). When I re-read Rebel Obsession again during the proof, I was flabbergasted at how passive the story still was. Using the techniques I learned in the book on Deep POV, I put the manuscript through an intensive final edit and shot it to my editor.

Instant success! Night and day difference. It took that fifth or sixth (I lost count) edit to FINALLY bring the story to life.

I am so unbelievably impressed now with how Rebel Obsession turned out. The editing phase on this one lasted over six months and went through so many edits, I lost track. It's not even the same book it was after the first draft was written. Hell, it's not even the same book as it was after the second edit. And I'm damn proud of it. The loose ends have been tied, the awkward areas have been eliminated, the mechanics have been cleaned up, the characters have been honed, etc. The story has come alive, and the characters have with it. And here I thought it was ready two months ago. Ha! Two more rounds of edits proved me wrong, making me a die-hard believer of the "patient edit," as I'm calling it.

So I encourage all writers to be patient and have faith in the editing process. Fully commit to it, and I promise, you'll never edit the old, fast way again. Oh, and never stop educating yourself on good writing. Read every book you can get your hands on pertaining to the crafts of writing and editing.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

-D

Rebel Obsession—The Cover! Yes, Io's Book is Almost Here!

My next novel in my All The King's Men series is due out in January, and it's time to unveil the cover and blurb on my blog! Woot!

Former cobalt addict and AKM drug counselor, Io is a male vampire known as much for his abrasive personality as for his playboy lifestyle. In other words, he's not the likeliest to make friends and settle down. Life on the edge suits him, and he lives full throttle, making his own rules, and damn the consequences. What he wants, he takes, and what he wants now is Miriam. If only he can find a way to see her again without getting himself killed, but her father stands in the way.

Miriam is the daughter of the king. Strong-willed and defiant, she feels like a prisoner in her own home and struggles to break free from under her father’s oppressive hold. The king’s law surrounding Miriam is explicitly clear: No one touches her. Period.

In a fit of rebellion, Miriam has turned to cobalt to find relief and freedom, but now she’s a prisoner to addiction as much as to her father’s strict control. What's more, she can’t get sexy Io, who tended to her so gently as she recovered from her first overdose, off her mind. Will she ever see him again?

When Miriam overdoses a second time, she and Io are thrust back together, and all bets are off. Seeing each other was the one thing both wanted, and not even the king’s laws and threats of punishment will be enough to defuse their rebellious obsession with one another now that they’ve found each other again, even if the consequences are death.

Author’s Note: As we follow along with Io and Miriam, new and old enemies begin to emerge, and we get a glimpse of their deranged plans for the vampire race. Traceon’s story continues to develop as new characters are introduced who have had, and will have, a profound effect on his life. As usual, Micah is a dominant force, because…well…it’s Micah. Need I say more? I hope you enjoy this new installment to my All the King's Men series, due out in January, 2013. –Donya Lynne

My thanks to cover model, Zach Tesar, and Joem Bayawa Photography in Chicago. Love, love, love their work!

Sweet Heat Trick or Treat Blog Tour - Meet Traceon

Sweet Heat Trick or Treat Blog Tour

Trick or Treat

Gawd the Heat

Book Boyfriends are mental-sweets!

The word in the photo is your “treat”! Make sure you keep it in a safe place. “Visit” the Road to Hell series (http://madisonroadtohell.blogspot.com) tomorrow, and each day thereafter, to find the next “treat”! The Sweet Heat Trick or Treat Blog Tour ends October 31^st and on Halloween you’ll return to the Road to Hell series blog and receive your final word. Here’s the “trick”—you’ll have to arrange all the words you’ve received each day into a sentence and then provide the sentence in the rafflecopter provided. New entries will be added to the rafflecopter each day so be sure to check back at the Road to Hell series every day to increase your chances of winning!

I'm including a free e-copy of Rise of the Fallen in the gift basket, too, so if you've not read my AKM series yet, this is your chance to get to know Micah Black and his friend Traceon. Based on fan reaction, you don't want to miss out on Traceon. Here, let me give you a tiny taste as to why by sharing an excerpt from Rise of the Fallen (warning: adult language):

-----

Keys jangled at the door, and then John Apostle stepped inside, still in uniform, his gaze sweeping the room in horror before stopping on Trace. Trace held up his hand, fingers splayed. Apostle halted and froze just as he tried to turn and run.

"Please, do come in," Trace said, slowly moving his fingers, manipulating Apostle as if he was a puppet. "Close the door." The dreck did as he was compelled to do. "Now, come here and get on your knees in front of me."

Apostle walked like a zombie. The only part of him showing any animation were his eyes. The rest of him seemed void of feeling. Stopping in front of Trace, he dropped to his knees with a resounding thud.

"Before you die, I want you to know that Micah saved the girl. She's one of us now." He leaned forward and grinned at Apostle. Trace could feel the dreck's hatred and anger pushing through his fear, but it didn't matter. He was as good as dead already. "Micah and I are her guardian angels, now. And I am his. I won't let anything happen to either one of them, but if anything should, I will single-handedly crush your entire race before I take my own life. Do you understand?" Trace pressed closer, his mouth curling into a malevolent sneer. "You failed, you miserable fuck. What I will do to them won't even compare to what's about to happen to you."

With that, Trace stood up and loomed over Apostle then fisted one of his hands. The bones in Apostle's neck began to snap and pop, his spine crushing. Then for good measure, with his other hand he squeezed and felt Apostle's evil, blue heart explode inside his chest.

"That's right, fucker," Traceon released Apostle and stepped over him after he fell over dead. "I'm their guardian angel, and you picked the wrong hand of God to fuck with." His anger charged powerfully through his muscles and he stopped, turned, and punched his splayed hands into the air in front of him. A deep, echoing boom sounded and the floor pulsed like it was a trampoline. The crackle of bones snapping filled the air. All five bodies slumped then burst open as the furniture exploded and wind whipped like a cyclone around Trace before slowly calming. Only then did Trace lower his hands.
-----

Come and see what more Traceon has to offer:
AKM Book 1: Rise of the Fallen on Amazon
AKM Book 2: Heart of the Warrior on Amazon

AKM Book 3 is due out in January, 2013

Don't forget to stop by all the other blogs involved with this hop by clicking on the picture on the top left of my blog that looks like the one below (it will take you to the host blog where you can follow a link to the next blog on the hop and snag another word to complete the sentence on Halloween for a chance to win the price package):

Happy Haunting!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More! More #Vampires!

As an author of paranormal worlds, especially vampires, I have a soft spot for these creatures of the night. And as you saw in my last post, my AKM vampires are all pretty damaged characters.

Something else I like to create in my vampiric world is diversity. Think about it. Humans don't come in one shape, size, or color, and they all don't follow a cookie cutter personality or style. We have Caucasian, African-American, Asian, Indian, and everything in between. Furthermore, within each race, we have even more subsets of people. Plus, we have good humans and bad ones; louds ones and quiet ones; some with addictive personalites and some with incredible self-control. We have athletes, musicians, artists, lawyers. Some humans are psychic, while others are merely intuitive. The point is, we have an unlimited, diverse set of human appearance and behavior.

Why not have the same with vampires? Do all vampires have to be big and muscular? Or with just one set of fangs? Why can't the vampire race have just as many variances of appearance and behavior as the human race does?

This variety is what I strive for in my All the King's Men series, and in my next book, I'll be introducing a new character who is an Ancient who comes from the Old World. He's described as Slavic, and not many of his kind remain alive today, but his appearance has one stark characteristic not found in most of the other vampire races: upper and lower fangs. I think fans will fall in love with this character when they meet him, because he's got severe issues and just jumps off the page. One of my beta readers already told me she is crazy about him — and he was only in the story for maybe all of two pages, if that. Only the right kind of female will be able to save this severely tragic male who has lost his touch on reality (and yes, I have one in mind - hee hee).

At any rate, here is some more vampire trivia to whet your fangs with:


Vampire Trivia - Part II

According to Romanian legend, a child could be born a vampire if a vampire stared at a pregnant woman. If a pregnant woman was stared at by a vampire, she could have a vampire child. It was once commonly believed that children could be “marked” in their mother’s womb by something the mother saw or experienced while she was pregnant.

The Bruxsa, a beautiful female Portuguese vampire that transforms into a bird, leads a human life by day and transforms through witchcraft into a vampire by night. She is capable of bearing children (though she often feeds upon them). If you meet one, bad news: There is no way to kill this vampire.

The Danag, which originated in the Philippines, is an ancient South East Asian vampire that is initially believed to have been a good friend to humans before it got a taste of their blood and decided to feast upon them.

According to Romanian folklore, vampires are most active on St. George’s Day (May 4^th on the Gregorian calendar). Witches are most active on this day, as well.

Bavarian vampires sleep with one eye open.

It is generally accepted that vampires cannot enter a dwelling without the owner’s permission or invitation.

So, I Like To Write About #Vampires - 31 Days of #Halloween Continue

Since I was uber busy moving into my new home office this weekend, I got behind on my blog posts, so I'll try to make up for that in the next couple of days. So, onward we go with the 31 Days of Halloween. And remember, I'll post a quiz at the end of this week based on the week's posts, and one lucky person will win a prize.

Drake Mefestta - Proclaimed Real Life Vampire
Chicago, IL

As my 31 Days of Halloween continue, I thought I would talk about vampires today. Fitting since the series I'm working on is about vampires. A few years ago, the buzz was that vampires in fiction were out. "Oh, vampire stories are phasing out. No one wants to read about vampires anymore." I haven't noticed this trend. Fans seem to love my vampires, and the vampire buzz is as strong, if not stronger, than ever. For instance, love it or hate it, Twilight is still popular, and J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series doesn't show signs of letting up, especially with the much-anticipated story of Blaylock and Qhuinn coming out. And then of course, there's True Blood. Countless authors continue to write fabulous stories related to vampires and their realm. And who's that fellow in the pic? Drake Mefestta, who lives in Chicago, claims to be a real life vampire. So, no, I don't think the vampire rage is dying just yet. I think readers want different takes on the vampire concept, but vampire stories are still popular.

My All the King's Men series focuses on a team of vampire warriors-turned-enforcers, but my vampire world isn't the run-of-the-mill world as depicted in tradition or in other books. My vampires can be born as mixed-bloods who inherit special powers as their genetic makeup misfires. Some gifts are more benevolent than others, and while some of my vampires, such as Traceon, have to remain on constant vigil to ensure their powers don't consume and alter them into mutants, others live in relative harmony with their extra special powers.

Some of my vampires can endure daylight, but others can't, based on whether they are full-bloods or mixed, and each comes with his or her own inner demons and quirks. In Rise of the Fallen (book one of the series), Micah's demons revolved around the loss of his first mate. He externalized that loss and became a reclusive yet powerful vigilante...a danger to himself and others until he found Samantha (well, she found him).

As for some of the other characters:

• Malek, who has known Micah the longest and could pass as his brother for all their physical similarities, also suffers from the loss of his first mate, who was human. Unlike Micah, though, Malek internalized his loss, becoming a sterile, whitewashed version of himself rather than face the reality of his mate's death. I'm writing his story now, and as he finally faces Carmen's death, he explodes into near-psychosis from the emotional upheaval and inner struggle not to defile Carmen's memory as he fights his desire to mate another who has unwittingly stolen his soul.
• Severin's inner demons involve hiding his genetic ties to the vampires' natural enemy, the drecks, as well as the tragic way he was conceived.
• Arion? Well, Arion has lived a lie his entire life so he could maintain peace within his family. But when he meets Severin, all bets are off as his true self demands to be heard.
• Traceon or Trace...well, I can't begin to detail all his demons. That male has stolen the series and has become THE character EVERYONE wants to know more about. He has a good heart, but he is damaged, damaged, and damaged some more. So much has happened to Trace throughout his life, and I allow his story to unfold a little in each book as the series progresses...because if I try to reveal all of his issues just in his book, it will be too much and won't work.

At any rate, here is some vampire trivia for you to chew over, and if you're a paranormal author like me, you might garner a few plot/story ideas from the list:

Vampire Trivia - Part 1

Vampire Trivia

A group of vampires has variously been called a clutch, brood, coven, pack, or a clan.

One way to supposedly deter a vampire is to throw seeds (usually mustard) outside a door or place a fishing net outside a window. Vampires are compelled to count the seeds or the holes in the net, delaying them until the sun comes up.

Anemia (“bloodlessness”) was often mistaken for a symptom of vampire attack.

The Egyptian goddess Sekhmet was known to drink blood, and the ancient fanged goddess Kaliof India also had a powerful desire for blood.

A vampire supposedly has control over the animal world and can turn into a bat, rat, owl, moth, fox, or wolf.

Female vampires were often blamed for spreading the bubonic plague throughout Europe.

According to several legends, if someone was bitten by a suspected vampire, he or she should drink the ashes of a burned vampire. To prevent an attack, a person should make bread with the blood of a vampire and eat it.

Some historians argue that Prince Charles is a direct descendant of Vlad the Impaler, the son of Vlad Dracula.