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

RT Book Lovers Convention

I know it's still four-and-a-half months away, but I am already super stoked about the RT convention in Kansas City in May. I've been dying to go since my friends swung through Indianapolis for lunch on their way back from last year's convention in Chicago. I met them at Bob Evans and listened to them talk about what an awesome experience it was and how much they had learned and all the free books they got and...well, let's just say it was awesome.

I vowed that very minute that I would attend next year's.

As soon as I learned where the convention was being held, I made my hotel reservations. That was done months ago. And just his past week, I finally registered. My friends convinced me that I needed to obtain some promotional space, so I now have a table along "Promo Lane," where I'll be setting out bookmarks and other swag for people attending the convention. Part of me wants to participate in one of the other promotional events, but the other part of me wants to make sure I don't miss any of the classes I want to attend. And there are a lot of wonderful classes, let me tell you. Classes on marketing, promotion, craft, genre-specific classes, and sooo many more.

I'll be at the convention for five days, and I don't think it will be enough time to do and see all that I want. All the authors, materials, agents, fans, parties, books, and everything else. But this will be my first RT, so it'll get me geared up right for the next year. Because, oh yes, I'm already planning for RT in 2014, because I want to fully take advantage of ALL the promotional opportunities in 2014, and want to unveil the book that all my fans have been waiting for there, as well. Yep. That's right. Trace's novel. He deserves such an unveiling.

And I think I just heard a few of my fans fall over, because now they know when to expect Trace's book. :) And if you want them autographed, come see me at RT in 2014. Wherever and whenever it may be held.

Happy reading and writing.
-D

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):

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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!

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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.

Dangerous Alpha Heroes #BlogHop - Who's Your Favorite Alpha?

What is it about powerful, dangerous male protagonists that make women go weak in their knees, their hearts to beat more forcefully, their breathing to accelerate? We see a damaged male with the power to destroy a city block, and we instantly swoon.

Traceon, one of my characters from my AKM series, is one such alpha male. In fact, he damn near stole the show from one of my other dangerous alphas, Micah, in Rise of the Fallen (book one of the series). And let me tell you, stealing the show from Micah is no small feat. Micah relishes in the spotlight and doesn't give it up easily.

Trace is the most dangerous and tormented of all my characters, and he's the one I get the most "fan mail" about: "When will you write Trace's book?" "I want more Trace." "Trace, Trace, Trace!" "I love Trace." "He's MINE!" He has built a loyal and rabid fan following of women who fight to be his, and his book is still 3 away from being published. Everyone wants to know what happens to him and who he will be paired up with, especially since it appears he has a connection with Micah, as well as with Micah's mate, Samantha.

The pitfall of charismatically dangerous alphas like Trace is that there is oftentimes a ton of pressure to make their stories perfect in the eyes of everyone, which is impossible. Just as with Vishous of the BDB and Acheron of the Dark Hunters, I'm sure Trace's book will receive its fair share of criticism. Inevitably, some fans will feel let down that he went this way instead of that way, but just as many will have felt let down had I taken him that way instead of this. All I can do as the author is stay true to my characters and give Trace the story he is demanding in my head. If I deviate from what he tells me he wants, he'll make me pay for it, but if I stay true to him, he will reward me in spades. Regardless, I will never shy away from writing about dangerous alpha heroes. I love them, readers love them, and they make for good stories.

My favorite alpha male is Micah from my own series. He has become a huge part of me and sizzles every time I write him into a scene. He's no holds barred and balls to the wall, and that's what I love about him. Before Micah, Vishous was my favorite (and do I really need to say where Vishous comes from? LOL). Now it's your turn to tell me: Who's your favorite alpha male?

Happy reading

PRIZES
I am giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner, as well as a free copy of one of my three AKM novels (your choice): Rise of the Fallen, Heart of the Warrior, or Micah's Calling. Make sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win. If I am unable to reach the winner within 24 hours, I will draw a new winner.

Make sure to visit the other bloggers participating in this blog hop for more opportunities to win.


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