Welcome to the Decadent Black Friday Hop

 

 

 

Happy Black Friday. As we all recover from our turkey hangovers, we have time to sit back and reflect on our year. This year has been a rather busy year for me. I had six releases. I also have one to be released the day after doomsday, December 22nd.

Which is what I’m dying to tell you about. When my publisher mentioned an idea for a Prepper series, I wasn’t sure at first what I'd write. It sounded like fun, but what did I know about preppers? The way my muse works, she takes a while to chew on an idea before she spits it out and slaps me upside the head, as was the case with Finding Mercy. I realized a lot of us are preppers already, in one manner or another. We prepare for bad storms, for the loss of power, or our jobs. We stock up on food and water. Grow gardens and put the food away. So, I researched and was caught up in it.

I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I spoke to my publisher on the phone for about an hour to find out more about what she wanted to see. By the end of the conversation, Evans Point was born and I was off and running.

Not only did my publisher give me a chance to write one of the launch stories for this new line of romances, she allowed me to build a world, a town to be more specific, and populate it with all kinds of people, who have all kinds of skills. People like us. Everyday people who use the skills they've aquired from jobs, the military, school and even experiences they've lived through. Then she let me invite my friends to play. Arlene Webb and Barbara Elsborg have also written stories in the Evans Point mini-series, Falling for Water andThe Princess and the Prepper.

 

 

Now, first I have to tell you this town wasn’t spun out of thin air. I had a lot of great inspiration. Evans Point, my fictional town, was modeled after the real town of Alliance, Nebraska. This little town on the edge of the Sand Hills has everything a prepper community could dream of.  In the 1940s, the United States Army built an airfield to train fighter pilots. The town’s population exploded overnight. Seeing a need to keep the military and their families safe, the Army Corp of Engineers built a bomb shelter under the town. This massive shelter takes up space under several blocks of the downtown area, and is a little known fact to people passing through. It has sat unused for over seventy years.

What if....

A town devastated by tornadoes decides to rebuild and refurbish, not only the town, but the shelter below, in hopes that they will never be caught unprepared again. This is the premise behind the community of preppers and their stories in Evans Point.

So, on December 22nd, after we’ve all weathered doomsday, I hope you’ll check out my latest release, Finding Mercy.

Blurb: 

You’ll die in three minutes without oxygen, three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food. But could you live a lifetime with a broken heart?

Mercy Evans has come to Evans Point hoping to collect herself and find a way to resurrect her career as an anchorwoman for Cheyenne’s news station. Sergeant Justin Redway has come to Evans Point to try to forget his past and survive what he’s done.

When two worlds collide, one of a battle damaged veteran, the other of a desperate woman who will go to any extreme to get his story, sparks fly and old wounds open. When the chasm between the fated lovers widens, will it be too big to cross?

One town, two lovers, and a second chance at finding mercy.

And here’s an excerpt: 

Fingers pressed against his throat, feeling for a pulse.

“This one’s alive.” Someone hoisted the weight of large chunk of wreckage from his torso. Two sets of hands slid under him. “On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”

They moved in unison, rolling him onto a stretcher.

“No,” he begged. He wasn’t alive. This couldn’t be real. Another protest gurgled from his throat and he began to convulse, unable to hold his limbs still.

“Hold him down so I can sedate him.” Hands grasped his wounded limbs. Bone cracked and shifted under their grip. He tried to arch up, but remained restrained by several soldiers. He yelled and thrashed his head side to side. They grabbed both sides of his face, holding him still.

Justin screamed. The sound was so inhuman, if he hadn’t been the one who’d made it, he wouldn’t have believed it came from a man. A stick with a needle. Burning.

As the seizure eased, they released their hold. He turned his head toward the medic who’d drugged him. The man blurred in and out. Justin’s vision came back into focus as a burnt picture of a woman and baby caught the breeze and tumbled across the baked earth next to where the medic kneeled. Justin swallowed and his eyes blurred with tears. Williams hadn’t even gotten to hold his daughter.

“You’re going to be okay.”

Let me die. Please. Let me die. Pain rode his nerves like an electrical wire, sending jolts of agony to the tips of his fingers and toes. He opened his mouth, but nothing came from his throat. Boom, boom, boom. His heartbeat slowed as the sedative did its job.

“Get him on the chopper.”

Regardless the drug, every step the medics took hurt as they hauled him toward reprieve. Broken bones, burns, but nothing compared to what played through his head. He’d killed them all and survived to see his handiwork. Nothing could be worse than that.

Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to check out the other stops on the hop to get in on the great prizes. For a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate, leave a comment under this post. I’ll draw a name on Saturday and announce the the winner. And don't forget to mark your calender for December 22nd, for the triple release of the Evans Point Prepper series.

For more information about my books and buy links, please visit my website:  www.authordljackson.com You can find all my current works in the bookstore.

D L Jackson

 

 

 

 



Happy Thanksgiving!!

I want to wish all of my American friends 

a very Happy Thanksgiving!

© Kimmytn | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

I am thankful for my publishers, my critique partners, 

my author friends, my family, and my fans. 

Thank you for all of your support this past year!

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for the Decadent Publishing Authors Black Friday Blog Hop

where you can win all kinds of prizes by visiting all the participating authors.

Okay, is it just me, or does that turkey look a bit alien? LOL

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from anyone who has enjoyed her stories.

Website/Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Amazon

I'm pleased to have Gracen Miller reveal her latest cover to her Road to Hell series here on Backward Momentum. Please give a great bit welcome to Gracen, and check out this beautiful cover. They don't get any better than this, folks.

Genesis Queen Blurb (book 3 Road to Hell series):

 

 

 

Victory is hollow when fate maneuvers one as a pawn.

 
Madison’s mission is complete. Nix is rescued from Hell and her son safe from his dark destiny. But in the safe harbor of Nix’s love, her demonic husband warns of a murderous plot. Can she trust that it’s the truth and not another scheme to claim her for Hell’s throne?

Sometimes internal struggles can house our biggest demons. 

With allies divided and prophecy heralding defeat, Madison gambles on Micah’s tenuous honor to keep their son protected. Torn between her heart’s desires and her dark requirements, Madison worries her hellish fate cannot be avoided. When betrayal comes from an unlikely direction, all their futures may be damned. In the darkest hour of Madison’s life, an undeniable providence will transpire. Who can she trust? And how far will she fall to defeat her foes? 

Amid the rubble of defeat will Hell’s Genesis Queen dawn?

Previous books in the Road to Hell Series:

 

 

"Pandora's Box"

Book 1 in ROAD TO HELL series

(MUST BE READ BEFORE READING HELL’S PHOENIX)

BUY LINKS

Decadent Publishing / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Print - Amazon / Print – Barnes & Noble

Praise for Pandora’s Box

“Gracen Miller has definitely added spice and intrigue in to a genre that can somewhat be monotonous with the same story lines about demons, angels, succubi, and other paranormal creatures.”

~ Kathryn Grimes, Tsk Tsk What to Read

"Hell's Phoenix"

Book 2 in ROAD TO HELL series

BUY LINKS

Decadent Publishing / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Print – Amazon / Print – Barnes & Noble

Praise for Hell’s Phoenix

“It blows J.R. Ward out of the water!”

~ Dawn Hagan, I Love Books

 

About the Author

Gracen is a small town girl who was transplanted to the big city almost ten years ago. She describes herself as a hopeless daydreamer masquerading as a “normal” person in Southern society. When not writing, she’s a full-time basketball/football/guitar mom for her two sons and a devoted wife to her real-life hero-husband. She’s addicted to writing, paranormal romance novels and movies, Alabama football and coffee…addictions are not necessarily in order of priority. She is convinced coffee is nectar from the gods and blending coffee and writing generates the perfect creative merger. Many of her stories are spawned from these coffee highs. To learn more about Gracen and her writing or to leave her a comment, visit her website at www.gracen-miller.com.

 

 

Where you can stalk me—not really!—but I would love to meet and interact with you:

 

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/gracen.miller

Road to Hell series FB Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-to-Hell-series/112564408814796?ref=ts

Website: www.gracen-miller.com

Blog: http://madisonroadtohell.blogspot.com/

My Publisher: www.decadentpublishing.com

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win a Nook & more this month from Decadent Publishing!

Today begins the Give a Reader a Reader Blog Hop. You can WIN a Nook loaded with 45 ebooks for a friend, plus 45 ebooks for yourself!

There are a few science fiction romance titles amongst the 45 ebooks you can win:

An Unexpected Return by Jessica E. Subject

Courtesan Boot Camp by D.L. Jackson

Contagion by Graylin Fox

Absinthe Forever by Azura Ice

Mile Below Peep Show by Nishi Serrano

Plus may other fabulous titles!!

So, hop on over to the Decadent Publishing blog to enter, then follow along everyday for more chances to WIN. And the blog tour stops here on the last day, December 15.

AND the Decadent Publishing Authors Black Friday Hop is on November 23, 2012. Each participating author will be hosting a giveaway on their blog. Prizes include print books, ebooks, gift certificates, swag, and more. More information here. See you then!

Coming Home, a Military Love Story

I'm participating in the Veterans Day blog hop and I'll be giving away a tee-shirt (open to US residents only) (M/L/XL)  and an e-copy of Cinderella Wore Combat Boots (Open to all). I hope you'll stop by and help me salute our Vets. Leave a comment on the post Sunday through Wednesday, and you'll be entered to win. It's that easy.

Click to Visit Other Posts

 

I've had people ask why I write military romance, and why I often incorporate it in my other genres. My anwser will always be the same. I've been there. I'm a female veteran and the military is a big part of my life, past future and present.

In my popular 1 NightStand novella, Cinderella Wore Combat Boots, I decided to write a story about change, but I  also wanted to tell a story about the military brother and sisterhood, a bond that you have to experience to truly understand, something that I love to share. So....

When asked to write about military romance for this Veterans Day, I had to go back to my past. My military romance started nearly twenty-three years ago, when I met my husband. We were both in the Army and stationed at Ft Drum, NY.  I believe things happen for a reason. My romance wasn't an easy one. Months into my love affair, I was pregnant, and had orders to deploy to the Gulf 45 days after I gave birth. At the time, my husband was already deployed to the Gulf. I spent my Christmas alone, with letters home from my soldier to keep me warm.

The Gulf War ended two weeks before I gave birth. My husband was sent home with the advance party, barely making it back in time to see his son born. I remember our reunion, a parking lot out front of the barracks at zero one hundred hours. It's so different now than when I was in. There were no crowds, three or four vehicles with family members. When my husband climbed out of the back of that five ton, emotions crashed in around me. Here he was, home safely after so many months. I can not describe the way I felt in that moment, but I can show you in the face of my daughter-in-law when my son, the one I carried at my husband's homecoming, came home from his deployment in Afghanistan. It speaks of the way I felt, better than I ever could.

Now, she hates this picture. Sorry, Cate, but I love it. The tears, the red face. But you know the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, if that is this case, this one is a novel. Before I post it though, I want to tell you a bit about Cate's story and take you to the point this photo was taken.

Cate and James had just met before he went to boot camp. In true Jackson Fashion, and I don't know why this seems to happen every time, but when someone in our family goes into the military, someone gets pregnant. The tradition started with my mother-in-law the Marine, who gave birth to my husband, to my pregnancy with my oldest son, to my daughter-in-law Cate, to my youngest son's girlfriend of over three years, who is now carrying my second grandchild. Yes, I can honestly say I've been there, done that. I can honestly say I know what my boy's sweethearts are and have gone through.

Getting back to Cate's story. Cate moved in with us for her pregnancy to save some money for the baby's arrival, but also to feel secure while James was away. It's hard being alone and pregnant while your guy is called to duty. Because of this, I saw a military romance as it bloomed. Unlike my own letters home that I still have, Cate was able to Skype and talk on the phone to my son. When he was deployed a few months after his daughters birth, she could face to face chat on the computer, something I never had, and to be truthful, made me a bit envious. But she still didn't get to see him often, and the separation between them was hard to witness.

Again, I know how this is and I'm eternally grateful I was able to help her through this difficult time because of my own experiences. Still, as the days went by, Cate grew blue. Her baby daughter kept her busy, but she was missing something in her life. Being held. Knowing the man she loved was safe beside her when the world seemed to be falling apart. Oh, how I knew that feeling.

As a veteran, I understand the deep commitment to country, and your brother and sisters in arms. You are a family, you want to be there with them, to help watch their backs. You train together, fight together, and yes sometimes during those deployments, your friends and members of your military family, are killed in combat. My son is infantry, and front line. He sees heavy combat. A lot of it.

At home, when a Marine was killed, the phone would ring, and a message would go out, initiating a phone support chain. They never said who, we only knew that one of the Marines was killed when that message played. We'd scramble for the computer, desperate to know who, even though we knew if it were our loved one, we would have already been notified. Still, we had this horrible sinking feeling, this gut-wrenching pain that somewhere out there a family mourned a great loss.

Several times during those long months that phone would ring and that message would play. When the day came for their return, I can not tell you the storm of emotion that surrounded us. Joy, pain, sadness, all wrapped up in this ball, ready to explode.

The day James came home from his last deployment was hot. The outside temperature was 106 and humid. We stood in the heat for six hours waiting for the buses to pull up, talking to other families, walking around nervous, on pins and needles. We set up awnings and chairs. Unpacked our coolers and chatted with the other families, anything to settle our nerves.

It was during one of these chats I met an extraordinary woman, the mother of a fallen Marine. I did not know it at the time, but they call them members of the Gold Star Sisterhood and Families. She'd traveled halfway across the country to the homecoming knowing her son would not be climbing off that bus. When I asked her why, she simply said, "I needed to see the other sons come home safely." The strength. The courage. I can not imagine what it took to be there for this event and watch them step off that bus.

In yet another spot, a young Marine waited for his brothers to come home. He sat silently in a wheel chair, both his legs and one arm completely gone. The trip had been painful for him I'd been told, but there was no place he'd rather have been.

So, by the time the buses were spotted, the crowd was in a frenzy, barely contained. As the buses drove around the barracks and pulled up in front of us, this picture of Cate was snapped.
This girl loves her Marine.

 

So, this Veterans Day I celebrate a lot of things. My time served in the Army, my husband's service and our family's, going back to WWII. I salute my sons while they currently serve, and my oldest as he gets ready to deploy again.



Thank you heroes, past, future and present. God bless our military and their families, and preserve the love that keeps them going. It is love like this, that holds us together and makes this country strong.

To learn more about my books, please stop by my website and visit the Book Store. Click on the covers to be taken to the buy links.
Unusual Worlds You Want to Get Lost In.

In closing I'd like to thank all Veterans for their service, for keeping our country free and safe from enemies foreign and domestic.

Hu-ah and Oorah!

D L Jackson

Book Video Trailers - What do you think?

With the rise of social networking, authors have resorted to many different ways to promote their books, one of them being video trailers to give an inside peak into their stories. What do you think? Do book trailers influence you to buy a book?

Take a look at these science fiction romance book trailers:






So, tell me, did any of these make you want to go buy the book? What did you like best about the trailers? What would you like to see different?

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from anyone who has enjoyed her stories.

Website/Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Amazon

I'm participating in the Veterans Day blog hop and I'll be giving away a tee-shirt (M/L/XL) of Cinderella Wore Combat Boots and the e-book. I hope you'll stop by and help me salute our Vets. Leave a comment on the post Sunday through Wednesday, and you'll be entered to win. It's that easy.

Click here to go to check out participating authors in the blog hop.

Author Reviews are Called Blurbs

One of the biggest complaints I hear, seems to be coming from readers who are angry writers review books. First, before I jump feet first into this, I need to state that any writer worth their salt, is also an avid reader. It takes a great deal of skill to pen a engaging story, and you have to know what's good and what's not, to do that. That being said, there are some authors out there committing no-no's that are turning readers against authors in general. Let's review a couple of reader's biggest complaints.

Sock puppetry:  An author posing as someone else and posting reviews for their own books or having someone else post their reviews. Unfortunately many good authors, who are giving honest reviews of books, are getting lumped in with these sock puppets. I have stopped posting reviews of books I've loved on Amazon and Barnes and Noble for this reason. I post on my website and on my blogs and I post them as "Author Blurbs". Now this is as much for the author whose book I loved as to protect myself. I know reviews are important, but if you are posting honest reviews,  readers may think you are trying to be sneaky, even when you are not. It might come back on you, and you could find yourself labeled a sock puppet or author behaving badly. This is a choice you have to make, and I'm not saying authors are wrong to post reviews (I appreciate anyone who takes the time to do an honest review), but please be aware of the climate on Amazon and Barnes and Noble right now, in regards to authors doing reviews.

Spamming:  In America, we have been dealing with the political spam now for over a year. If you live in the United States, you can't avoid it. The guilty parties are everywhere, outside work with clipboards (bothering us on our short, supposed to be stress free, lunch hour), in the mall (again while we are out trying to enjoy our day), calling us on our phones, posting on the Internet, emailing, or standing around with signs chanting on every block and intersection. We can't get away from it, and we don't like being told who we should vote for. It's a personal choice.

Now, swap politics for book promo and this is what we have been doing to our readers. Before you get mad, realize that I believe an author must promote their work, but there are ways to do it, and ways not to do it. Blogs, websites, interviews, conferences and book signings, are great ways to get out and meet readers and tell them about what you write. But please stop spamming on social networks with blurb after blurb and excerpt that will chase them away. Much like the political spamming, readers are sick of it. It's a big reason why I've backed off on my social networks. I might post a link to a blog post and tell them what I'm talking about, or if I have a book giveaway, but I also leave the option to visit up to them. Please give them an option. Never force your promo on your readers or they will run.

Under the same topic, I'm going to talk about self promotion and the expectations publishers have of their authors. No one is going to know you write books unless you talk about them. So what can you do to put your work out there? Websites are a big tool in your promotional bag. Here's mine:  Unusual Worlds You Want to Get Lost In.

You should keep it simple, easy to navigate. Post not only your books and excerpts, but every cover you place on that site should have a buy link(s). Click and buy. Make it easy for the readers to find and buy your books. When the readers visit your blog or site, it's because they want to know more about your books. This is the time to shake those tail feathers and promo, promo, promo. One last thing, be sure to tag all your posts. This helps you when readers do searches. The search engines will grab the things with the most tags first and you get placed higher to the top, when you do this. Tag, tag, tag. It's not just for Amazon.

How are you ranking on a search engine? Type your author name in and find out. First page and you're doing good. You're goal is to dominate that first page, be it title or name. Go forth and conquer!

Next, keep your blogs and websites up to date. Up and coming? Have a tab at the top that lists future releases, blurbs and covers if you have them. Projects, sure if you can talk about them, do. Readers love to know what you are working on next. And yes, post your reviews of books you loved. In the literary business, they're called blurbs. Even better, ask authors you admire if they will read your book and give you a blurb for promotional purposes. This is a great way to help fellow authors without pushing readers away or looking like the dreaded sock puppet. A lot of publishers will put these on your covers or inside your e-books. If a reader likes a particular author, they may be inclined to try your book if their favorite author loved it.

I invite fellow authors to ask me to read and blurb. I won't promise I always can, but I will give your request serious consideration and do my best to help you.

Word of mouth is your friend. Make sure what your readers are saying are good things. People are more likely to remember the bad things and talk about them, than the good things. Don't give them bad things to talk about. Be professional whenever you are online and in public. Some readers and reviewers may not like your books, taste is varied, but they will respect you if you remain professional.

So in a nutshell, write a damn good book, then set up shop on a website, post blurbs of books you've loved and help others, talk about your projects, your upcoming releases and keep the site up to date. Visit it at least once a week and change something.

Then start writing your next book. The best seller of a first book, is a second.

Have a Great Weekend!

D L

What's new with me?

Designed by Zee Monodee

This last week has been super busy with all kinds of things going on. One of them was finishing writing, and getting edited, my short story, LAST MINUTE CUSTOMERS. I wrote it for a Halloween event that I participated in, but I am still offering it as a FREE read on my blog. If you would like to read it (Halloween erotica MFM menage), you can check it out here.

Also, I'm gearing up for the print release of Intergalactic Heat, which is a collection of my 1Night Stand stories with Decadent Publishing. We're hoping to have it out before the end of November.

So, what are you up to this month?

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from anyone who has enjoyed her stories.

Website/Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Amazon

The Alien Next Door

So, I've started a new alien romance series called Alien Next Door. (You can find more info about the first book in the series here.) And in doing so, I've created Google Alerts for both "Alien Adoration" and "Alien Next Door." Recently, some very interesting links have been coming through in my Google Alerts labelled "Alien Next Door."

Reported on October 18, a planet was discovered in the Alpha Centauri system, only 4.4 light years away. And there could possibly be more in that system, planets that could sustain life. It's an exciting discovery for authors like myself who believe there is life out there.

Here's a quote from the article on ScienceNews:

"Astronomers searching for Earthlike worlds need look no further than Alpha Centauri, the stellar system next door.

An Earth-sized planet has been discovered circling a star in the system, just 4.4 light-years away. The planet's mass is similar to Earth's, but its orbit is not. Tucked in close to its star — 25 times closer than the Earth is to the sun — the planet is likely a roasted world incapable of hosting life."

It goes on to say:

"But a rocky planet so close to Alpha Centauri B suggests there could be more planets in the same system — perhaps rocky and a bit farther out, in the area where life could comfortably thrive. "I think that the odds that there's an interesting planet, a truly interesting planet in the system, are very high, given that this one is there," Laughlin says. Data returned from NASA's Kepler spacecraft — which looks for planets around a population of stars that mostly lie more than 600 light-years away — suggest that multiple-planet systems are common, especially when small, rocky planets are found in close orbits.

There's also a good chance that Alpha Centauri A — the bigger, binary partner of Alpha Centauri B — also hosts planets. But because Alpha Centauri A is bigger, brighter and more rambunctious, any small planets orbiting it would be harder to find."

Read the full article.

What do you think of this discovery?

Jessica Subject started writing to encourage her daughter to read. Now she writes to keep herself grounded. Although she reads many genres, she enjoys writing Science Fiction Romance the most and believes everyone in the universe deserves a happily ever after. She lives Southwestern Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids and loves to hear from anyone who has enjoyed her stories.

Website/Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Amazon

You are still my hero, baby.

Um, so it's my 22nd anniversary and I'm frantically digging for a receipe to make something special tonight. In the mean time, I want to share a little story. Have you ever wondered why I love writing military romance so much? Yes some because I was a woman in uniform, but mostly because I met the love of my life in the Army.

22 years ago my husband, Paul was deploying to Egypt during the Gulf War. I was pregnant, in the Army, and had orders to deploy 45 days after I gave birth. It was one of the most stressful times of my life. The night before he left, we eloped. We'd wanted to wait until the baby was born, but plans change and as the military teaches you, improvise, adapt and overcome. So we did.

We grabbed our marriage license at lunch and after final formation, made a run for the justice of the peace with our best friends Pamela and Derek. I didn't have flowers. I didn't have a dress. We didn't even have rings. But what we did have was love, and we vowed to make it work.

My first letter came with a roll of film, the pictures I've saved along with that letter. Paul has never been a romantic, it's just not in his genetics, but that letter, those photos, kept me warm while he was gone. He knew how badly I needed to see him and hear from him. They didn't have computers, they didn't have Skype. Those letters home kept me sane, and would later help me to understand what my daughter-in-law was going through while my son was deployed to Afghanistan.

Paul came home with the advance party, days before I was to have my son. His first sargeant's wife was a pistol. The woman said jump and shit happened. Before I hadn't been sure he'd make it back for the birth of our son. There was no pomp and circumstance, no crowds of family, only a few, waiting out in the parking lot as the five ton pulled up to the barracks to bring them back from the armory. I remember seeing him in the dim light of the streetlamps as he hopped out of the back and walked toward me. For a moment, we felt like strangers, and then the look in his eyes, the smile on his face. I launched across the parking lot as fast as a woman nine months along, carrying a ten pound baby, could move. He swept me off my feet in a hug and swung me around like I was no heavier than a feather.

I know how lucky I am to have my hero come home to me. Everyday, I count my blessings and once a year, I celebrate. Through thick and thin, richer and poorer, we've endured to see our son's grow into warriors and find ladies of their own. And when I see the tears in their ladie's eyes as they get off the bus, or see them for the first time in months, I privately relive a moment when I felt the same way. It is moments like that, I want to capture with words.

To this day, Paul is still my hero. Here's a song that makes me think of him.

Forge Blog Tour: Interview with author TK Anthony & Giveaway!!

Welcome TK Anthony to Backward Momentum!!

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Jessica. I just want to let everyone know that a comment here will enter you into today’s drawing for another Decadent Publishing title in the ebook format of your choice. Also, if you follow me on Twitter, &/or friend me on Facebook—mentioning “Forge blogtour”—you’ll also be entered into a drawing on October 13th (the day after the end of my blog tour), for a $20 Amazon gift certificate. If you both friend and follow, you’ll be entered twice. Good luck, everyone!

Also, I love to hear from readers! My online home is www.scotianrealm.com. I can also be found on Twitter: @TK_Anthony_ and  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tk.anthony.9. Or, send me an email at tesskanthony@gmail.com.

So, TK, tell us about your new release.

TKA: “FORGE” is the first book in the Thrall Web series, combining epic SF with sweet romance. It’s also my debut novel...so I’m just delighted to be here chatting with you about it!

It's great to have you here. Describe the heroine in three words.

TKA: I can do that from the hero’s perspective. At first, Keir* isn’t sure whether she’s real, or the remnant of the visions induced by the same hallucinogen that stripped his memory and left him nameless. So all he’s certain of is...she’s beautiful, with dark hair and amber eyes. When he finally meets Nica, he adds another adjective: Unattainable, because of the difference in their talents and stations. But then they’re thrown together to rescue her father, and he discovers the qualities that count. Nica is courageous, compassionate, and capable. Extremely.

*He starts out as “Tazhret”... “nameless” in the Tormin tongue.

What traits does the hero possess that makes the heroine swoon?

TKA: You mean besides his rugged good looks? Nica’s a powerful healer-adept, and she’s drawn to Keir’s energy from the moment she heals him. She soon discovers that Keir is a man of dogged endurance and courage, quick intelligence, wry sense of humor...and a boundless capacity for unconditional love. Most of the men who’ve courted her were interested in what marriage to her could do for them. Keir is all about standing with her against dire odds—hunted for treason while searching for her captured father—with no expectations of anything other than the honorable friendship she would be able to return. Oh, and almost certain death.

Oh, I'm swooning, too. What was your inspiration for this story?

TKA: That’s a hard question to answer. Nothing. Everything. Underlying themes of freedom, human dignity, identity, unconditional and sacrificial love, the meaning and power of suffering and endurance, came from a lifetime of reading...and the real experience of taking on night nursing duties for my 84-year-old mother when she broke her leg, and wasn’t expected to ever get back on her feet again. Mom’s quiet heroism in the face of her own struggle definitely showed up in “Forge.” So did my own anxiety. I’m pretty sure that what happened to Nica’s father immediately after his capture was influenced by the case of bronchitis and pleurisy I had while writing the scene. But the actual characters and what happened to them...they told the story to me themselves. At times, it seemed more like channeling than writing.

Who is your favorite character from this book? Can you give us an excerpt?

TKA: I like them all...this is like asking me to name my favorite niece or nephew! (Well, I don’t like the villain, but I do feel sorry for her. She learned the lessons of her culture all too well.) But since we’ve already talked about Keir and Nica, I think I’d like to introduce Nica’s father, Col, who’s just acquired Tazhret from his abusive master...even though he has problems of his own.

~Excerpt~

Col kept the team to a deliberate, unhurried pace on the long road through the Dry Lands. As he sat up behind his easy-gaited horses, watching their ears twitch to insects and their own equine thoughts, Col considered his slow travel through the cities and settlements of Forge over the past six standard months.

The lid of civility and law sat uneasily on a simmering stew of distrust, dislike, and hostility among Scotians, Xerni, and Tormins. The ill will was worse now than at any time since Forge’s founding—a failure of its very purpose, to foster cooperation among the three peoples. And if Forge failed, the Realm would fall…. Col bit his lip. If Forge failed, the failure was his own.

Just over sixty standard years before, the Scotian Realm had discovered a world wealthy in ores, gems, timber, and soil. Compounding its worth, the planet sat at the center of an unsuspected wormhole hub—a natural crossroads among the three peoples, connecting the Xern Cluster, the Tormin Accord, and the Realm. Instead of keeping a jealous guard on so rare a prize, the Scotian high king had seized the opportunity to build the Realm’s alliances with his wary neighbors. He’d established Forge as a protectorate of the Realm, governed under a constitution negotiated with the extees, and opened the new colony to Xern and Tormin immigrants.

The son of founding colonists, born and bred on Forge, Col was one of the few who knew the hope of alliance was High King Conall’s cast against a day of dire need. Col had been a youth of fourteen when his father Gabriel had shared with him the late high king’s Seeing of an enemy who would enslave all the three peoples—Scotians, Xerni, and Tormins. Almost forty years later, the vision still had the power to chill Col’s soul. But precognition, the rarest of all talents, was also the most fickle. The high king’s vision had precious little information about the enemy, except for the knowledge that they would prevail unless the three peoples stood together against their common foe. Now, we’re more likely to turn on each other. All that’s needed is a flashpoint to set off the fire—such as Tazhret.

Tazhret. Nameless. A Scotian without any record in the identity archives was rare—and usually a criminal. And what crimes had “Tazhret” committed to drive him to erase his name from the system?

Col had scanned the identbead before signing the transference contract and read Tazhret’s brief record—including the notation “scoot-induced amnesia.” But his odd intuition dismissed—for reasons it wasn’t sharing with Col—the notion of the izzy wiping his identity with black market assistance. Annoyed with his inconvenient talent, Col still rejected the scenario on the basis of common sense. If Tazhret had paid to have his old name erased, why hadn’t he paid them to create a new, blameless identity? Maybe he couldn’t afford it? Scoot’s an expensive habit, after all.

Whatever his past, if the Scotians learned of Tazhret’s abused condition, Forge’s simmering hostility could boil over into outright violence. The counter-claim—Tazhret was a crimserv who had killed an extee izzy—would make for an even uglier stew.

Civil riots. Martial law. Sword-rattling communiqués from the extee governments. Heated responses from the Scotian Realm. If—when—the nameless foe appeared, they would find enmity among the three peoples instead of alliance. The vision of chaos and destruction drove Col’s grim resolve—Not on my watch.

He had a sudden, inexplicable feeling he was hauling the future of the three peoples in the back of his wagon. He shook his head at the fancy. Ridiculous. Still, he clicked his tongue at his team, hands moving on the reins. The willing horses lengthened their stride in a ground-covering pace.

What are you working on now?

TKA: I’m editing the sequel to “Forge”—working title, “Web of Destiny.” And I’m halfway through the first draft of a short story set in an entirely different universe.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

TKA: A lot of pantser with a little plotter. “Forge” was a wild ride of a pantser, until I began to see where the characters were taking me. Then I roughed out an outline, so I could capture some of the key scenes that came to me almost whole cloth, and pick out the stepping stones between them. But in the midst of actual writing, I sometimes found the characters overruling what I thought would happen. I always trusted my characters, and they never steered me wrong.

What genres do you enjoy reading?

TKA: SF—in particular the epic, character-driven space opera kind; westerns, sweet/semi-sweet romance, mysteries, historical fiction, biographies, history, the Bible and wisdom literature, with a smattering of philosophy and theology, fairy tales, business/leadership, cereal boxes.

Where can my readers find you?

TKA: On my website: www.scotianrealm.com (you can purchase “Forge” on the Buy page, or go direct to Decadent, Amazon, Smashwords, Coffee Time Romance....)
Find me on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tk.anthony.90
Or on Twitter:  @TK_Anthony_
Or, send me an email: tesskanthony@gmail.com

Where can my readers find your books?

TKA: At Decadent Publishing, Smashwords, iTunes, B&N, Amazon, ARe, Coffee Time Romance, Diesel, Kobo and Rainbow Books!

Forge by TK Anthony


Warned by a Seeing…

The high king of the Scotian Realm expects the arrival of an enemy, a race of psychic predators bent on galactic conquest. The Realm’s one hope is alliance with the neighboring star domains in defense of a shared colony, Forge.

Caught in Fate’s grim weaving…

Mindblind, amnesic, Tazhret lives out his drug-induced visions of servitude on Forge. He wants to believe the beautiful woman with the nut-brown hair who whispers reassurances to his harrowed heart: “You have a name.” But is she even real? Or just one bright thread in his dark dreams?

An unexpected hope…

Tazhret’s destiny leads him to freedom and the woman he yearns for—and to a desperate struggle against the enemy.

Tazhret can save Forge, and the clan of his beloved. But only at the cost of all he has hoped for:
his name, his freedom, and his love for the woman with the nut-brown hair…

About the Author:

Warped in childhood by too much reading, T.K. Anthony made her living in the world of words, briefly on Capitol Hill as a press secretary before moving on to Corporate America in business communications and human resources.

She grew up in Pennsylvania, has lived in Illinois, Virginia, Upstate and Central New York, and Massachusetts, and has seen much of the United States by road trip, visiting a whole raft of cousins. Travel outside the US includes Scotland, England, Italy, France, and Belgium. With her travel bag packed, she now resides in Texas with her husband, two cats (Pip and Taz are close collaborators in her writing, and keep her keyboard furry), and all the people in her head who talk to her.

She loves to talk to other people, too–so leave a comment, or send her an email at tesskanthony@gmail.com.

Website / Facebook / Twitter

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So it's October....

Well, it's that time of the year when our mind turn to the spooky side. Recently at work, one of my friends came up to me with a picture her daughter had taken in Starbucks in London. Now she was taking a picture of her coffee to use as a screensaver on her phone, but when she pasted the picture on her profile on Facebook, her friends were doing double takes.

Now, I know my friend and I know this wasn't photoshopped. The figure in the back in the glass's reflection, with the cowl, as I've been told, was not there when she took the picture. So, take a look and tell me what you think?

I wonder if the dude sitting in front of the figure, drinking his coffee, knows the Grim Reaper is eyeballing him?

Oh, and thanks to Christine for the use of this photo.

Now I have a winner to announce. The winner of the tote with my Decadent titles and one of my e-books is Faith. I'll be contacting you soon about your winnings.

Congrats!

Have a great weekend everyone,

D L

When Family Reunions Attack! - Guest Post by author Diane Dooley & Giveaway!!

Hi, everyone! I’m Diane Dooley and I’m here to chat about my recent release, Blue Nebula, from Carina Press. Blue Nebula is the sequel to Blue Galaxy, also from Carina Press. Much happens in both books, but some of the recurring events/themes in Blue Nebula are reunions of the family variety. Here’s a snippet from one of them:

Sola sensed the movement of someone into the room, but didn’t take her eyes from Grady. “Who did you leave to wait for me?” she asked. “My loving brother, Miguel, perhaps?”

Grady shook his head.

“Your loving sister.” The familiar voice came from behind her. Sola immediately ducked under the table and out the other side, just as the laser sliced a swathe where her head should have been.

“Oh, you still have those wonderful reflexes, Marisol,” her sister said, giggling. “I wasn’t trying to kill you, silly. Just teasing.”

Sola stood, staring at her older sister. “Hello, Serena. It’s been a long time.”

Anyone ever have a family reunion like that? This is just one of the reunions in Blue Nebula, but you can probably tell from the snippet that Sola doesn’t have the most loving of families. Quite the contrary, in fact. With a family like that, thank the stars she has the love and support of Captain Javan Rhodes: he of the scruffy beard, soulful eyes, and enticing grin. With him by her side she has all the love in the galaxy to keep her on the straight and narrow. She just has to do right by her man. Problem is, with the upbringing she’s had, she doesn’t know the first thing about how to sustain a loving relationship. Will she learn? Or will she lose the best damn thing that ever happened to her?

Thanks to the Backward Momentum crew for having me aboard! I’m giving away an e-copy each of Blue Galaxy and Blue Nebula. Readers can expect twists and turns, shocks and surprises, some steamy sex, and lots of awful relatives - all while the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment and contact information. And remember, in this Blue Universe, falling in love might be easy, but staying alive just keeps getting harder. Enter before midnight October 8, 2012 for your chance to WIN. Winner will be notified October 9. 

* * * * *

Diane Dooley writes romance, science fiction and horror - sometimes all in the same story. You can catch up with her on her blog, Facebook or Twitter. She also blogs regularly at Contact: Infinite Futures and is a regular contributor to The Galaxy Express.

Her website is the best place to find her books and their buy links. Her blog is the best spot to find her short stories. They are listed here.