Pretty Surprise Badge

Woot! Look at the pretty All Romance sent me and my co-authors:

So happy to share that DARK SECRETS


Hit the ARe Bestsellers List. WooHoo!

Release Date is: September 29, 2015

But we do have it on preorder:

Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Noir Anthology

Dark Secrets on KOBO

Dark Secrets on Google Play

Dark Secrets on ARe

(More links coming soon!)

DARK SECRETS, A Paranormal Noir Anthology: Cover Reveal

Woot! I'm so thrilled to finally be able to share DARK SECRETS, a paranormal noir anthology I'm in with some amazing  authors -- Rachel Caine, Cynthia Eden, Megan Hart, Suzanne Johnson, and Jeffe Kennedy. I LOVE reading these ladies! So "Thrilled!" is an understatement. :)

Check out our awesome cover!



(Thanks to Robin Ludwig of Cover design by Robin Ludwig Design Inc.

Release Date is: September 29, 2015

But we do have it on preorder:

Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Noir Anthology

Dark Secrets on KOBO

Dark Secrets on Google Play

Dark Secrets on ARe

(More links coming soon!)

Initially, it's digital, but we are working on getting print copies done...so stay tuned!

Also...the signup for review copies of DARK SECRETS is now open! We'd really appreciate your help getting the word out, so check out the review request form.

Blurb:

Six award-winning authors bring you this spellbinding collection of stories about dark desires, mysterious worlds, and danger that lurks in the shadows of the night. Where nothing is black and white; where things might not be as they seem; where magic and mayhem rule.

MARION, MISSING by Rachel Caine (detective, ghost)
FEMME FATALE by Cynthia Eden (detective, vampire)
DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by Megan Hart (deal with the devil)
THE CONSORT by Suzanne Johnson (fae in contemporary New Orleans)
HEART’S BLOOD by Jeffe Kennedy (a Twelve Kingdoms novella, fairy tale retelling)
THE DJINN IN THE MIRROR by Mina Khan (a Djinn World novella, djinn, witches, ghosts)


Finding The Right Book Con For You

Do you remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? How she has to try all the different porridge, and the different beds before she finds the right one? Well, finding the right book con is exactly like that.

Since being published in 2011, I have been to several cons and events. Some have been large with thousands of people. I think the highlight of those cons have been the Mega-Star Authors I have fan-girled over and got my books signed. I remember my encounters with legends like Nora Roberts, Patricia Briggs, and Marjorie M. Liu. Squee!

The downside is I'm part introvert, so at some point (and it doesn't take much) the noise level and the sheer number of people overwhelm and exhaust me. I have to go hide in my hotel room.

I have also attended wonderful little luncheons, a pleasant few hours to connect with a table full of people. These are lovely, but they are over too soon. I wistfully wrap up bookish discussions and take my leave. My favorite is the Southern Magic Reader Luncheon in Birmingham, Alabama. Those ladies know how to party!

But there are some cons that fit you just right. They're a blast and when you leave, you're both exhausted and energized. A strange, but good place to be. For me, Authors After Dark is that con. It's not too big, and it's not too short.

You have amazing authors and readers come together, all united by their love of books.



This year, the Mistress of Ceremonies was the very awesome and sweet Sherrilyn Kenyon.


It's about 4-5 days long and you get to see the same people running around so before you know it they are familiar faces, and then friends.

The panels are awesome! Most of the AAD readers attending the con are serious readers, they know their genres and books, they can discuss book boyfriends and plot twists into the wee hours of the night. So authors are not just talking heads behind tables during sessions. Instead you have dynamic, deep bookish conversations.

Some of the panels I was on this year: Odd Paranormals, MCIR: What the heck is that? (Half our attendees thought it was Motorcycle Club, but went ahead and stayed for our discussion of Multicultural and Inter Racial stories -- Yay!), Crossing Genres and more. The Dragon panel was packed!

But most importantly, everyone is excited to be there and ready to have fun.







So thank you Stella and wonderful staff for this wonderful year! Next year, AAD will be in Savannah and it'll be the last one in the U.S. for a while...so I'm both sad and looking forward to it. I know it'll be grand.
For more information about the Savannah AAD in 2016  click on this link.

Book Review of Ink and Bone (The Great Library series)

Yay! One of my favorite authors Rachel Caine has another fantastic series I can get lost in. Even better, I can share this story world with my darling husband, our teen and our tween because it happens to be YA/Steampunky alternate reality. I love introducing my family to wonderful reads and this one definitely needs to be shared.

Check out the gorgeous cover:




It’s a brilliant, chilling, thought-provoking book. It reminded me of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Fahrenheit 451. But in the end  it’s its own story.

The central premise (and character) is: The Great Library of Alexandria still exists. As a book lover who haunts her local library on a regular basis, I LOVED this. But then, Caine takes it up a notch and turns the library into this Big Brother type of entity. The most AWESOME & original villain ever. Caine builds her world with so much skill that I could imagine her twisted reality and it terrified me.

*There are fearsome lion automatons!*

Jess, the main character, loves books...so I immediately connected to him.


"You have ink in your blood, boy, and no help for it. Books will never be just a business to you."

This is a dark coming of age story where Jess finds out about divided loyalties, what freedom means and what it costs, the difference between what is portrayed and what is real. And we are there every step of the way.

*Yes, this book made me cry.*

I'm a big proponent of #WeNeedDiverseBooks. Raising children with mixed heritages, I'm always on the lookout for stories that show a well-rounded and diverse cast. Ink and Bone delivers. In fact, diversity is a natural part of this world. The library brings together the brightest young minds from all over the world to train into future librarians.Each character is fully developed -- you know their vulnerabilities and their strengths.

The story doesn't shy away from tough topics and questions -- we see the realities of war, poverty and oppression. All of this is presented not in a preachy fashion, but presented in a tension-filled gripping read. Ink and Bone made me think and made me feel. And that is all I can ask of a good book.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this complex series.