The Wolf Arrives

Today is the official release of The Clockwork Wolf, the second novel in my Disenchanted & Co. urban fantasy series. Also, if you missed it last week, here's the video for the book:



I think that's all the promo I'll throw at you this time. Besides, I have to talk about some people who helped:

My editor, Adam Wilson, deserves much for every wise and amazing thing he did to bring the world of Toriana to publication. I also wish I could name all of the other folks at Pocket Star who put so much creativity and wisdom into the series production, because they did a fabulous job, too.

I am very grateful to author and filmmaker Jeff Somers for creating yet another superb video trailer for Kit and her crew; it was everything I wished for and then some.

Last (but never least) I must somehow thank NYT bestselling author and my dear friend Darlene Ryan for her nonstop support and generous encouragement during this entire adventure. Until I can think up something better, Bubba, know that you are the best writer friend on the planet.

Places where you can purchase The Clockwork Wolf (click on them to do that and keep me writing this series):

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

iBookstore

Indiebound

Nook

S&S.com

Amazon

Kindle

Argh Ten

Ten Things That Always Seem to Happen The Week Your Book is Released

Appliance Fail: a major or integral appliance in your home that has never once given you a second of trouble will stop working, start leaking or emit a stream of dark oily smoke when you turn it on.

Comrade in Harm: In the process of congratulating you a colleague will artfully mention that they're not buying your new release because they're too busy to read it, they prefer another author in that genre, or the whole idea really wasn't their cup of tea.

E-mail Gainer: Your incoming e-mail will quadruple, and about a third of it will be from people who have never before contacted you but bought your book the second it hit the shelf, hated it, and now want to tell you in excruciating detail why.

Gaming Glom: To stop from thinking about your release on Monday you'll find an online version of Candy Crush and decide to try playing it for the first time. By Wednesday you'll be competing in tournaments. By Friday you will be the highest-ranked Candy Crush player on that site.

Gone Data Gone: Your editor, publicist or video producer will need a vital bit of information from you asap, which is part of a file you discover you can't open, you can't remember what you named, or that you deleted last month while cleaning up your hard drive.

Honey Huh: About halfway through the week your honey will call home to see if you performed some time-sensitively and extremely vital task s/he needed you to do, which you haven't. Worse, you will have zero recollection of agreeing to do it.

Match Game: You won't understand why all the book store managers keep giving you such odd looks until you get home from a long day of making the rounds and realize as you undress that your shoes don't match, you're wearing your shirt inside-out, and/or the bright red lipstick that still gleams on your mouth is all over your front teeth, too.

Pet Pouting: The well-behaved, healthy, house-trained furry friends who are always content to slumber away most of the day suddenly become crazed demons of destruction with severe tummy troubles who sit at your hip and whine to go outside. Every. Five. Minutes.

Takeout Tonight: While worrying about your release's debut, how it will be received, if it will sell, how many copies are hitting the stores and why in God's name you every thought this was a wonderful job, you will finally remember you have to make dinner. This will happen no earlier than thirty seconds before dinner time.

Writer's Blech: As you begin to perform a reading, chat up a reader, introduce yourself over a microphone or pitch your release to an important industry entity over the phone, your nervous digest system will surge to produce audible flatulence, a generous amount of bile going the wrong way or an involuntary burp that not only escapes but can be measured on the Richter scale.

Catch Lark

I know author Barbara Samuel aka Barbara O'Neal has many fans among my visitors, so I thought I'd pass along some news: she's just released a new title in a new genre and under a new psuedonym:



I've nabbed a copy to read on my Nook once I finish up my work this month. To learn more about this new venture visit the author's blog here.

His Lordship Arrives

Today is the release day for His Lordship Possessed, the latest book in my new Disenchanted & Co. steampunk urban fantasy series for Pocket Star. This book wraps up the story that began with Her Ladyship's Curse in August, and will be combined with that book in the print edition of Disenchanted & Co., to be released in January. Takes notes because there will be a pop quiz on this later.

As most of you know the only income I have is from sales of my books, so if you would like to show your support for me, Paperback Writer, the Disenchanted & Co. blog, and all the other trouble I get into online you can invest in His Lordship. My thanks to you and those already have; you're the reason I keep at this gig.

Korvel Arrives

This looks like a new release, but it's a bit more than that. Four years ago it was just a dream; one they tell us not to hope for in Publishing. On the cover is a fountain that I sat by in real life while I was (foolishly) dreaming of the story. Coincidence? Omen? Have no idea.

This novel and I have also been through a lot together, too. I had just sold it when I had to undergo eye surgery. My editor of seven years abruptly quit a month before I turned in the manuscript. I started production on the book just as my dad had a stroke. I worked on revisions while Dad was in hospice, and proofed the galleys right before his funeral service.

Every time I look at this book, though, I don't feel sad or depressed. What I remember is how the story stayed with me through the worst, and kept me focused whenever despair tried to drag me down into the abyss. I always talk about how we need to protect the work; oddly enough this time the work protected me. Nightborn grew from a dream to a hope to a reality, and then it became a steady beacon of light during some very dark times.

I am so proud of this novel that I wish I could give everyone a copy for free, but writing is how I earn my living, and for all that I give away, I do need to sell some work. You readers out there wanted more stories of the Darkyn, and now I've delivered. If you'd like me to keep writing them, then this book has to do well.

If you were planning to buy the book but haven't yet, please pick up a copy as soon as you have a chance (this week would be great, but anytime is appreciated.) If you like Paperback Writer, have found it helpful, lovon with all I do here, buying Nightborn is how you can show your support and provide funding for the blog. If you can't afford to buy a copy, please ask for the book at your local library; that is also a terrific way to help.

For all of the bloggers out there who have already helped by hosting me at your sites and/or otherwise spreading the word, and the readers who have already bought or requested the book, and/or have spread the word and encouraged others to check it out, thank you. I could not do this without you.

Bookseller links:

BAM
B&N.com
Tantor (audio book)
Amazon.com

Charlotte Arrives

Nightshine, the fourth and final novel in my Kyndred series, is hitting the shelves nationwide this week.

This is probably one of the most unusual stories I've written in the dark fantasy/paranormal genre, but I had a lot of fun with it. I think those of you who have been following the Kyndred will be pleased with the wrap-up of the series.

A release day is one of the few times I ask my visitors to do something for me. I don't accept advertising or any form of compensation for Paperback Writer, so if you find my blog to be a useful resource, buying my book is a great way to say thanks. If money is tight right now, which I know it is for many of you, you can also show support by requesting a copy of my novel at your local public library.

To buy online, visit these retailers:

Books-a-Million
Barnes & Noble.com
Amazon.com

Cat Arrives Ten

Ten Reasons to Invest in My New Release, After Midnight

A New Venture: This is the first chance I've had to build a brand-new universe in quite some time. I really had fun with it, and I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Ad-Free PBW: I don't accept donations, advertising or any outside funding at all for PBW; everything I do here is paid for with income from my share of book sales. Thus when you buy one of my books, you provide direct support for the blog.

Cover Art: Will not lacerate your corneas, fry your retinas or otherwise cause temporary blindness (disclaimer: no guarantees if you choose to poke yourself in the eye with the book.)

Freebie Funding: If you enjoyed Dark of Heart or any of the other stories, novellas and novels that I give away for free online, buying my print novels is a great way to say thanks as well as to vote for more free stuff.

Getting Back to My Roots: Most of my early work was YA (mainly because I was a teen when I started writing novels.) Rediscovering that young voice inside me was terrific, and I'd like to do more of that.

None of the Usual Suspects: The story does not contain any alternate realities, castles, crystals, dragons, elves, magic spells, necromancers, new age ephemera, orcs, ogres, reincarnation, schools that would not qualify for state funding, secret societies, trolls, underworlds, warriors, werewolves, witches or wizards.

Print: The trade paperback edition does not require batteries, cables or downloading.

Storytelling: Writing this book was a serious challenge on multiple levels, and taught me a lot. That's the kind of thing that keeps me from becoming complacent or growing stagnant as a writer, and helps me write better books for you.

Teen-Friendly: If you've ever wanted your teenager to read something I've written, this is the book to give them.

Writing for the Future: Sales are the only job security a writer ever has. By investing in After Midnight, you insure I keep writing; it's as simple as that.

Lilah Arrives

Frostfire hits the shelves today, and one of my duties as its author is to tempt you into purchasing it.

If it were a car, I could pop the hood and invite you to admire its gleaming engine while I regale you with details of its many innovative features. I could point out the care with which I designed and built it, and mention some of the pleasures involved in taking it for a ride. For once even the exterior on this one is pretty neat (God bless the factory paint job people.) You won't find anything else like it on the market, I'd say, and it wouldn't be a lie. Too bad it's not a car.

Perhaps I could go for the emotional blackmail approach like James Patterson. I noticed he did another of those Buy my book or I'll kill my protagonist TV commercials during the holidays. It's true that novel royalties are my sole income, and healthy book sales assure that I remain employed, which is ammenable to you, yes? Okay, maybe not. I need to employ someone who no one will want to suffer, which isn't me . . . maybe the new puppy?

Not a hair on my dog's head will be harmed whether my book sells or not; let's just be very clear about that upfront.

But imagine little Skye looking up at you with her sad and beautiful dark puppy eyes, while a sign around her neck reads in wobbly lettering: Please, buy my human's book. She's so small and helpless and entirely dependent on me for buying her growth assistance food, paying for her vet visits and restocking her supply of toys. Only she's too busy playing tug-of-war with Cole and the stuffed toy candy cane that squeaks. I want to kill that candy cane; does that count? Probably not.

I could do the artist thing and talk about the novel's new world-building (Frenchman's Pass and the Ahnclann), the unusual characterizations (alternately dreamy and nightmarish to write), and how three of the cast constantly tried to steal the story for themselves. I could tell the story behind the dedication and the lucky dictionary thing between me and author Larissa Ione. Or mention that one, spooky line that came out of nowhere; so perfect and so unexpected and shook me up so much I actually had to stop writing for a couple hours so I could process what had just happened on the page. Like any writer, I'm certainly capable of boring you with all the details. Willing to? Not especially.

We'll just have to go with the standard. So:

My new book Frostfire is being released nationwide today. It's a book about the Kyndred, third in the series, but more of a standalone this time around. For those of you who liked Samuel Taske from Dreamveil, he's part of the story, as are Nick and Gabriel from the fourth Darkyn novel, Night Lost. If you have a bookstore gift card or some cash left over from the holidays, I hope you'll consider checking it out.

Or if that doesn't tempt you, look into these eyes:

Rowan Arrives

Today is the official release day for my novel Dreamveil, the second book in my Kyndred dark fantasy series, which means I am obliged to write a buy my freakin' book post.

We should have some fun with this chore, yes? Let's see, I've already done the ten reasons you should buy or request it list. I know:

Ten Things You Will Not Find in Dreamveil by Lynn Viehl

Angels or Demons. There is a restaurant in the setting that has an angelic name but no connection to the divine or the profane. I hear the food is pretty good, though.

Bite Scenes. Any nipping that occurs during the story is purely incidental and passion-spurred. Said nips do not actually break through any of the characters' skin surfaces, will not save anyone's life, destroy anyone's life or turn them into a blood-dependent immortal.

Brand name female designer clothing/shoes/purses/accessories: My protagonist is poor and couldn't afford them.

Cardboard Secondary Cast: I loved working with these talented imaginary people, but unfortunately all of them flatly refused to take a position by the nearest structure-support divider and make like the covering.

Genetically-altered superhuman villains: Alas, the only bad guys I could persuade to join in this time are strictly human.

Patricia Briggs. My protagonist reads her books, and does comment on them, but the author herself does not actually appear in the story.

Predictable Ending. I try not to do those. But: you already know this about me.

Rap music references: There's a single album title ref to flesh out my graffiti scene, but no real life rap artists were quoted or real buildings defaced during the mention of it.

Secret Babies. A pregnant character does appear briefly in the story, but everyone following the series already knows that baby. Wait, now that I think about it, there's another one but she doesn't actually appear in the story. Except in a flashback. That doesn't count. What?

Usual Suspects. In this novel there are no BDSM dungeons, condoms referred to as foil packets, female deities (wrathful or otherwise), girls cooing over each other's glittery hoohahs, intimacy marathons that last longer than 24 hours, mystical treasures of disturbing origin, pointless quests, shape-shifters who sprout fur, fangs or claws, swords of incredible power, troubling omens, underground or above ground portals to hell, vampire brotherhoods, we-must-have-sex-to-save-the-world scenarios, or weapons of mass destruction. Oh, and absolutely no dragons appear in the story at any time whatsoever (okay, there are a couple of tattoos. But that's all. I swear.)

Shadowlight Arrives

Shadowlight, my first Kyndred novel, officially lands on the shelves today. An excerpt from my upcoming June '10 release, Dreamveil, is included in the back pages.

I'll spare you guys the usual "Buy my book" post; by now most of you have heard it a couple dozen times. I've had a lot of help getting the word out on this one (your fault) and really, what more can a writer ask? All right, if everyone wants to support PBW and/or insure my future employment, I suppose you can go out this week and buy a copy, or request it from your local public library. But I'm guessing most of you already have, and I thank you for investing and requesting.

I've been brooding for some time about something veteran literary agent Georges Borchardt said in his interview with Poets & Writers:

The pub date used to mean the author would get a bouquet of roses or there would be a party. There was practically always a party for the author. The birth of the book was something to be celebrated. Now it's just the question of "Do we admit to the author that the actual printing is only one-fourth of the announced printing?"

I didn't know that releasing a book used to be such an event. Maybe back in the day publishers could afford to throw a party because there weren't that many books being published, so they didn't have to do it very often. Now release day for most authors seems to be focused on exhausting varieties self-promo, checking to see if blog ads and book videos go live, waiting for the lists and not much else. Publishers are never involved, and I think that's pretty sad.

I seriously doubt anyone in the biz will ever throw a party for me (maybe one to celebrate the day I retire, or whenever I drop dead), but I've always spent my pub dates with my family. We're pretty tame, so our idea of fun is going out to dinner or spending the evening with a big bowl of popcorn and a new movie, but we have fun together, and the gift they've given me is ten years filled with happy memories on release days. Publishing can never top that.

I hope you writers out there don't forget to take a little time off from the endless promoing to party on your pub date. Whether it's the release of your first or your forty-fourth, a new book should always be something wonderful in your life. When it arrives, do something special to celebrate it.

Newsy Bits

As of last weekend, my ninth StarDoc novel, Crystal Healer, is out on the shelves at all of the chain booksellers. Readers have also confirmed that it's been shipped from B&N.com, so if you were waiting until the official August release date there's really no need to anymore.

I wasn't expecting a two-week jump on the laydown date; I thought I had another week to put something together for release day. Thus I'm woefully unprepared (as I whined about this week over at the group blog.) Bad PBW. No cookie for me.

I would give away some copies today, but I never received any ARCs for this one, and (ironically) they haven't sent me my author copies yet. Hopefully they will soon before I have to go buy copies of my own book to keep my friends and mother from strangling me.

Anyway, um . . . happy premature release day to me.

The folks at Berkley/NAL/Perigee Publicity for Penguin Group (USA) as well as my editor told me to put an announcement on my web site about a new e-book version of Twilight Fall that is being sold over in the UK by Waterstone; the sales page for it is here.

Alas, I don't have a web site, but I hope you all won't mind me mentioning it here so I can make the people in NY happy.

Looks like you can download it from Waterstone in Adobe Digital Edition; I'm not seeing any other format for sale (but I might be looking at the wrong button or something.)

Robin Arrives

Stay the Night, my seventh Darkyn novel and the story of Robin of Locksley, has made it to the shelves and now concludes this series. An excerpt of my upcoming November '09 release, Shadowlight, is included in the back pages.

I was going to post the actual pink version of the cover art, but evidently I'm not that mature yet.

I always like to finish what I start, and it's a good feeling to know this set of stories is complete. The journey from If Angels Burn to Stay the Night was not an easy one, but as I wrote my way down the road, I learned a lot about myself and what I can do. I know my approach to this series was decidedly different from that of my peers, but I hope I was able to contribute some new ideas about story to the genre.

That's about it. If you have a couple of bucks left on a bookstore gift card from the holidays, and you'd like to see how the Darkyn series wraps up, I hope you'll invest in Stay the Night.

Master of Shadows Release

A year ago I talked about writing a dangerous book. For a long time I'd thought about trying something really different -- writing a story that paralleled another story. I'd done something like that when I wrote Illumination, which is basically most of the story from StarDoc book one, told from Reever's point of view instead of Cherijo's.

Retelling a story from another POV is one thing, but I wondered if I could tell an entirely new story while paralleling another. I thought it would work if the two stories shared certain elements, like characters and plot threads, without either one spoiling the other. Definitely experimental, but the kind of writing challenge I enjoy. Inspiration for the story soon followed, and then I knew exactly what I wanted to write.

I wrote my dangerous book, which technically came out a bit longer than a traditional novella, took it to some folks at Penguin Putnam involved in the eSpecial program, and pitched it. I wasn't really expecting anything to happen, but I wanted to talk about e-books, what I'd been doing with them, what I'd learned over the last seven years, and what I hoped to do with this one. They liked my ideas and offered to work with me on this project as a joint venture.

Today we're releasing the results: Master of Shadows, a novella of the Darkyn and a full-length, original story that parallels the story of my January '09 print release, Stay the Night.



Will Scarlet, right-hand man to Darkyn leader Robin of Locksley, has been charged with an impossible task: He must regain control of his lord’s stronghold, which has been invaded by vicious Darkyn renegades, without harming any captives or attracting the attention of the Brethren, the Kyn’s mortal enemies. Things only get worse when Will learns that Reese Carmichael, the mortal woman he loves, is one of the hostages.

Reese was sent by her father, a former Brethren inquisitor, to infiltrate Rosethorn, retrieve an ancient vial containing the cause of a medieval plague, and prevent Armageddon from being accidentally unleashed upon the mortal world. Seducing and falling in love with Will Scarlet was never part of the plan, but Reese has no choice other than to use him and the siege of Rosethorn to complete her mission. If she does, she knows he will never forgive her — but if she doesn’t, millions of innocent lives will be lost.

As Kyn allies Jayr, Byrne, and Lucan arrive to provide Will with reinforcements, Reese’s true identity and motives are revealed. Torn between love and loyalty, Will and Reese uncover one last secret from the past that may help them win the final battle — if it doesn’t destroy them first.

I know the economy has been very tough on everyone, and one of my priorities was to make this e-book affordable for as many readers as possible. Publishers, on the other hand, have to make money. In the end I had to compromise on price, but I did persuade them to extend a period of reduced pricing for my readers. So until January 6, 2009, Master of Shadows will be available for the special retail price of $2.99 (after that date, the price for the e-book will increase to $4.99.)

I'll have links to a big press release they're sending out later today. So far, these are the links to the places where you can buy it that I've found (to be updated/corrected as the e-book goes live and the blips are worked out):

In Kindle format, priced at $2.39, on Amazon.com

In Secure eReader/Microsoft Reader format, priced as low as $2.69/$2.29 at Fictionwise

Added new links:

In MS Reader format, priced at $2.99 at Penguin.com USA.

In eReader format, priced at $2.99 at Penguin.com USA.

In Adobe Reader format, priced at $2.99 at Penguin.com USA.

In Sony reader format, priced at $2.84 at The eBook store from Sony.

My thanks to Rick, Jodi and all the folks at Penguin for giving me this opportunity to publish an eSpecial, and to my guy for being my reason and my rock these last couple of weeks. I couldn't have done it without any of you.
-----------------------------------------------------
Added: My publisher has asked me to post some excerpts from Master of Shadows and Stay the Night on the blog, so with your indulgence, here goes:

An Excerpt from Master of Shadows by Lynn Viehl
First electronic release December 10, 2008

Reese woke to the sound of a mobile phone ringing, and reached blindly until she found it and brought it in front of her burning eyes. The display showed the time—why had Father allowed her to sleep for so long?—and a pet name: Loverboy.

She switched it on and held it to her ear. “Hello.”

“Did I wake you?” Loverboy had Will Scarlet’s voice.

He is Will, you idiot. “No.” She sat up, dragging the sheet to her chin. He couldn’t see her, but she slept naked, and talking to him while she was bare-skinned made her feel exposed. She had to say something, greet him as if nothing had happened. Nothing had happened. Yet. “How are you?”

“Tired. Somewhat annoyed. Very sorry for behaving like such a jackass last night.” Will sounded tentative, as if he were afraid to say more, and then went on. “Reese, I want you to know that I never meant—”

“It’s okay. You can make it up to me when I get to Rosethorn.” She glanced at her watch; she still had enough time to prepare. “I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

“That is the other reason I called. I can’t meet you there tonight. Rob is attending a gallery show in town, and I must go with him. We will not be returning to the estate until later, likely after midnight.”

He was telling her everything she needed to know, as if he knew what she intended to do. Did he know? “It sounds like a great show.”

“You could meet us there,” Will suggested. “Rob is escorting an old friend, but I will be on my own. We could talk about what happened last night.” When she didn’t reply, he added, “Or perhaps not.”

“I’d love to be there,” she lied. “But it’s the catalog. I have so much work to do on it.”

He muttered something, and then said, “So the fact that I forced myself on you has nothing to do with the manner in which you’re now avoiding me.”

“Yes. No. It wasn’t—” She stopped and rubbed her hand over her face. “It wasn’t like that. I’m not avoiding you.”

“Prove it to me, sweetheart.” The rough tone became soft and persuasive. “Come to the show.”

Trying to think of another excuse that would not further offend him, give away her true intentions, or jeopardize the mission made her head whirl. “You’ll be working, and I doubt Lord Locksley wants me distracting you from your duties.”

“Hang Rob,” he said flatly. “Come anyway.”

“Be patient, Will. We can get together later, when we can have more time for ourselves.” She would never see him again. Last night was all that they would ever have, and she’d run from him. It made this farce she was playing out into a cruel form of self-torture. “Wouldn’t you rather be alone with me?”

“I’ve done nothing but think about that, and you,” he admitted. “All day, I’ve had no peace. I barely slept. Reese, I know we agreed in the beginning to be friends only, and that neither of us wanted a serious affair. Somehow last night we strayed beyond that, I think.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. She had to know more, though. She couldn’t go through with her mission if she didn’t. “How do you feel about that?”

“How do I feel?” He laughed. “I want more.”

“More of the same?”

“More of you.”

He would have her, in a sense, but he would never know—and that was probably the kindest thing she could ever do for him. “You may change your mind before the next time you see me.”

“I think not.”

“Okay.” She got out of bed. “As much as I’d love to chat with you, I have to go and get ready for work now. My boss wants me to stop by the office before I drive out to Rosethorn.” She closed her eyes and added a flirtatious lilt to her voice. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”

“You will wait for me?”

Had she ever done anything else? “Always.”
---------------------------------------------

An Excerpt from Stay the Night by Lynn Viehl
To be released January 9, 2009


Robin found the Mercedes and unlocked the passenger door for her, as naturally as if the car belonged to him. He treated her the same way; as if her coming along with him meant she’d go along with whatever he did.

“Do you want the top down? It’s a lovely night.” When she didn’t get in, he gave her hand a tug. “We only have two days, Christal. Get in.”

“My name isn’t Christal. This car doesn’t belong to you. Neither do I.” Chris twisted her hand, but he kept hold of her. If he didn’t let go of her, right now, she was going to make a fool out of herself. To remind herself of who he was, she reminded him. “You can’t steal or bully out of people whatever you want, Robin. No matter how good you are with your magic whatever it is, eventually, you’re going to get caught.”

His dark brows rose. “I don’t use magic, and what does this have to do with getting into the car?”

He didn’t care. He genuinely didn’t care that they were, in effect, stealing this woman’s car. “How do you sleep at night?” she demanded.

"I sleep during the day.”

“You know exactly what I mean.” She was sick of this vampire fantasy role he insisted on playing, too. “Doesn’t it bother you, knowing everything you have you stole from someone else?”

“I have not stolen everything,” he told her. “When I bought the Armstrong building, for example, I paid cash for it.”

He’d bought a high rise building in downtown Atlanta for cash. Of course he had, he was the son of the Magician. He could probably buy Atlanta.

“Where did you get the money?” Chris asked. “How many priceless paintings did you have to steal to cover the down payment?”

“None. I invest in the stock exchange. Google did very well for me that year.” He watched a security guard stroll past them. “A gentleman does not discuss his financial empire in public. Now we have to go.”

Chris didn’t budge. “What does happen to the art you steal? Are you warehousing it? Do you sell it to private collectors?” Maybe if she could convince him to turn himself in, and work with the Bureau on recovering and returning the artworks he had stolen, it might reduce the time he would have to serve in prison.

Am I trying to work out a plea agreement? For the Magician?

Chris backed up a step. “I can’t do this. I can’t go through with this.”

“Yes, you can.”

She looked at him, suddenly and inexplicably more angry than she ever had been in her life. “I won’t.”

“Get in the car, love,” he said through his teeth, “or I shall pick you up and stow you in the boot.”

Valentin Returns

Today is the release day for my sixth Darkyn novel, Twilight Fall. This book features Valentin Jaus, the suzerain from Chicago who first appeared in Private Demon, and Liling Harper, a gardener who (indirectly) works for Jaus at a private rehabilitation hospital. The series protagonists, Alexandra Keller and Michael Cyprien, also return to continue their quest for everlasting love, a cure for the Darkyn, and what to do on the LearJet during those long, boring flights to the West coast.

So far the feedback from my readers has been quite positive, something I really wasn't expecting after the popularity of Evermore, which was a very different book from this one. Also, two cameo scenes from TF have resulted in a flood of requests for Rain and Farlae's story. I would have to do that as a free e-book, and I can't promise anything, as I've already got Incarnatio to work on for this fall. But if/when the work schedule permits, I hope to write a novella about the guys and how they met.

It's tough for me to ask readers to buy my books when the economy is so bad, but this is how I make my living, and sales of my work in print provide the funds for everything else I do here at PBW. That and if I don't do at least one straight self-promo post for the book, I think they will send someone to the house to break my legs. So if you enjoy dark fantasy and vampire fiction, and you have some room on a gift card or a few bucks to spare, I hope you'll check out Twilight Fall, now available for order online or at most U.S. bookstores nationwide.

Evermore Arrives

Evermore, my fifth Darkyn novel, has made it to the shelves. If you'd like to read an excerpt, Borders Group is very kindly hosting one here along with a letter I wrote for their readers here.

I've never been very good at the buy my freaking book thing, obviously. But if you happen to like dark fantasy or vampire fiction, and you have a couple of bucks left on a bookstore gift card from the holidays, I hope you'll pick up Evermore.

Night Lost Arrives

Turns out my release date for Night Lost is today rather than May 7th. Surprise!



I don't know why it's out a week early, but readers are telling me that it's shipping from the online booksellers, and my sister says I'm already on the shelf at BAM. When we went this afternoon to pick up some mulch for the front yard, my son headed over to the book/magazine section for the latest issue of Shonen Jump, and brought back a copy of NL with that big Wal-Mart price sticker plastered over Gabriel's forehead like a weird bandaid.

I was going to make a pathetic determined effort at posting some self-promo for Night Lost next week. I was. Really. Wait, wait, I did do some already -- I spent the day over at Shiloh's last week (which was great) talking about myself (which is torture.) That counts.

Be so much easier if I could just blame the dog.

Anyway, if you have enjoyed the Darkyn books, or like vampire fiction but are interested in trying something different, and you'd be okay with making my publisher extremely happy and keeping me employed, I invite you to pick up Night Lost, available nation-wide today.