Writer Wednesday: Word Count Goals - How do you hit them?

I'm working against a tight deadline this week, finishing my book versus going on my first real vacation in four years. No pressure! I've been working diligently, focusing wholly on my writing while leaving all admin--email, social media, dogs and housework for first thing in the morning and for after I've hit my word count goals for the day. I've been posting my word count totals this week and getting a lot of questions from folks so I thought I'd just answer them all real quick before I dive into my sprints for today.

How Do You Do It?

The simple answer? I put my ass in the chair and I write. I set a timer on my phone. 45 minutes of sprinting with no Facebook, no music, no television--nothing for a distraction.

I am something of a pantser meets plotter. I already know all the major goal posts in the story, so I follow those goal posts and let the story travel organically from there. In an ideal world, I'll hit 1500 words per 45 minute sprint. Sometimes I come in a little shorter, other times longer.

Here's a sample from the other day:

• 8-9: 1707
• 9-10: 1770
• 10-11: 2001
• 11-12: 1988
• 12-1: 1687
• 1-2: 1503
• 2-3: 2017

I sprint for :45 minutes, then I have 15 minutes to stretch, dance, swap laundry, get a cuppa tea, whatever. Then back to sprinting.

All Day?

Yes, all day. I try to do in 8 hour blocks, just like an office day. I leave myself a window for 30 minutes at lunchtime. The stretch breaks are vitally important to the success of the sprints. I have a standing desk, so I alternate between standing and sitting in various sprints so I don't have tired legs or sore back.

Discipline, Practice

The sprints let me hit a 10K goal every day if I stay in an 8 hour writing window, if I go longer, I get more, if I go shorter, I get fewer. Four days into the sprints, I'll get some fatigue. Ideally I take a shorter day on day 4 or 5 and switch out to some other task: editing, blogging, or reading...something to refresh the muse.

This week I don't get that luxury because in a couple of days, I'm rolling out for vacay as I said earlier. This method works for me because I treat my writing like I do exercise, build stamina through regular intervals and varying my goals so I keep the mind sharp.

What if you get stuck?

I don't get stuck, if I find the words slow or I am slowing down, I vary it again. I may switch to 30 minute sprints with 15 minute breaks. I don't increase the break times, just vary the writing time. Sometimes if I'm writing and my timer goes off and I'm still in the middle of a thought, I keep going. When I finish whether it's 5, 10 or 15 minutes later, I still get my 15 minute break.

Those refreshers keep me charged and off I go. Does that help? I hope so. Every writer is different. You have to find the method that works for you. I'm off, time to sprint!

Monday! Monday! Round One of Fall Television Began...

So we're week one into the new television season. What did I like? What did I hate? What am I looking forward to which hasn't started yet? Let's do a quick rundown.

I'm on a deadline, so this is going to be a little more short form than I would normally! I promise more comprehensive thoughts later...

Monday

Big Bang Theory - Sorry, this episode annoyed me and took Stuart to levels of icky creepy they didn't manage to get Howard to back in first season.
Castle - Not a fan of the mirroring "Kate disappears" a season after "Castle disappears" and if they leave us dangling like they did last season, I'm out. That said, I did like that Espo stopped being a douche to Castle.
Scorpion - This show always entertains me. It's like a high octane Big Bang Theory and even with their angst, they still bring the funny.
Blindspot - Jury is still out on this one. I liked it well enough to watch the next one, I wasn't over the moon hooked though.
Minority Report - *sighs* I loved it so much I know they are going to cancel it. It has a combo Almost Human/Blade Runner vibe.

Tuesday
NCIS - Not sure I care for Gibbs being a dick to Tony, but I'll see how that plays out.
NCIS NOLA - I love that they added the ATF agent to the team, she rocks. And Brody looks weird with longer hair, that will take some getting used to.
Limitless - Interesting, willing to see it through to the next episode.
*still waiting on Flash to come back
*Waiting on Agents of SHIELD

Wednesday
Not squat this week - still waiting on Criminal Minds, Arrow, and more.

Thursday
I'm out of TGIT after the McDreamy death, I'm done with Grey's, sorry, they rip my heart out regularly, I need to keep what few pieces are left. Scandal and HTGAWM have gotten too shock jocky for me.

Totally missed Heroes Reborn so need to catch it on iTunes at some point. Did watch The Player and spent the whole hour being torn between the movie vibe and weirded out that Wesley Snipes didn't cuss

*Waiting on Blacklist and Elementary

Friday

Hawaii 5-0 - Dude, really? Having Steve and company on a Treasure Hunt while Kono is tortured? And she doesn't take two minutes to call them on her race to the bank? yeah, not happy.

Sunday

Once Upon a Time - Damn, that was a way to come back for a season opener. They've had some ups and downs on this show, but so far Dark Swan is a win with me.

CSI: Goodbye - It was kind of bittersweet. I liked the little nod to Lindsay being a CSI, and Catherine's return. The Lady Heather device was interesting too :)

Quantico - Recorded, haven't seen yet.

*Waiting on The Good Wife and Madam Secretary

Overall, I didn't watch a lot of new shows this week, relied on my old favorites and not all of them were as fulfilling as I would have liked. What about you? Any hits? Misses? What are you waiting on?

Sexy Saturday Sneak Peek: Single Wicked Wolf @AReCafe #WickedSeries #WolvesofWillowBend

ARe

Releasing at ARe exclusively on October 1st, you'll also be able to find this gem on other etailers sometime after the 10th. I'll be sure to post updates, in the meanwhile. Would you like a sneak peek at Giovanni and Murphy's first meeting?

The #BlackHills are Alive….with the Sound of Mating #BlogHunt #Giveaway #FreeShortRead

I’ve lived in the Black Hills all my life. Never left, even when the Alpha went insane and tried to carry the pack down with him, I remained. I’m a boogeyman, a monster, the one face in the pack you don’t want to see coming for you—but I will give my heart’s blood to keep them safe.

I know all the secrets. I know why every Wolf left. More, I know why they come home. When Magnum wanted his son gone, I took him at his word—the literal word, and I sent Drew away. When Magnum wanted no one to ‘heal’ one of his injured, I took her in and made sure her wounds were treated, after all I’m not a healer.

Any order can be twisted, and interpreted in such a way as to accomplish my goal. The only goal I’ve ever had was protect the pack, while a blood oath kept me from slaying the monster who led us, it didn’t stop me from protecting everyone else.

Saja has insisted I chronicle the time, if for no other reason, than to have an accurate history. I disagree. The dark years Drew spent in exile nearly shattered what remained of the pack. My self-imposed exile only served to distance them from me further, until I used their fear of me to send them away.

I was born in the Black Hills. I will die in the Black Hills.

“Ryker,” my impetuous mate says in her attempt at a stern voice. “That wasn’t what I asked you to write. I wanted you to talk about the changes since Drew’s return. A list of the positives, you know—you were here, you saw it all. We’re going to celebrate a year since his return at the Solstice.”

Vivacious and talkative, Saja fills every space she inhabits. My world is brighter for knowing her. She wants me to write what is different…everything is. No one can fully comprehend the emptiness of those years. The loneliness on a pack run—a time when loneliness should be the furthest thing from our minds.

To run with the pack is to be surrounded by family and more. It is to know you are connected to every other pack mate. Yet, we were fractured, isolated, and like shattered pieces of glass we were scattered across the landscape. Some disappeared, some broke forever, while others waited patiently to be reunited.

Isolation. Silence. Fear. These were the reality of those years. Since Drew returned…isolation has been replaced by camaraderie. Fear usurped by simple joys, loving returns, and connections or re-connections. As for isolation? We are not alone. The pack may still have some fissures, but even those are healing and like the broken bone, we will be stronger for it.

#TBT What a Wolf Wants #blackhillswolves @DecadentPub

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He runs alone...

Ryker Grey is used to being on the outside looking in. For more than fifty years, he has worked as Pack Enforcer for the Black Hills Wolves, rising to his rank swiftly. Compelled by duty and devotion to his people, he fought to keep them protected from within and without—earning a few enemies and fewer friends. Drew’s return has sparked healing in the fraying pack, but Ryker remains vigilant.

She needs a place to call her own...
Saja Lyons has spent her life studying cultures, but never really being a part of them. Completing a double specialty in psychology and sociology, she decides to take the three months after her graduation to find herself on a cross-country drive. She embraces the nomadic road trip until her car breaks down on a deserted stretch of road in the middle of nowhere South Dakota.

Two lonely lives collide in the cold...

Ryker catches Saja’s scent from a mile away, loneliness edged in fear, frustration, and utter femininity. He approaches her in order to lend her a hand and get her out of the pack’s way...the sooner she’s gone from Los Lobos, the safer the pack will be. When their gazes meet, her playful hostility arouses the hunter in him, and for the first time in fifty years, the enforcer tastes what it’s like to not be alone...

But what if the best thing that ever happened to him is a danger to the Black Hills Wolves?

Read the first chapter now!

Writer Wednesday: Organic Romance

I love romance, and no, I never pretended I didn't. I never rolled my eyes at the genre or tried to improve other people's opinions of me if they got all judgy about what I was reading. Here's the thing, I read. I read a lot.  I grew up reading my grandmother's Harlequins from Penny Jordan to Carole Mortimer to Nora Roberts to Kay Hooper and many, many more. I would raft with Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and I shipped Tom and Huck with Becky (yes, I was that girl.) I ran wild with Trixie Belden solving mysteries and had fingers and toes crossed that Jim would ask her out. I cheered when Honey and Brian went on their first date.

In Junior High, I ventured to other worlds with Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I was torn between wanting Kitiara and Tanis Half-Elven to find love and later, I kept my fingers and toes crossed that someone would love Raistlin enough to help him discover a different path. 

In 1980, Leia told Han "I love you" and he said "I know," then he was frozen in carbonite. In the same film, Darth Vader told Luke he was his father. The movie traumatized me, ripped my heart out and tap danced on it leaving me to want more and more. I could not wait for Return of the Jedi--I needed closure and I needed to see the love between these characters resolved in some ways. 

Whether it's the love between brothers (Raistlin and Caramon or Han and Luke), love between lovers (see above) or love between friends...the organic nature of those relationships had me reaching for book after book, film after film, and television show after television show.

Pure Romance

Romance is important to every kind of storytelling because it's at the heart of who we are. Humans crave connections -- we want to be close to other people -- so whether we're fighting an empire a few hundred galaxies away, journeying through Stargates, riding magical horses that can speak or fighting dragons on the wring -- we can all relate to romance, to the hunger for love, human companionship, touch and passion.

Bromance

Whether I'm writing Marines, wolves, Chance books or Soulgirls, Bromance is a lot of fun to explore. Some of my favorite relationships in books and film are Bromances--Gibbs and Tony on NCIS, Jack and Daniel (Stargate SG-1), Alaric and Damon (Vampire Diaries), Oliver and Diggle (Arrow), and yes, Barry and Dr. Wells (Flash) and many, many more. 

First Love to Best Love to Life Long Love

Writing any kind of romance whether it's a friendship, a brotherhood, a first love or a soul deep paring, it's filled with reward. I know characters aren't perfect, yet they can achieve a level of perfection in the eyes of their significant other or in the eyes of those around them.

Everyone is beautiful to someone who loves them whether they fit some model of "physical" perfection or whether they obey "social conventions" of normal. Love is not love which alters when it alterations find. This quote from Shakespeare sums it up for me neatly, loving the whole person or in my case, the whole character is far more preferable than he or she is so perfect who could not love them?

Keeping it Organic

Bearing in mind all I've said above, what I love most about writing romance is the journey from first meeting to first kiss to first realization of affection to declaration of love. Rarely is "insta-love" as appealing to me because love isn't a powder to be added to a cup with some hot water, mixed then sipped. It's more a tea, boiled and steeped until it reaches the right perfection--sometimes you have to add lemon and honey other times milk and sugar. 

The best love stories happen on their own as characters get to know each other, explore the world through each other's eyes and learn something. Love shouldn't alter a person, or try to alter them, but love can inspire you to be more, to let people in, to reveal a softer side others may not be privy to. Love should invite you to take the journey because it's about how you got there not just the roses and wine at the end.

Besides...the only way to find happily ever after is to discover happily on the way, and be willing to work for that happily forever--after. 

Yeah, but that's me. What is your favorite kind of love story?

Woo Hoo! Let the Fall Television Season Begin

Normally, most people aren't happy about it being a Monday. Of course, I'm not most people. For me, Monday means the family returns to their commitments and I am left alone with the voices in my head! Okay, yes, I know that sounds weird but I'm a writer, and I talk to myself and the voices regularly talk back.

In the meanwhile, tonight marks the return of the fall television season, hallelujah! Old favorites showcase their season premieres and new shows debut to see if they can win our affection. My poor, abandoned DVR, lonely after nothing to watch all summer, gets a workout and a half.

So what's on my list for tonight?

Returning Shows:

• Big Bang Theory - Can you believe it's Season 9? Oh, yes and you're in my spot!
• Scorpion - I really liked this show last season, it's a lot like Big Bang Theory only high on octane action. 
• NCIS: LA - Okay, I admit it, I'm dying for tomorrow's NCIS and NCIS: NOLA, but I have a soft spot for Sam and Callan, so I'm looking forward to tonight's premiere.
• Castle - I've been a huge fan since the first episode, I admit they went a little sideways last season with the Rick disappearance and how they handled it, but I'm still here and here's hoping this next chapter is worth the wait.

New Shows to Check Out:

• Minority Report - Not a huge fan of that film, but I'll see if the series is better.
• Limitless - I'm iffy on this one, too. I wasn't as big a fan of the film as some people are but I do adore Bradley Cooper. He used to be one of my favorite parts of Alias
• Blindspot - Jaime Alexander, nuff said. I'd watch it for her. Here's hoping the gimmick of tattoos isn't the only thing to make the show interesting.

What's on your watching schedule?

Sexy Saturday: Sneak Peek at Desert Wolf #WolvesofWillowBend

The Wolves of Change arc continues with Desert Wolf releasing in November, I thought you might want to take an early peek. I also think Cassius should come with a personal warning.

Pre Order Today

#NewRelease Under a Mating Moon by Celia Breslin #BlackHillsWolves @DecadentPub

AllRomance | Amazon | BookStrand | Kobo | Goodreads

Blurb:

British Alpha wolf Jake Marsden spends his days among humans, pursuing a lucrative music career and avoiding his pack’s politics. When his current DJ tour takes him to the US, he stops in Los Lobos to visit family, and runs into the one Wolf he never wants to see again—the mate who rejected his claim.

While visiting her brother in Los Lobos, free-spirited Lexi Luparell is shocked to encounter the Wolf she’d denied when they were teens. Now she must face her guilt for the cruel way she spurned him all those years ago, make amends, and admit the truth. Jake was right all along—they’re meant to mate.

Lexi would love to explore the mate concept and her overwhelming attraction to virile, alpha Wolf Jake, but he wants nothing to do with her. How can she break down his defenses when she’s the reason he built them in the first place?

Jake dates only human women now. Lexi had her shot at being his mate, and she threw it away. But when her life is threatened, he may have to rethink his position and do whatever it takes to claim his one true mate.

Check out the upcoming tour:

The official tour for Under A Mating Moon starts later this month, along with a blog hop and a book blast complete with giveaways!

Here’s the schedule:

* Rockin’ Reads Blog Giveaway Blog Hop, Sept. 23 – 30, 2015
* Under A Mating Moon Book Blitz and Giveaway, Sept. 24 – 25, 2015
* Under A Mating Moon Book Release Tour and Giveaway, Sept. 28 – Oct. 12, 2015

Be sure to visit http://www.celiabreslin.com/ this month for more details and links to the fun. 

#TBT Waiting in the Wings #Soulgirls #ArcanaRoyale @samhainpub

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Who can blame Richard for his half-century-long bad mood? For fifty years he’s been waiting for his bride to get over the spat that sent her storming away from the safety of his territory. For fifty years, he’s missed everything about her—even her whimsical challenges to his authority.

It’s time for her to come home, but when he gets a lead on her whereabouts, he’s stunned. She’s dancing in a glitzy, gaudy Las Vegas show. And her memory of him has been wiped clean.

Kiki finally has the opportunity to headline at the Arcana Royale, but she’s not sure she’s happy about it. Especially when a dark, handsome stranger arouses forbidden passions from deep inside of the fog of her lost past.

Richard has been granted only three days in hostile territory to free his Kiki from the curse binding her mind.

Only one problem. When Kiki remembers Richard, she may not forgive him, but if she never remembers, she'll never be free.

Warning: Contains an arrogant-as-hell vampire prince who will stop at nothing to get the girl he loves, an unpredictable showgirl who loves to party, and scorching sex that drives them both wild.

Read an excerpt:

Writer Wednesday: Modern Heroines

I love a good heroine. I’ll grant you, I think sexy leading men are a real plus too, but if the heroine is a wishy-washy character, particularly when utilizing her viewpoint, then those typically turn me off. So let’s back up for a little history here. I started reading romances when I was about nine years old. My grandmother used to read them to me when I was much younger, but the very first time I read one on my own it was a novel by Penny Jordan called Escape from Desire, published in 1982.

To this day, I remember several key sequences in the novel that featured Zach Fletcher and Tamara running for their lives through a dense jungle and a rather wicked spider bite that left Tamara ill for months, neatly masking the early signs of her pregnancy. To my very young ten year-old mind this was titillating stuff, but it wouldn’t have worked, even then, if Tamara hadn’t borne up under the pressure to become something less than helpless. She owned her choices in the jungle and didn’t regret them. She made choices to go forward in her life even when that brought her right back into Zach’s world.

The blurb for Escape from Desire reads this way:

"We have to escape or die," Zach told her. Suddenly Tamara's holiday in the Caribbean had turned into a nightmare. On a guided tour of a rain forest she had been captured by guerrillas! Only through the strength and comfort of fellow hostage Zach Fletcher did she survive the ordeal. Not so easy to overcome were the passions and emotions Zach had imprinted on her heart and memory. Then Zach disappeared from her life - a ruthless departure that left Tamara despondent, wondering if she could survive alone.

Quality Heroines

A quality heroine must be someone I can relate to. She has to have character. I’m talking about the admirable qualities that build a person’s integrity and make them worth knowing. She doesn't have to be perfect. Copper from Pure Copper in Elite Metal was far from perfect, but she possessed honor, integrity, a work ethic and immeasurable loyalty.

For example, I think of Copper as a quality heroine because she overcome a past obstacle. Her survival is a mark of her personal inner strength. That past event may still haunt her or color her perceptions, but she is not so caught up in it that she is crippled by it.

A heroine should be attractive. She doesn’t have to be physically beautiful, because to be blunt physical beauty really is in the eye of the beholder so much as she should be a beautiful person in her actions, her attitudes. She can be a bit of a bitch, but she is someone who ultimately will do the right thing. She is generous even if she covers up that generosity behind a gruff exterior. She should be beautiful to her romantic lead. Kate Braddock in Some Like it Deadly was a striking woman, but she viewed herself as tough, competent and capable--her hero Richard on the other hand, he thought she was gorgeous, brilliant, and incredibly sexy intellectually, physically and emotionally.

She should be in good shape. That doesn’t means she should be a size 0 with perfectly formed, pert breasts. She should be a good looking woman, who is comfortable in her own skin. A size 18 woman can be drop dead gorgeous and in great shape. In fact, in some parts of the world, she’s probably in better shape than the emaciated model that starves to stay that thin. I like my women to be real women. Not caricatures of them. I hate the term "plus" size, because the "average" woman is a size 14 to 18. Voluptuous curves are gorgeous. A woman has to be the perfect her. One thing Serafina Andre commented on in Bayou Wolf, the six-foot tall woman really liked meeting a man who was taller than her. Good thing for her Linc fit the bill.

Attitude is Everything

All of these physical and historical attributes aside, the heroine to me should be a frank, honest and bold woman. Her manner should say it all. Her attitudes should convey not only her strength of character and comfort with herself, but also how she is engaged with the world around her. Maybe she doesn’t like conflict or arguments, but she doesn’t shy away from them either.

My heroines aren’t obsessed with how they look, but they damn well know how to use it to their advantage. They can be cold and calculating when the situation calls for it, but they aren’t bitchy for the sake of being bitchy. My heroines run the gamut in background, personality and even profession, but they are more than the sum of those events. Their attitudes demonstrate that.

Scarlett from Marshal of Hel Dorado is a tough woman,  but she is bound by conventions and expectations. The men in her life often view her breaks with convention as rebellious and willfulness, but when she has the power to set things on fire? What's a little willfulness?

Chance Monroe in Earth Witches Aren't Easy, on the other hand, she’s an altogether different heroine. She’s tough, she’s independent and she’s obviously embraced who she is, but there’s something deeper there. Something under the surface that she won’t even admit internally, not yet.

My most recent heroine, Colby Jensen is an altogether different beast. She knows how appearances affect people and she also understands a judicious amount of firmness can go a long way to bypassing the sex appeal for getting her way. 

I enjoy exploring my heroines and seeing what makes them tick. What will make them angry? What will make them draw back? What attracts them? What engages them? How will they handle what I throw at them next?

What do you want in your modern heroines?

Sexy Saturday Sneak Peak at Target Tungsten #EliteMetal #EliteGhosts

I promised you a sneak peek at the upcoming Target: Tungsten part of the upcoming Elite Ghosts set. If you loved Elite Metal, just wait till you see what happens next. If you haven't finished Elite Metal, let me just say Spoilers Ahead.

We Will Never Forget

#TBT What Part of Marine Don't You Understand? #marines #challengeseries

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What Part of Marine Don’t You Understand?

Matt McCall’s struggles to reintegrate into civilian life have been an ongoing battle for the better part of two years. Daily group sessions and weekly one-on-ones have only allowed him to grow so far. Twice he’s returned to his home state of Ohio and twice, he retreated to Mike’s Place. Uncertain of where he belongs in the world, he battles depression silently. The unexpected gift of a black Labrador retriever perks his spirit…and a chance meeting in the park gives him a precious gift…

Aspiring country singer Naomi Sparks comes from a long line of Marines, she knows all about sacrifice and struggle. When her brother asks her to visit to Mike’s Place on his behalf, she discovers a real opportunity to make a difference. Matt McCall inspires her with the real challenge of discovering love and daring heroes who takes risks.  Writing music has never been so sweet…

Can one woman who believes in him really heal the wounds in this Marine’s heart?

Excerpt:

“We have to talk about what happened. You have to remember and not relive it.”

“I’m not reliving it.” Am I? The bitter taste in his mouth burned his tongue. Shouts echoed in the hallway. Feet thundered past. He jerked to his feet and started forward three steps. Jethro butted against him and he stopped. Disoriented, he felt the leash rub against the cuts on his knuckles—and he looked at James.

No feet echoed in the hallway. He wasn’t in Iraq. He was in Allen, Texas.

“Holy hell on a biscuit.” He sat down before he fell down and Jethro shoved his head under Matt’s hand.  He couldn’t make it stop.  “How do I make it stop?”

“Breathe, Matt. Look at Jethro. He knows you’re upset. Breathe.” If only James’ calmness could flow from the psychologist to him. It was like Matt could hear the words, but he couldn’t quite process them. “You haven’t hurt anyone and you haven’t hurt yourself.”

“Why does my mouth taste like ass?” Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. Oxygen burned in his chest with every breath he took.

“That’s the adrenaline. You got upset. You remembered and you were there. The bitter taste is adrenaline.”

“I’m getting short-changed here.” Amusement and disbelief warred against the craziness swirling inside him.

“No, it’s normal. With a lot of veterans, you start cooking and after a while, you can’t stop it anymore—that’s when you snap. You keep bringing yourself up to the boil and then backing off in full retreat.”

“What gets me cooking?” And why hadn’t they talked like this before? The blood pounding in his skull eased and his heart stopped trying to pound its way out of his chest.

“With veterans it can be a car backfiring, a twig snapping, or a box dropping off a shelf. The sudden, explosive noise reminds them of…”

“Gunshots.” That made sense. He could actually wrap his mind around that.

“But that’s not what sets you off.”

“So what is it?”

“I know this will sound like I’m telling you that five plus five equals a pile of hay, but it’s people yelling or laughing or running. Large movements of people. It’s what set you off in the bar. It’s why you didn’t stick it out at Damon’s restaurant. It’s why going home…”

Something #Warrior This Way Comes from @RebeccaRoyce #PNR #YA #Dystopian

Help me welcome Rebecca Royce as we take a sneak peek into an interview given by Rachel Clancy the heroine of her Warrior series. Trust me, this one journey you don't want to miss. Initiation, the first book in the Warrior series releases today!

***

I’m sitting across from a sixteen year girl. Her name is Rachel Clancy and even as I tap on my pad and paper with my interview questions I’m not sure what I should exactly say to her.  I’ve never done this before. All my years of being an attorney in the habitat, I’ve never even spoken to a Warrior, let alone a teenage version.

But I know her story.  Everyone does.  The Warriors are like celebrities.  Only the kind that die for us.  And personally I’ve never known what I would say to any of them if I did end up in this situation. 

How was I supposed to defend a teenager warrior accused of treason?  She doesn’t look like a traitor.  She looks like a scared kid.

“Your name is Rachel Clancy. I’m Teddy. I’m your defender. I’ll admit that I have never tried anything like this before. Generally, I settle the agriculture disputes.” 

Rachel nods her head, her red hair falling over her shoulders.  She’s dirty and her eyes are older than any sixteen year old I’ve ever seen before.  “Teddy.  It’s very important you believe me.” 

I lean forward, some of my intimidation fleeing.  Her voice is young. She’s not going to hurt me. Not any more than any other teenage girl ever would. 

“Okay, Rachel.  Tell me your story. I’ll listen.” 

She nodded quickly and looked away from me for a second before turning back.  “On my sixteenth birthday they sent me Upwards. To fight the vampires. The Werewolves.” Her voice chokes when she says that. What’s that about? I’m not sure I want to know. “Like every other Warrior.  Only our leadership—Dr. Icahn and the others—they were lying.  To everyone.”

Kindle | ARe | Kobo

Keep your friends close...and your enemies closer.

Rachel Clancy has had to learn the hard way that you can't always trust who you know.

Born with a specific set of genes that lets her fight monsters, Rachel has trained her entire life to kill vampires and werewolves. Unprepared for the level of deception and betrayal she faces as she journeys Upwards to battle her enemies, it's not long before Rachel finds herself on a quest that will alter the lives of everyone she knows.

Including Rachel's...

*This book was previously published and has been extensively re-edited for your enjoyment*

Learn more about Rebecca, her backlist and so much more at her website.

#TBT Take a Chance on Earth Witches Aren't Easy #witches #urbanfantasy

Flashback 2001: Mini Me was barely three months old when I wrote the first draft of Chance Monroe. The series would stay with me for years. I would write, and rewrite, and rewrite again. Twice I rewrote it because the manuscript was lost in a hard drive crash.

I can honestly say this is one of those stories that wouldn't go away, and in 2009, it was released by Sapphire Blue Publishing. When SBP shut its doors in 2011, I'd already written the next two books. Book two was released, but book three hadn't. The books were returned to me, and I re-titled them, did edits and released through another publisher, but they didn't seem to get noticed.

Last year, I received the rights back to all three again. Perhaps the third time is the charm. I'll be re-releasing all three this year, because in large part I really want to write book 4. Chance Monroe is a pretty personal character to me. She belongs to a time when my daughter had just been born, and I wrote it before 9/11 happened and when I lived in the beautiful Northern Virginia. So much of the love Chance feels for her home I experienced while living there.

So if you haven't checked out this series before, I invite you to take a ride with Chance and I. We're not bad drivers, I think you might even enjoy the view!

All Romance | Amazon | iTunes | Kobo

He’s supposed to be dead, but he's killing again...

Nearly a decade ago, hedge witch Chance Monroe’s life irrevocably changed. She survived the attack of a serial killer. His death should have set her free.

When her ex-lover shows up on her porch, Chance isn’t ready to hear Randall Oakes is still alive and less prepared for the sea of emotion swamping her. One man wants her dead and the other just wants her. When the FBI offers protective custody, Chance refuses. Connected to the earth, Chance must rely on her supernatural senses and her wits to survive this game of cat and mouse.

In the farm rich countryside of her native Northern Virginia, Chance confronts her troubled past, a supernatural adversary and a sizzling passion that’s lain dormant for years….

This time, she will teach her hunter a lesson: earth witches aren’t easy targets…

Urban fantasy. Previously published as Prime Evil, but has undergone significant rewrite and editing.