11/29/18

I am home sick today.  Sore throat, low grade fever, cough.  Ugh.  I keep waking up from a nap and wondering when I can take another nap.  It sucks.  Even if I had the energy to write, which I don't, I can't use my leave from work for writing purposes.  Instead, I'm hoping to read a good book.  Since I didn't have edits this past weekend, I got to read Mercenaries of the Stolen Moon by Megan Derr, which just came out.  I enjoyed it so much I went and reread the rest of the series...again...and bought Mercenaries in print.  Now I need something else to read in between my naps today.  I've got an overstuffed bookshelf in my apartment and a bunch of ebooks on my computer, so I'll figure something out. 

Here's some super wonderful good news: Ground of Insurrection has been nominated in the Fantasy category in M/M Romance's 2018 Members' Choice Awards on Goodreads!  The last book I had nominated was Hadash Aviv back in 2013.  Given I only have two books eligible for nomination this year, having even one of them chosen is amazing.  Voting opens next month and I'll post all the links you'll need then. 

I don't have any news to share about my upcoming books.  If A Butterfly Don't Fly and The Coup and the Prince are still in process, I know that much, but I don't know anything else about them just yet.  The Sentinel's Prophesy is also going to start the editing process sometime soon.  Ground of Resurrection has been submitted, but I won't hear whether it's been accepted for a few more months. 

As for writing, I've had a good week.  Ge-Mi: Part Two is almost there!  I've had to pause actually writing in order to organize and plan the final battle scene, but that's led to good progress.  I am hoping to have it completed by the end of the year.  Wounded Alpha, my story for LT3's Bound by Nothing call, has been sitting for long enough.  I'm thinking if I have some energy tonight, I might start giving it a final edit.  I've decided it would be better to get it done and submitted sooner, just in case I get drowned in edits again.  The last thing I want is for the submission deadline to arrive while I'm busy with other things.  This way it's one less thing on my plate. 

For now, though, it's time for another nap. 

12/5/17

The reprint of Hadash Aviv, my short story crime thriller, is coming out next week!  LT3 is having an amazing sale, so make sure you pre-order your copy soon.  I'm super excited about this story coming out as a stand alone.  It may be short, but it's definitely one of my favorites.  That's why I was so happy LT3 agreed to reprint it.  I hope you'll like it too! 

I'm still chugging away at the edits for Kelpie Blue.  The hardest part is that the editor pointed out something that I completely agree has to be fixed, but getting it fixed correctly is proving to be quite a challenge.  I think this time I may be able to get it right, but there's still so much to get done and the due date is coming up fast.  I still absolutely love the story and the characters I've created for this unique world of the fae, but I know I will love it even more once the edits are done and gone. 

The Coup and The Prince was accepted for publishing at LT3!  It's a cute stand alone story that I've been working on for the last two years and I'm super excited to see it heading towards publishing.  Hopefully it will tide you all over until I am able to complete Ge-Mi: Part Two and/or the next Supernatural Consultant book (which I know you are all waiting for). 

Speaking of writing, I've been a very bad author.  Instead of working on anything on my to-do list (which is far too long), I started writing a contemporary story.  It's about soccer star with a serious injury, the nurse caring for him, and the gang trying to extort them both.  It's an idea I've had in my head for a while now, but I never actually wrote it down.  I went on a trip recently and while I was bored on the airplane I couldn't help typing up the first 4k words.  It's not anywhere close to being complete, so I've added it to my to-do list.  My plan is to put that story aside to work on something else, so presumably my next blog post will have some good writing news. 

11/7/17

LT3 and I have been sending emails back and forth.  I've asked far too many questions and probably annoyed the heck out of them (sorry!), but it was very productive nonetheless.  I now have lots of news to share with you.  First, the cover for Supernatural Consultant, Volume Two has arrived!  Volume Two is the second print compilation in the series and will include Dragon Detective, Dragon Soldier, Dragon Adventure, and Dragon Home.  LT3's plan was to try to get it to the printer today, so--barring human error and unforeseen circumstances--it should be for sale sometime next week.  I will let you know when it's up on LT3's site.  I know Amazon and some of the other online stores take a bit longer, but at least you'll know when to start looking. 

Second, Volume Two has been included in the list of books to be turned into audiobooks.  I believe it is currently third on the list and audiobooks take time to make, so look for it to be available next February, March, or April.  I'm hoping to be able to pin down a more exact date when the book is sent to the voice actor. 

Third, LT3 and the editor for Kelpie Blue conferenced and came to the same conclusion I did: a January release date for Kelpie Blue--given the extent of the edits--just wasn't realistic.  LT3 provided me with a new release date instead.  Look for Kelpie Blue to be in your hands on March 21, 2018. 

And, don't forget to pre-order your copy of Hadash Aviv, my short spy thriller.  It will be released in just over a month, on December 13, 2017 and (if you haven't read it before) I think you'll really like it.  It's a reprint, so check your ebook libraries to see whether you already purchased it, and then if you haven't go grab your copy today: https://lessthanthreepress.com/books...

10/15/17

I'm so glad to hear everyone is enjoying Dragon Lesson!  All the reviews have been positive so far and it's really wonderful to know that the next book in the series is just as anticipated as the previous ones.  I'm still writing the next book, which will feature Nickel and Platinum again (and will probably have Lumie and Goldie popping in and out throughout) and will continue the new arc.  It's going to take a while before it's ready, especially considering how many other projects I have going at the moment, so until then feel free to check out all the other books in the series.

The next book I have coming out is Hadash Aviv, which is a reprint.  It was originally published as part of LT3's Kiss Me at Midnight collection and while in print was nominated for a Goodreads M/M Romance Member's Choice Award for Best Law Enforcement.  All the edits for the story have been completed and I can tell you not much has changed.  The edits fixed a few word choices and a couple of commas, but the overall content is the same.  If you own the previous printing, there is no reason to buy this one unless you want the new cover (which is awesome).  For those that haven't read Hadash Aviv before, the official release date is December 13, 2017.  It should be up for preorder at LT3 any day now. 

Kelpie Blue is the next story on my upcoming list.  I was given a release date of January 31, 2018, which coincided with my receiving the first round of edits.  The edits are not easy.  The editor wants a lot of big things tweaked, which will require multiple rounds of edits.  I've been working hard on them, but I'm not certain January is entirely doable.  I'll let you all know how it goes and whether LT3 decides to make any changes. 

I know I am known for my books with dragons soaring through the skies and making terrible messes on the ground.  I also know that most of my readers follow me because of those dragons.  However, every once in a while a bug bites me and I decide to write in a different genre.  Hadash Aviv, part of LT3's Kiss Me at Midnight collection, was the first contemporary story I've ever written, and it's probably also one of my absolute favorite stories that I've put together. 

The original collection call was for stories of less than 10k words centered around the theme of New Years.  I got an idea and was so inspired I wrote Hadash Aviv in one sitting.  I can still remember my first images of a little boy walking towards the Israeli soldiers with a bomb sewn into his teddy bear.  The way Aviv tugged at my heartstrings because his story, while fictional, was all too true in the real fight Israelis are trying to survive today gave me all the incentive I needed to start writing his story.  Hadash Aviv is Hebrew for New Spring, or a new life started over where happiness, instead of bombs, could be the focus of Aviv's life.  Putting Hadash Aviv together was also exciting for me because it was the first time I was using my background in counter terrorism, which I had studied for years at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  I did my very best to keep the story grounded in fact and real world truths based on that education and my own experiences living in the Middle East and was very happy with what resulted. 

Hadash Aviv will therefore always hold a special place in my heart, full of firsts and much loved characters.  However, there's another reason I love Hadash Aviv and that's the future it guided me to in my writing.  My success with Hadash Aviv prompted me to write Road to Revenge and Road to Home, my two contemporary thrillers set in the Middle East.  They didn't sell, most likely because most of my readers were wondering where the dragons had vanished to, but they did give me courage.  If I could put a large part of my education and personal experiences into those two books, why couldn't I do that with more of my stories?  This eventually led to Magnified. 

Magnified is one of the most involved stories I've ever written.  It has multiple plot lines, intrigue, and Judaism.  I've never been shy about the fact that I'm Jewish, but I've never before had the guts to have a Jewish main character fighting with magic and dealing with vampires.  My paranormal and fantasy stories have all been strictly secular.  Thanks to Hadash Aviv I learned that I could put more of myself into my stories and make it work.  My Magnified series has lots of magic, and--eventually--dragons, but it also has things that I use every day that are intrinsically part of me like Judaism.  It took courage to write Magnified and I can't emphasize enough how pleased I am with the results. 

As Hadash Aviv goes out of print at the end of this month I can't help feeling nostalgic.  It's as if the end of an era has arrived.  Yet, at the same time I know that the future of my writing has only grown and will continue to grow stronger.  If you don't own it yet, Hadash Aviv is currently on sale at LT3 for 50% off until it officially goes out of print on March 31st.  Unfortunately, Hadash Aviv is too short to be republished as a stand alone, so if you're interested in reading it this is your final chance to get a copy before the doors close on this story forever. 

Here's the link if you want to get a copy: https://lessthanthreepress.com/books...