Brieanna Robertson
Fantasy and Serendipity
7-4-09
Hello everybody! I hope you're all having a great three day weekend and have some fun things planned! I know everyone wants to get out in the sun and BBQ and camp and swim so I will try to make this newsletter short and sweet!
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
So this is me in San Francisco. My hand was all jacked from this spider bite of doom and was swollen all kinds so I was trying to eat my clam chowder bread bowl with one hand. lol. San Francisco is one of the most inspiring cities for me as far as my writing is concerned. I went there for several days with two of my good friends and had tons of fun seeing the sights and staring out across the majestic ocean.
NEWS:
Honey Wine, the first book in the Wings Series, is now available at Amira Press! You won't want to miss any of these drool-worthy, winged men, written by myself and my very talented co-authors Anastasia Rabiyah, Tara Nichols and Sarah Kades.
Start the series with my story, Honey Wine!
www.amirapress.com
BLURB:
When Autumn finds a sexy, winged statue among her deceased uncle’s belongings, she thinks he’ll make a great decoration for her bedroom, as well as her solitary life. What she doesn’t expect is to wake up in the middle of the night and find her statue replaced by a living, breathing, gorgeous man made up of the four elements.
Gabriel’s been a statue for 500 years. He’s lost, confused, and wreaking havoc on the human realm.
In an effort to get Gabriel home, Autumn experiences adventure she’d never even dreamed about. But will they be able to survive the greatest adventure of all - falling in love?
EXCERPT:
It was probably silly to think that a statue was hot, but he was. She wasn’t even going to deny it. For a hunk of stone, he really was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. She wondered if he’d come straight out of the sculptor’s imagination or if he’d been based on a real person. If the latter was true, Autumn wanted to meet the inspiration.
She continued to run a damp cloth over all the intricate lines of the statue to rid it of all traces of dirt and dust. She’d never really had that great of luck with men. She was decently attractive, so she got a lot of attention, but her glasses seemed to make guys think that she was the “naughty teacher” type or something. She’d go out with men and spend the evening intimidating most of them with her intellect, and then when she wouldn’t put out on the first date, she never heard from them again. She didn’t know why everything male just seemed to assume that she was easy. Apparently, ninety-five percent of the population didn’t think that a woman could be both intelligent and pretty.
As she finished the last of the dusting, Autumn leaned back on her haunches to assess her handiwork. She smiled and reached up to brush back several strands of her dark brown hair from where they had escaped her messy ponytail. “You look better already! Much better than me, anyway.” She looked down at her khaki cargo pants. There were dirt smudges everywhere, and an equal amount of white dust patches decorating her black shirt. “I need to take a shower,” she muttered.
She glanced up at the statue and pointed at it. “Don’t go anywhere.” She giggled at her own silliness, and a pang shot through her heart as she thought of Uncle Sal. She tried to push the sadness away, but she had been ignoring it ever since she’d gotten the call. It was her way. Take care of business first, worry about emotion later.
The sorrow was persistent now, however, and by the time she was in the shower, her tears surged in a torrent. She washed her hair and tried to go about the task at hand until the grief overwhelmed her and she eased herself to the shower floor and sobbed as the hot water cascaded over her back. She couldn’t stand the thought of not having her uncle in the world. He was all she’d had for so long. And even after she’d gone off to college and he had moved overseas to travel and teach, she’d loved him just as much. He had always made her laugh, had brought lightheartedness to her otherwise serious world. Her uncle had dared to believe in the impossible and the extraordinary. That was a quality rarely anyone had anymore. And no matter how crazy he’d seemed, she’d adored him for his eccentricity and individuality.
Autumn stayed in the shower, crying until the water started to get cold. Finally pulling herself together, she stood, switched it off, and got out. She towel dried and wondered about her future now that Uncle Sal was gone. She’d never not pictured him in her life. Now, she had no one. Her world suddenly seemed like a lonely, empty chasm.
She slipped into her pajamas and made herself a cup of tea, then headed back into her bedroom. A blast of cold air assaulted her as she stepped in, and she shivered violently. “Geez,” she muttered, setting her mug down and going over to the fireplace. “Drafty, old castle.” She made quick work out of starting a fire, freezing almost the entire time she was doing it. It was odd. The rest of the castle hadn’t seemed this cold, but then again, her room did face the sea. There must have been more fog than usual.
Once the fire was blazing hot and the chill started to disappear from the room, Autumn grabbed her tea again and pulled an antique chair over to the fireplace. Feeling exhausted, she sighed and took a sip. She made a face because the liquid was ice cold. She frowned down at her cup. “Gimme a break.” She rolled her eyes, set her mug on the floor, and pulled her knees up to her chest as she gazed into the fire. Her nose and toes still felt frigid despite the warmth of the flames.
She didn’t understand why she felt so lonely now that Uncle Sal was gone. She was independent, was used to doing her own thing and being by herself. She hadn’t seen him but once a year for the last five, but she’d always known he was there. Just a phone call or e-mail away. Now, nothing. Just a bunch of useless possessions and a castle made of stone.
She shook her head and looked away as tears threatened again. She turned her attention back to the statue. “What am I complaining about? You’re made of granite or something. You have to be lonelier than I am . . .” Her brows drew together in curiosity. He looked different. The color of the stone was not as gray, but more of a white with a bluish tint . . . like ice. She blinked at it in contemplation for a couple seconds before two thoughts went through her mind. One was that she must have cleaned him a lot better than she’d given herself credit for. The other was that she really needed to go to sleep.
Leaving her cold cup of tea where it was, she stood, went over to her bed, climbed beneath the covers, and pulled them up around the bottom part of her face. If she could have moved her entire bed over to the fireplace, she would have. She felt like she was in freaking Antarctica.
After several minutes of shivering, warmth finally began to seep back into her tired body. Within seconds, she was asleep.
She was hot. So deliciously hot. Waves of warmth cascaded over her skin in sensual ripples, making her writhe in fantastic torment. She tossed her head restlessly on her pillow, her mind filling with a hundred wanton images. Blindly, she clutched at her shirt. It was stifling her. She tugged on the collar, then gasped as a trail of erotic fire ran from her neck all the way down to her stomach. It felt like the lightest touch of fingers, but so much more sinful, exploratory, curious . . . hot.
She tossed her head again and frowned as consciousness pulled her out of her bizarre dream. She blinked away the remnants of sleep and opened her eyes to find herself staring at the most amazing face she had ever seen. Full lips, strong jaw, cleft chin, and eyes that burned blue like the hottest part of a flame.
She screamed bloody murder.
The intruder backed away from her, but she screamed again, panic causing her adrenaline to take charge. She scooted up toward the headboard and swung her fist on reflex. It made contact with his eye, which sent him tumbling backward off her bed. Scrambling for any kind of protection, she snatched up the only thing on her nightstand that looked formidable, which happened to be a carved, downsized rendition of a Native American totem pole. She grasped it tightly in her fist and held it up, ready to swing away if he came anywhere near her. “Who are you?” she shouted at the top of her lungs. “What are you doing here?” She got up on her knees, preparing herself in case he tried to attack.
He was sitting in a heap on the floor, cradling the eye she had belted, and he glanced up at her with a pained, bewildered expression. She drew in a breath that was so far past a gasp that she wheezed. The hand clutching the totem pole started to shake uncontrollably at the sight that met her eyes.
His entire body looked like it was glowing and his wavy, shoulder-length hair was made up of variations of red and orange. Crimson, amber, and gold all interspersed like he’d had some really expensive highlights put in. But all of that could be overlooked. It was the two large, red-orange wings flaming out from his shoulders that really did her in. They didn’t look like feathers. They looked like fire.
She let out a wavering whimper and instinctively glanced to where her statue had been. It was no longer there. She screamed again for good measure and her heart started to pound even harder.
He winced. “Where am I?” he murmured.
“Where are you?” she bellowed. “Where am I? The freaking Twilight Zone?” She brandished her totem pole even higher, gripping it with both hands like a baseball bat.
His amber-colored eyebrows drew together in a frown. “The Twilight Zone? I am unfamiliar with that realm.”
Her eyelids spasmed, and she shook her head. “You’re unfamiliar with that realm?”
He frowned harder and glanced around the room. “Please, who are you?”
“Who am I? Who are you?” she screamed, and it seemed like repeating everything he said was the only thing she was capable of doing at the moment. That and gripping her wooden weapon like her life depended on it.
He flinched again at the volume of her voice. “I’m Gabriel,” he said, his voice never rising above a soft, velvety tone.
Her eyes widened and she stared at him for a moment. “Like the angel?” she squeaked.
He looked up at her. “What? I’m not an angel. I’m an Elemental” He cast another confused glance around the room. “Tell me, am I in Algoria?”
“Al-whatthewho? No, you’re in Ireland!” She was still fairly yelling the information at him.
“Ire-what?”
“Ireland. You know, Europe! Planet Earth!” She shook the totem pole at him.
He looked so confused that she thought she might have to smack him, but then a slow look of realization crossed his flawless features, followed by one of horror. “I’m in the human realm?” he whispered.
“Yes! The human realm.”
He held his hand up as if doing so might ease the force of her volume. “Why are you screaming at me?”
“Because six hours ago, you were a work of art! What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know,” he stated emphatically.
“But you’re not human?” She lowered her totem pole just slightly, clutching it to her chest instead of brandishing it at him. He wasn’t making any threatening moves toward her, but she wasn’t going to take any chances.
“I’m an Elemental,” he repeated. “I’m made up of the four elements. Fire, wind, water, earth. My body is human because humans are made up all the components of earth.”
She pointed at him. “But you look like fire.”
He nodded. “It is my element of choice, but I can change if I wish. Please, I’m sorry that I frightened you.”
He met her eyes and she stared at him for a good, long time. He looked disoriented, lost, and confused. It made her heart reach out to him, even when her mind refused to wrap around this situation in any kind of logical way. After several moments of her brain and heart wrestling with one another, Autumn just decided it would be best to accept the situation and try to deal with it. She couldn’t deny that he was there, however unreal it may have seemed, and years of living with Uncle Sal had taught her to embrace the unexpected and bizarre.
Slowly, she lowered her totem pole and her heart began to slow its pace. She let out a shaky breath and pushed herself off the bed, approaching him tentatively. “Your name is Gabriel?”
He nodded as she came to sit cross-legged in front of him.
“How did you get here, Gabriel?”
He shook his head, which sent tendrils of his multicolored hair falling roguishly around his face. “I don’t know.” He met her gaze with a desperation that stabbed at her heart. “When I was a youth, war ravaged my homeland. My people were scattered to the four winds. I was separated from them. For many years, I traveled the realm, but I could never find my people. Then, one day, I started to get cold, unbearably cold, until the only way I could handle it was to sleep. That’s the last thing I remember, until I awoke here . . . with you.”
*Amaranth of the Wild Things Gets a 5 CUP Review at Coffeetime!!
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Authors of all genres can drop in and promote their books! If you are new to The Muses Three, be sure to introduce yourself and tell us where we can find you on the web. If you are old to the group, why not remind where we can find you out there? All the author members have so much to offer. This is the week to show our readers how much we love them for supporting our addiction, um I mean, our writing endeavors! If you're having a contest or want to have one, do it now! Readers, we want to hear from you! Tell us why you read, what makes you grab up a book, and what we need to do to get you reading ours.
This month is a great time to network and get connected with each other. If you MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, or otherwise, be sure to share those links with us so we can all friend and follow!
*Competition Extension
Due to the fact that no one participated in the two-week competition I ran, I thought I would extend it until next month just in case some of you missed the message I sent out, or didn't know about it.
Rules are:
COMPETE FOR FUN, WIN FOR REAL!!
Interviews are a great way to get to know people. They're a great way to get to know your favorite characters too!
From now until August 1, I am hosting a fun competition for my readers. Do YOU know my characters? Is there someone you'd like to know more about? Email me your best interview questions for ANY of my characters. At the end of the two week time slot, I will choose the interview I think is the best. The winner will have their questions answered by my characters and posted on my myspace blog, my yahoo group, and will be featured in my August Newsletter! The winner will also receive a prize package with a free SIGNED print book of their choice, as well as a free download of any of my ebooks.
Email all entries to brauthor.editor@gmail.com and put INTERVIEW in the subject line.
*That's about it for this month. I hope everyone has a fun and safe month of July and I will see you all again soon!
6-5-09
The month of May has come and gone and summer is fast approaching. Time to dust off the camping gear, the hiking boots and the swim flugs! It's also time to stock up on a bunch of great reading to make those hot summer nights even hotter! :)
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
Yeah, ok, we have two pictures this month. Come on now, are you surprised? lol. I got to hand over a copy of my book to my greatest creative muse after working my butt off all year to get permission to put his lyrics in my book. And then he (and the rest of the band) signed the lyrics page of my copy of the book. I'm gonna show it! LOL.
Meeting Tuomas Holopainen was just as inspiring as it has always been, and while bittersweet, this experience was tremendously fulfilling in the end. It showed me that, if you believe in something hard enough, and you just keep working at the puzzle, maybe you can't move mountains, but you can climb over them. I am honored to have worked with such kind and understanding people on this.
*To read more about my epic trip to Houston, Texas to deliver my book to Tuomas, please check out my myspace blog. There are also tons of pictures posted.
www.myspace.com/brieannarobertson
And there is video footage on youtube!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t6f5BWTCmI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpv0GAuyJu8&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD-JAD0Mjkw&feature=related
And don't forget to check out the book that now has a home with two amazing Finnish men:
He was hewn from cruelty and violence. He felt nothing, he was nothing. He was wild, untamed, a shadow, a hand of death, a law unto himself. He had never known love. He had never felt love. Except… For the amaranth flower. Perfect, undying, beautiful. The only soft thing in his hardened world. The only thing he had ever held in reverence, and the only thing to ever offer him solace. He had never faltered in his assignments as an assassin. His hand had never wavered. But that was before he’d been ordered to kidnap her. A woman of unique disposition, undaunted in the face of her adversity. A woman bearing the same name as the immortal flower he so cherished. She could be his greatest downfall…or his greatest treasure. ***** Get your own copy at www.whimsicalpublications.com or order it at your local Barnes and Noble or Borders! And just for the newsletter, here is a special treat! Here is an extra excerpt from Amaranth of the Wild Things not usually seen!
She remained seated on the horse and raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.
He huffed and ran his hands through his dripping hair. “I let you drag me out of perfectly warm room into a torrential downpour because you had a feeling? I must be losing my mind.” He paced a few agitated lines before he turned to face her again. “It’s the middle of the bloody night! Where do you suggest we sleep? In the mud like the pigs?”
She smiled and dismounted. The thunder and lightning had abated, but the rain had not. It didn’t bother her the way it did Jaide. She loved the rain. It was refreshing and beautiful, even in its intensity. “We’re fine under this tree cover for now,” she replied. “We can look for adequate shelter when the rain lets up.”
“It’ll be dawn by then,” he muttered.
“Well, then it won’t matter much, will it?” She shot a smile at him over her shoulder as she tethered the horse to the trunk of a tree. She giggled under her breath. He looked
absolutely disgruntled.
She finished with the horse, then went back over to Jaide, a playful idea niggling in her mind. She walked past him and into a break in the heavy tree cover. She let the rain wash over her, turning her face up to the sky, relishing the water as it washed over her skin. It felt like freedom.
“Have you completely lost your senses?” Jaide called, although his voice didn’t hold much conviction. Instead, it held a tiny note of wonder.
She grinned and held her arms out to the sides, then spun in a slow circle.
Jaide watched her, a pale, ethereal goddess in the middle of the dark forest. The rain cascaded down her slender body, molding her dress to her form and turning her hair into dripping tendrils. The euphoria on her face was amazing. He remembered a similar time when he had stood in the rain, letting the drops fall on his face in the same manner, trying to banish the effects of Amara from his body, mind and soul. He knew now that such a thing was impossible. She had invaded his very blood and bone. She had burned her presence into the very core of him.
He no longer felt the cold of the night. In fact, he was almost sure that the raindrops evaporated on contact with his skin because of the fire that burned through his veins. His body was tight. It ached. It was strange for him. He’d never desired anyone before, had never longed for anyone’s touch. Now, he stood there watching Amara embrace the chaos of the storm with arms wide open, and he wanted to possess her so completely he trembled with the force of it.
He wanted her light and her goodness, her bravery. He wanted it all over him, within him, living inside of him. He wanted her golden hair tangled in his hands and brushing over his skin. He wanted her body caressing his. He wanted to give himself over to her, let her consume him, and die in the rapture he knew it would bring him. It was wrong. It was forbidden. It was sickening to think that he would want to infect her with his darkness, but she was the one who kept pursuing him.
He tried to distance himself, tried to remain aloof and controlled. Her touches were persistent. Her kindness was never-ending. He was just a man, after all. And he couldn’t remain ice forever. Not with her. She reached straight into him and found the last shard of humanity left, a shard he hadn’t even known he possessed until meeting her. She grasped onto it with a relentless grip and pulled it past every other thing he knew. Past his training, past his discipline, past the locked and barred door of iron and stone. She yanked it into the forefront and held it there where she could play with it at will.
She dissembled him while she brought air back into his lungs. It made him dangerous and ferocious in a way he had never known. If she knew what was good for her, she would turn and run very far away from him, leaving all of this behind her once and for all.
But she didn’t. Instead, she turned and faced him. And grinned. The fire inside of him raged and roared.
She cocked her head to the side in a devious, playful manner. “Do you think you could find me if I ran away into the night? In the forest, in the rain?”
He slowly sauntered up to her, forcing his hands to remain at his sides and not reach out and claim every inch of her body. He stared down into her eyes, ignoring the rain that cascaded down his back and shoulders. “I can find you anywhere.” He didn’t recognize his own voice. It was primal and raw in its deepness. It should have frightened her. It didn’t.
She grinned and put her palms on his chest, leaning into his body. She brought her mouth up to his ear and he swore the heat between them turned the raindrops to steam. “Find me then,” she whispered. Then, just like that, she took off running into the trees, casting a look over her shoulder at him and grinning.
Jaide watched her go, took a second to get himself under control, and chided himself for even indulging her in such a silly game. He shook his head. It didn’t matter. Maybe it was silly. Who cared? He’d never played anything in his life except a few bad hands of cards. This would be a much more fulfilling game…
And the prize would be extremely rewarding.
With a grin that he knew was sinister, he darted into the darkness he knew so well. She could never elude him. Not when she lived inside of him the way she did. He would be able to find her anywhere, any time, any place.
For all time…
All he had to do was follow the burn. And the beat of his heart.
* * * *
Amara grinned as she took refuge behind a large, sturdy tree. She was out of breath, but felt exhilarated. The rain was refreshing, as was the ridiculous game she sought to play with Jaide. It felt good to be ridiculous. It felt good to play. It felt good to be running free, knowing that her resilient captor had let his guard drop enough to indulge her in silliness. For the first time, she didn’t feel like his captive. She felt like his companion, maybe even his friend.
She bit her bottom lip and giggled under her breath as she peered around the tree into the darkness. There was no sign of him anywhere and she delighted in the possibility that she may have eluded him. She knew he would catch up to her sooner or later, but for a short moment, maybe she had actually won.
She sighed in satisfaction and turned around to lean against the tree to wait for his approach. She choked on a scream as she turned, her heart slamming against her rib cage in a violent attempt to escape as she came face to face with Jaide standing silently behind her. His eyes shielded any emotion from her, but his lips held a small sneer mixed somewhere between malevolence and triumph. “Jaide!” she exclaimed breathlessly, placing her hand over her racing heart. “You scared me half to death!”
Her heartbeat should have calmed as her shock abated, but it didn’t. He stepped closer to her, backing her against the tree and pinning her there with his unyielding body. She
drew in a soft, shuddering breath and placed her hands lightly on his chest, realizing that her fingers shook. He looked deadly and dangerous. His eyes came to life with a kind of dark passion she had never before seen in him, and she got the feeling that she was about to become prey to the powerful predator before her. The thought made her skin tingle, and her body burn even as it trembled.
“Did you really think you could escape from me?” he murmured, his voice like a growling purr that reverberated throughout her entire being. He pressed his hips against her, making her gasp. The fire in his eyes blazed and a slow, sensual, yet demonic, smile curved his lips. “Amateur,” he whispered. “You cannot escape me. Not now. Not ever.”
She knew that better than anyone. Even when she’d had the chance, she hadn’t been able to do it. Somewhere along their sordid journey, her heart had bound itself to him. Out of pity. Out of compassion. Out of a blind, all consuming need to know him. Out of an animalistic attraction that she could not deny.
She closed her eyes as he reached up to trap one bedraggled piece of her hair with his fingers. He wrapped the strand around his hand and cupped her cheek in his palm, tracing the contours of her lips with his thumb. “Nothing has changed between us,” he stated.
She smiled as she basked in his touch, knowing he was trying to convince himself. He fought to remain in what he knew even as he lost his control. “Everything has changed,”
she countered.
He brought his face closer to hers and his breath caressed her lips, filling her with erotic anticipation.
“I am still taking you to Dother,” he said.
Her smile widened and she trailed her fingers up his chest and neck. “I expect nothing less.”
His lips descended onto hers with ferocious dominance and she bunched her fingers in the wet material of his shirt as she clutched at him. He tilted her head sideways and his tongue invaded her mouth, causing an infernal heat to sweep throughout her body. His savage kiss claimed her, marauded her, and took possession of her. She brought her fingers up to tangle in his dark hair and he pulled away just long enough to allow her to gasp in a breath of air.
He pressed his body even closer to her, making escape impossible. He filled every single one of her senses with his raw power and complete, starved passion, and she almost couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.
“You taste sweet,” he rasped, drawing his fingers down the column of her throat in a possessive caress that bordered on fierce.
She tilted her head back, allowing him access, and grinned, relishing every ounce of whatever he had to give her. “You taste wild.” She heard the joy in her own voice just as she felt it come to life within her. The wild called to her; it always had.
******
* Touch of Black Velvet Receives Four Books at LASR!
There were exactly two things I knew about shifters…
One was that they were to be feared. The other was that they ruled our cities…
In a post-apocalyptic world Reya has nothing to live for but her next fix. That changes when she is left for dead on the street and saved by a mysterious, gorgeous stranger…a shifter. He offers her a strange choice.
Fear and self-preservation have made Reya bold and brash, but how can she refuse a man who speaks of such fantastic things? And how can she resist a man whose touch is like black velvet?
***
Strung out on drugs and beaten badly, Reya is minutes away from death when Jack Snow saves her. He offers her a way off the streets, but it seems too good to be true. Reya must decide if she can trust her enigmatic and handsome rescuer.
Living on the streets in a post-apocalyptic world has made Reya tough and cynical. She turned to drugs early in life to block out the pain, but the drugs have only brought more sorrow. Close to an overdose and beaten by her junkie boyfriend, Reya is left for dead. That’s when Jack Snow walks into her life.
Jack forces Reya to get clean and offers her a strange choice. She can return to her old life on the streets, or she can come with him to a place where she can make a fresh start. Reya is intrigued by Jack’s offer, but she has her doubts. Jack is a stranger. The only thing Reya knows about him is that he’s a shifter. Shifters are the result of a military experiment that got out of control. They are dangerous and aren’t to be trusted. Despite her fears, Reya decides to trust Jack, and learns he has an addiction of his own.
Reya was an interesting heroine. At first she appeared callous and harsh, but her tough exterior is merely a self defense mechanism developed after years on the streets. Underneath it all, Reya is caring, smart, and sassy, though sometimes rash.
Jack is the complete opposite of Reya. He’s very calm and has amazing self control, a control that’s taken him a long time to master. He’s exactly the kind of hero needed to smooth out some of Reya’s rough edges.
My only issue was the length of the story. I felt as though I was just becoming familiar with the characters when the story ended. I would have liked more time to get to know the characters and explore the world that Ms. Robertson created.
Despite the very minor issue of length, "Touch of Black Velvet" is a great read. It’s a fast paced, futuristic romance about second chances. I definitely recommend it to anyone who prefers heroines with a bit of sass.
***
Get yours at www.amirapress.com
*Beyond Wild Imaginings is back and better than ever! Get the book voted Best Book of the Week by LASR! Now available at www.amirapress.com
Kelly’s outlook on life is bleak. Car accident, bad break up, controlling sister — even her creative muse seems to be MIA. And she keeps having strange dreams about a sexy, winged man that seems familiar to her… Kelly has always written about the extraordinary, but when she suddenly finds herself saddled with a see-through, imaginary man she had created when she was a child, the lines of reality and fantasy become blurred. Can she keep him? Prove that magic and fantasy can exist in real life? Or will the man she comes to love be torn from her forever by the self-centered world’s lack of belief?
EXCERPT:
It was strange that, as Kelly fell toward the ground for the second time that day, she didn’t feel afraid like she had before. She just let it happen, let her body go where it would. She knew she should be terrified. She should be screaming and flailing her limbs, but she wasn’t. She was just . . . falling. She thought it was odd, definitely not like her.
All of a sudden, something strong looped around her waist, and she gasped as her body was pulled up against something warm and solid. She stopped falling, but her feet still hovered. A tremor went through her, and she opened her eyes. Someone was holding her against him, keeping her safe, protecting her.
“What, are you some kind of crazy woman?”
The voice was harsh, angry, and she snapped back to reality with blinding speed. Her heart lurched in her chest as she realized just exactly what had happened. Her fingers clutched and curled into the man’s shirt, and she looked down at the ground. She gasped as she saw that she was continuing to hover in the air. She shot her gaze up to the face of the man, thing, whatever he was, that was holding her, and her breath caught in her throat. The same kind of calm that had come over her when she’d jumped, washed over her again in comforting waves the second the man’s violet eyes touched her.
He was devastatingly handsome, even more so than in her dreams. Midnight black hair waved around a face of strong, masculine features. He was scowling at her presently, but the gentleness behind his eyes was unmistakable. Her heart made a peculiar flip, as if it recognized him.
“Garren?” The name left her lips in a soft murmur. In the deepest part of her mind and heart, she knew that she knew this man. She didn’t know how, but she knew it was true. Something buried deep within her knew him very well.
His expression morphed from a scowl into a look of surprised jubilation. His eyes lit up, and his full lips split into a gorgeous grin. “You know me?” he breathed in wonder.
She swallowed. “Well, sort of.” She frowned, her mind trying desperately to wrap itself around what was going on. His arm tightened around her, and he lifted his wings. Yes, he most certainly had wings. Great, wondrous, black ones that carried them effortlessly back up to the rooftop.
Chad stared with eyes bulging and mouth gaping as Kelly was placed back on solid ground. Any other time, she would have been amused by her friend’s expression, but she was too preoccupied with trying to figure out whether or not she was dreaming.
She felt her feet plant on the ground, but she was reluctant to move out of Garren’s embrace. He felt safe and strong, despite the fact that he was a complete stranger... A complete stranger with wings who had apparently come out of her subconscious. It boggled her mind, and it made absolutely no sense, but his arms felt like home.
* Last but not least, don't forget to join me and my fellow authors at Anastasia's Author Party on June 20th!
Fellow Readers and Authors,
My next multi-publisher monthly chat will be at Coffee Time Romance's Latte' Lounge and will now be known as Anastasia's Author Party! This is your official invitation to attend. In June we will have authors from Amira Press, loveyoudivine Alterotica, Mystic Moon Press, Purple Sword Publications, Sugar and Spice Press, Whimsical Publications, and The Muses Three members. The official date of the all-day chat is June 20, 2009, a Saturday. Mark your calendars and be sure to drop in. We'd love to see you there!
If you've never been to the Latte' Lounge, be sure to join before the day of the event. Use the code "Coffee Crew" when you sign up to expedite your membership through the moderation walls of doom. Authors, for more details on what is expected at the lounge, check out the PDF from Coffee Time in the Files section of this Yahoo Group.
Happy reading!
Anastasia Rabiyah
That's it for June! Have a wonderful month and see you soon!
5-1-09
Well, another month has gone by already. But May promises to be an exciting month for me. I hope it will be good for all of you too! Anyone have anything fun planned? Spring is always a great time to go outside, find a nice, relaxing place, and have some quiet time to yourself- with a good book of course! :)
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
This is Houston, Texas, where I will be going May 11-13 to see my greatest muse pound away on his keyboard after I give him his copy of Amaranth of the Wild Things. So excited!! I'm not even going to pretend to be blah-se about this. I'm really excited!! lol. A little nervous about all the plane changes I have to make, getting the rental car and driving 30 minutes to find the hotel, and hopefully not getting harassed by SWAT or something in the airport because I have allergies and I sneezed on accident. LOL. I'm sure I'll have one heck of a story to tell everyone when I get back!
NEWS:
*Amaranth of the Wild Things Releases MAY 15!
Don't forget! This is a big one! Write it down if you have to! lol.
He was hewn from cruelty and violence. He felt nothing, he was nothing. He was wild, untamed, a shadow, a hand of death, a law unto himself. He had never known love. He had never felt love. Except… For the amaranth flower. Perfect, undying, beautiful. The only soft thing in his hardened world. The only thing he had ever held in reverence, and the only thing to ever offer him solace. He had never faltered in his assignments as an assassin. His hand had never wavered. But that was before he’d been ordered to kidnap her. A woman of unique disposition, undaunted in the face of her adversity. A woman bearing the same name as the immortal flower he so cherished. She could be his greatest downfall…or his greatest treasure.
*Warrior's Rise Has Been Re-Released!
Warrior's Rise has a new home! Check it out at www.purplesword.com
And check out the other amazing writers there as well.
Logan Savage is a man’s man. His idea of a good time has never included watching over and entertaining a bunch of kids at a summer camp. Especially when that camp happens to be full of kids with a love for mythology and medieval fantasy. In other words—a bunch of geeks. Unfortunately, in order to avoid a jail sentence for assaulting a cop, that’s exactly what he has to do. Head counselor and owner of the camp, Willow Avaris, is a nice surprise. Beautiful, fiery and sexy… Too bad she loathes his very existence. Plus, the kids are making his life a living nightmare. Could the summer get any worse?
Bravery and strength were things Logan always thought he had in spades, but as the summer goes on, and strange, surreal events take place around the camp, Logan is forced to look within himself and figure out what’s important to him. It’s safe to remain the self absorbed, shallow man he’s always been, but can he find the courage to reach inside and embrace the true warrior he was destined to become?
*Shape-shifters are burning up the Fictionwise charts!
My novella, Touch of Black Velvet, is #1 on the Amira best sellers at fictionwise right now! Check it out at www.amirapress.com
There were exactly two things I knew about shifters…
One was that they were to be feared. The other was that they ruled our cities…
In a post-apocalyptic world Reya has nothing to live for but her next fix. That changes when she is left for dead on the street and saved by a mysterious, gorgeous stranger…a shifter. He offers her a strange choice.
Fear and self preservation have made Reya bold and brash, but how can she refuse a man who speaks of such fantastic things? And how can she resist a man whose touch is like black velvet?
And Wings and Fire isn't far behind! It's at #9! Find it also at Amira!
After coming home on military leave, Steele finds her sister on the brink of an arranged marriage to a nobleman said by the townspeople to be a fearsome warlock. Thrown into the chaotic affair against her will, Steele finds herself doing what she does best: having arguments with her prejudiced family and causing general disaccord as she stands up for what she believes in…
She’s also lusting after her sister’s betrothed…
Secrets are revealed and Steele takes matters into her own hands to protect the man who can set ablaze what no other has been able to touch- her heart.
*The winner of this month's newsletter drawing is: Tiana! You've won a free download of one of my titles!
All right everyone! I will see you again next month with more news and more stories! Have a great one!
4-3-09
Holy cow! March was a crazy month and I'm still not caught up! Writing and editing projects galore! And, of course, as soon as I finish one three more pop up in its place . I don't think I'm ever going to be done! Somebody needs to just strap me down and cuff me to the chair so I can't get up until I'm finished.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH
OK, OK, I know. Why with the continuous bombardment of Tuomas pics right? LOL. I actually have a reason for putting him up here this month- aside from the fact that he's my greatest creative muse. But I can't tell you what it is yet so just bask in the beauty for a moment and then continue reading. You'll find out what my reason is in just a few minutes. :)
NEWS
*The Amazing Journey of Amaranth of the Wild Things.
See, you didn't have to wait long. You're gonna find out right now while I tell you about the upcoming release of my new fantasy romance print book, Amaranth of the Wild Things.
First things first, the release date is May 15th from Whimsical Publications. It will also be available at amazon.com and all major bookstore websites. Below is a copy of a blog I posted on my myspace shortly after Amaranth was finished with edits. This will explain why I am so amazingly excited about the release of this book.
THERE ARE NO IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS: THE AMAZING JOURNEY OF AMARANTH OF THE WILD THINGS
About a year ago I was sitting in my office, working on something short and lame that I wasn't enjoying. I had about three writing projects I knew I should be doing, but I was procrastinating like a pro. So, instead of working, I was perusing youtube music videos. I was watching Apocalyptica's SOS (Anything But Love) Featuring Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil when something resembling a lightning bolt crashed into my brain.
Now, anyone who knows me knows that I get most of my inspiration for my novels from music. This character came at me with such a force that he took over. I literally could not think of anything else. I couldn't concentrate on my projects. I couldn't concentrate on anything. And the problem was, this character didn't like to talk much. He wouldn't tell me his story. He just sat there, taking up space in my brain, insisting with vehemence that I write his story... Except he wouldn't tell me anything about himself or what his story was. All I knew was that he was dark, he was dangerous, he bordered on being completely evil and he wouldn't freaking leave me alone.
So I took the next logical step: I bothered anyone and everyone on my IM to try and bounce ideas off of. Of course none of my writer friends were online. The one I did talk to said he sounded like a vampire, but that still didn't sound right to me. So I found my friend Matt, cornered him, and bothered him to death. After saying about a hundred times, "But I don't understand. So I have this character idea and he's a complete anti-hero. Why would ANYONE fall in love with someone that heartless?" he said one simple sentence that made the lightbulb go on. "I dunno...Stockholm Syndrome?" And just like that, my character revealed a tiny bit of information to me. His name was Jaide. And he was an assassin. And he had kidnapped my heroine.
But he still wasn't talking much. So for a very tormenting 24 hours I bounced ideas off of everyone I saw until they all probably ran when they saw me coming. I watched the Apocalyptica video about a billion times. Nothing. This character was domineering, all consuming, not telling me any information, and he was controlling my life! Something had to give!
Something did.
I was in the car, going to get some dinner, listening to Nightwish's album Dark Passion Play. The song "Amaranth" came on, and like a floodgate opening, I received an influx of information. Jaide told me his story in detail. It was the song. His story was the Nightwish song. As the music played out, so did the story. The entire thing. My character's entire life, his journey, all of it, was right behind the words and music of the song.
I wrote like a madwoman for the next four months. I have never been so completely enraptured with my work before. He was all I worked on, all I wanted to work on. He took over and used me relentlessly as the tool to tell his incredible story. All my other poor characters who had been waiting in the cue forever went on the back burner. Jaide wasn't going to wait. He needed his story told NOW!
When I was about halfway done with the manuscript, I had the supreme pleasure of going to see Nightwish in Las Vegas. I think it's safe to assume that most all of you who read this know how much I admire the Tuomas (keyboard player, songwriter etc). Well, as I was riding back from the trip in the car, listening to about 8 hours
worth of Nightwish music, I had a strange and fleeting thought. "I wonder how hard it would be to obtain legal permission to use the Amaranth lyrics." I almost immediately scoffed at myself, thinking I was ridiculous and a nobody and would never be able to contact a living soul because I didn't have a lawyer. So I stomped on that idea.
Except it didn't go away. It niggled in the back of my brain, bothering me all the time until in one, bold, crazy move I sent a random message to an address I had found asking that exact question. Of course I never expected to hear squat from anybody. Who would respond to a vague message like that from some bizarro American writer who is basically not even a significant blip on the Finnish music industry radar? I didn't have an agent. I didn't have a lawyer. Who was I? No one.
I didn't really think much of it, but the whole thing still kept bothering me. Part of my brain didn't even want to think about it anymore, but the other part refused to give up and that part slowly decided to take over. It became more than a whimsical notion. It became a quest. Why shouldn't I be able to get permission? Why shouldn't I be able to infiltrate the most famous metal band in Finland? Who cared that no one knew my name from Adam? No one was stopping me but myself. If you dream it, if you believe it, you can make it happen, right? So screw that! I was going to make it happen! I was a business woman. I was an artist. Maybe I was only independent. Maybe I had no high powered connections to help me. So what? I'd just freaking do it myself. No one could stop me but me.... Well, and a restraining order. Lol
For the next several months it was frustration, aggravation, irritation and small snippets of victory revolving in a circular motion while this thing progressed. There were a lot of hair-pulling moments, moments when I screamed out loud in sheer elation, and lots and lots of technical difficulties. In the end, though, I learned several things:
1. Stardust cloaks celebrities in a mystique that makes them seem untouchable, larger than life, like the gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympus in Greek mythology. Beneath it all, humans of flesh
and blood exist. People just as real as you and me, doing their jobs just as any of us do. There is no real difference and no major distinction. Just a more significant amount of red tape. ....
2. Computers are, and will forever be, horribly evil. That’s all that needs to be said on that subject.
And most importantly….
No dream is too big, and no dream is impossible. If you have the power to dream it, you have the power to make it happen. NOTHING can stop you if you believe in yourself. NEVER stop believing in yourself. If it seems like an insurmountable mountain, don't try and reach the summit in one day. Just be patient, take it one step at a time, and before you know it you're standing at the freaking top.
Thank you to all the people who helped me. Thank you to all the amazing people who believed in me. Thank you to all the people who cracked the whip and smacked me up long side the head when I wanted to quit and throw in the towel.
Thank you to the people who guided me through this process, and those who put up with my mosquito-like persistence. To one person in particular, who I bothered more than most. Your understanding and patience meant so very much.
I can now say that the greatest dream I have dared to dream up to this point has come true. In a short period of time, I will be releasing my book, Amaranth of the Wild Things, complete with Nightwish’s lyrics to their song “Amaranth” included in the body of the manuscript. And with a little bit of serendipity, I may get to hand a copy of this book directly over to Tuomas himself at the Nightwish show in Texas in May.
Please, those of you who have not done so already, check out this amazing music, and Tuomas Holopainen’s wonderful lyrics. Perhaps they will inspire you the way they have inspired me.
It has been a wild ride and a crazy journey, but at the end of it all, the greatest thanks has to go to Jaide. You may be just a character to everyone else, but you are everything to me, and you changed my whole world.
Look for his story, Amaranth of the Wild Things, coming very soon.
He was hewn from cruelty and violence.
He felt nothing, he was nothing.
He was wild, untamed, a shadow, a hand of death, a law unto himself. He
had never known love. He had never felt love.
Except…
For the amaranth flower. Perfect, undying, beautiful. The only soft thing in his hardened world. The only thing he had ever held in reverence, and the only thing to ever offer him solace.
He had never faltered in his assignments. His hand had never wavered. But that was before he’d been ordered to kidnap her. A woman of unique disposition, undaunted in the face of her adversity. A woman bearing the same name as the immortal flower he so cherished.
She could be his greatest downfall…or his greatest treasure.
*****
So, there you go. I'm completely stoked about this book. Being able to have my muse's work right alongside mine is just unbelievable to me. Be sure to mark May 15th on your calendars! You won't want to miss this one! In the mean time, here is an excerpt to whet your apetite.
EXCERPT:
After archery practice, Amara had returned to her studies for several hours, then had eaten supper with her father. The two of them had shared conversation by the fire in his study just as they had before Lord Marden had decided he wanted Catlaan for his own. It meant more to Amara than she could express. It was a touch of normalcy she had needed desperately, and it had enabled her to stop thinking about the pending war.
As she stripped off her clothing and stepped into the hot bath water, Amara let her mind return to the day of the attack. It had been terrifying.
For as long as she had been alive there had never been battles in her homeland. Her father was a good king. His people loved him, and he had very few enemies. The attack by Lord Marden had been unexpected and impulsive. Luckily, it had also been ill prepared and a move of arrogance more than strategy. Her father's army had obliterated Lord Marden's forces, but the young lord's brother had also been killed in battle, by her father's own hand. That event had changed everything.
What could have been only a humiliating defeat became a quest for vengeance. Now she felt like they were all just standing by, biding their time until Marden made his move. It made everyone on edge, especially her. She worried for her father's safety, and for the people of Catlaan.
With a sigh, Amara let the hot water relax her and she tried to banish the troublesome thoughts from her mind. Fretting about what could happen would do absolutely no good. She knew firsthand that usually what you thought was going to happen ended up being the complete opposite of everything you expected.
She soaked a little longer, then stepped out of the tub and dried off with a yawn. A cool summer night's breeze blew in from the window. It touched her skin, raising Goosebumps all along her arms. She shivered and frowned.
It wasn't really cold. The evening was warm, in fact, but something in the breeze chilled her right to the bone. She pulled on her night dress and combed out her long, blonde hair, plaiting it into a braid. An owl hooted outside, it's call low and mournful. For some reason, that made her shiver also.
She frowned, wondering where her jitters were coming from. She hadn't been scared of the dark since she'd been five, and she usually found the sounds of the night calming and peaceful. She shook her head. She was probably just on edge because of her worrisome thoughts. It would do her well to get a good night's rest.
Turning away from her vanity mirror, she moved toward her bed, but stopped with a gasp when she saw a shadow pass across her window. Her heart stuttered in her chest, then thumped hard against her rib cage. She blinked and kept her eyes on the window for several seconds. No other movement came.
She debated on her course of action and knew she should leave her room to go find a servant or a guard, but she was no cowering child. Besides, she didn't even know if she had actually seen anything at all. She was exhausted and there was a very good possibility that that, coupled with all the worrying she had been doing all day, had made her eyes play tricks on her.
Taking a quick glance around her room, she snatched up a heavy, silver candlestick. It wasn't the best weapon, but it was better than nothing. Clutching it tightly in her hand, she approached her window, which lead out onto a balcony.
Tentatively, she poked her head out and scanned the area. Nothing.
She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out onto the balcony, letting her eyes gaze across the moonlit gardens of the castle. She smiled and turned to go back inside, but instead of finding the open window granting her access into her chambers, she bumped into a solid object that caused her to gasp and stagger backwards.
She grasped the candlestick tight and raised it, ready to swing away, but her hand stopped in mid-air as her eyes fell upon the face of the stranger before her.
He was very tall and dressed all in black, almost as if the night itself was cloaking him, and his face… It was wicked. Demonic almost in its darkness with green eyes that seared her…like jade fire. His black hair framed a face harshly and cruelly beautiful and shivers broke out all over her body. Shivers of fear.
The menace that radiated off of him was almost nauseating in its intensity and her shock abated into horror. Something clicked back into place in her mind and she swung her arm at him in an attempt to hit him with her weapon.
He shackled her wrist easily with his own large, gloved hand, and he squeezed until she was forced to drop the candlestick. It fell to the ground with an echoing thump. His burning eyes never left her face, causing her heart to hammer in fear as his sculpted lips broke into a malevolent sneer. He stepped up close to her, trapping her with his presence alone, and she felt a scream boil up her throat. She opened her mouth to release it, but no sound emerged.
He grasped the back of her head and pressed a cloth over her nose and mouth, restricting her air supply and replacing it with something noxious, something that made her stomach turn and her vision go blurry.
She squeezed her eyes shut, vaguely aware of the fact that she was fighting against him, not that it did any amount of good. The stranger was as solid and unmovable as an oak tree. Slowly, her consciousness slipped into dim confusion. Then…darkness…
*Publishing House Closed
As of March 30th one of my epublishers, Forbidden Publications, closed its doors. This was sad for me. It was the first company to ever accept me, the first company I ever got publishged by, and the first company to ever give me an editing job. I had several titles through FP that are now out of print, but will be re-releasing in the near future. Please check back regularly as I find new homes for my stories.
The Serendipity Series already has a new home with Whimsical Publications. All books will be re-releasing in print, as well as ebook as soon as WP gets that portion of their business up and running.
For now, even though the selection is small at the moment, check WP out. There are some awesome titles available there. www.whimsicalpublications.com
*Purple Sword Publications
Also, check out my friend and fellow author's new company Purple Sword. Some of her titles went there after FP closed its doors. It's new so the selection is small there also, but I know the authors being offered right now are amazing. www.purplesword.com
*The winner of this month's newsletter prize is Lady_Werewolf_by_Night! Congrats you won a free copy of my shape-shifter novella, Touch of Black Velvet!
*I'm unsure of the chat schedule for this month right now, but I'm sure I'll be around. Hope to see you! Have an awesome month of April and a great spring!
3-3-09
Sorry I'm late, guys. I have had so much junk going on in my life, I didn't even realize the month had changed. Going through life in a fog over here. lol. It's rainy and miserable here. I'm hoping spring is right around the corner because I could really do with some warmer weather!
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
This is Point Bonita, CA. It's right outside of San Francisco and is my favorite place in the world. (So far.) I spent three years of my childhood at the YMCA dorms there during summer school trips, learning more about San Francisco and life in general than I think I've learned since then. Point Bonita is a favorite place of mine to write about. It has been featured in my books The Road Less Traveled and the upcoming Serendipity Book 5: Stage Presents.
NEWS:
*Touch of Black Velvet is NOW AVAILABLE!
Don't miss my newest fantasy novella, Touch of Black Velvet. Available in ebook at www.amirapress.com
BLURB:
There were exactly two things I knew about shifters…
One was that they were to be feared. The other was that they ruled our cities…
In a post-apocalyptic world Reya has nothing to live for but her next fix. That changes when she is left for dead on the street and saved by a mysterious, gorgeous stranger…a shifter. He offers her a strange choice.
Fear and self preservation have made Reya bold and brash, but how can she refuse a man who speaks of such fantastic things? And how can she resist a man whose touch is like black velvet?
EXCERPT:
The first thing I saw when I managed to pry open my eyes was the silhouette of his body against the light of the window. He had one hand braced against the window frame and the other one on his hip. He was taller than any man I had ever met, and even though I couldn’t see anything other than a black outline, I could tell he was strong. Power radiated off him even as he stood there so casually.
I lifted my head from the pillow and grimaced. My whole body felt heavy and stiff. I remembered how my boyfriend had attacked me, and I had bits and pieces of jumbled memories about being toted off the street and forced into being clean. One memory stood out above all the others. A pair of eyes so pale they were almost white, like blue ice.
I scowled and, ignoring the protestations of my sore muscles, forced myself into a sitting position. I ran my hands through my limp hair, which was dirty and matted, and shot a look over at the strange man at the window. “Where the hell am I?” I spat, the crassness of my lifestyle attaching itself to my speech. It was a defense. I was a woman alone with a stranger, and the people who ran in my circle could never be considered friends. I had no idea who this man was or what he planned on doing with me. Acting tough and brash was the only card I had to play.
He turned toward me slowly, every move of his body etched with elegant grace. “You’re awake.”
It was all he said and I stared at him. I still couldn’t see his face, and I was not up to conversing with a shadow. I snorted. “No shit. Now, you wanna tell me where I am and who the hell you are? Or maybe at least let me see your freaking face.”
He moved away from the window and came to stand at the foot end of the bed. My abrasive bravado slipped, and I drew in a soft breath. He was the most stunning man I had ever seen. He was dressed in black jeans and a black muscle shirt that clung to every svelte line of his broad shoulders and toned arms. Sepia hair fell in subtle waves down to his shoulders and around a face made of defined lines and sculpted planes. And his eyes . . . his eyes were the ones from my convoluted memories. Pale, entrancing, intimidating. I felt as if he was staring straight into my soul.
Stifling a shiver, I pulled my legs to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knees. “Who are you?” I murmured, my voice losing all of its force.
“Jack Snow,” he stated simply. His stance was casual and his hands were in his pockets, lending him a lazy, easygoing appearance. I wasn’t fooled. I saw the underlying power in his strong body. I felt it like a presence.
“Jack Snow,” I repeated, a little bit of edge creeping back into my voice. I arched an eyebrow. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
He shrugged. “Probably not.”
He left it at that and continued to stand there and stare at me in unnerving silence. Still feeling kind of itchy, I rubbed at my arms absently and frowned, and I didn’t like the foreign heaviness in my chest. “Hey, do you have any stuff?” I queried.
His posture changed in the blink of an eye. He straightened and his eyes took on a cold, steely look that made my heartbeat falter in apprehension. “No, I do not have any stuff,” he practically hissed.
I scooted farther back on the bed until I was against the headboard and stared at him in strange, fascinated horror. He’d barely even moved, but the dormant power he possessed uncoiled to the point that it felt as if he took up the entire room. His presence was almost tangible, and it both intrigued and terrified me.
“How dare you even ask me such a question,” he continued with a snarl. “When I found you, you were almost dead because of the poison you’d pumped into your body. I saved your life, and the only thanks I get is the desire to destroy yourself even more with some of the same poison?” He snorted and strode back to the window. “I knew this was a waste of my time.”
I stared after him, the heavy, tight feeling in my chest growing to the point of pain. I realized it was fear. Fear and anxiety, feelings I didn’t have to deal with when I was high. “Why?” was the only thing that came out of my mouth.
He glanced at me over his shoulder and frowned.
“Why did you save me?” In all reality, it probably would have been better if he’d left me to die. The world would have been rid of one more gutter rat, and I would have finally been at peace.
He sighed. “I don’t know. Usually I don’t trouble myself with your kind.” He ran a hand through his thick hair, then turned back to me. “What’s your name?”
I wanted to fire a rude comment back to him about his “your kind” reference, but I was too afraid of what he might do if I provoked him. “Reya,” I answered obediently.
He gave a curt nod. “Reya,” he repeated. “Fine. If you wish to know anymore about me or my purpose, you have to swear to me that you won’t take anymore drugs.”
I blinked, taken aback by his abrupt mannerisms. I frowned. “What are you talking about?” I cried. “I’m not going to promise anything to you! I have no idea who you are! I think you should just let me go!”
That cold look came into his eyes again and he fixed me with a dark glower. “I never said you were being kept here against your will,” he spat. “You’re more than welcome to go anytime you like. By all means, return to your life of squalor. No one’s stopping you.”
Anger replaced the fear I’d felt up to this point and burned through my veins. “I’ve had just about enough of you insulting me!” I shouted. “Some people in this life don’t have a choice as to what they become and what lives they live.”
“Everyone has a choice!”
His deep voice reverberated off the walls and I gasped, my anger diminishing back to the former fear. He moved toward me, bending so that he was eye-level. My fingers started to tremble. I’d never seen eyes so wicked. I felt as if he saw everything I was, like I was naked before him with all my secrets and foul deeds exposed. I couldn’t hide from him. My armor was useless.
“There is always a choice,” he said, his voice lowered into a soft, menacing purr.
“I-I never saw one. Must have missed that part,” I stammered. I sounded feeble and pitiful even as I attempted to come off as a smartass.
His beautiful face remained expressionless and he stood to his full height again and gazed down at me as if assessing my worth. I knew I couldn’t be worth much.
“I’m offering you one,” he stated.
I frowned in confusion. “I-If you want me to kill someone or something, you can just forget it.”
He let out a rough snort of a laugh, the first sign of amusement he’d shown, and when he met my eyes again, a tiny amount of warmth reflected in his gaze. “I highly doubt you would be capable of doing such a task,” he said in a slightly playful tone. “Judging by the way you had been beaten when I found you, you don’t seem to know how to defend yourself exceptionally well.”
I made a psshh noise and waved my hand in a weak attempt at humor. “You think I looked bad? You should have seen the other guy.”
His gaze softened and one corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Of course.” He let his eyes linger on me for a moment before he continued. “At any rate, no, I’m not asking you to kill someone. But I’m afraid I cannot divulge anymore information until I know you can be trusted. Therefore, I will be back in exactly one hour.” He pulled a plastic bag out of his pants pocket and placed it on the nightstand next to me.
I peered at the white, powdery contents, and my eyes widened as I realized it was chock-full of my favorite drug. I snapped my gaze up to him in question and, I admit, excitement.
His icy eyes were back to being menacing. “One hour,” he repeated. “If I return and this has not been touched, I will tell you what you want to know. If you fail this, I will return you to your . . . natural environment and you will never see me again. The choice is yours.”
His words hung heavy in the air, and he fixed me with a long, purposeful stare before he turned and swaggered out of the room.
My instincts had me reaching for the bag the instant the door clicked shut. I didn’t like feeling fear. I didn’t like feeling anxiety and worry. Most of all, I didn’t like feeling ashamed and weak. I felt nothing when I was high. It was the only way I could cope. It had been all I’d known since I was a teenager. How could he expect me to just change all that in a second? I didn’t even know this man! He pulled me off the street, forced me clean, and then dangled some bizarre choice in front of me that I didn’t even understand? What was my motivation to obey? He hadn’t given me anything to go on. He could be offering me something awful. At least the life I knew was familiar.
I opened the bag and was about to reach inside when my entire life played out before me in a second. I remembered my mother. Up until her death, she had protected me, had kept me safe from the lowlifes I now called my companions. She’d told me to be strong, to always do what was right. If I did that, I would be safe. I would somehow forge a good life for myself out of the horror that the world had become. She would have been so disappointed to see what I’d allowed myself to turn into. How come I’d never thought of that until now?
I glanced down at the bag again and bit my bottom lip. The temptation was almost unbearable.
Jack Snow. Who was he? Why had he saved me? What was it that he had to share with me that was so important he felt the need to test me before he could divulge any of the information? I wanted to know. I wanted to know who the man with the pale eyes was. I wanted to know why he had thought I was something worth saving.
With an amount of self-control I didn’t even know I possessed, I closed up the bag and set it back on the nightstand. I locked my arms around my knees and stared at it, then glanced at the clock. One hour.
I could do it.
* The Serendipity Series had a big month in February. After the release of Paladin (Book 4) fictionwise sales went through the roof and my Serendipity books remained on the Fictionwise Bestseller list for Forbidden Publications books for several weeks. Paladin is currently still Number One!
Want to find out what all the fuss is about? Check out a Serendipity book today!
BOOK ONE: THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Available in ebook at www.forbiddenpublications.com and in print at www.amazon.com
Five concert tickets won on a radio contest seem to be the perfect
solution for Alyx to get away from her abusive ex boyfriend and turn
a new page in her life. Quiet, antisocial Maxim is not the sort to
want adventure, but when his brother volunteers him to go on the trip
to the concert with Alyx and her best friend he suddenly finds his
world turned upside down, especially when it comes to the way Alyx
affects him…
Taegen is having trouble dealing with the death of her brother and
finds herself wanting to shut out the world, until she meets a
mysterious stranger who shows her that she can, in fact, still feel
something inside her wounded heart.
Thrown together in a bizarre and hilarious set of circumstances,
these five strangers come to realize the true meaning of friendship,
love and being true to oneself.
BOOK TWO: BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE
Available in ebook at www.forbiddenpublications.com
and in print at www.amazon.com
Years ago Van Marshall, lead singer and guitarist of the metal band
Bleeding Passion, let the love of his life get away because he
lacked the courage to tell her how he felt about her. He has been
plagued by the memory of her ever since then, unable to fully commit
to another because of the love he still held for her in his heart.
Now, she is thrown unexpectedly back into his life, bringing with
her all of the feelings he has hidden inside for so long.
Because of a brutal assault, Kat Vauss hates men and trusts no one.
She is a martial arts master and devotes all of her time to her work
and her training. The only person to ever come close to her heart
was a shy, awkward boy she knew in high school who she thinks is
gone forever.
When Kat is given an assignment to shoot a DVD for Bleeding Passion,
she is not prepared for the way her body and heart react to the
sensual singer, who coincidentally helped her out of a sticky
situation some years before. His presence stirs to life dormant
feelings inside of her, but will he show her that not all men are evil and
life can still be beautiful and worth living?
BOOK THREE: DARK MASTERPIECE
Available in ebook at www.forbiddenpublications.com
Art student Evie Austin has spent the last several years idolizing the famous and elusive painter, Traevyn Whitelaw. After an agonizing final report on the man, who also happens to be the most private and secretive person Evie has ever tried to do research on, her professor picks her for the once in a lifetime opportunity to be Traevyn Whitelaw's apprentice for the summer.
Ecstatic, Evie knows that her summer is going to be amazing, filled with lengthy discussions on art and beautiful things with the man she admires above all others. What she doesn't expect is to get stuck taking her sullen, sarcastic, seventeen-year-old brother with her at the last minute, and she definitely doesn't expect Traevyn Whitelaw to live in an isolated Gothic mansion by the ocean. What's worse is that the man she imagined to be so cultured and refined is no more than a sinister, snarling ogre who acts like having Evie and her brother in his home is the worst intrusion imaginable... He's also the most gorgeous man Evie has ever laid eyes on.
There is more than meets the eye to the dark, brooding artist with the painful past, and spunky, outspoken Evie plans on finding out just exactly what the man is made of.
BOOK FOUR: PALADIN
Available in ebook at www.forbiddenpublications.com
What could be weirder than a tattoo artist who spends his summers pretending to be a medieval knight? How about a tattoo artist who spends his summers pretending to be a medieval knight handing out ultimatums in a bathroom stall? That’s the situation Cadence finds herself in after fleeing from her overprotective brother in an attempt to make him see that she is an adult and capable of living her own life. Too bad he tracked her down like a stalker… And too bad she’d laughed at sexy Talis when he told her what he did for a living… And too bad she’d run into the men’s room to hide when she’d seen her brother coming after her.
Now, in order to stay hidden, she has to agree to travel with a roguish band of bizarre men as Talis’s squire for the summer. Not only does she think it’s absolutely ridiculous, but the way her blood burns around Talis sends off all of her warning signals. What is it about the calm, composed, devilish man that makes her want to tame her reckless existence and find out what stability is like? More importantly, can Cadence stop her pattern of self destruction, or will she miss out on the chance to win the heart of her very own paladin knight?
* Warrior's Rise Receives Four Books at LASR!
Warrior's Rise introduces playboy Logan, just as he's finally going to have to answer for some past misdeeds. He's far from contrite however; in fact, he's so busy trying to catch the eye of the super-hot court bailiff, he barely takes note of his sentence. Even his sister's comments about growing up don't phase him, but they do provide a clue for the reader.
Obnoxious he might be, but handsome, sexy and funny make up for a lot; or they do for most. Logan's magical charisma does not land well with the big boss at one very unusual summer camp. Lovely Willow makes it clear she knows exactly what he is, and doesn't need to know him any better. The interaction between Willow and Logan is simply wonderful; all attitude, snappy dialogue; you'll grit your teeth in frustration one moment, and laugh out loud the next. There is so much potential there; there is so much sexual tension there! Wonderful – Robertson has totally outdone herself with these two characters. Or so I thought: The kids at Fantasy Camp are simply fantastic.
Of the `campers', Darien is the special standout, the `say it like it is' kid; but in truth, Aki, Colt and all the others form a wonderful, entwined secondary story. Their characters are incredibly plausible, often funny, but easy to believe in, every minute. And, the strength of all the character's in Warrior's Rise make the unexpected events easier to believe in.
Not that challenging events make life easier for Logan! Fun and unexpected twists arise from Logan's interaction with the kids (talk about a love/hate relationship!) The kids are while unforgiving at first, but surprisingly honest. And; unexpectedly needy. The true Logan – a real man – begins to shine through the laughing, uncaring front he projects. He might just find what really matters…
A fun and speedy read, Warrior's Rise gets 4 books.
*Chat Schedule For March
So far I have chats as follows:
*March 14th--Book Signing at Java Jungle in Reno from 2-5. Any locals, come out and say hello!
* March 18-- SRN Authors at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/manicreaders/
My time slot is 6-7 eastern
*March 28--SRN Authors at
http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/karendevinkaren
Authors from several different publishers talk about how we got to where we are, and share great excerpts and information!
*That's about it for now, guys! Hope you have a great month!
2-2-09
So it's February...a fact I didn't even realize until this morning. lol. How was the Superbowl? Did your team win? Mine sure as heck didn't!
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
Speaking of the Superbowl, this is basically what happened to my team after the Steelers got done with them. lol. That's my brother in the background, by the way. I'm sure he's really going to appreciate me putting this out there in the mass public. lmao...sorry Shawn.
NEWS
*Paladin is now available in ebook!
Get your copy at www.forbiddenpublications.com
Blurb:
What could be weirder than a tattoo artist who spends his summers pretending to be a medieval knight? How about a tattoo artist who spends his summers pretending to be a medieval knight handing out ultimatums in a bathroom stall? That's the situation Cadence finds herself in after fleeing from her overprotective brother in an attempt to make him see that she is an adult and capable of living her own life. Too bad he tracked her down like a stalker… And too bad she laughed at sexy Talis when he told her what he did for a living… And too bad she ran into the men's room to hide when her brother came after her.
Now, in order to stay hidden, she has to agree to travel with a roguish band of bizarre men as Talis's squire for the summer. Not only does she think it's absolutely ridiculous, but the way her blood burns around Talis sends off all of her warning signals. What is it about the calm, composed, devilish man that makes her want to tame her reckless existence and find out what stability is like? More importantly, can Cadence stop her pattern of self destruction, or will she miss out on the chance to win the heart of her very own paladin knight?
And here is an extra excerpt for you!
"Cadence, could you help me with this, please?" Talis asked.
She turned to see him trying to strap on his chest plate and having a difficult time doing it. She smiled and huffed playfully as she grabbed the straps and began to buckle them. "I'm supposed to be a warrior. How is it going to look if people see me strapping you in your armor like some common slave?"
Talis smirked. "No one knows you're a great warrior yet, Your Majesty. Right now you're still my squire, so do your job."
She giggled and continued to help him get suited up. She gave him a hard time, but she really didn't mind doing it. She found that being close to Talis was something she was growing to crave.
She finished strapping on his last shoulder plate and frowned thoughtfully when she caught sight of silver glinting from around his neck. She reached up and pulled a necklace free from beneath his tunic and chest plate. Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked up at him. It was the necklace she had given him!
He smiled down at her. "What? You didn't think I would go into battle without it, did you?" He tucked it safely back underneath his armor. "A warrior always wears his lady's token onto the battlefield."
She felt her cheeks turn pink and she averted her eyes. "Your lady, huh?" She tried to sound mocking, but she knew that her voice wavered. Why did the thought of him laying some kind of claim on her seem so appealing? She had never wanted to belong to someone else. Even when she'd dated Danny she'd hated when he'd called her "his girl" while possessively putting his arm around her shoulders. She wasn't anyone's property. She didn't have a collar around her neck. But it was different with Talis…everything was different with Talis. She wanted to belong to him in some way because, if she did, maybe she could sample some of that heavenly radiance he seemed to exude. That soft and mysterious light that made the world seem so much brighter and made life make so much more sense. He made her feel sane for the first time ever and she never wanted to relinquish that.
Cadence's breath caught in her throat as she felt Talis lift her chin so that she was looking up into his blue eyes. He smiled gently down at her and her stomach somersaulted.
He shrugged one shoulder in a lazy manner. "Well, you're the only lady around that's given me something to wear into battle," he replied. "That doesn't necessarily make you mine, but it does make you pretty special." He ran his finger in a slow line down her neck, then traced her collarbone.
She shivered involuntarily and looked down. She shook her head and swallowed hard as her throat had suddenly gone very dry. "I'm not special," she murmured, trying desperately to hold onto her taunting humor. "I'm just your squire, remember?" She forced herself to look up at him again and smile.
He raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't a squire who gave me that necklace," he said, lowering his voice. "It was an evil temptress who made me give her a back rub while she was half naked, and then broke my brother's bed."
Cadence gasped and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "I didn't make you do anything, Talis Whitelaw, and if you recall, you broke Julian's bed after you body slammed me!" She saw Talis's sinful lips morph into his evil grin too late and, before she could do or say anything more, he'd grabbed a hold of her wrist and was running his tongue along her still pointed finger. She froze and her heart pounded out an abnormal rhythm as he drew her finger into his mouth and sucked on it, his eyes flashing with devilish mirth as he watched her. When he released her, she just stood there as if she'd been frozen in place. Shivers worked along her spine and she tried to force herself to breathe and remember how to speak.
She frowned as sense slowly returned to her and she met his eyes. "You're the devil," she stated.
He laughed.
She scowled. "I am not the one who's a temptress," she hissed.
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm a temptress, am I?"
She frowned. "Well…a tempter…or whatever the masculine version of that word is." His chuckle was a low, sexy rumble and it didn't do anything to make the situation better for her. He was evil. In the worst possible way. He was evil and she loved every minute of it. He was the first man she'd ever met who made her feel out of control. It had been strange at first because she was, by nature, a dominant person. She was used to being the one in control, but even when she tried to seem tough and unflappable around Talis, he did something to remind her that he could very easily get her to do anything he wanted. All he had to do was give her that roguish smile of his.
*Help Make Garren A Celebrity!
And check Garren out for yourself in his story here: www.forbiddenpublications.com
Kelly's outlook on life is bleak. A bad car accident and having her boyfriend of three years walk out on her has left her anything but optimistic. The only comfort she has is her writing, but even her muse seems to be MIA. Her controlling sister's driving her crazy and she keeps having strange dreams about a sexy, winged man that seems familiar to her.
A flock of rogue pigeons, a nursery rhyme, an unknown savior and one superstitious, metrosexual friend later, Kelly finds her entire life turned upside down. She's plummeted head first into the extraordinary and suddenly finds herself saddled with a see-through imaginary man she had created when she was a child… Only she doesn't remember him ever being so completely irresistible…
Kelly hadn't planned on falling in love, especially with an imaginary being, but her heart had other ideas. Can she figure out a way to keep him, to prove that magic and fantasy can exist in real life? Or will he be torn from her forever by the self-centered world's lack of belief?
*Warrior's Rise Receives Four Stars at Manic Readers!
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MR Review
Warrior's Rise
by Brieanna Robertson
Logan Savage didn't have a clue. He just wandered through life for the past twenty-nine years, doing as he chose and with whom he chose with no regard for the consequences. However - when he is sentenced to be a volunteer counselor at a summer camp; his lawyer sister tells him that this is it. He needs to grow up, she's through saving his sorry butt and this is his last chance. Logan figures it can't be that bad. Teach some mini-homeboys how to pick up women, get close to a few female counselors and come home. Not bad at all! Rogue River Fantasy Camp! How lame...
Willow Avaris does not need to babysit an adult on top of the camp kids. Especially this adult; he is egotistical, smart mouthed and nearly everything she didn't want as a volunteer. However, she's stuck with him and needs him to take the oldest group of campers.
I loved this book! It was funny, serious and taught several well placed lessons at the same time. The characters were from my childhood (yes, I was a geek!) and I can just see them ganging up on Logan because he is such a jerk. Darien is my new hero and I hope to be able to introduce this book to my grandchildren somewhere along the line. Kudos to Ms Robertson...
*A Note to All Contest Winners:
Your packages are coming! I haven't forgotten about you! I'm very sorry for the delay. Things have been kind of ridiculous in my life lately.
This month's newsletter winner is: horseunicornkey! You won a free download of any of my ebooks! So email me and let me know which one you would like!
*Buy Two Books Get One Free Sale!
For the entire month of February, I'm going to be running a Buy 2, Get 1 free book sale! Buy any of my titles, print or ebook, at any location and receive a free ebook or print book of your choice! You'll also receive a free magnet and beautiful bookmark from another great author friend of mine. :) All you have to do is email proof of purchase at brauthor.editor@gmail.com.
That's about it for now! My chats are still kind of up in the air and I'm trying to schedule some signings, but noting is set in stone yet. Have a great February and see you next month!
1-2-09
Happy New Year Everybody! How did you ring in 2009? Are you happy to see 2008 go? I am, for the most part. Although 2008 did bring me a few awesome adventures. I got two of my books out in print, met my creative inspiration three times, went on some amazing trips, edited a lot of books, listened to some great music and wrote my heart out! Not too shabby. ;)
Do you have any resolutions for 2009? My new year is pretty open at this point. Lots of things in my life are up in the air and are still waiting to be determined. One thing is for sure, though. No matter what happens, where I go, who I meet or what path I go down, 2009 is bound to be full of more great tales of love and fantasy so stay tuned!
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
Arizona lightning. One thing I always enjoyed about living there were the awe-inspiring storms. It's violent and breathtaking all at the same time. I briefly touched on the Arizona storm in my short story Musician's Monsoon, available in the One Touch, One Glance Anthology from Freya's Bower.
NEWS
*BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINT!
Want a sneak peek at Van, my sexy rock star? He makes his first appearance in Book One of the Serendipity Series, The Road Less Traveled. Here's his intro:
Alyx grabbed Maxim’s hand and pulled him after them. He followed and looked
up at the singer. Good lord. The man was the very picture of Gothic beauty. He was tall and slender with dark brown hair that was shone in the spotlight. He was wearing tight, black leather pants that rode low on his hips and a black long-sleeved shirt with Fender written on it. Maxim was elated that he actually knew that Fender was a brand of guitar. Back in high school Jeff had gone through a musician phase. That was the only reason he remembered.
He was awestruck as he watched the rock star perform. All of his movements
were fluid elegance, as if he was made out of music and not just playing it. He cradled his guitar in his arms like he cherished it above all things and the sex appeal and charisma that emanated off of him made Torrey look tame. Maxim was not known to stare at men as a general rule, but he did study people, and he couldn’t help but be captivated by the singer. He commanded the entire auditorium all on his own. His eyes were lined with thick, black eye shadow and his fingernails were painted black, as well.
He was the complete Goth package, but Maxim found something odd in his actions that not a lot of people would have noticed. Though he was charming the crowd, he sang most of his songs with his eyes closed, and when he did look up at the audience, it was almost as if he was looking over them, scanning them instead of really connecting. It was a strange kind of look. Like he was locked inside of himself. Maxim recognized it because it was the same kind of look he had seen in his own eyes for years. The look that there was a barrier keeping him from the rest of the world, one that he hadn’t known how to get past until Jeff had forced him to.
To check Van out in The Road Less Traveled, you can get your copy directly from the publisher at
or from www.amazon.com
You can also get it in ebook at www.forbiddenpublications.com
Here's another teaser look at Van from his book, Better Than Chocolate:
The roar of the crowd was deafening as Bleeding Passion ran backstage after
their show. Kat was putting her equipment away and smiled at the way their fans
screamed for an encore.
“We have a good crowd tonight,” Lance commented.
“That’s because I think everyone at the signing today is out there in the audience and is jazzed they got to meet us,” Erik said.
“Some guy in the front keeps screaming my name,” Nyah said, glancing at Van to see his reaction. “Maybe I should find him after the show and invite him backstage.”
Van ignored Nyah and looked at Kat over his shoulder. He met her eyes and grinned.
Kat smiled, her heart doing something of a somersault at the warmth she saw in his eyes. She looked down and concentrated on what she was doing, wondering how something as simple as a smile or a look could wreak havoc on her insides. It drove her crazy. She had conditioned her mind to view any kind of attraction as off-limits. Why couldn’t her body do the same? She glanced at Van again as he prepared himself to go out on stage again. He guzzled water from a water bottle and he poured some of it over his head. He exchanged a look with his band-mates and they all trooped back out onto the stage. Kat could see him from where she was in the wings and he raised his arms up, drawing further noise from the crowd. He pulled his guitar over his head and nestled it against his hips. It seemed to meld with him as he walked over to the microphone and addressed the crowd.
“Thank you everyone, you’ve been fantastic,” he said. The crowd cheered. “It’s all of you who make Bleeding Passion what it is, so we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our dreams real.” He blew a kiss out to the audience, then broke into the intro of one of their chart toppers. It was dark and slow and it always made Kat shiver. She watched as he played, his long legs spread in a power stance, water droplets cascading down his hair and shoulders like sparkling jewels. His lithe body moved in unison to the notes and chords his fingers produced with fluid grace and she could do nothing but stare in awe. She was watching the fusion of man and music and she didn’t think she had ever seen anything more intoxicating.
Her eyes were drawn, once again, to the tattoos she could barely see through his black fishnet shirt. She could not quell her curiosity about them. She wanted to see what things Van had thought so important to him, or so beautiful, that he would permanently draw them onto his body.
“I don’t think I could ever get tired of watching them perform,” Rochelle said, coming up behind her suddenly.
Kat turned to look at her over her shoulder, then looked back at Van. “He’s always been so brilliant,” she murmured. She wasn’t sure if Rochelle had actually managed to hear her, but she couldn’t miss the way her friend smiled, as if she knew something that Kat didn’t.
Get your print copy from
Buy your ebook copy at www.forbiddenpublications.com
*Awesome Review for the One Touch, One Glance Anthology!
This is what was said about my story, Musician's Monsoon:
Title: Musician’s Monsoon
Author: Brieanna Robertson
Summary: Sophie has been plain all her life, right up until Zane looks down from the stage and sees her in the audience. In that instant, she becomes something she never imagined herself to be; desirable.
My review: Wow. This was a great story. I laughed out loud. A few times. Sophie is just the kind of romance heroin I love; independent, wise enough to know when love has her beat, and smart enough to take the hit. This is just an incredibly good read.
Read the entire review here: http://unique.logophilos.net/?p=996
* One Touch, One Glance is nominated for Best Anthology of 2008 at the Preditors and Editors Awards. Go here to vote!
http://www.critters.org/predpoll/antho.shtml
* Serendipity Book 4: Paladin is releasing in ebook Jan. 9th!
Blurb:
What could be weirder than a tattoo artist who spends his summers pretending to be a medieval knight? How about a tattoo artist who spends his summers pretending to be a medieval knight handing out ultimatums in a bathroom stall? That’s the situation Cadence finds herself in after fleeing from her overprotective brother in an attempt to make him see that she is an adult and capable of living her own life. Too bad he tracked her down like a stalker… And too bad she’d laughed at sexy Talis when he told her what he did for a living… And too bad she’d run into the men’s room to hide when she’d seen her brother coming after her. Now, in order to stay hidden, she has to agree to travel with a roguish band of bizarre men as Talis’s squire for the summer. Not only does she think it’s absolutely ridiculous, but the way her blood burns around Talis sends off all of her warning signals. What is it about the calm, composed, devilish man that makes her want to tame her reckless existence and find out what stability is like? More importantly, can Cadence stop her pattern of self destruction, or will she miss out on the chance to win the heart of her very own paladin knight? Excerpt:
“I’m seriously going to burn,” Tawny said as she slathered sunscreen across her shoulders.
Cadence giggled. “This was your idea.”
“Yeah, I know. I just think I’m stupid sometimes. ‘Sure, let’s go down to the river in the middle of the day when it’s a million degrees outside.’”
Cadence wrinkled her nose as her friend made fun of herself. “Come on, we’re having fun. If we burn, we burn. At least it’s cool in the water.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Hey, I have to pee. Come over to the bathrooms with me.”
Cadence rolled her eyes, never having understood that whole go to the bathroom in pairs thing. She stood, followed her friend over to the restrooms, and waited outside. It really was about a million degrees. Especially considering it was only late April. It was going to be a horrid summer. She sighed and leaned up against the wall, watching the group of guys down by the shore. She’d been watching them discreetly for most of the day, but that was greatly due to the fact that one of them had long hair down past his shoulders and another one of them was shirtless and had more tattoos than she could count. He had two full sleeves and had many more across his shoulders and chest. It was too bad she and Tawny were swimming so far away. She wouldn’t mind getting a closer look…except she couldn’t see the tattooed man now. He must have gone somewhere else.
She tore her gaze away from the men and it trailed over to the highway where a familiar-looking white Hummer was making its way towards the recreation area they were all at. Her eyes widened in horror. Lance! Holy crap, the man knew no shame! He was actually searching for her like she was a fugitive. It was insane! She refused to go back to being his prisoner. One of these days he was going to have to learn that what she did with her life was up to her and no amount of holding her hostage was going to change that.
She turned to seek refuge in the women‘s room, but Lance would probably just send Rochelle in to look for her. She was pretty sure that the only reason Lance was searching for her in this area anyway was because Rochelle hadn’t been able to keep the secret from him. She didn’t blame her. She was Lance’s wife. Her first loyalty was to him.
As the Hummer neared and she ran out of options, she flung open the door to the men’s room and ran for the nearest stall. It wouldn’t be as easy to find her in there. She didn’t think Lance was bold enough to go peeking under stalls.
She yanked the stall door open and closed it quickly behind her, peering out of the crack to watch the door.
“May I help you?” a deep voice drawled.
Cadence screamed. She spun and found herself staring straight at the tattooed chest of that man she had been watching all day. She blinked in bewilderment. Not only was he tattooed, but he was…well, ripped was a good word. She forced her eyes away from his six pack and all of his ink and looked up at his face. She frowned in confusion. “Silly medieval tattoo artist?” she questioned, recognizing him from the Bleeding Passion concert.
The man winced and rubbed at his ear as if her shrill scream had pierced his brain. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the rude roadie,” he grumbled. “What a pleasant surprise.” His blue-eyed gaze raked over her body for a second before returning to her face.
Cadence crossed her arms over the green top of her two-piece swimsuit and scowled. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I was going to the bathroom,” he replied. “That’s generally what one tends to do when they’re in a stall. Guess I’m just lucky to get the stall with the busted lock.” He folded his arms, mirroring her posture, and gave her a questioning look. “So, do you make it a practice to just chill in the men’s room, or—”
She rolled her eyes and turned back to peer out the crack in the door. “Don’t be stupid. I’m not chilling. I’m hiding.”
“Oh, so you make it a practice to hide in the men’s room?” He snickered. “At least I was fortunate enough to have zipped my pants up before you came barreling in.”
“Would you shut up?” she spat over her shoulder. “I’m trying to pay attention.”
She saw him smirk out the corner of her eye and he leaned down so that his mouth was close to her ear. “Who are we hiding from?” he whispered.
“My brother.”
“Ah…okay. And why are we hiding from your brother?”
“Because he’s looking for me and I don’t want him to know where I am. That good enough for you?” She shot him an irritated scowl. “And how dare you call me rude. I wasn’t rude to you.”
He snorted. “So, laughing in my face doesn’t count as being rude?”
“When did I laugh in your face?”
He stood back. “Well, you asked me about renaissance faires, and when I told you about what I did in them, you laughed at me. Not to mention you just called me the ‘silly medieval tattoo artist.’”
She waved it away. “Oh, come on. It’s not every day I meet someone who says they pretend to be a knight for a living. It was funny.”
“Yeah, well I think it would be pretty funny if I hauled you out of this stall right now and threw you outside.” He grasped her arm.
She gasped. “No, don’t!” she cried. She looked up at him. “Please! I’m sorry I laughed at you, okay?”
He studied her eyes for a second and frowned. “Why are you so afraid of your brother?” he questioned.
She sighed. “I’m not afraid of him. I just don’t want him to find me. He treats me like I’m a little kid and tries to run my life.”
“Why?”
She sighed again in exasperation. “Because I was arrested last year.”
He frowned. “For what?”
“I beat up a security guard.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “You what?”
“It was self defense! He was sexually harassing me. I was let off, but Lance freaked out. Of course it was him who I called to bail me out of jail. I don’t know why. He’s been attached like a barnacle to me ever since.”
He frowned as if mulling something over. “Wait, what? Lance? Who’s Lance?”
“Lance Lawson. My brother.”
“Lance Lawson!” His eyes bulged. “Lance Lawson is your brother?”
“Yes, and the fact that he’s a mega star doesn’t change the fact that he’s an overprotective pain so just be quiet and let me hide, okay?”
Talis looked down at her and contemplated his choices. She was rude, had mocked him, and didn’t seem necessarily sorry about it. It would be what she deserved to have him turn her over to her brother. On the other hand, it wasn’t his place to interfere. He didn’t know the situation and it would be wrong of him to just stick his nose in and act like he knew what was best… Or… He grinned devilishly and let his eyes study the beautiful tattoo across her shoulders. It was a dragon… An amazing green and yellow dragon breathing fire. So, she must have some appreciation for medieval mythology. “Why should I hide you?” he asked her. “You were rude to me. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t squeal on you.”
She turned and looked at him again, as if she couldn‘t believe he was actually thinking about giving her away. She rolled her eyes. “Man, I am never going to laugh at anyone ever again,” she grumbled. She sighed. “Look, I’m sorry okay? It wasn’t right for me to laugh at you. I’m an idiot sometimes. I don’t think before I speak.”
His lips quirked at the corners in amusement. She seemed sincere, but he was going to milk this for all it was worth. “Apology accepted, but not good enough.”
She gave him a genuinely pained expression. “What is your name?” she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “Talis.”
“Please, Talis, you don’t even understand. He’s driving me crazy. I can’t do anything without him asking me about it. He keeps tabs on me all the time like I’m his kid. I can’t keep living my life like this. I’ll go insane.”
An idea was whirling around inside of Talis’s mind. An absolutely absurd and reckless idea. He grinned. “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll keep you hidden, but you have to be my squire for the rest of the summer.”
Put January 9th on your calendar so you can read about the next infamous Whitelaw brother! Available in ebook from www.forbiddenpublications.com
*Warrior's Rise Receives 5 Angels at FAR!
Check out what this reviewer had to say:
All his life, Logan Savage has felt like an outsider and has hidden his feelings under the guise of a womanizing macho man. When he is sentenced to community service at a kid's summer camp, he comes face-to-face with teenagers who are his opposite in every aspect, and he is horrified at having to play camp counselor to a bunch of geeks and nerds. Willow Avaris runs the fantasy camp where Logan is serving his time, and she is extremely unimpressed with what she sees in Logan. After an extremely rocky start, life in the camp is just about to settle down when suddenly Logan's world is turned on its axis. Logan finds that neither he nor Willow nor his teenaged charges are what they appear. He also discovers that there is an evil afoot that is threatening their lives as well as the world they exist in. Suddenly Logan must play the role of hero to protect Willow and all she holds dear.
Warrior's Rise by Brieanna Robertson paints a picture of a world where the human and the fairy realms intersect with each other. This is a world of change and discovery. Logan discovers that something as simple as a few kind words from a young girl and the innocent acceptance and forgiveness of his young friends have the ability to change his life and his attitude. He undergoes a process of change, turning from loser to hero and from smug egotistical jerk to poised and kind protector. Readers will love watching his transformation during the story and experiencing how this changes both his actions and his thought processes.
The line between make believe and reality blurs in this story. One minute Logan and the kids are playing at medieval combat, and the next minute that combat becomes all too real. One moment Willow is a no-nonsense camp director and the next she is a sparkling fairy queen. It all might seem like a fantasy role-playing game except that the danger is a real threat to them all. Brieanna Robertson has done a wonderful job in Warrior's Rise, creating this tale where fantasy meets reality. This reader did not have any trouble envisaging the woods of Western Oregon as a gateway to another world and may very well be on the lookout for fairies on the next visit.
-Whitney
Buy yours at www.forbiddepublications.com
*The winner of this month's newsletter drawing is: Connie Northrop! Congrats, Connie! You have received a free CD of music used to inspire my novels!
I don't know my chat schedule as of right now for this month, but I'll be here and there and around so keep your eyes peeled! :) Hope everyone has an awesome January and stars the new year out right!
12-2-08
It's December! Has it snowed yet wherever you are? Not here, which I'm actually very happy about. The less it snows, the less I freeze and the less problems I have driving to work! Did anyone shop the Black Friday sales? I stayed nice and toasty in my apartment while I raided amazon.com. It was a much more peaceful way to go about things. lol
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
This is Big Sur, CA. I visited this area back in 2001 and absolutely fell in love with it. It's actually the setting for my book, Dark Masterpiece. A dark, troubled, gorgeous and extremely talented artist lives in a Gothic mansion atop cliffs I envision similar to these. Check it out, you might fall in love with him like I did. ;)
NEWS:
* I have gotten in some awesome reviews! Check these out!
WARRIOR'S RISE GETS 4 CUPS AT COFFEETIME!
Willow Avaris owns the Rogue River Fantasy Camp, where kids of all ages who are "geeks" in their world, come to meet with other kids like themselves. Willow herself loves what she does, but she is also in hiding. Willow is a Queen of fairies, the Alvari race. For years Willow has hid her people to keep Cyrinus, the Queen of Supporo's who wants to enslave or worse destroy them. Willow has not heard from Cyrinus in years and hopes they are all well hid. The kids at the camp have read and heard tales of the Alvari race and the wars, but believed them as just myths. That is until the day they had to fight them.
Logan Savage had a bad deal with a dead-beat dad who finally left when Logan was twelve. Since then, Logan has held a good job and done alright but he only cares about one person and that is himself. When he gets in trouble and is sent to do community service at a Fantasy Camp, he thinks how hard can it be? But when he is assigned to his group of young teens, Logan does not have time to think about sexy Willow, he is too busy trying to keep his head from getting banged up by his group. And what is this stuff about fairies and wars and Alveda d Kai? Logan is not sure he wants to know.
Willow has watched as Logan becomes a new man, not the cocky self purpose man he was, and she likes it. But Willow cannot think of Logan now as Cyrinus is back and she has to save her people. When Willow learns she has a Alveda warrior in her camp she never dreamed it would be Logan. Logan has come to care for Willow more than anyone before, but what is all this about being a warrior and fairies? Now Willow has to get Logan to believe who and what he really is and she needs this done before Cyrinus comes back. Will Logan step up and be the warrior he is, or will Logan walk out?
This is an exciting fast paced story that goes from zero to ninety in two seconds! Creative characters and very important secondary characters are the foundation for this phenomenal tale that combines the fantasy realm with the reality and in a very realistic way. I loved how the author brings you slowly into the fantasy not really knowing where it was going until you got there. Then the final door opens for lots of surprises and an intense battle that tells the end. Captivating, exhilarating and entertaining are the words to describe this wonderful story. This will go on my keeper shelf.
Wateena
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books
Get your own copy at: www.ForbiddenPublications.com
BEYOND WILD IMAGININGS GETS 4 ANGELS AT FAR!
As children, Kelly and her friends created imaginary friends who lived in a magical realm of their creative fantasies. These imaginary creatures were the Lucienus – beautiful winged Guardians who watched over the children and kept them safe. Over the years, the children grew up, their fantasies dwindled, and the Lucienus faded into nothing more than distant memories.
Now almost thirty years old, Kelly is visited by her personal Guardian Garren, who has returned to her after being locked in the Creative Realm for the past twenty years. After an initial bout of extreme surprise, Kelly's memories of her childhood return, and she and Garren are drawn together in what can only be a bonding of souls. But there is a problem: Garren is a creature of imagination, and those who do not believe in him cannot see him. To make matters worse, Garren informs Kelly that the Creative Realm is disappearing due to the modern world's lack of creativity, and if his world disappears, he will cease to exist. How can Kelly make a life with a man who might not even truly exist? The love that these two share appears to be doomed even before it begins.
Beyond Wild Imaginings by Brieanna Robertson is an emotional story about two individuals who cannot possibly make a life together. The character Kelly, who is wildly creative and a writer of fantasy novels, seems almost crazy at first. One wonders if she has had a nervous breakdown since she is having visions of a beautiful winged man just after her breakup with an ex-lover. Her imagination is addictive, however, and it is delightful to read. The Lucienus, Garren, will likewise capture the reader's heart with his innocence, his beauty, his devotion to Kelly, and his limitless appetite for food. The reader will also get a chuckle out of fact that Kelly describes him as an Emo. The struggle that these two go through in order to be together in spite of the impending disappearance of Garren's world makes for an emotional read, and this reader suggests keeping a hankie close by just in case. Overall, Beyond Wild Imaginings is a nicely rendered romance that will appeal to any with a soft spot for a little fantasy.
Reviewed by: Whitney
Buy yours at www.forbiddenpublications.com
CHECK OUT THESE ADVANCE REVIEWS FOR THE ONE TOUCH, ONE GLANCE ANTHOLOGY
My story is MUSICIAN'S MONSOON
Dirty Girl Reviews - http://dirtygirlreviews.blogspot.com/
Cocktail reviews - http://cocktailreviews.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/one-touch-one-glance-freyas-bower/#comment-4220
*Speaking of the One Touch, One Glance Anthology, it's releasing on Dec. 9th! Check out this awesome work full of great stories from tons of amazing authors.
Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned romance? Remember reading about a man’s clothed physique, or how a fellow admired a woman in a pretty red dress? How about stories where couples fall in love with just one glance or that first gentle touch? Then open this anthology and enjoy 18 beautiful stories of love lost, love found, intrigue, heartache healed, the miracles of life, passionate admissions, and tearjerkers that make one sigh with longing. From best friends who find romance to time travel to a bit of Christmas magic, step into the realm of hearts on fire and love everlasting.
Authors: Gwen Hayes, M.E. Ellis, Maryann Miller, Adelle Laudan, K. Starling, Trinity Blacio, Debbie Gould, Ava James, Faith Bicknell-Brown, Savannah Chase, Lisa Alexander Griffin, Kensana Darnell, Brieanna Robertson, Nicolette Zamora, Kathleen MacIver, Missy Lyons, and Jambrea Jo Jones
Available Dec 9th from Freya's Bower!
*Better Than Chocolate PRINT version is releasing Dec. 21st from Whimsical Publications! You won't want to miss this second book in my Serendipity Series. It's newly edited with a couple minor changes and is choc full of romance. This book was chosen as Reviewer's Top Pick at Night Owl Romance! Find out why!
Years ago Van Marshall, lead singer and guitarist of the metal band
Bleeding Passion, let the love of his life get away because he
lacked the courage to tell her how he felt about her. He has been
plagued by the memory of her ever since then, unable to fully commit
to another because of the love he still held for her in his heart.
Now, she is thrown unexpectedly back into his life, bringing with
her all of the feelings he has hidden inside for so long.
Because of a brutal assault, Kat Vauss hates men and trusts no one.
She is a martial arts master and devotes all of her time to her work
and her training. The only person to ever come close to her heart
was a shy, awkward boy she knew in high school who she thinks is
gone forever.
When Kat is given an assignment to shoot a DVD for Bleeding Passion,
she is not prepared for the way her body and heart react to the
sensual singer, who coincidentally helped her out of a sticky
situation some years before. His presence stirs to life dormant
feelings inside of her, but will he show her that not all men are evil and
life can still be beautiful and worth living?
Coming Dec 21st! Available for pre-order. Get yours at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.
*Are you a writer? Do you have a work waiting to be published? Whimsical Publications is accepting submissions in these genres:
Science-Fiction/Futuristic
Fantasy
Horror
Mystery
Suspense
Romance
Some Poetry
All works must be at least 50,000 words.
Check WP out! They rock!
*Buy One, Get A Free CD
Yup, I thought maybe it was time again for my buy a book, get a free CD contest. Free is always good, right? lol.
So here's how it works:
Buy any of my titles. Ebook pr print, it doesn't matter. Just email me a purchase receipt at brauthor.editor@gmail.com and you'll get a free CD of music that helps me write, inspires my creativity, etc. It's pretty diverse so there should be something for everyone! Everyone wins! You buy, you get a free CD, it's that simple!
*I have another book signing coming up Dec 6th for any of you who live in my area. It's at Dreamer's Coffeehouse in downtown Reno from 2-5. Hope to see you there!
*The newsletter subscriber to win this month is Jane Cheung! Congrats! You've won an ebook title of mine of your choosing!
UPCOMING CHATS:
Dec 5: SRN Authors Chat at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/novelsisterhood/
My slot is 5-6 central
Dec 6: Book signing at Dreamer's Coffeehouse 2-5 pacific
Dec 6: One Touch, One Glance authors chat at Joyfully Reviewed from 12-3 central
Dec 7: OTOG Authors chat all day at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/castleintheskyflightoffantasy/
Dec 9: OTOG Authors Release Chat at Night Owl Romance from 7-9pm central
Dec 10: OTOG Authors chat all day at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe/
That's it for this month! Have a great December, stay warm, read a good book, always, always listen to some good music! ;)
11-1-08
So, even with massive computer failure and severe stress, I made it through October. It was a roller coaster ride of a month, let me tell you. Had some really poopy stuff happen...and some really awesome stuff as well. I hope all of you had a great month!
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
This is a picture from one of my favorite fantasy artists, Ruth Thompson. I have a weird obsession with winged things- especially winged men...and the tattoos aren't bad either. lol. This is one of my favorites of hers.
NEWS:
* My booksigning went well! It was an overall positive experience and the owner invited me back this month so, I tentatively have another signing lined up for the third Saturday of November. I am also in the process of trying to schedule another one sometime this month at a different coffee shop, so we'll see!
* There are dealings currently going on between me and a source I am not at liberty to divulge yet, but I'm dying to talk about it so I thought I'd just dangle a carrot. :) Keep posted to my newsletter. As soon as some things get finalized, you'll be hearing some absolutely amazing information regarding an upcoming novel of mine.
* Better Than Chocolate coming in PRINT this winter from Whimsical Publications! Check out my awesome new cover and stay tuned to find out the release date!
* Fall Into An Amazing Tale -CONTEST
So I decided that the last month of fall is a great time to have a contest. The weather is getting colder, which means more time at home to spend snuggled up under a soft blanket and lose yourself in a story. It's also a great time to start buying gifts for friends!
So, for the month of November, buy ANY of my titles and email me your proof of purchase at brauthor.editor@gmail.com with the subject NOVEMBER CONTEST.It doesn't matter which store you buy my book at, it can be at an online ebook store, an online print store, an order from Barnes and Noble, it doesn't matter. And EACH title you buy counts as one entry for the drawing at the end of the month.
THE PRIZE: A mug full of coffee (or tea) to warm you up while you're reading, some chocolate to help satisfy any decadent cravings you might have, some scented candles to set a relaxing mood and a goodie bag full of stuff from some other great writers.
Remember, EACH title you buy counts as one entry, so the more you buy, the more your chance of winning. Below, I have listed my titles, as well as the mini blurbs for you to peruse.
Serendipity Book One: The Road Less Traveled (in Ebook or Print)
Thrown together in a bizarre and hilarious set of circumstances,
these five strangers come to realize the true meaning of friendship,
love and being true to oneself.
Available in ebook at www.forbiddebpublications.com
And in print at www.amazon.com
Serendipity Book Two: Better Than Chocolate
Kat is not prepared for the way her body and heart react to the sensual singer of Bleeding Passion. Can he show her that not all men are evil, and that life can still be beautiful and worth living?
Available in ebook at www.forbiddenpublications.com
Serendipity Book Three: Dark Masterpiece
There is more than meets the eye to the dark, brooding artist with the painful past, and spunky, outspoken Evie plans to find out just exactly what the man is made of.
Available in ebook at: www.forbiddenpublications.com
Beyond Wild Imaginings
Kelly hadn’t planned on falling in love, especially with an imaginary being, but her heart had other ideas. Can she figure out a way to keep him, to prove that magic and fantasy can exist in real life? Or will he be torn from her forever by the self-centered world’s lack of belief?
Available in ebook at: www.forbiddenpublications.com
Wings and Fire
Secrets are revealed and Steele takes matters into her own hands to protect the man who can set ablaze what no other has been able to touch- her heart.
Available in ebook at www.amirapress.com
Warrior's Rise
Bravery and strength were things Logan always thought he had in spades, but as the summer goes on, and strange, surreal events take place around the camp, Logan is forced to look within himself and figure out what’s important to him. It’s safe to remain the self absorbed, shallow man he’s always been, but can he find the courage to reach inside and embrace the true warrior he was destined to become?
Available in ebook at www.forbiddenpublications.com
All of my books are also available at www.fictionwise.com and www.amazon.com, as well as other online retailers
*The winner of this month's newsletter subscriber drawing is:
Drea!
Congrats! You won a CD of music inspired by my books!
UPCOMING CHATS:
*Fridays are Open Chat Day at Sierra's Club. join my fellow Freya's Bower authors in promoting our upcoming anthology, One Touch, One Glance
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/the_sierra_club
*Nov 8: SRN Authors chat at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/theromanceroom My time slot is 5-6 Central
*Nov 11: Amira Press Authors chat at : www.groups.yahoo.com/group/theromanceroom
*Nov 17: Forbidden Authors Chat at Coffee Time Romance www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=435
*Nov 19: SRN Authors Chat at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/CataNetwork-Readers My time slot is 5-6 central
That's it for this month, guys! Have an awesome November, read some great books and stay warm! See you next month!
10-2-08
Hello everyone! I can hardly believe it's October already! My September went blazing by! I hope early fall is treating everyone great so far. Colder weather is coming, which means more opportunity to snuggle up with a great book.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH
Yeah, lol. It's me and Tuomas again. Sorry that you guys have to put up with my obsession, but I figure, he's basically my greatest writing inspiration so it's not completely out of place. LOL. Anyway, for those of you who are new subscribers and don't yet know about my obsession, this is Tuomas Holopainen from the band Nightwish. I was recently able to see them in San Francisco and again in LA and gave him a print copy of Beyond Wild Imaginings as a thank you gift for his amazing music. So, somewhere in Finland, this beautiful man has a copy of one of my books. Pretty cool from my end! If you have a myspace, you can read all about my Nightwish adventure in my two part blog. www.myspace.com/brieannarobertson. Check it out! It'll make you laugh! :)
NEWS:
*The Road Less Traveled is now available in PRINT!! Order it straight from the publisher http://www.whimsicalpublications.com/ or from http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Five concert tickets won on a radio contest seem to be the perfect
solution for Alyx to get away from her abusive ex boyfriend and turn
a new page in her life. Quiet, antisocial Maxim is not the sort to
want adventure, but when his brother volunteers him to go on the trip
to the concert with Alyx and her best friend he suddenly finds his
world turned upside down, especially when it comes to the way Alyx
affects him…
Taegen is having trouble dealing with the death of her brother and
finds herself wanting to shut out the world, until she meets a
mysterious stranger who shows her that she can, in fact, still feel
something inside her wounded heart.
Thrown together in a bizarre and hilarious set of circumstances,
these five strangers come to realize the true meaning of friendship,
love and being true to oneself.
"The Road Less Traveled was Brilliantly Touching and Funny! I could
relate having taken so many road trips myself. The people you meet
along the way will always stay with you. I know I will never forget
these Characters. Brieanna Robertson is a shining star that truly
stands out. Her flare to write about people in their everyday lives
and make you feel a part of it is truly something remarkable. I
enjoyed this book immensely and will be reading it again." -Sensual Reads
* Warrior's Rise is now available!
Pick up your copy at http://www.forbiddenpublications.com/ or http://www.fictionwise.com/
Logan Savage is a man’s man. His idea of a good time has never included watching over and entertaining a bunch of kids at a summer camp. Especially when that camp happens to be full of kids with a love for mythology and medieval fantasy. In other words—a bunch of geeks. Unfortunately, in order to avoid a jail sentence for assaulting a cop, that’s exactly what he has to do. Head counselor and owner of the camp, Willow Avaris, is a nice surprise. Beautiful, fiery and sexy… Too bad she loathes his very existence. Plus, the kids are making his life a living nightmare. Could the summer get any worse?
Bravery and strength were things Logan always thought he had in spades, but as the summer goes on, and strange, surreal events take place around the camp, Logan is forced to look within himself and figure out what’s important to him. It’s safe to remain the self absorbed, shallow man he’s always been, but can he find the courage to reach inside and embrace the true warrior he was destined to become?
Here is a nice, juicy excerpt for you ;)
Willow was surprised at his honest admission and part of her heart softened. She had absolutely no right to try and tell him that lowering your front was easy. She lived and breathed behind her own, constantly. She had to. If she didn't, she would be terrified all the time, and she was no good to her people like that. She sighed. "We all have fronts,
He blinked up at her with a quizzical expression, and his lips turned up at the corners. "That was the most cryptic thing I've ever heard, and yet, somehow, it made sense."
She grinned and let her eyes travel over his sculpted upper body for a sinful second before she mentally shook herself and stood. Geez, had it really been such a long time since she had been in a man's company other than her brother and Counselor John? She'd been living alone in the forest for too long if she started to think that Logan Savage was attractive. Sure, maybe he was being less heinous at the moment, but he was injured and feeling sorry for himself. As soon as he started to feel better, no doubt he'd be back to his abrasive, obnoxious self. Still, the six-pack was nice. So were the defined arms and shoulders. They'd be nice on anybody. She wasn't blind.
She started to head towards the closet to get the cot out when he shifted the position of the blanket across his shoulders, exposing his lower back and a symbol that stopped her dead in her tracks. She blinked rapidly and frowned. "Where did you get that?" she questioned, going back over to him and touching the symbol.
He frowned and tried to twist to look down at his back. "What?"
Her puzzled frown deepened as she realized it wasn't a tattoo like she had thought. It was ink pen. She looked up at him. "This symbol."
He craned his neck further, then rolled his eyes. "Nice," he muttered. "So they decided against writing `BALLS' on my forehead and opted for drawing on my back instead."
She smirked in amusement and traced the outlines of the symbol for one glorious second. Warmth filled her heart. It had been so long since she'd seen the mark. If only… His back muscles rippled beneath her fingers and brought her out of her stupor. She cleared her throat and looked up to see him looking even further in an attempt to see it clearly.
"What is it, anyway?" he asked.
She smiled. "It's the mark of the Alveda d'Kai, an old legend." She moved around and sat down next to him, grabbing her cup of coffee again.
He rolled his eyes. "Of course it is. Lucy and her dragon myths."
She arched an eyebrow. "You know about them?"
He looked at her. "Please. Lucy is obsessed with the…" he waved his hand flippantly through the air, "Alvega denominators, or whatever the heck they're called."
She wrinkled her nose and gave a little laugh. "Alveda d'Kai," she corrected. "You make them sound like a math problem."
Her words caused a beautiful smile to split his lips and he chuckled. "Well, they seem just about as foreign to me as a math problem." He shook his head. "You know she actually believes in all that junk?"
She gave a thoughtful frown. "You mean you don't?" She said it in a teasing tone, knowing full well what his thoughts on fantasy were.
He gave her a measured stare. "You're kidding me, right?"
She smiled and shrugged. "All myths have to have originated from some sort of truth. How else would they have come to be?"
He frowned. "They're just stories, is all. Children's fairy tales."
"You know that for sure?" She arched an eyebrow in challenge.
He stared at her for a second, a perplexed look on his face. "I know if I can see it and touch it, it's real. Everything else, aliens, ghosts, mythical dragon warriors, they have to all be stories."
"Why? Because you can't see it and touch it?" She snorted. "What kind of two dimensional, black and white world do you live in?" She turned slightly so she could stare him right in the eye. "You can't see the air you breathe."
"No, but you feel it inflate your lungs, don't you?" His green-gray eyes met hers, obviously taking her challenge and running with it.
Her eyes narrowed. "You can't see radio waves, or cell phone signals."
"No, but you can see the effects of them. You see proof that they exist."
"What about love?" she spat. "Or any other human emotion. You can't see those." She felt her temperature rise in aggravation.
He chuckled. "You're right, but you feel them well enough, don't you?" His smile softened the argument. "Listen, you can believe whatever you want to, Willow. I'm not going to try and tell you otherwise. I'm not trying to argue with you, although the stubborn fire you get in your eyes when you're standing your ground is undeniably sexy."
She felt her cheeks burn at the playful and flirtatious glance that accompanied his words. She hated it and she averted her eyes with a huff. "Is everything always a game to you?" she grumbled.
"Who said I'm playing games? I'm just having a conversation."
She slid her eyes back over to his in a suspicious glower. "You were hitting on me."
He snorted. "Dang, lady, you have a high opinion of yourself, don't you? I just said the fire in your eyes was sexy. It was a simple statement of fact. I stopped trying to hit on you after you told me you wanted to see me buried in the desert with the buzzards waiting for my carcass."
A laugh was torn from her throat unexpectedly. She had forgotten about that exchange of words the day she had first met him.
He chuckled. "I figured having a woman basically wish me dead was a bad sign."
She giggled. "You think?" Her eyes grazed over his profile for a second and she took a sip of her coffee. "Well, I do believe that myths can be true, and I think it's strange and interesting that Lucy would pick that symbol to draw on you."
He frowned. "Why? The girl is nuts over the dragon guys."
She shrugged. "If she loves them so much then she wouldn't choose to draw such an important symbol on any old person, would she? The Alveda d'Kai were a strong and noble race. She must see something good in you."
He sighed and rolled his eyes over to meet hers. "Heaven forbid, right?"
He chuckled and reached over to lift her chin with his finger. His green-gray eyes were soft, sincere. "
Her heart made a funny thud-flip in her chest. Had his voice always had that deep, sexy timbre? She shook her head. What was wrong with her?
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
He rubbed at his eyes as if to rid himself of some image. "I swear on my life your skin just started to sparkle."
Her eyes bulged and her hands flew to her cheeks so quickly that she dropped her cup of coffee. It fell to the floor with a dull thwack, expelling what was left of the liquid. She let out a yell and jumped up, keeping her hands pressed to her cheeks.
She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on cold, logical, boring things. Anything other than
* * * *
It was a strange sensation in
Shivers tingled up her spine as his lip curled and a feral growl rumbled from his throat. He lowered his head and placed his mouth against her neck. "You're mine," he snarled. "I will be the one to protect you." He trailed his fingers down the other side of her neck and dug them gently into her shoulder while he buried his nose in her hair and drew in a deep breath.
She blinked in bewilderment. "
He blinked and the strange look in his eyes vanished. He blinked again and focused on her, then let out a shout and jerked away, tumbling backwards off the bed.
"
His bewildered eyes glanced up at her. "What was I doing? Did I just growl?" He winced and brought his hands to either side of his head with a groan. "I feel like someone's trying to split my melon with an axe."
She frowned and scrambled off the bed to kneel beside him. "Did you hurt yourself?"
He shook his head. "No, I just—" He looked around. "What am I doing in here?"
"I think you were sleepwalking."
He groaned again and rubbed at his temples. "I was having the weirdest dream."
"What was it?" She took his arm and helped him back up on the bed.
He shook his head. "I'm…not sure. It was so strange. There was this woman, this beautiful woman with black hair and weird, amber-colored eyes."
He nodded. "Yeah, and she was watching me sleep. It was like…like I could see myself sleeping on the cot and I could see her too. It was like I was outside of my own body. She watched me for awhile, then knelt down next to me and put her mouth to my ear. She whispered…" He frowned. "She whispered, `You're next, dragon warrior. Say goodbye.'" He shook his head. "Man, too much talk about those warrior guys."
His eyes narrowed as if he was trying to remember. "My head filled with all these awful images of people dying and villages burning. It was horrible. I felt terrified, like I was stuck, like I was next. I felt like I was going to die and there was nothing I could do about it. I heard that woman's voice through all of the images and she said, `She'll die alongside her warrior… How poetic.' I got the feeling that she was talking about you and…something weird happened." He looked up at her.
She forced herself to stay calm when everything inside of her was screaming and trembling. "What?" she whispered.
"I got…really pissed. I felt like something took over my body. It was like fire. All I knew was that I had to protect you. It was more important than anything else, more important than my own life. I suddenly had all this anger and vengeance surging through me like blood and I turned to the woman with this deadly resolve to end her life. I must have caught her off guard because she ran lickety split, man." He shook his head. "Then I went looking for you. I had to make sure you were all right… It was so real." He tangled his fingers in his hair. "It was the worst dream I've ever had. It felt like two complete opposing forces had control over my body and I was powerless to stop either one of them." He let out a ragged breath and snapped his attention to her suddenly. "I didn't… say anything weird to you, did I?"
He looked horrified and she knew he had to be referring to the "you're mine" statement. She forced a small smile and reached out to touch his uninjured shoulder. "No, Logan," she lied. "You just scared the wits out of me, that's all." That wasn't the only thing that scared the wits out of her…Cyrcinus had been in her house. She'd called
"I'm sorry, Willow. I don't think I've ever done that before." He let out another shaky breath. "That was the freakiest dream ever."
She threaded her fingers through his hair and tried to give him a comforting smile. "It was just a dream."
He glanced up at her, still visibly shaken. "Yeah…"
She patted his arm. "Come on. Go back to bed."
His eyes flashed that possessive fire again for a split second. "I'm not leaving you by yourself."
She frowned. "
"Screw that,
A lump of emotion clogged her throat, and she felt tears sting her eyes. It was made up of about a hundred things all at once. Fear at knowing that Cyrcinus had located her in the human world. Alarm and concern for her family. Confusion at why she had thought
She blinked back her tears and plastered on her forced smile. "Come on, now," she said in a sad attempt to sound playful. "You couldn't see her or touch her. She wasn't real."
The look in his eyes was deadly serious. "
Okay, she could tell he wasn't going to budge on this one, and some small part of her felt flattered. She rolled her eyes. "I'll come sleep out there. It's warmer."
He gave a decisive nod. "Fine."
"But I'm sleeping on the floor. You're the one who's injured." She grabbed her pillow and a blanket and followed him out into the living room. She lay down and listened as
She would wait out the night there.
* Coming Soon from Freya's Bower: One Touch, One Glance, A Sweet Romance Anthology
My story is entitled Musician's Monsoon:
From his place behind his beloved keyboards, Zane glimpses a woman that unleashes the music within him like a maelstrom.
Look for it soon!
*I've scheduled my first book signing! It's on the 18th at Dreamer's Coffeehouse here in Reno. From 2-5 pm. If any of you are in the area, stop on by and say hello!
* Fictionwise has a great sale going on and all of my titles are 25% off. So hurry and take advantage of that great deal! www.fictionwise.com
UPCOMING CHATS:
It's a busy month!
Oct 4: SRN Authors chat at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FallenAngelReviewChatters/
My time slot is 3-4 pm central
Oct 17: SRN authors chat athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrendaWilliamsonRomanceParty/
My time slot is 3-4 pm central
Oct 18: Book Signing at Dreamer's Coffeehouse 2-5 pm pacific
Oct 22: SRN Authors chat athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/karenfindoutaboutnewbooks/
My time slot is 3-4 pm central
Oct 29: SRN Authors chat athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chatting_with_Joyfully_Reviewed/
My time slot is 3-4 pm central
That's it for now! Hope you all have a great October. Listen to some great music and read some great books!
9-1-08
Ok, so it's not September 1st till tomorrow, but I wanted this to go out early so that everyone could get in on the action taking place this month and not miss a day of it.
This month marks the two year anniversary of when I contracted my first book so I'm having a month long celebration and everyone's invited! Not only that, but we have a scavenger hunt kicking off this month with Forbidden Publications too! Lots of stuff going on!
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
I really like this picture. There's no special meaning or significance behind it. I just really like it. We were trying to find a myspace layout for one of my musical side projects called Crimson Night and this was the background we tried to upload. Too bad it didn't work!
NEWS:
* MONTH LONG CELEBRATION AT THE MUSES THREE YAHOO GROUP!
BRIEANNA'S ANNIVERSARY BASH!
Everyone who participates in the topic of the week will be entered to win a prize at the end of the week. All participants will be entered for the grand prize at the end of the month.
BONUS: Everyone who subscribes to my newsletter by emailing me at brauthor.editor@gmail.com with the subject line NEWSLETTER will receive TWO entries for the grand prize.
WEEK ONE: Alpha males. Post your favorite excerpts of men doing "man things." Also, answer the group question: Who is your favorite alpha character?
PRIZE: A free copy of Warrior's Rise
WEEK TWO: I'm going to see my favorite band play in San Francisco and LA! I am also being given the amazing opportunity to meet my favorite rockstar for the SECOND time. So, because of this, the topic of the week will be: Have you ever met anyone famous? Who do you wish you could meet? Post any experience and share your fantasies!
PRIZE: A free copy of Better Than Chocolate
WEEK THREE: Serendipity and fantasy. Share real-life experiences of random happenings and things that are particularly miraculous or extraordinary.
PRIZE: Free copy of any Serendipity Book
WEEK FOUR: The release of my print version of Road Less Traveled has me excited! Post excerpts of heroines who take the hero's breath away and tell me your experiences of true friendship and adventure.
PRIZE: A free authographed print copy of Road Less Traveled
SEPT 30: We're going out with a bang! All day excerpt party! Post till your heart's content!
PRIZE: Free copy of Beyond Wild Imaginings
The grand prize will be everything you could ever want for a relaxing, indulgent night of reading your favorite books. This includes scented candles, bath gels and crystals, a mixed CD of music inspired from my books and a $10 Borders gift card! Not to mention, free promo from other great authors and a download of any one of my ebooks your little heart desires. The drawing will happen at the end of the month and it will be awesome! Join the Muses Three today! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/themusesthree
* Come Participate in the Forbidden Hunt!
http://www.rabiyahbooks.com/TheForbiddenHunt.html
This starts tomorrow so hurry and get your spot!
*WARRIOR'S RISE is releasing on September 4th from Forbidden Publications!
Logan Savage is a man’s man. His idea of a good time has never included watching over and entertaining a bunch of kids at a summer camp. Especially when that camp happens to be full of kids with a love for mythology and medieval fantasy. In other words—a bunch of geeks. Unfortunately, in order to avoid a jail sentence for assaulting a cop, that’s exactly what he has to do. Head counselor and owner of the camp, Willow Avaris, is a nice surprise. Beautiful, fiery and sexy… Too bad she loathes his very existence. Plus, the kids are making his life a living nightmare. Could the summer get any worse?
Bravery and strength were things Logan always thought he had in spades, but as the summer goes on, and strange, surreal events take place around the camp, Logan is forced to look within himself and figure out what’s important to him. It’s safe to remain the self absorbed, shallow man he’s always been, but can he find the courage to reach inside and embrace the true warrior he was destined to become?
Medford, Oregon The bailiff was a definite hottie. Blonde, petite, slender waist, nice rack. He could tell she had a killer body even in that unflattering uniform. His fingers itched to peel her out of it. He caught her eye across the court room as the judge began to pass the sentence. He gave her a boyish smile and a flirty wink. That always did the trick. This time was no exception. She smirked and averted her eyes, obviously trying not to attract attention, but she slid her gaze back up to his and chewed on her bottom lip. Logan heard the judge sentence him to so many hours of community service and he suppressed a gloating chuckle. That's right. No jail time for Logan Savage. He stole a sidelong glance at the tall brunette representing him. His sister was one fine attorney. He could murder someone and she'd be able to get him a lesser sentence, if not get him off completely. It was nice to have connections. Court adjourned and he turned to his sister with a grin. "You're the best, Iz." She rolled her eyes and shoved various papers in her briefcase. "Whatever, Logan. You owe me several grand." He frowned. "Excuse me? I'm your brother!" he protested. "You're an idiot," she stated. "That's what you are." She snapped her briefcase shut and started to stride out of the courtroom. Logan threw a momentary glance back at the cute bailiff, but followed after his sister. "Isabelle, what the crap did I ever do to you? Name calling? That's not very professional. You do that to all of your clients?" "Only the really clueless ones." She sneered. She shook her head. "I swear, Logan, when are you going to grow up?" He blinked and grabbed her elbow, stopping her and turning her to face him. "What are you talking about? It's not like I'm living in Mom's basement. I have my own apartment. I have a good job." Isabelle heaved a sigh. "Logan, you're twenty-nine years old and you're still getting into bar brawls. You beat a guy within inches of his life. You think you're sooo cool, but you're really just making a fool out of yourself." She shook her head and handed him a manila envelope full of papers. "I'm not bailing you out again. The next time you decide to pull your macho crap and deck an officer of the law, figure it out yourself. I've been fixing your mistakes my entire life and I'm not going to do it anymore." She shook the envelope at him until he took it. He frowned. "What's this?" "The information on the summer camp you'll be working at." His frown deepened. "Summer camp?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. If you'd been paying attention to the judge instead of trying to undress the bailiff with your eyes, you would have heard him say that. You're to serve out your sentence working as a volunteer counselor at a kids' summer camp." His first reaction was repulsion. Just what he needed was to be stuck hanging around a bunch of stupid nose-pickers all summer long, but his second thought was that it might not be so bad. Summer camp was full of outdoor activity. He could teach the ankle biters how to hunt and fish, be men's men. He could see the reverent looks on their faces now. "Cool. Thanks, Izzie." "Don't thank me. Just quit being stupid. I'm sick of having the delinquent brother who never grew out of his teenage years. Get over yourself and get a life." She turned her back on him again and he let her go this time. No point in following after her if she was only going to verbally bash him. Whatever. Isabelle had no idea who he was or what he did with his life. Get over himself? He snorted. He wasn't stuck on himself. It wasn't his fault that every woman he met wanted to do wicked things to him… And it wasn't his fault if the men that were with those women felt really inadequate, thus resulting in bar brawls that got him arrested. Besides, how was he supposed to know that the man he'd shown what-for was a cop? Not like he asked for a resume before he handed someone their butt on a plate. Besides, Isabelle was probably just jealous. She was stuck in a tedious routine living in suburban, 2.5 kid land. That kind of torturous existence would make anyone look at someone free and rootless like him in envy. Dismissing his sister's words, he opened up the envelope and looked at the information packet he'd been given. Rogue River Fantasy Camp. He frowned. Fantasy Camp? What in the world did that mean? His interest piqued. Maybe there were strippers involved. That would definitely be a fantasy. Somebody in a Catholic school girl outfit maybe… He smirked and shoved the papers back into the envelope. No biggee. It was somewhere in between Gold Hill and Shady Cove. He'd find it easy enough. He'd camped and hunted most of the forests in his area of Oregon. Shouldn't be too hard. All he had to do was find the camp and show up on the scheduled date. No use in reading a bunch of papers that would just bore him to death. He had better things to do with his time. He glanced at his watch and smiled, then smoothed his sandy brown hair. Perfect. It was happy hour and he was still in his suit. That would definitely attract some attention. He'd get his game on tonight. He was feeling particularly lucky. Squaring his shoulders, he folded the papers in half and shoved them in his back pocket, then made his way out of the courthouse. Five concert tickets won on a radio contest seem to be the perfect *I'm not sure of my September Chat schedule yet, but I will be sure to post bulletins when I know when I'm going to be where! Everyone have a great month and be sure to come celebrate with me at The Muses Three! *NOTE* The winner of this month's drawing is Loretta! You've won a free copy of any one of my titles. Congrats! Do you want to win too? Just send me an email and subscribe to my newsletter! See you all in October!
****
* THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED releasing in PRINT on September 22nd! I am so excited about this. The first book in my Serendipity Series of contemporary romance is finally releasing in print and will be available through all major bookstores online. You can Pre-Order your copy at http://www.whimsicalpublications.com/.
solution for Alyx to get away from her abusive ex boyfriend and turn
a new page in her life. Quiet, antisocial Maxim is not the sort to
want adventure, but when his brother volunteers him to go on the trip
to the concert with Alyx and her best friend he suddenly finds his
world turned upside down, especially when it comes to the way Alyx
affects him…
Taegen is having trouble dealing with the death of her brother and
finds herself wanting to shut out the world, until she meets a
mysterious stranger who shows her that she can, in fact, still feel
something inside her wounded heart.
Thrown together in a bizarre and hilarious set of circumstances,
these five strangers come to realize the true meaning of friendship,
love and being true to oneself.
*I just contracted my short story, Musician's Monsoon, with Freya's Bower for their sweet romance anthology! So keep your eyes open for that in the future!
8-4-08
All right, I know, I know. I'm late. I'm sorry, I spent all weekend working on my website, or more like trying not to blow my computer into bits with my frustration and lack of tolerance. Oh, right...And the time I DID have that could have been spent working on my newsletter (or doing my edits for that matter) was instead spent with me laying around various parts of my house with my nose shoved so far into the first two books of the Twilight Series I think my husband thought I was going to try and climb in. So, needless to say, I procrastinated...A LOT.
But I'm here now so let's pump you all full of information for the goings on for the month of August.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
Woo hoo! The cast of the Twilight movie! Ok, people who know me know I usually stay as far away from fads as possible, and things that cause a great hoopla among pop culture usually makes me cringe out of sheer principle. But, if you know me, you also know I can be a bit...obsessive. And this series of books is phenomenal. I am salivating in anticipation of the movie. Much to my family's annoyance, I have not been able to remove myself from Stephenie Meyers' world for the past week. If you like vampire and/or paranormal books, check this woman's work out. I promise you won't be disappointed. http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/
NEWS:
*The website has been updated! Yay! And that means all the excerpt links and review links ACTUALLY work now. lol. I also added two new pages. I have a Musical Inspiration page where you can check out and listen to some of the music that has helped inspire my novels. I also have a Character Profiles page so check those out!
* As some of you may know, my print version of The Road Less Traveled was removed because it got contracted by Whimsical Publications and has been going through the editing process- again. The good news is, the release has been set for SEPTEMBER 22! Obviously, if you bought my last print version, I'm not gonna try and make you buy it again. (unless you want to of course :) This version is more professional and definitely more stylish. I'm extremely pleased so, if you don't have the first edition, mark Sept. 22 on your calendars and find out why so many people have said such great things about The Road Less Traveled.
*My fantasy novel, Beyond Wild Imaginings was awarded the Best Book honor by the reviewer at LASR. It was also voted as Best Book Of The Week by readers at LASR. To check out the entire review, go here: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/0708/BeyondWildImaginings-BR.htm
* Beyond Wild Imaginings also received 4 stars at Manic Readers! Check it out in my reviews section!
*The Serendipity Series has an official logo! For the print version of all the stories, being released through Whimsical Publications, this amazing logo was designed by my awesomely talented friend and cover artist, Anastasia Rabiyah.
Isn't it gorgeous? I love it. And we all know how I feel about wings, too. ;)
* The Muses Three are having a contest!
For the month of August, and to bring summer to a close with a bang, Anastasia Rabiyah, Brieanna Robertson and Dawne Dominique are running an “End Summer with a Bang” Contest. All you have to do is answer one simple question:
What was the best / favorite book that you read this summer? (summer months...June to August).
Title your post: MY FAVORITE SUMMER BOOK, and we'll enter any and all who answer into a draw for a summer beach bag filled with goodies. AND one of those goodies is a BEAUTIFUL print book from the infamous author, Anastasia Rabiyah, called Demons and Vampires. Thanks, Ana! Another is a black and cream colored Calvin Klein tank top (med) and matching panty set (retail value $56.00). More details will follow. This contest begins now! Once I get better organized (yes, I can do it, folks) I hope to have a picture of the beach bag and goodies soon, and will post same here.
*Authors* Share excerpts, recent reviews, contests, blog sites, upcoming works,
or whatever your heart desires.
*Readers* Please drop by and interact with some of your favorite authors, and perhaps
make new favorites along the way.
So join theMuses Three yahoo group and get in on all the fun! http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/themusesthree
CHAT SCHEDULE FOR AUGUST:
Aug 6: SRN is chatting at FAR from 6-9 central
Aug 12: The Amira Press Authors are chatting all day on The Romance Studio loop
Aug 20: SRN is chatting all day at CATA Network loop. My time slot is 5-6 central
Aug 27: SRN is chatting at Manic Readers loop. My time slot is 5-6 central.
That's it for now! I hope you have a great August and read some awesome tales!
7-1-08
Ok, June went by really fast for me! So much so that I didn't even remember to do my newsletter! Hope everyone is doing great and staying cool!
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
Apparently this is Finland. I wouldn't know, as I've never been to Finland, but I am obsessed with Finnish metal music and a certain Finnish rock star. I also know how to cook Finnish food! lol. I just thought this picture was pretty. I would love to visit there sometime.
NEWS:
* I'm a featured author this month at The Romance Studio! Check it out at http://www.theromancestudio.com/. It's on the home page, down at the bottom. If it's not up there today yet, it'll be up there tomorrow.
*Three books of mine have been floating around the best seller lists at Fictionwise! Wings and Fire from http://www.amirapress.com/ and Beyond Wild Imaginings and Dark Masterpiece from http://www.forbiddenpublications.com/. Check them out and find out why people are saying such great things about them! Winged men, shape-shifters and a brooding artist in a Gothic mansion. Choose your favorite! :)
*Wings and Fire receives 5 Stars at Manic Readers!
Brieanna Robertson has done a fine job in writing this book on shape shifters. Steele is a strong skilled warrior who is fearless. Falcon is a handsome, strong, powerful and all dominant male. Even though he ends up married to the wrong sister he finds out later that he has found his mate. The love, bonding emotions and passions are heartfelt. I enjoyed reading Wings of Fire very much but wished it had been longer. I completely recommend it to other readers who enjoy reading about shape shifters.
*Dark Masterpiece receives 4 1/2 Books at The Long and Short of It!
Brieanna Robertson truly does create a dark masterpiece in the character of Traevyn Whitelaw. She gives us a dark, brooding, gorgeous hero in spades. Traevyn Whitelaw, artist and recluse, escapes his torments only when he is absorbed in his painting.
Ms. Robertson’s description of the unspeakable pain that comes at the death of one’s child and the struggle to keep living a life that has any true meaning in the aftermath reaches out and grips the heart of the reader.
This beautiful, beleaguered man has been a major influence in Evie Austin’s life for years even though she has never met him. An artist herself, she feels a special connection with him from the very first time she sees his work. As a budding artist who is in her junior year in college, she still lacks confidence in her own work but her art professor sees her talent and her depth of understanding art. Since he is a friend and former teacher of Traevyn’s, he gets him to agree to have Evie as an apprentice for the summer.
She arrives at his house with her “pain-in-the-neck” seventeen-year-old brother in tow. Thus begins the rehabilitation of Traevyn and the blooming of a young woman whose self-esteem is in the cellar to the point that she feels “unbeautiful”. Moreover, she feels good about her sketches but is afraid to venture forth with her painting. She masks these misgivings well and refuses to be intimidated by the unpleasant demeanor of the man she has admired for so long. Her plucky, outspoken personality soon overrides the sinister snarls from her host. Before long she is cleaning his isolated Gothic mansion, cooking in his kitchen, reading his books, using his studio, Jacuzzi, terrace, and is even coaxing him out of his sadness and self-imposed isolation.
Ms. Robertson description of the soul-mate relationship that develops between the two is a joy to read. The humanness of her characters makes the reader feel as if they are acquaintances to be admired and loved as they find their way to a full and happy life.
Brianna Robertson’s style of writing is a treat to read.
*The Muses Three is throwing a party!
Anastasia Rabiyah is throwing a birthday blowout at our Muses Three yahoo group. Check out these awesome events!
Anastasia Rabiyah is celebrating her birthday all month long with fat excerpts, silly questions and chances for readers to win prize packs and free books. Authors are invited to post designated excerpts on special days. Readers are invites to answer silly question:
July 1: Birthday Suit Excerpts.
All authors and any genre welcome as long as one character in the scene is wearing naught but a birthday suit! Bare it all. Happy Birthday to Me!
Silly Question for Readers: What's the most embarrassing moment when you were caught in your birthday suit?
Prize: Seducing My Husband in PDF format.
July 7: Naughty Excerpt Day.
Make it hot. Make it naughty. All authors are invited to post Naughty Excerpts ALL DAY LONG! Make us beg for cold showers today.
Silly Question for Readers: Where is the strangest place you've been naughty?
Prize: The Envelope Room in PDF format.
July 14: Paranormal Party.
Authors are invited to post up their favorite paranormal excerpts. Make us shiver; make us shriek. Show us what lurks in the shadows.
Silly Question for Readers: What paranormal character or creature turns you on most and why?
Prize: Demon in the Basement in PDF format.
July 21: Laughter's Medicine.
Authors please post up the funniest of funny that you've written. All genres welcome. Just make us laugh!
Silly Question for Readers: What's the funniest thing a lover has ever said to you during nookie?
Prize: Goblin's Bride in PDF format.
July 28: Ah-ha! Moments.
We all have them. Those special moments when we get it--for better or worse. Authors come post up some of the Ah-ha! moments your characters had when you were busy penning their tales.
Silly Question for Readers: What was your last Ah-ha moment about?
Prize: Shahzar Warrior Queen in PDF format.
****All book prizes will be awarded based on a random drawing of all members who post an answer to the silly question. Answers must be posted to the Yahoo Group by the Friday following the date listed by each question above. Winner will be drawn the Saturday afterward and announcement will be made on the group. Winner must contact Anastasia Rabiyah with an email address to send the e-book to.
****Three winners will be selected at the end of the month from all entrants to receive a prize pack of bookmarks, temporary tattoos, and a special print book featuring four of my stories in a collectable 8x11 inch bound paperback book.
* Name Me A Song!
I have a great contest going on now that runs until August so check it out in the CONTEST section of the website.
* Website Re-Vamped
There are new review links up in the REVIEWS section and certain pages have been updated. Take a look around!
CHATS
I only know of one scheduled chat right now and that is the Amira Press Authors at The Romance Room yahoo group on the 10th. This is an all day loop chat.
All right everyone! Hope you have a great month and see you soon!
6-1-08
Summer is on its way! Which means there's no better time to pick up some books, sit back, relax and lose yourself in a fantastic romantic adventure.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH
Anyone who knows me at all should not be surprised at me using this for my picture of the month. This is me and Tuomas Holopainen from the band Nightwish. He's basically my hero. lol. His words and music have helped me create so much of my own work. I went to see them play in Las Vegas, and by a bizarre chain of events, was able to meet him after the show. One of the happiest moments of my life. You can read the entire story on my myspace blog: www.myspace.com/brieannarobertson
NEWS:
* My road trip to Idaho and Montana was absolutely awesome. So beautiful and relaxing. You can read all about it at my yahoo group http://www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/themusesthree. Just go to the files section and experience my crazy road trip adventure.
* My fantasy novella, Wings and Fire, held the number 2 spot on fictionwise bestsellers for Amira Press for two weeks last month! Find out what all the fuss is about. Check out the blurb in the Books section and buy your copy today! http://www.amirapress.com/
*Beyond Wild Imaginings is here!! Reclaim your childish innocence and love for imagination while you fall in love with a sexy, dark-winged man of mystery.
Blurb:
Kelly's outlook on life is bleak. A bad car accident and having her boyfriend of three years walk out on her has left her anything but optimistic. The only comfort she has is her writing, but even her muse seems to be MIA. Her controlling sister's driving her crazy and she keeps having strange dreams about a sexy, winged man that seems familiar to her.
A flock of rogue pigeons, a nursery rhyme, an unknown savior and one superstitious, metrosexual friend later, Kelly finds her entire life turned upside down. She's plummeted head first into the extraordinary and suddenly finds herself saddled with a see-through imaginary man she had created when she was a child… Only she doesn't remember him ever being so completely irresistible…
Kelly hadn't planned on falling in love, especially with an imaginary being, but her heart had other ideas. Can she figure out a way to keep him, to prove that magic and fantasy can exist in real life? Or will he be torn from her forever by the self-centered world's lack of belief?
Here is an excerpt for your reading pleasure:
"I have an idea!"
"What are you doing?" she asked in bewilderment.
"Come on. I think that maybe this thing is supposed to protect you."
She frowned. "What gave you that idea?"
He snorted. "Maybe the fact that he saved you from falling to your death."
"
"They have to be. Nothing else makes any kind of sense."
"None of this makes any kind of sense!"
"What in the world are you doing?" Kelly wheezed.
"Look, my building is a lot smaller than yours is. There are only five stories in mine. You won't die if you leap off of this roof."
Her eyes bulged. "Excuse me?" she screeched. "I think the concrete I meet when I collide with it might have other ideas!"
He shook his head. "No, look." He pulled her over to the edge of the building and pointed to a large trash bin below. It was completely open and filled to the brim. "See, jump into that. It'll break your fall." He shrugged. "You still might break an arm or a leg or something, but that's fixable. Besides, they do it in movies all the time."
Kelly made a slow turn and fixed her friend with a lethal glower. "You know, I'm glad you think that this is all so interesting, and I am so happy that you base everything you do in life on whether or not it's done in
"You'll be fine," he assured her. "Whatever it is that saved you this morning will save you again, I'm sure."
She continued to stare at him. "
"So find out! Kelly, I have a feeling that you have something protecting you. Do you want to spend forever wondering what it is, or do you want to find out?"
"I'd rather stay on firm ground, if you don't mind. I don't want to repeat what happened earlier. It was horrifying!"
She scowled at him. "Only a broken leg or arm, right? I already broke both my leg and arm, thank you very much."
He huffed in frustration. "I'd do it myself, but I don't think that whatever is protecting you is going to do the same for me. Look, say that rhyme again."
She frowned. "Why?"
"Just do it, okay? I have a feeling."
She rolled her eyes. "Great. Just like you had a `feeling' that your cat was telekinetic?"
His eyes narrowed. "That is totally not fair."
She smirked.
"Come on, Kelly," he all but pleaded. "You need to figure this out. I need to figure this out because, obviously, I'm involved too. I want to know why only we can see that feather just as badly as you do."
"And you think that me singing a rhyme and flinging myself off the roof will give us that answer?"
He chewed on his bottom lip, thinking, then nodded. "I do."
She sighed wearily and her shoulders slumped. "Okay, I'll say the rhyme, but I'm still not going to leap off the building."
"Kelly—"
"Shut up,
"I'm not scared… Garren will always protect me."
She didn't think. It just happened. She held her arms out and let herself fall towards the ground. She heard
****
Like what you hear? Head on over to http://www.forbiddenpublications.com/ and pick up your copy today!
GUEST SPEAKER GWEN MASTERS
Our guest speaker for this month is Gwen Masters who is, in my opinion, one of the best erotic fiction writers I have ever read. I have had the privilege of being her editor for her book Sex and Guitars, which you all need to put on your to buy list. It is, by far, one of the best books I've ever read...
*****
Howdy, everybody! And a big thanks to Brieanna for having me on her newsletter. She's been doing a bang-up job with editing my next release, Sex & Guitars. A good, enthusiastic editor is worth their weight in gold!
A little about me: I've been writing for as long as I can remember. I write primarily erotic romance, and I've been fortunate to see hundreds of my short stories published over the last several years. Out of all the stories I've seen published, my biggest thrill was being included in Best American Erotica 2006 with a story of the groupie lifestyle, "Fifteen Minutes." Being in BEA was one of my career goals, and I was so happy the day I got my contributor copy in the mail!
Since then I've written several novels, and you can find all of those on my website, http://www.gwenmasters.net/. I've written in other genres over the last few years, under a variety of pseudonyms. I've written everything from horror to sweet, innocent romance. I guess I'm happy to write anything -- as long as I'm writing, life is good!
Life is good on a personal level, too. I recently married a man who makes me entirely happy, and keeps me busy with all kinds of music-related goodness. We are on the road a lot, and we usually wind up at antique stores, buying old music industry memorabilia. When we're at home, we relax with our kids and lots of cats! We live in an historic house in the shadow of Nashville's famous Music Row.
Thanks again to Brieanna for having me, and I hope you enjoy my books. Cheers!
***
Thanks so much, Gwen, for taking the time to share a little with us.
No chat schedule as of right now so that's it for this month! Take care, take it easy ad I'll see you all next month!
4-29-08
Hello everyone! My newsletter is going out a little early this month as I am leaving this afternoon for my Idaho/Montana road trip! It's supposed to rain on us. we'll probably freeze our butts off, but oh well. It'll still be nice to get away and have an adventure.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH
This is a pic of the Sawtooth Mountains, one of the places we'll be driving through on our trip. Although instead of being all green and pretty, odds are it will be snowy and cold!
NEWS
* Wings and Fire, my fantasy novella, released last month at Amira Press and is currently 3rd on the bestseller list at fictionwise for Amira books. Find out why! Get your copy at http://www.amirapress.com/ or http://www.fictionwise.com/ today!
After coming home on military leave, Steele finds her sister on the brink of an arranged marriage to a nobleman said by the townspeople to be a fearsome warlock. Thrown into the chaotic affair against her will, Steele finds herself doing what she does best: having arguments with her prejudiced family and causing general disaccord as she stands up for what she believes in…
She’s also lusting after her sister’s betrothed…
Secrets are revealed and Steele takes matters into her own hands to protect the man who can set ablaze what no other has been able to touch- her heart.
* My fantasy book, Beyond Wild Imaginings will be releasing May 29th from Forbidden Publications. Mark it on your calendar!
Kelly’s outlook on life is bleak. A bad car accident and having her boyfriend of three years walk out on her has left her anything but optimistic. The only comfort she has is her writing, but even her muse seems to be MIA. Her controlling sister’s driving her crazy and she keeps having strange dreams about a sexy, winged man that seems familiar to her.
A flock of rogue pigeons, a nursery rhyme, an unknown savior and one superstitious, metrosexual friend later, Kelly finds her entire life turned upside down. She’s plummeted head first into the extraordinary and suddenly finds herself saddled with a see-through imaginary man she had created when she was a child… Only she doesn’t remember him ever being so completely irresistible…
Kelly hadn’t planned on falling in love, especially with an imaginary being, but her heart had other ideas. Can she figure out a way to keep him, to prove that magic and fantasy can exist in real life? Or will he be torn from her forever by the self-centered world’s lack of belief?
* The Muses Three yahoo group is up and running. And it's a blast! Fun topics, theme days, writing prompts! Excerpts to whet your appetite for romance, and you never know who is going to show up! Our muses like to chat so feel free to ask them any questions you like. Join the mayhem! Come to the fun, chaotic world of Brieanna Robertson, Anastasia Rabiyah and Dawne Dominique- where fantasy and romance is just around every corner.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheMusesThree/
CHAT SCHEDULE FOR MAY
5-10-08: SRN AUTHORS CHAT AT CK2S KWIPS YAHOO GROUP. MY TIME SLOT IS 5-6 CENTRAL
5-13-08: AMIRA AUTHORS CHAT AT THE ROMANCE ROOM. THIS IS ALL DAY
5-15-08: SRN AUTHORS CHAT AT CATA NETWORK READERS YAHOO GROUP. MY TIME SLOT IS 5-6 CENTRAL
5-30-08: SRN AUTHORS CHAT AT THE ROMANCE BISTRO YAHOO GROUPS. MY TIME SLOT IS 5-6 CENTRAL
* That's about it for this month! Short and sweet! Hope you have a great May and I'll see you next time!
4-1-08
It's officially spring! I'm excited, how about you? I'm done with all the cold and weird weather we had this winter. Now I'm ready for flowers, warmth and vacations! You have anything fun planned for the spring/summer?
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
Just thought it would make you smile! :)
NEWS:
*The Road Less Traveled is now available in PRINT! That's right, that means you can actually buy a copy and hold it in your hand! Buy yours at http://http//www.lulu.com/content/1677835 and find out why this book has received such awesome reviews!
*50% off rebate sale going on at fictionwise right now. Details below:
April Fools Blowout: 50% Rebates on Every eBook Through Wednesday!
Oh what fools these mortals be! Our accountant thought it was an April Fools Day joke, but no, it's true: every eBook at Fictionwise now sports a 50% Micropay Rebate when paying by credit or PayPal transaction. But don't tarry: savings this impressive cannot last long, you have only through Wednesday, April 2. After that, our accountant's meds wear off and he will force us to shut down this sale. Fine print: Micropay Rebates are store credits, not refundable in cash. This offer only applies to eBooks, not eMagazine subscriptions, club memberships, or other non-eBook items.
So head on over and check out my titles! You might find something you like! https://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/BrieannaRobertsoneBooks.htm
*Dark Masterpiece received FIVE STARS at Manic Readers! Check it out! http://manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=reviews&bookid=446
* I was also reviewed at Manic Readers. Check that out too!
http://manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=authorInterviews&iid=14
*Important Changes for my yahoo group:
My yahoo group is going to be merging with two other great authors, Anastasia Rabiyah and Dawne Dominique to form the group The Muses Three. It's going to be tons of fun! Come meet and interact with our characters, learn about our books, and get ready for some great events, giveaways etc. It's still in the process of getting under way, but if you'd like to join now, head on over!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheMusesThree/
* A short fantasy novella of mine entitled Wings and Fire was contracted by Amira Press! Yay!
*New book covers for my upcoming works, Paladin, Wings and Fire and Warrior's Rise, are uploaded to the site. They are absolutely gorgeous. Also, you may note the changes in structure on my website designed to make navigation a little bit easier.
*ROAD TRIP RENDEZVOUS CONTEST
If you have been a reader of mine for awhile, you know that I love road trips, and every year around this time my husband and I take a vacation somewhere. Well, this year, how would you like to feel like you went along?
You can!
From now until April 29th anyone who buys any of my titles, including the print version of The Road Less Traveled, will be entered in a drawing for a prize package full of goodies and things I picked up while I am on my road trip vacation in May. When I get back, I will post my road trip diary on The Three Muses yahoo group. The winner of the contest will recieve their own personal copy and know where their goodies came from. You'll feel like you were there!
To enter, simply go to http://www.forbiddenpublications.com/author_pages/brieanna_robertson.html
or https://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/BrieannaRobertsoneBooks.htm
or
http://www.lulu.com/content/1677835
and check out my titles. Find something you like? Send proof of purchase to lady_vash_swiftfire@yahoo.com and be entered to win. See something else that you like? Great! Each book you buy will count as a seperate entry so the more you buy, the better your chances of winning!
GUEST SPEAKER DIANA CASTILLEJA
Thank you Brieanna for including me in your newsletter! I'm happy to share my time with you and your readers here.
Hi, I'm Diana Castilleja a writer of sweet to sensual romance. My website is Romance That Thrives In Dark Places. Whether it's an edgy paranormal or a heart wrenching emotional contemporary with deep, dark secrets, the stories will pull you in and keep you there.
I've been writing as a career since 2004 and have been moving steadily forward. Recently I had a paranormal vampire story picked up by Tease Publishing. This book will be released as part of their Dark Tarot print line, encompassing the nuances and divine reading interpretations garnered from the Tarot itself. Information on this one and more can be found here. I'm very happy to see this as a first book to go to print. I also have several ebooks available through Forbidden Publications which can be viewed here.
I've done more than a few things over all, from being a travel agent, a title and escrow officer, and most recently, a stay at home mom. There was even a small crafts business that I enjoyed doing, painting on glass, woodwork, and ceramics. Now the writing keeps me pretty busy.
Thanks for letting me share a little bit about my writing and myself with you Brieanna, and with your readers!
Have a great day!
UPCOMING CHATS:
April 8th: Join me and Anastasia Rabiyah for out author day at Brenda Williamson Romance! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrendaWilliamsonRomanceParty/
April 12th: SRN authors chat at Ebook Love yahoo group. My slot is 5-6 central
March has been a busy month! Here's hoping your April is sunny, beautiful and full of romance. See you next month!
3-1-08
Happy March! Spring is right around the corner!
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
I love this picture. I think the colors are absolutely beautiful. My best friend and an awesome writer himself told me that this picture reminded him of me.
NEWS:
*I got a new laptop computer. This really isn't all that important to you guys, but I'm excited so I wanted to share. lol
* The domain name to my site has changed from www.freewebs.com/brieannarobertson to http://www.brieannarobertson.com/ The freewebs address will still work if you have it bookmarked as such.
*Two new reviews for The Road Less Traveled and Better Than Chocolate at Manic Readers:
The Road Less Traveled - 4.5/5 stars - http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=reviews&bookid=44
Better Than Chocolate - 4.5/5 stars - http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=reviews&bookid=36
*My Spring Prize Giveaway is going on now until April 1st! Check out the guidelines below:
Forget spring cleaning. Reading is a much better pasttime! From now until April 1st, buy ANY of my titles and win a free prize! EVERYONE's a winner! Doesn't get much better than that!
Just go to my author page here:
http://http//www.forbiddenpublications.com/author_pages/brieanna_robertson.html
or here http://http//www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/BrieannaRobertsoneBooks.html
and send your receipt to lady_vash_swiftfire@yahoo.com
Each buyer will be able to choose from 3 things: candy, candle or a CD of music inspired by whichever book you bought
So what are you waiting for? Go! Go now! :)
* There's some good stuff going on with the Forbidden Publications blog so check it out and read what some awesome authors have to say. http://forbiddenauthors.blogspot.com/
* Great SALE going on at Fictionwise right now. This is a great time for you to buy one of my books! Not only will you get an awesome deal at fictionwise, but you'll get a free prize from me as well!
Leap for Joy Sales Event!
It's the special Fictionwise sale that only occurs every four years. On this "Leap Day" weekend only, every title has a 29% or better Micropay Rebate! Stock up now on this amazing sale -- it will not happen again until 2012!
GUEST SPEAKER ANASTASIA RABIYAH
A Muse by any Other Name…
Brie asked me to write an article for her newsletter, something I’m not quite sure how to do, but I’ll give it a shot. My name is Anastasia Rabiyah and I write—a lot! I write most often after my children go to bed, sometimes until three in the morning. I’ve been penning stories since I was eleven years old simply because I have an overactive imagination. I find it difficult to turn off the muses even when I need them to shush.
For me, a muse is a character who needs a story told. I have many muses, some who stay for a long time and nag me, others who want me to crank out a short story for them before they vanish back into the darkness of my mind. My oldest muse first visited me as a child and told me a long story, one I kept getting wrong and have yet to get right. I hope I can finish that one by the end of this year. He’s still here beside me, tapping his foot and pestering me to get the ball rolling and into the goal.
I write fantasy mainly, although most readers wouldn’t be able to tell that from my website at current. My site makes it look like I write erotic romance—okay yes, I write that too! Problem is, my fantasy works are epic in proportion, so massive that I need to go back over and over to be sure I’ve kept the plot in order and the character’s motives set. The length of these works is something I’m trying to remedy. 60-80K is where I think I need to be to stay within publisher bounds and reader’s tolerance.
Right now, I’m revising an epic fantasy/romance which prequels my Shahzar series. This one is tentatively titled: Jamliah, The Division of Shan-Sei. It’s set in the same world as the one my muse described to me when I was a child, a world so well laid out in my mind that I find it easy to slip in there and create tales large and small now.
It’s my hope to focus on my fantasy works for a while until the cycle shifts and I feel the urge to write erotic romance again. I love to blend the two genres. Dark Fantasy fascinates me: demons, myths, scary critters that go bump in the night. My most successful melding of these two genres can be found in Naughty Nine a collection of nine short stories, all erotic, all involving an emphasis on either fantasy or paranormal elements. It’s available in print and if you’re curious, there are links to the book and excerpts on my website. But I’ll get to that in the end.
My writing began after I left a nine year career working for a local credit union. It was always my dream to be an artist and a farmer. How writing evolved from that goal, I’m not entirely sure. It just happened, another creative outlet for that boiling imagination, I guess. I stopped working in the financial industry in order to stay home with my son. I found myself getting bored during his naptimes and I got tired of reading the same children’s stories over and over. I thought I could write some better tales than what were out there. I took a creative writing course and discovered soon after that my style didn’t fit well into what publisher’s wanted for children.
So I went on to writing for adults and haven’t looked back yet. I like stories that take me somewhere I’ve never been, often into the darkness where I have to seek out some source of light. I like complicated love triangles and strong, determined heroines. I like men with hearts, not always the atypical alpha heroes or men who look perfect on the outside. Many of the heroes I write are anything but perfect—some aren’t even human.
A theme I see in my tales is the place of a misfit in a loving relationship. I’m a “what if” author. I’m always questioning how someone considered unlovable by the majority of folk could be loved by that one special person meant to find him (or her as the case may be). I’ve been told to write what I know. My theme stems directly from me being a misfit all my life. Shy, reclusive, daydreaming and creative, I was never the life of the party, and in fact, tended to sneak off to a dark corner to watch rather than be involved.
Another stereotype I love to break is to have villains who are incredibly human and sometimes, heaven forbid, lovable. Of all characters, I believe villains have the most room for character growth and can carry a reader to a different point of view. There can be no good without evil—my question is always what drives that evil? If I can answer that with my villains, I have a fascinating story to tell. One of my favorites is Oemir Leuj, the tyrannical leader of his city of Irnia, in my futuristic erotic romance Nimmet, Goddess of Love. He is a driven man, selfish, cruel, cold, a man so much in need of true love that it’s painful to watch as he hurts everyone around him and destroys that which he thinks he cares for. And I sure do break the rules with him in the end of that book.
My Shahzar series was the first book I completed and had publish-worthy. Now a four part series, it was originally a 100K monster of a novel. She is by far, my favorite muse. Shahzar inherits her city of Kaladia at a point when the religion there is dying and a guild council would sooner take over than have a queen rule. In an effort to keep her from her throne, the council instills an old tradition of having her bear a child sired by the local temple’s bishop. Her uncle wants the bishop assassinated when he comes to her bed to perform the rite.
Shahzar sees things her own way, right or wrong, and one thing I love about her character is that she goes through with what she sets out to do. Her nature to protect herself shines through all four parts of the series in different ways, endearing her to me and I hope to readers as well.
So a muse by any other name is probably one of many waiting in line to tell me a story. I love writing and the ability to weave new worlds, new characters and to entertain others with that torrid imagination I’ve never had a good grip or hold on, a fountain of creativity I hope never stops flowing. I’ll do my best to keep up and tap out their tales on the keyboard as fast as they share them with me.
For more information about me, visit my website at: http://RabiyahBooks.com
****
I highly recommend Ms. Rabiyah's books. She is a gifted and amazing storyteller. I read one of her stories straight through in one day. Thank you, Ana, for sharing some of yourself with us today.
UPCOMING CHATS:
3-7-08- SRN authors chat at CK2S Kwips and Kritiques My slot is from 4-5 central http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CK2SKwipsandKritiquesBookClub/
3-17-08- SRN authors chat at Novelspotters. My time slot is 5-6 central
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Novelspotters/
That's it for this month! Have a great March and we'll see you soon!
2-1-08
FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
Well, another month has come and gone. I don't know about yours, but mine was REALLY COLD!!! Although, I did get to go on my vacation to sunny Arizona, which was nice, but entirely too short.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
This is a painting done by artist Frank Balaam. He's an amazing artist and someone my husband and I knew personally when we lived in Arizona. I love the unique way he uses color. Several years ago a fire claimed his entire life's work. I can't even imagine losing all of my art like that. I admire his tenacity and encourage all art lovers to check out his work.
NEWS:
* The website got a facelift so check it out!
*Two new books coming soon! I just contracted Book 4 in the Serendipity Series: Paladin and Warrior's Rise, a fantasy/contemporary. Both will be published through Forbidden Publications.
*Dark Masterpiece is now available and I've extended the contest deadline!
DARK MASTERPIECE, BOOK 3 IN THE SERENDIPITY SERIES, IS AVAILABLE AT FORBIDDEN PUBLICATIONS!
START THE NEW YEAR OUT RIGHT WITH SOME ROMANCE AND SERENDIPITY! SEND ME YOUR PROOF OF PURCHASE AT lady_vash_swiftfire@... AND YOU WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN A PRIZE PACKAGE FULL OF GOODIES SUCH AS: CHOCOLATE, A RELAXING BATH SET AND AN ENVELOPE FULL OF FREEBIES FROM OTHER AWESOME AUTHORS! I WILL RANDOMLY SELECT ONE WINNER ON FEBRUARY 16TH SO DON'T WASTE ANY TIME! GET YOUR COPY TODAY!
http://www.forbiddenpublications.com/book_pages/dark_masterpiece.html
1-1-08
JANUARY NEWSLETTER
Happy New Year Everyone!
Did everybody party? I didn't. I was sleeping. lol! I hope everyone starts this year out on a great note. I, for one, am happy to be starting over fresh. Last year was full of insanity in more ways than one. I'm hoping 2008 will be slightly less eventful.
Picture of the Month:
Haha, anyone who knows me is probably not surprised to see this guy as my pic of the month. lol. This is Tuomas Holopainen, keyboardist and songwriter of the Finnish metal band Nightwish. Nightwish's music is a great inspiration to me and this man is a freakin' genius. Plus...he's nice to look at, so look all you want. (Well, if you're a girl anyway.
)
NEWS:
* Don't forget, Dark Masterpiece is coming out January 17th! Pay attention to what's going on in my contest section and on my myspace. When it comes closer to release, I plan on having some awesome prizes to give away for those of you who get yourself a copy. Keep checking back for details. Also, check out the trailer on my Books page or on Youtube
*Awesome new review for The Road less Traveled from Blue City Romance:
Have you ever picked up a book and found yourself wishing you were a part of the story before you? Have you ever read a book and felt the raw emotion drip from every page? If you've never experienced either of these situations, then the chances are that you've never read a story by author Brieanna Robertson. A visit to her website will show you that she's a woman who likes to get to the heart of the matter. She believes in being true to yourself and it is this belief that is a guiding force in her story, The Road Less Traveled.
When Javan wins five tickets to an all-important rock gig, it goes without saying that he needs his best friend Alyx to come along too. She's just escaped from an abusive relationship and a road trip and concert are just what she needs to start getting her life back on track. Accompanied by the shy Maxim DeBoer, who is forced into the journey by his brother, the trio set off on a journey of exploration of mind, body, soul and America.
Taegen lost her brother two years ago, but the pain and sorrow are still fresh for her. She finds it difficult to trust and share emotions, deciding that by hiding away from the rest of the world, she will somehow keep her heart safe. But when a chance meeting with a stranger shows her an alternative path, will she seize the day, or simply retreat back to the cocoon that she has crafted for herself?
Torrey is a man with many passions and a love for life. When he accidentally encounters the same woman twice in one day, he begins to wonder if life is telling him to take a chance on something bigger. Will he listen to the message or simply let her leave him?
To find out which path each of these characters takes is one that as a reader you cannot deny yourself. The Road Less Traveled is a story from the heart, delivered with eloquence, thought, understanding and passion. Each character is written with such quality and detail, that you can't help but find yourself immersed in their journey. This was a very absorbing read and has me reaching for another of this author's works, even as we speak.
-Blue City Romance
*FORBIDDEN HUNT GOING ON NOW!!
Hosted by:
Anastasia Rabiyah & Brieanna Robertson
Dear Reader,
Get ready to go on the hunt for new worlds, new tales and enter to win prizes from all
the participating Forbidden Publications authors. Who are we? The authors of
Forbidden Publications write many genres including Action/Adventure, Contemporary,
Drama, Fantasy, Fetish/BDSM/Menage, Gay/Lesbian, Historical,
Tales, Thrillers, Humor/Satires, Inspirational, Interacial/Multicultural, Mystery/Suspense,
Mystical, Non-Fiction, Paranormal, Poetry, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic
Suspense, Rubenesque, Sci Fi/Futuristic, Time Travel, Vampire,
Werewolf/Shapeshifter, and Western. Stop by our publisher's website at
ForbiddenPublications.com and curl up with an e-book today.
ForbiddenPublications.com
The Hunt begins January 1, 2008.
To enter...
1-Go to each author's site (find the links on www.rabiyahbooks.com) and locate the hidden Forbidden Prey icon somewhere within that site.
Here's what you're looking for:
2-Once you've located all the icons, email the location (either the page's URL or the Name of the page along with the author's name to:
ForbiddenHunt@gmail.com
3-During the first week of February, names will be drawn from all valid entries and awarded at random. (No picking and choosing. This is done to keep things fair.) Remember to include your mailing address so prizes can be mailed out if you win!
*The deadline to enter is midnight (
*If you can't find the icon, you may email the author (not the Forbidden Hunt email address, and ask for a hint.)
*Due to the nature of graphic and/or erotic content of many of our author's works, you must be 18 or older to enter.
*Authors are responsible for emailing/mailing out prizes they have offered.
BONUS PRIZES!
FORBIDDEN PUBLICATIONS BONUS PRIZES
(provided by our wonderful publisher: Forbidden Publications)
10 LOOT BAGS stuffed with postcards, bookmarks and a key chain
COZY READER WEEKLY PRIZE
Special Weekly Bonus Prizes will be awarded each week of the contest on:
January 4, 2008 January 11, 2008 January 18, 2008 January 25, 2008
Winners will be drawn from entries received through that date and will remained entered in the
drawing for all other prizes except future weekly bonus prizes.
WEEKLY BONUS PRIZE includes: A fleece throw blanket, box of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa and a purple
plastic lidded mug to sip your cocoa while you read your favorite Forbidden tales.
(provided by: Anastasia Rabiyah)
AUTHOR PRIZES!
A.C. Croom
He is offering a free PDF copy of both of Kate's Song and Kate's Song: Awakening.
Adelle Lauden
A free PDF copy of her book Juliana.
Aline de Chevigny
A free PDF copy of her book Merry Christmas to Me and a secret stash of goodies.
Anastasia Rabiyah
A free download of her fantasy romance Shahzar Warrior Queen and goodies to include: temporary
tattoos, handmade bookmarks, Shahzar t-shirt (XL) and a 2008 magnetic calendar.
Ann Cory
She is offering a handmade book thong.
Brieanna Robertson
A free download of one of any of her e-books.
Chris Neeley
Two magnets featuring her Forbidden book covers.
Diana Castilleja
A free PDF copy of any one of her back-list e-books and an author swagbag.
Donna Michaels
She'll be giving away a Dr. Gnome t-shirt along with a few surprise goodies.
Elena Croft
A free PDF copy of: Wet & Wild: Three of Hearts.
Ellen Ashe
A free PDF copy of The Seagrass Whore.
Emily Wade-Reid
A copy of one of her e-books, the winners choice, along with a fragrant oil warmer, vanilla oil
included.
Gavin Atlas
A free PDF copy of his Forbidden released m/m erotica novel Simple and Easy.
Gwen Masters
An autographed anthology of short stories, as well as various promotional items.
Jacques Gerard
A free PDF copy of his Forbidden novel The Barefoot Burglar.
Jamie Hill
A free download of one of any of her e-books.
Janet Durbin
Choice of one of two prize packages. Choose between After or Innocence Taken.
The prize package includes autographed bookmarks, a free copy of the chosen book, and a canvas
tote with the book cover on it. In the After package, the book is not yet available, but she will email it
to the winner when it does come available.
J.T. Schultz
A Six of Hearts prize pack which includes a PDF copy of the book Six of Hearts, a t-shirt and loot
envelope.
Marrisa de Amor
She is giving away a cover flat of "A Single Rose" signed by her and the cover model, Mike; two
autographed bookmarks and an autographed postcard with coming soon books on it.
Rachel Carrington
A copy of her romantic suspense Burning Reflections and a PDF copy of her interracial erotic
romance Dark Kisses from Forbidden Publications
Rene' Walden
A PDF copy of her erotic tale Wicked Weekend and a mini-loot bag.
Sonya D. Grady
A PDF copy of her fantasy romance Elements of Love.
Yolanda Sfetsos
A PDF copy of her Forbidden release Blood Chase.
Hurry and enter today! Lots of great prizes from some amazing authors!
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GUEST SPEAKER DONNA MICHAELS:
Donna Michaels is an author of Romaginative Fiction—romances mixed with her sometimes over-active imagination. Married to a military man, her real life hero, for over 21 years, Donna has four children and they live in North Eastern Pennsylvania where she has resided all her life.
Always an avid reader, Donna was inspired to write after romance novels began to showcase less-than-spunky heroines. Then life interrupted with the birth of her twins and she didn’t pick up a ‘keyboard’ until her fourth child started school full day. Now, six years and two publishers later, she has fourteen contracts—three of them for full novels due out in print this year.
A lover of romantic comedies, old and new, Donna enjoys adding humor to her writing no matter the romance genre. Nowhere is that more evident than in her recent Forbidden Publications release, DR. GNOME.
Book One in the Double 00 Fang Series of Vampire Agents, DR. GNOME is a romantic comedy, paranormal, action story Donna hated to see end and wishes the wonderful experience on every author and aspiring writer.
Here’s the blurb:
What’s the world to do when gold starts disappearing and the agents assigned to the case are turned into life-size lawn ornaments?
Send in Double O Fang Agent Pierce De Vein, and Shifter Intelligence Agent (SIA) Kitty Katt to investigate. Unhappy with their forced alliance, each loner must learn to work with a partner and stop trying to outdo one another long enough to solve the case. When the evidence points to an evil gnome and his army of rogue leprechauns, the agents infiltrate the organization in the forms of a bat and a cat.
Will their plan work, or will they end up sleeping with the daisies as a pair of garden decorations?
To view more of Donna’s work and upcoming release dates, check out her website:
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Personally, I think this book rocks and everyone should get a copy. it's funny, touching and sexy! No upcoming chats as far as I know right now except for my release chat in the Forbidden Publications Chat Room on Jan 17th! Hope everyone has a safe and happy January and we'll see you next month!
12-3-07
DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
It snowed here the other day! Winter is officially here! Hope everyone is staying warm. Its' the perfect time of year to curl up with a nice, spicy romance novel.
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
Here is a picture of Ashland, Oregon. Home of the Ashland Shakespeare Festival and many of my own story characters. My Serendipity series originates in this eccentric little town and it is revisted many times throughout the books. I posted this picture this month because my husband and I recently took a day trip to ashland and I thought I'd share a snippet of my life with you. I have many awesome memories of Ashland, and it has inspired many characters and ideas.
NEWS:
* My yahoo group now has three themed days scheduled throughout the weel. I did away with the Topic of the week due to lack of interest and response. Now I have several scehduled days for fun, but no prizes are awarded to the participants. The schedule is as follows:
Magical Monday- Share your own stories of magic and miracles. It can be something you read, or something that has happened to you personally.
Tickle Me Tuesday- Tell me a joke!
Wisdom Wednesday- Impart your favorite quotes and words to live by.
If this sounds like something you'd like to take part in, hop on over to my yahoo group and join! www.groups.yahoo.com/group/brieanna_robertson
* Book Three in the Serendipity Series, Dark Masterpiece, is set to release on January 17th! What a way to start out the new year!
Blurb:
Art student Evie Austin has spent the last several years idolizing the famous and elusive painter, Traevyn Whitelaw. After an agonizing final report on the man, who also happens to be the most private and secretive person she has ever tried to do research on, her professor picks her for the once in a lifetime opportunity to be Traevyn Whitelaw's apprentice for the summer.
Ecstatic, she knows that her summer is going to be amazing, filled with lengthy discussions on art and beautiful things with the man she admires above all others. What she doesn't expect is to get stuck taking her sullen, sarcastic, seventeen-year-old brother with her at the last minute, and she definitely doesn't expect Traevyn Whitelaw to live in an isolated Gothic mansion by the ocean. What's worse is that the man she imagined to be so cultured and refined is no more than a sinister, snarling ogre who acts like having Evie and her brother in his home is the worst intrusion imaginable... He's also the most gorgeous man she has ever laid eyes on.
There is more than meets the eye to the dark, brooding artist with the painful past, and spunky, outspoken Evie plans on finding out just exactly what the man is made of.
It’s been a busy year, what can I say? My last release for the year will be on December 6th, Romance by Mistake. Oddly enough, it was the first book I ever completed, but will get into that in a minute. I’ve been officially published one year on the 8th of this month. Romance By Mistake will make my 17th release, which means I am really looking forward to the holidays and taking some time off. J
I always wanted to be a writer; it was as much a part of me as needing air to breathe. I remember driving my grandmother crazy with my story ideas and finally one day she told me I should write them down. Therefore, I did, but she might have wanted to clarify not writing them while in 8th grade social studies.
Romance by Mistake, came about by those ridiculous reality TV shows. I know most people enjoy them, but I never saw the sense. This book was the first book I ever finished, shelved, rewrote and then decided one day I should submit it. What’s it about? Funny you should ask.
Reality TV didn’t see her coming—neither did he!
Reeve
Marina Carzelli had a normal, almost boring life. Of course, having an eccentric one of a kind shop and drag queens for friends can take the doldrums away. She was single, a great mom then it happened, one slippery spot on the mall floor, one cup of coffee, a set of twins and—Him! Reeve is hunky, but can she give her heart to a man that is marrying someone else on the whim of chance, or would their romance be a mistake?
My advice to new writers is tenacity. Live it, breathe it and never let go of it. Though along the writing road you will come up against obstacles, as long as you have tenacity and belief in yourself, anything is possible—including, success.
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Thank you, JT for sharing a little bit of yourself and your work with us! I recommend checking out Romance By Mistake, available at www.forbiddenpublications.com on December 6th. It's awesome, sweet and very funny!
*Not much going on by way of chats this month. It's been kind of slow with the holidays and all. Check my myspace for updats as far as my chat schedule is concerned.
That's it for now! Have a great month and we'll see you soon!
11-1-07
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
Hello everybody! I hope you all had an awesome October! Mine was insane, but what can you do? We all have months like that. Just settling into fall/winter now, hoping it doesn’t get too cold, and wishing it was January already so I could go on my vacation to
PICTURE OF THE MONTH:
I love this picture, but I really love just about anything fantasy/goth related. This is the type of picture I would use if I was trying to stimulate my brain into creativity. There are so many stories waiting to be told in it. What do you see? Share your thoughts with me! Leave a comment!
NEWS:
*My yahoo group still needs some action! Several awesome people have been posting on my Topic of the Week, but I still need the lurkers to come out of lurkdom! If you belong to my group, speak up! It’s fun, I promise! If you don’t belong to my group, but would like to come and chat, do so! I would love to have you! www.groups.yahoo.com/group/brieanna_robertson
*New review for The Road Less Traveled in the Reviews section of my site! 5 Roses at Sensual Reads and Reviews!
*My poetry book, DARK LEADS TO LIGHT, THEN COMES THE NIGHT is being released on Thursday, November 8th! Help me celebrate by coming by the Forbidden Publications chat room that night at 8pm central for a release chat and party! www.forbiddenpublications.com
Here is the blurb and an excerpt for you to give you a sneak peek!
Dark Leads to Light, Then Comes The Night
Trials of the human spirit are often referred to as “dark times,”
and we are advised to look for the light in the near future.
What do you do, though, when your light suddenly fades into dismal darkness?
Is there a way out? Is it possible to find light once again?
Come with me on a journey through the human heart, in all its complexity,
and experience the chaotic emotions within. Learn what happens when the
light fades into blackness, and find out if the horizon holds a promise of something more.
Excerpt:
IMPENDING NIGHT
The dark of night always leads to hopeful light.
This is a fallacy,
A tale told of optimist’s lips
In a world full of twisted malice.
A golden straw to grasp
When all turns to shadow.
A strand nonexistent in the span of an hour.
An hour that is, in fact, an eternity.
An eternity that lasts beyond the infinite.
Eternity died the night the sky fell.
It crashed down with the fading stars
And I watched as it burned out around me.
I saw the lonely dove die
As gravity sucked love into doom
And all the essence of all that was
Perished as the feathers fell from my wings.
They drifted silently to fall on the black lake,
Disappearing into the inky waters
Like a sadistic song on the wind.
The hush came with deafening silence
And all I could hear was my own heart breaking,
The death cry of the last vestige of beauty
As it resounded in the aching darkness.
Dark leads to light, but then comes the night,
A predator swift, a beguiling shift.
Within stands the one
Who watched the death of the sun.
I am not certain how I came to survive.
All I know is what I know,
And what I know is no more than you know.
Riddles and rhymes to pass away time
While the shadows draw ever nearer.
Do I fear?
Do I tremble?
No longer.
Let them come, they are of my making.
They have come from me.
From my wings that fell into blackness.
From the shards of my shattered world.
From the stark emptiness of a broken eternity.
They breathe with my breath,
And feed on my life,
Growing with every struggling beat of my heart.
Acid rain falls upon my skin.
I feel it not.
It erodes my body in search of my soul,
But I laugh.
I laugh for it is not to be found.
It belongs to the dark.
It belongs to the shadows.
It belongs to the shapes from the black lake.
It belongs to a world that is no more
That died on the birth of a new dawn.
Light comes no more
For dark knocks at the door.
The night comes for you,
To encompass you too.
No escape from the black.
There is no turning back…
*Help me celebrate the release of my poetry book! In honor of it I am throwing an all day poetry party on my yahoo group Wednesday the 7th. Come post your favorite poems! Post your own poetry! www.groups.yahoo.com/group/brieanna_robertson
* New cover art! My cover for my upcoming fantasy/contemporary book, Beyond Wild Imaginings is up in the Books section, as well as the blurb. It’s a thumbnail right now, but I will have a bigger one up on my myspace soon.
UPCOMING CHATS:
My chat schedule for this month is as follows:
11-7- All day poetry party at my yahoo group.
11-8- Release chat celebration at forbiddenpublications.com 8pm central
11-14- SRN guest blogging at Sensual Reads
11-21- SRN author chat at CATA Romance Readers. My time slot is 5-6 pm central.
11-24 – My author day at Brenda Williamson Romance Party
Please check my blog on myspace for updates and links when these chats are close.
I think that about does it for this month! Hope everyone has a safe and happy November, full of great books and lots of love! See you soon!
10-1-07
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER:
Welcome to one of the two new homes for my monthly newsletter! Rest assured, I WILL be updating them on time for a change.
The first change in my newsletter that I'd like to point out is the picture of the month feature. Starting this month I will be posting a picture I either took that shows a small window into my life, probably accompanied by a humorous story, or a picture that particularly inspires me, followed by the reasons why. If you're following along on my website, you are encouraged to comment and share your own thoughts in the guestbook. If you are reading this on my myspace blog, please share your comments below! I'd love to hear what you have to say! This feature is designed to help you get to know me more as a person and not a faceless one of the masses just trying to promote her books.
So, without further ado:
This picture was taken early in the morning in the California Redwoods. I like to call this my Road Less Traveled pic. My novel, The Road Less Traveled, has always had a very special place in my heart because so much of it was taken from my own real life experiences. Some people say that some of the events in that book were out there, but "out there" things seem to have a fondness for my life. I always loved this picture because, to me, it symbolizes life. We're all on a path, but the future is undiscernable, shrouded in fog. We have no idea what lies ahead of us...
NEWS:
*My yahoo group is undergoing severe reconstruction. I will no longer be using this group as only a reminder/info group. I'd really like to see some group participation taking place. I have 57 members and I never hear from anyone. Therefore, I am putting some new things into play for the group:
1. Tell me who you are!Post a bio so we can all get to know one another! Don't be shy! Tell me what your favorite kinds of books are and why you like to read them. This isn't formal, it's fun! So let's start having some!
2. Every Monday I will be posting a TOPIC OF THE WEEK. This is something I would like everyone to participate in. Everyone who participates will be entered in a drawing that will take place at the end of the week. Every comment will count as one entry so the more you comment, the more of a chance you have to win a little something.
3. BRING A FRIEND BONUS: If you refer a friend to the yahoo group, my website OR my myspace that will count as three entries in the week's drawing.
So let's get all this fun underway! Let's get this group out of the dregs and have a good time! To join go to www.groups.yahoo.com/group/brieanna_robertson
* I have several new and great reviews up for Better Than Chocolate in the Reviews section. It was a Top Reviewer Pick for Night Owl Romance! Head on over and check it out! Check it out at NOR at www.nightowlromance.com
* September marked my one year anniversary of publication and I'd like to thank all the great authors and readers who participated in my events and helped me celebrate. I had a great time and appreciate each and every one of you so much!
UPCOMING CHATS:
My chat schedule for the month of October is as follows:
*Please check my yahoo group calendar for updates*
10-11- Sweeter Romantic Notions chat at Coffeetime Romance yahoo group. My time slot is 5-6 central.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karenfindoutaboutnewbooks/
10-22- Live Chat at Night Owl Romance chat group. 7-9 pm central
www.nightowlromance.com
10-24 Wicked Wednesday at Forbidden Whispers yahoo group. My time slot is 5-5:45 central
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/forbiddenwhispers/
*That's all for this month! Please be sure you leave me a comment! I'd love to hear from you! And be sure to join my yahoo group so we can get to know one another even better and you can have a chance to win some fun things! Thanks everyone and have a great October!
8-15-07
The website got a facelift! Yay! Be sure to check out the new and improved Books section and check back regularly to read about new opportunities for free goodies in the new Contests section. Also, read reviews on my books in the new Reviews section!