Win Hotel and Registration to AAD 2013 in Savannah!

Authors After Dark will be my first con and I'm so excited to be attending this year! And since getting to a con can be tough (not to mention expensive), I'm happy to be a part of this great raffle that might help one reader get there, all for only .99 cents! Below are the details for the promotion which is running from June 17th through the 22nd. Hope to see you there!

So with AAD 2013 around the corner, and so many people excited about the event (especially us, the authors!) we thought we would do something awesome to get one lucky winner to the event, while spreading the word about our sexy little books! So the six of us, TJ, Amanda, Cara, Stella, Saranna and Eliza decided to do something awesome. Why not do a huge raffle with a freaking awesome prize? We thought Paid registration and a room free of charge to the winner was a freaking awesome prize, so we said why not? Let’s pool our resources and make this happen.

From the 17-22nd of JUNE, readers will have the opportunity to win their way into AAD! For that time frame, each author will reduce ONE SPECIFIC BOOK, normally priced at 2.99 or higher to 99 cents. All you have to do, is BUY THE BOOKS. That’s it. This is how entries work: Buy the book (s). Send your receipt/ conformation email to everversestella@gmail.com with the BIG HUGE GIVEAWAY ENTRY in the subject line. Go to the AAD Website and fill in the raffle copter for each book. EACH BOOK WILL GET YOU 1 ENTRY. That’s 6 entries for 6 books. All for 6 bucks. NOT BAD.

This works exactly like a Raffle does for your local rotary club or the boy scout TV’s… Buying the books is like buying raffle tickets (only cheaper!) There will be other ways to get extra entries to improve your chances on the raffle copter that will come available once you do the initial entry. Winner will be announced on the 24th of June on the AAD blog and on the AAD Facebook page, as well as emailed!

NOW… the fine print: Winner pays their own transportation and any gratuities, taxes and room service on the room. This prize cannot be transferred and MUST be used for the 2013 convention year. This prize has NO CASH VALUE and cannot be turned in for monetary compensation. And guess what else you win on top of the AWESOME Grand Prize? How about entry to a special invite only party? Yep. And some other hotel goodies! Now you probably wanna know what books will be 99 cents right? Well… The Blood of the Vow by Saranna DeWylde, Entwined by Fate by S.A. Price, The Naughty Nibbles Anthology by Cara North, The Sexy Shifter Box set (three interconnected stories) by Amanda Bonilla, Jaguar’s Rule by TJ Michaels, and Lucas by Eliza Gayle All these books will be available from the 17-22 each for 99 cents! So what are you waiting for? Grab some great books before the con (especially from authors you might not have known about) Spread the word and get ready for an awesome con!

Work in Progress Song of the Week

I haven't done one of these in a while, but this is absolutely the theme song of my WIP. The lyrics are spot on! I'll be releasing the as of yet untitled trilogy this summer, an new adult UF that features vampires, werewolves, damphirs, ancient enemies, secrets, and forbidden love. What can I say? I'm a sucker for star crossed lovers.

What's Been Going On

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been as around on-line as much lately. I've had my nose to the grindstone for the past four months, working my ass off, and hoping that I wouldn't have to write this post. I've been getting a lot of questions lately about the next book in the Shaede Assassin series. When is the release date? Why wasn't there a teaser at the end of CRAVE THE DARKNESS? How many books are in the series's future?

Unfortunately, Signet won't be moving forward with the Shaede Assassin series. It's a business decision on their part. One that I understand, though it saddens me. But since I can't simply leave Darian hanging without the opportunity to get her shit together once and for all, I'm determined to publish future books in the series. I have to see the story through to the end for my own peace of mind as much as for Darian's. She saved my bacon when I was down and out and I owe her that much.

Though I can't give you a definite release date yet, I do know that book four (as yet untitled) will be out in the first part of 2014. If you're a subscriber to my newsletter, you'll get a sneak peak at the first chapter very soon, and I hope to have cover art as well in the months to come. I'm actually really excited about taking over the reins in regards to the Shaede Assassin world. I've promised a Raif spin-off for a year, and now, I'll have the opportunity to write his book. Kaii (the assassin from Tyler's novella) could also get a book. The possibilities are endless and I'm ready to write them all!

In the meantime, I'm busy doing what I love. Writing. In addition to the Shaedes series, I'm working on a a new adult paranormal trilogy that will be available this summer and a new urban fantasy novel in a brand new series that will be available in digital format and POD later in the fall. I'll be posting more in-depth updates as soon as I can with teasers, cover art, and actual release dates.

I want to thank all of the readers who've supported me the past couple of years and those of you who are still rooting for Darian. Word of mouth really is the best advertisement a book can get and assures readers continue to see new installments. If you loved the series, tell your friends! Spread the book love around. Write a review even if it's just a few sentences. It matters and it really does make a difference.

In the meantime, I'll try to be a better social networker. I've got months worth of goat-related tweets to catch up on! ;)

Crave the Darkness Blog Tour Starts Tomorrow!

It seems like Blood Before Sunrise just released last week! I'm so excited for the release of CRAVE THE DARKNESS tomorrow. It's my favorite book in the Shaede Assassin series so far and I hope that you guys all enjoy it as well! During the month of March, I'll be giving away copies of CTD, sharing cut scenes from the novel, and giving you glimpses into characters that you don't usually get to see. Below is list of the dates and stops on the tour. Hope you'll stop by and say hello!





March 5th RELEASE DAY! Vampire Book Club
March 7th - Between Dreams and Reality
March 14th - Red Hot Books
March 18th - Awesomesauce Book Club
March 19th - Book Monster Reviews
March 21st - All Things Urban Fantasy
March 26th - Tote Bags and Blogs
March 28th - Stellar Four

Crave the Darkness Blurb Blitz!

CRAVE THE DARKNESS releases in two months and I so I'm so excited for you all to read it! Starting Monday, eight blogs are each revealing an exclusive teaser from the book and you'll have eight chances to win an advanced reader copy! 

Below is a schedule of the blog stops on this mini tour as well as links to the sites. Hope you can stop by!

Jan 7^th – Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks

Jan 8^th – Smitten With Bad Boy Heroes 

Jan 9^th – The Bookaholic Cat 

Jan10th – Between Dreams & Reality 

Jan 11^th – Rabid Reads

Jan 12^th – Seeing Night Reviews 

Jan 13^th – Under the Covers Book Blog 

Jan 14^th – Red Hot Books

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

I've been wanting to post on this, but I've held my tongue because I wasn't sure how it might be interpreted. I've been a listening ear for someone really close to me for a while now, though, and my indignation has risen to point that I feel I need to just get it all out, you know? So here it is:

Why in the hell is it frowned upon for a woman to be confident or even a little arrogant?

I just don't get it. Women can be so self-deprecating! And why? I'm too fat. Too old. Too short. Too tall. I'm not smart enough, strong enough, capable enough. I'm just not pretty. I hate my hair. I want to get rid of these ugly freckles. I wish I looked more like you. I'd kill for her body, style, wit, etc. He doesn't really like me, he just feels sorry for me. It's a pity date and nothing more. I bet he lost a bet or something. 

Seriously, it just makes me sad. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm guilty of the same thing occasionally. But why? Are we, as women, conditioned to put ourselves down? Why are we looked upon by others (other women especially) as being a bitch if we embrace something that we like about ourselves? Why is it a sin to admit that we think we might be good looking, or have a nice body? Is it so horrible to own the fact that we're clever, or say to ourselves, "Yeah, I'm short. But I've got grace and a killer center of balance!" or "Check out my biceps. I've been working out for months and they're sexy!"

Why is owning your beauty, brains, style, or whatever such a crime?

The most hated heroines in books are those who come across as over-confident. Comments like, "She's such a bitch." or "God, could this character be any more conceited?!? She's so annoying, I wish she'd just die already." abound. But when a male character or even a guy in real life exudes the same confidence, it's sexy. The same disdain shown for the confident female turns into, "I love alpha males!" or "He's got this arrogance that I just can't get enough of!" 

So, as women, we admire confidence in men, but we loathe it ourselves???? 

In the eighties, there was this commercial with Kelly LeBrock where she said, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful." I remember my mom complaining every time it came on. "I HATE that commercial," she'd groan. "That woman drives me up a wall!" Okay, let's face it: Kelly LeBrock is totally beautiful. And women around the world (my mom included) hated her for it for the simple fact that she was owning it. On national TV. It's okay to be beautiful, I guess, as long as you tell everyone that you think you look like troll. But as soon as you say, I'm actually pretty good-looking, you're suddenly a pariah.

Women! Own your beauty! Be confident in yourselves! Be courageous enough to not only think, but admit out loud that YOU ARE THE SHIT! And quit hating on women who've already discovered the power and allure that being confident brings. Just like we admit that confidence is sexy in a man, men are saying the same thing. "I LIKE a confident woman."

Every single one of us is beautiful, talented, smart, and sexy. Accept it. Believe it. Own it.