Never thought I'd be one of THOSE artists

You know.  THOSE artists.  The ones that shun anything commercial, vaguely selling out, or mainstream.

Sure, I dislike a lot of the trends, and things that are just plain stupid.  Because there is a lot of art/cinema/books that are aimed for the lowest common denominator.

But I really never disliked an industry for being what it was.  I don't bad mouth all Hollywood films for being mainstream.  There are some good ones out there.  I don't hate all commercial art, don't hate all books, don't hate all trends.

Until tonight.  I read a post at Pimp My Novel that asked what you would change about the publishing industry.  I've slowly been growing fed up with the Big 6, and a lot of publishing policies.  Today's post, and some of the supporting comments, just really turned me off.

Everything is a business.  All about the bottom line, and getting the most profit.  Not about the art, or the quality of the product, or about telling a good story.

Because I don't write to be rich.  I don't write to be famous.  Well, any more famous than it takes to get people to read my work.

I just want to be a storyteller.  I want people to be entertained, and enjoy the twisted delights I bring.

I want to be the next Stephen King, or Danielle Steele, or Anne McCaffrey.  Not for big paychecks, but for the fans.  For the readers.

Because I write for the people.  Not cash.

Big autographed giveaway

Yes, autographed copies.  Pretty neat, huh?

There will be three books total, and three winners.  Autographed copies of All Hallows Blood, stories with bite o,.,o, and Fem-Fangs.

Deadline is this Halloween.  Drawing will be held Monday the 1st, some time after I wake from my anniversary.  If you've already won an ebook in one of the earlier drawings, you will not be disqualified from the physical copies.  I'm not going to be that mean, or anything.  We can always pick someone else to give it to.

• Five entries for being or becoming a follower here.
• Five entries for following me on Twitter.
• Three entries for recommending someone else follow (they have to post a comment you sent them), here or on Twitter.
• Two entries for being a fan of my Facebook page.
• Three entries for a blog post about the giveaway.
• Five entries if you host me for a guest blog.
• One entry for every Tweet (though I discourage you from becoming a nuisance ;) )

Giveaway month of October

So, it's almost October.  My favorite month of the year, with my favorite holiday ever.

To celebrate, I'm going to be doing a whole slew of giveaways.  Yes, a slew.

Follow Friday

It's Friday.  Time for another Parajunkee Follow Friday.

This week's question:

My question for you guys, what is your high fashion book? --- translation --- best book cover ever.

This is kind of maybe a trick question for me, because my favorite covers aren't from urban fantasy or paranormal romance.  My favorite covers are honestly just about anything done by Michael Whelan.  Especially the covers for C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy.  LOVE that series.

Who can help but love Whelan's colors, and the expressions?  He's a genius of an artist.






So on to the rest of the blog follow. 






To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://bookcouture.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!  
8. If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog! 

Is blood sexy?

I wrote a guest post for Romance in the Backseat about if blood was sexy or not.  Hasn't been posted yet.

But while I'm waiting to finish fixing my computer (rotten hard drive), I thought I'd post the question here?

Is blood sexy?  And why, or why not?

For the record, I most affirmatively say yes.

Clash of the cover

Embrace the Shadows does a weekly Clash of the Cover meme.  I vote from time to time, and there are some pretty awesome covers up there.

Imagine my blushing surprise when I found my cover up there this week.

So, if you get a chance, swing by, and vote.

Favicon changing, because I can

I like customizing, making things uniquely mine.  And I'm a little late in finding out you can change the little favicon (that icon by the address bar, and on the tab).  Tina at Book Couture has a post talking about changing your favicon.

Which I've now done.  On all my sites.  Blog, homepage, and official page.

And I did it using favicon.cc.  You can upload, design, preview, publish, all of that.  I did my soaring raven with an upload from some clip art I had.  Quick, easy, and I left it for others to use.

Ah, the fun of the internet.  It's like painting your mailbox, so you stand out on your street.

Surprise sicknesses throw off schedules

So annoying.  Got sick Monday night, completely out of no where.  So sick I had to miss a couple of days of work.  Spent Tuesday in bed, sleeping.  Lots of sleep.

This also means my writing got really behind.  Barely managed anything this week, and that's almost as frustrating as being sick.  (I hate being sick)

But this month is passing really quickly.  Almost to the Muse Conference.  Almost to October, when I'm going to give away a bunch of copies of my books.

One sadly amusing thing I did hear when I got back to work: "So, do snakes, like, poop?"  I was almost ashamed for the state of general knowledge.  Do snakes poop.  Really now.  Really?

Quick Wednesday update

First, I've been sick the last day and a half.  Spent almost all day in bed sleeping yesterday.  When I wasn't sleeping, I was watching Dexter.  I'm glad I finally started watching it, though it would have been nice if I could have sat up.

Second, I made my way out of bed today to a very awesome review at Happily Ever After Reviews.  If there ever comes a time when I don't squee and get bobble-headed (I should probably explain this term) over a review, someone jab me with something sharp.

Third, I created my Facebook fan page.  Though, my brain was not into much, so I didn't do a whole lot to it at this point.

Fourth, I hate being sick.  I was asked if anyone liked being sick, and I said hypochondriacs and Munchausen by proxy people probably do. 8P

stories with bite o,.,o print copy

And here it is, in all it's physical glory.  Live, for sale, ready for me to send you a bookplate.

I'm very proud of this.  I love the stories in it, and all the fun of editing.  Good times to be had.



And you can enter discount code UEQ86YDS to get five dollars off.  But only if you go through my create space store.

stories with bite o,.,o book trailer

Huzzah!  I managed to create my first book trailer.  It was a tiny bit of an ordeal to learn how to work with a video editing program, basically on my own.  It's a teeny bit amateurish, but it starts to get the point across.

Now that I've learned more, I have plans to make one for All Hallows Blood.  And some for the individual stories in stories.

Making the trailer was quite fun.  Enjoy it, please.

Who wants a tiger that doesn't hunt?

This came up in conversation with my sister-in-law the other night.  (Right after she read Talina's excellent review of my book.  She squeed so hard for me, and I couldn't stop smiling.)  We were talking about the fact that everyone likes Varick.  And she asked who wouldn't like him?

My first answer was fairly smart assed.  "Super sensitive anti-racists who would be bothered by him being German and me saying Aryan."  Because, honestly, that was one tiny fear I had when making him German.  There aren't a lot of German vampires out there, and I wanted to help break a mold, while calling on my own heritage.  I also didn't want anyone to ever think of him as a Nazi, but I tucked that little fear aside.  So far, no accusations of that.

My second, more serious answer: "Women who like the monster seeking redemption, the vampire who wants to be human again."  I know these type of vampire fans are out there.  They don't want a monster, they want someone they can fix.  And that's all well and good.  Sometimes it's good to heal someone, to let your love fix them.

I just don't think vampirism is something that needs to be fixed.

So while we were talking about saving the monster, I stated "Who wants a tiger that doesn't hunt?"  I repeatedly compare Varick to a tiger in the book(s).  (I love tigers.  So huge, so sexy, so powerful.  They fit the image of perfect predator to me more than wolf.  Especially for a single predator.)  I thought she'd get it, and realize I was making it up.

Instead, I had my Confucious hat on, because she thought I was quoting a real proverb.  Maybe I should make it into some kind of viral proverb.  Get other people to say it.  Make it a tag line.

But, seriously, who wants a predator that isn't a predator?  It's like wanting a bad boy to start wearing cardigans and going to pottery classes.  I love vampires because they are vicious and dark and might eat me.

Of course, I have a touch of a victim complex.

Follow Friday Blog Hop

Yes, I'm joining some blog hopping goodness.

My question for you guys, eBook or Print?

For this weeks question: Yes.  I just love reading books.  Ebooks go great on my phone, or physical books for when I can't get them.   Doesn't make a difference, so long as I get to read.





To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://readingangel002.blogspot.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!  
8. If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog! 

Saint Valentine's Clash

I put out a bunch of copies of my book for review.  That's been going really well.  I've gotten nothing but good responses so far.  And authors need to be reminded they did a good job.

I just got this review back.  Awesomeness!

Once more, I was asked about the sequel.  I've been slacking on the rewrites on it, so shame on me.  This is most certainly going to be changed.

As I type, I'm concentrating on the next book.  Don't know for sure when it will be out.  I'm suspecting February.  February sounds good, yes?

Book Review - Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider

Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider got me hooked pretty early on.  The blurb certainly had me, because it was different.  Then the prologue set up something mysterious and a little dangerous, and I had to keep going.  It was an absolute must that I find out what else was in store.

And the term Rabbit for a victim of the vampires is just great.  It immediately puts you in the right frame of mind, and immediately gets you to sympathize with the title character.

The uniqueness of both the story and the origin of the Rakum are the biggest parts that make this a compelling read.  I love vampire books, so I've seen a lot of different takes on the birth of vampires, and their powers, and how they're stopped.  Ellen has brought a new light to the legend, making a new being with her Rakum that is still somehow very familiar.

I loved the consistency of Beth Rider.  She has her faith, and her peace, and that is what keeps her going through the worst of her adventure.  Her perseverance and unshakable core are enviable, and not something I see in a lot of characters, let alone real people.  It was a nice touch that she didn't have to be superhuman to be able to cope with a dangerous world.

The progress of the characters, and the evolution of an entire race, are what made this book, and what makes me look forward to the sequel.  I really want to see how everyone copes with the new paradigm they've found.

Fem-Fangs

Got to look through the author's proof of Fem-Fangs from Pill Hill Press today.  It's so neat to see my story in print.  Soon to be in print.  Joy!

Still working on the proof of my short stories.  Totally goofed up the files.  Grrrrrr.  Learning self-publishing is fun.