book

Rhys News

It’s been ages since I’ve updated y’all.

I feel horrible.

My excuse is valid though.

I’ve been writing.

Rhys is in my beta-readers hands as I type. He’ll be off to my editor on Monday. My cover is done and it’s stunning. When my lovely designer Megan over at Mischievous Designs, sent me a sneak peak, I was speechless. All I sent her in reply was one word… Dude. It’s hard to render me speechless. Anyone who knows me will tell you how much I love to talk. But my girl Megan has outdone herself yet again.

I. Can’t. Wait. To. Show. You.

And I will. Soon-ish.

The official release date for Rhys is February 23rd.

I’ll have pre-order links and more info to follow in a week or so. Maybe sooner.

If you’d like to add him to your Goodreads shelf you can do so by following this link. → bit.ly/goodreadsRhys

Synopsis

He has everything planned… except her.

Rhys lives a life of solitude — one he’s perfectly content with. That is until his friend Vinny is found murdered. There are secrets and half-truths at every corner, but he’s determined to find out what happened.

Averill is exactly where she wants to be in life after years of running. She’s opened her own boutique and can finally breathe again. She thought she was safe… until her world collides with the dark shadows of Rhys’.

When he unknowingly puts her in the path of a serial killer, will he be able to protect her? Even if it means becoming the killer he’s trained to be?

side view of a fashion man in leather jacket looking down in studio

Sale!

It’s Black Friday! And you know what that means, right?

A sale!

I’m running a kindle daily deal on Seventeen Days. From now until midnight on Cyber Monday, you can one-click your copy for 99¢.

Follow the link below to grab yours today.

Click here to buy from Amazon.com

Click here to buy from Amazon.co.uk

Pirates. ARGH!

Let’s take a moment to talk about pirates.

Sadly, I’m not talking about Captain Jack Sparrow. Although we can take a teeny tiny second to appreciate all the goodness below.

Okay, eye-candy session over. Back to business. Pirates suck. Unfortunately once you hit publish (sometimes even before) someone is bound to upload your book baby to an illegal pirating site. I’d love to say this hasn’t happened to me but it has. Seventeen Days was uploaded a day before it was live. That means that someone who was trusted with an ARC copy by either myself or the promotions company I hired, posted it before anyone was able to buy it. Did this hurt my sales? Yes. Sadly, I’ll never know exactly how much.

Why am I bringing this to light 10 weeks after the fact? Because I just spent the last couple of hours blasting a site that has my book, (my precious book!) posted on their website page by page for anyone to read. For free. When I offer my book for free if you subscribe to kindle unlimited. When I also am more than likely to offer you a copy to read via Instafreebie out of the goodness of my heart.

Pirates suck.

They make me feel like shit. Like no matter what I do, I’ll never win against them.

ARGH!

So today instead of spending the day reading & resting after getting eight pain injections in my back, I’ll spend it using Blasty looking for pirated copies of my book. Sigh.

Me Before You

Have you ever had a book that you’ve owned since it’s release but have never cracked open the cover? A book that you’ve always had every intention of reading but, life happened? Well, that’s happening to me right now.

Me Before You is a beautifully heartbreaking story. And I’m intimidated by it. Maybe that’s not entirely true. I’m not so much intimidated by it as I am scared to open the pages of my hardcover or bring the eBook up on my kindle. I’ve let my fear of this book rule me for years now. Not months. Not days. Years.

Before I get too far ahead of myself let me state why it scares the bejeezus out of me.

I had a friend spoil the storyline.

She didn’t mean to spoil it, the words just flung from her laptop keys and she hit send. She had no idea that I’d yet to open my copy.

So for the last couple of years, I’ve rebelled against reading what awaits me behind that beautiful red cover.

Until the movie.

And the soundtrack.

One day I was home alone nursing a migraine and bored. So I thought what the heck, and put the DVD in. Biggest. Mistake. Ever. Trust me friends, you don’t want to watch a movie that makes you cry, while you’re trying to rid yourself of a migraine. I cried so hard that I gave myself the hiccups AND a worse migraine. But honestly, I didn’t regret it. Not for one single second. Why? Because the movie is fucking beautiful.

Over the last few weeks, I find myself wanting to watch the movie again. It’s happened. I’ve cried another river each time. I’ve used many Kleenex loving this story and becoming immersed in the actors playing Lou & Will.

Last week while I was working on Finding Tenley, I couldn’t stop listening to this soundtrack. This is one of the those soundtracks. One of the ones that make the movie. The music is perfect. And I adore every single song on the soundtrack.

Tonight after I finished beta reading for a friend, I had to fight the urge to put in the DVD again. I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t get any sleep because I’d have to watch the whole thing. Instead I grabbed my kindle, hit the search and finally opened the book. Eek! I opened the book. And I’ve went one step further, I’m actually reading it.

I know after two chapters that this is going to be one of those books.

The books that stay with you for life.

Dawn L. Chiletz – Indie Author Spotlight & Giveaway

Welcome to my 2nd Indie Author Spotlight.

This week I’m featuring my friend, Dawn L. Chiletz. Her newest release The Fabulist, is unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

She was kind enough to answer a few questions for me. Enjoy.

1. Who/What inspires you to write?

That’s a tough one. Sometimes I’m inspired from my dreams – literal dreams, when I’m sleeping. “The Contest” came from a dream. Sometimes I’ll have a random thought in the shower that turns into a story and sometimes it’s something I hear in passing. I thought of Can’t You See while discussing insurance adjusters with a friend. I’m pretty random. But my boys are my biggest inspiration. I want to show them that no matter how old you are it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

2.The Fabulist is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It’s literally reality television in a book, only better. For someone like me, (a reality television addict) this idea should have been something that was in the forefront of my mind but it wasn’t… what made you think of it?

I was actually trying to help a fellow author come up with a title for her book that had something to do with liars. When I’m brainstorming, I usually end up at an online thesaurus to search words. Every once in a while, I’ll draw a creative thought from a synonym or antonym. In this case, the word Fabulist came up as a synonym for liar. I’d never seen the word before so I searched the meaning of it. I loved the idea of a book called “The Fabulist” because it sounded so original. She didn’t like it and went a different direction and I couldn’t get the word out of my head. That’s what got me started. I wrote Can’t You See while I was still toying with the idea. The reality TV probably came to mind from the definition – a storyteller. I was trying to think of something people could relate to and that’s where the reality TV came from. It’s everywhere these days. The idea of trying to put reality TV into book form excited me. I write best when I’m excited. That’s usually why I write my books so fast – before the inspiration is gone.

3.In The Fabulist we follow Sam along on her journey to potentially win a reality television competition to work for The Fabulist. She has no idea who that is, or what the job entails, only that a fabulist is in essence a liar. How did you come up with what the competition would be for?

I wanted to do a different spin on lying. I loved the storyteller aspect of it. I thought of all the reality TV I’d seen and I knew right away I didn’t want it to be about looking for love. Sam’s character traits were clear to me before I started writing and I knew who she was. I could see her. I could hear her in my head. She was strong willed and fearless. There was no way she’d ever apply for a show to find a man. She didn’t need a man to make her whole. A job was the only way she might try out so I decided to make her jobless. The story fell into place from there. The challenges were another story altogether. I rarely plan in advance for a book. I mostly just let the story flow. When it came time for the first challenge, I realized it would be more difficult than I thought to come up with multiple increasingly difficult challenges for lying. I spent a lot of time doing research and staring blankly at my screen. LOL

4.So, um… heard any good lies lately?

Is there such a thing as a good lie? The book was dedicated to people who lie for the right reasons. I suppose everyone lies for one reason or another. Not all lies are meant to do harm. I think it’s why people can relate. Everyone has lied about something. Have I heard a good lie? Let’s just say I have teenage boys. I hear, “Yes, my homework is done,” daily. Rarely do I believe it. They need to work on their delivery. I’ll never share my notes!

5.For me music plays a big role in my life (and my books). Do you have a favorite band/artist that you listen to while writing? Or do you require complete silence?

Music plays a huge role in my writing, but not how you might think. I draw inspiration from the way certain music makes me feel. But to answer your question, I actually write in complete silence, unless there is music playing in my scene. If there’s music in the story then I’ll listen to a song over and over to make sure I get the mood and flow correct. When I write, it’s like I’m watching a movie in my head. If my characters are listening to music then so am I. If they aren’t then I’m not either. I don’t have a particular band I listen to. For me it’s about emotion. I listen to a little bit of everything.

6.What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? Best compliment?

I think some of the toughest criticism has come in the form of reviews. At first, it was hard to see anything positive in them, but I’ve learned to take them as opportunities to improve myself. There have been so many best compliments I don’t know how to narrow it down to just one. I can say that one of the best was hearing that my story helped someone and made a difference in their life. To me that is the greatest gift you can get as an author.

7. Sometimes I like to imagine that I’m my favorite book character, (don’t judge). If you could be any character for one day, who would you be? Why?

Me, judge? Never! Who hasn’t wanted to be a character from a book? I think it’s one of the reasons I write. It’s therapy. I can live a thousand lives. Hmm… Who would I want to be? Bella from Twilight because – Edward! I also wouldn’t mind being Lake from Slammed, Ana from Fifty Shades, Ellie from Defining Moments, or even Everly from Enough. Why? Because they were all so strong. I love strong female characters that overcome obstacles and odds. They’re who I want to be when I grow up. If I grow up!

Buy The Fabulist

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Buy Can’t You See

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Buy Enough

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Buy Waiting to Lose

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Buy The Contest

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Click here to follow Dawn on Facebook.

Click here to follow Dawn on Twitter.

Stay up to date on all her latest news, check out her website. Click here to check it out.

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For a chance to win the books above, follow this link. —> GIVEAWAY!

Get in the Car, Jupiter – Fisher Amelie

Today, I fell in love with a chick named Jupiter.

You may have seen her around for the last few days. She’s stunning. Hold on, lemme share her cover, so y’all can drool with me.

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I know, I know. It’s perfection, right? What makes it even more so is, the words written on the pages. Jupiter is quirky. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and well, she likes being happy. If she wants to do something, she pretty much does it. Simply put… Jupiter rocks my socks.

But… Ezra. Oh my Gato! EZRA! He’s the perfect yin to Jupiter’s yang. The peanut butter to her crazy jelly.

Jupiter Corey’s family isn’t conventional. When she finds herself accepted to a university on the other side of the country, she knows they’ll never approve. Or help her get there. No help with applying for grants, no help with bus fare, airline tickets, nothing. One day her world literally collides with that of Ezra Brandon. She was daydreaming about him and didn’t hear the buzzer letting her know class was dismissed. She ran smack dab into Ezra.

After convincing Ezra to drive her to college when the summer ends, they leave on the trip of a lifetime. Add in one oddly weird and charming cousin (Here’s looking at you, Kai!) and we have shenanigan’s galore. The things that happen along the way could only happen to someone as quirky and charming as Jupiter.

Without giving more away, let me say this… I adored this book. It was just what I needed to get through this chilly fall day.

Buy Jupiter on Kindle

Buy Jupiter for Nook

Buy Jupiter for Kobo

Buy Jupiter for iBooks

Check out bellow for a fun interview of Jupiter by Ezra.

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“Jupiter” – A sort of-kind of-not really interview by Ezra Brandon.

Ezra: Hello, Jupiter.
Jupiter: Hello, idiot.
Ezra: That wasn’t very nice.
Jupiter: Consider it a preemptive strike.
Ezra: I won’t do anything mean, Jup. Promise.
Jupiter: I don’t believe you.
Ezra: You’re so untrusting.
Jupiter: Color me whatever you want. You’re a fickle boy.
Ezra: First question. How well do you know your planet?
Jupiter: *glowers* Not well at all. I avoided the subject, for obvious reasons.
Ezra: Did you know that Jupiter is a gas giant?
Jupiter: *Stands up and points at Ezra* I knew it! I knew it! Fisher, he’s being mean! Tell him to stop.
Ezra: *Laughs*
Fisher: Ezra, would you please refrain from astronomy themed humor?
Ezra: Ugh! You’re no fun, Fisher. Fine, Jupiter, you want to be a stick in the mud, be a stick in the mud.
Jupiter: Just ask your questions, Ezra.
Ezra: Fine.
Jupiter: Fine.
Ezra: *takes a deep breath* Did you know that Jupiter is the heaviest?
Jupiter: *Jumps forward. Wraps hands around Ezra’s neck.*
Ezra: *garbled* Fisher! Fisher!
Fisher: *Files nails* You play with fire, boy.
Ezra: *garbled* Fisher! Help!
Fisher: *puts down nail file. Sighs.* Jupiter, please refrain from suffocating Ezra.
Jupiter: *Lets Ezra go. Straightens clothing. Sits down.*
Ezra: *Rubs at neck. Smiles* You’re so hot when you get mad.
Jupiter: *Rolls her eyes but fights a smile.* You’re an idiot.
Ezra: I know this. Now kiss me.
Jupiter: No.
Ezra: Come on, give me a kiss, Jupiter.
Jupiter: *Laughs* No way, Jose.
Ezra: *Gets on knees.* Please, Jupiter!
Jupiter: I have you right where I want you. Dance for me, puppet.
Ezra: What does a guy have to do to get a kiss from you?
Jupiter: Tell me something nice and I might consider it.
Ezra: Does it help that I only play like that because I’m super in to you?
Jupiter: *Leans imperceptibly forward* Maybe.
Ezra: Will it also help to know that I think about you all the time?
Jupiter: *Leans in a bit further* Possibly.
Ezra: And what if I told you that I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met?
Jupiter: *Leans a mere few inches away from Ezra* It doesn’t stink.
Ezra: Okay, how about if I tell you how much I love to talk with you, and laugh with you, and play around. And that I think you’re the most fun I’ve ever had. And I hate the fact that I can’t be with you every single second of every single day.
Jupiter: Go on.
Ezra: You’re my best friend, Jupiter.
Jupiter: Bingo. That’s the one.
Ezra: *Smiles* I’m gonna tackle you to the ground now, Jup.
Jupiter: *Smiles back*

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It Ends With Us – Colleen Hoover (spoilers)

You know that moment when you open the book you’re about to start reading, and you read the first sentence, and you just know that this book is going to ruin you? This book is going to change your life?

That’s what happened to me when I cracked open my kindle and closed my eyes with my finger hanging slightly above a personal doc. (One that I wasn’t sure I had the strength to read.) Well my damn finger took on a life of its own and before I knew it, the sneaky little fucker clicked on the book and well… I was now going to begin reading “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover. It had been sitting there for months. I had an ARC copy but something was telling me before I ever read the beautiful words contained inside, that Colleen was going to weave together a story so painful, so truthful, so me, that I needed to be in the right frame of mind to even read a single word.

Whelp. Day 1 consisted of my reading the dedication, crying and shutting my kindle down. This wuss was going to need wine and more Kleenex to read this bitch. It was dedicated to her father and I knew that the words to follow were going to mirror my life in a way that no other Hoover book has before. (Which is saying a lot!)

Days 2/3 it sat staring at me from instead my kindle every time I turned it on. The dedication still there. That page left unturned. I couldn’t do it. Towards the end of Day 3, I looked down at my Do Epic tattoo and finally turned the page. I mean, how bad could it really be, right?

That night I read until I was ready to pass out. I loved Lily and I was determined to know everything about her. I wanted her to reconnect with Atlas but where was he? What happened to him? I also wanted to know more about Ryle the sexy neurosurgeon. But, that was all before the kitchen incident. I was to the point where I was passing out from sleep but as soon as that scene happened I was wide awake. Here’s why. My family is okay now. But it hasn’t always been. My father was an alcoholic and an abusive one at that. Most of the time it was my Mama who got the blame but sometimes it was me and my siblings. What Ryle did to Lily in that scene over her laughing at him, (a nervous laugh at that! I nervous laugh all the time.) brought back so many bad memories for me. I’ve always been the type of person to focus on the good. I’d rather think that the world is made of rainbows and unicorns because I’ve seen how bad things can be. I’ve lived with a person who became a MONSTER while drinking. To say this scene made me cry, is an understatement. This scene tore me apart. I had to take a chapter break. It was a good thing that I had been tired before I read it, because I was going to now take a sleeping pill to turn off the memories and try to pick-up IEWU again in the morning.

Day 4, I was determined to finish this book. Because I knew that he kitchen scene was only the first and there’d be worse things to come. I now knew that she needed to give up on Ryle and focus on Atlas. Yes, it has been years but he’s never hurt her. Atlas is a protector, and as a reader I could see how much he always wanted to take care of Lily. This beautiful broken boy who had nothing but still brought her gifts, even if he had to make them. The boy who for an hour everyday smiled while watching Ellen. He was who Lily needed to find.

As I kept reading the more I found myself crying. I couldn’t read a few pages without crying so hard, I couldn’t see through my tears. Memories that I thought had been buried came out of the woodwork. Times of being hit for no apparent reason other than I was talking too loud. My sister got it worse than I did. But like I’ve already said, Mama was the main target. I don’t know why I’m writing this or why I’ll post it but it feels cathartic in a way. Moving on.

When the whole blow-up happens after the journals, newspaper article and magnet. I feared for Lily’s life. If she didn’t get away from Ryle, I knew he was going to hurt her in a way that he’d never be able to take back.

When she ran to Atlas, all I could think was… Finally!

But I understood why she didn’t want to start anything with him while still dealing with this whole mess with Ryle. It wasn’t just herself that she had to think about anymore. It was her and her baby. She needed to make the decisions that were best for her. Did I agree with all of them? I’ll say yes. Because I believe that Ryle will never harm their baby. As long as he’s getting the help he deserves, I believe that he’ll be a good father. But I don’t believe that he would’ve changed enough for Lily. So in the end, I wanted Lily to run back to see Atlas. I’m okay that it just ended. For me, it was a happy ending. Lily ended up with Lily. The strongest heroine I’ve met in a while.

Thank you Colleen for writing this brave, soul baring, heartbreaking, beautiful story.

Children of abuse, (like me) woman of abuse, (like Mama) men of abuse and every single person out there needs to read this and understand its message. Violence is not the answer. I’m lucky enough to say that my dad has given up drinking, he’s been sober for nearly 20 years now. So a person can change. If they work on it and feel like it’s worth the sacrifice. I’m grateful that mine did. Others aren’t so lucky.

I’d give this book a hundred stars if I could.

Wanna know more about it? Click here It Ends With Us

D.B. James