Blood, Loss and Self Promotion

I recently did a free promo, giving away 1200 books. It feels weird that I have that many people potentially reading my work. I had such a hard time for so long to let anyone read it and now it is out there for all to see. I have received positive reviews and that has really boosted my sales. I didn't know how important a review could be until one reviewer from the UK read my book and raved about it. She has her own blog and reviews  books all the time. This has bumped up my says immensely. I had never sold more than a couple books in the UK before and now I am almost selling as many there as I am in the states.
It has taught be that when I like or love a book I should share it by writing even a small quick review. Pay it forward as they say. That author has worked hard to entertain me and now I want to repay in kind. Especially for indie authors who have to do all their promoting themselves. So in that vein I am going to do a little self promoting of my own.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Cassandra-Myles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082ZQF8Q

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Cassandra-Myles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082ZQF8Q

http://www.amazon.de/Blood-Cassandra-Myles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082ZQF8Q


If you lost everything that made you who you are could you recover?

Would you be stronger than before or would you crumble under the mountain of grief?

When Cassandra Myles is faced with this question her answer is to do what ever it takes to move on. She rebuilds her life and finds happiness once again. She doesn't do it alone, she has two very special men in her life, who have been there for her while she has recovered.
One is her boss. His name is Quintus and he is a very old and very powerful vampire. He took her under his wing when she needed someone and now she would do anything to repay that debt.
The other is her roommate Declan. He is caring, charming, gorgeous and in her eyes perfect in every way except one. Cassandra feels they are meant for each other and Declan feels he is meant for every woman who walks in his bar.
Life might not be perfect, but it was filled with possibilities and she was going to meet them with strength, courage and when all else fails a huge dose of sarcasm.
Then Quintus comes to her and tells her what was once lost can now be restored. A painful part of her past can be undone. Will this make her life complete or should some things remain buried.

This novel contains several erotic scenes that may cause an increased heart rate and other more pleasant side effects. This novel is not meant for a younger reader.



If I wasn’t his best friend I might have called him a slut. He uses his job as a bartender to pick up anything that walks in his bar without an Adams apple. He has never once brought any of these skanks to our home, but he does stay out all night several times each week.  That is why I don’t understand his angry dad routine when I have a platonic dinner with my boss. He was clearly not interested in me. I had made it as clear as I could and still keep a little pride that I was available and he never made one move on me.
Sometimes I just get the cold shoulder and sometimes he loses his mind. If he wasn’t such a sweet guy in every other way I don’t think I would put up with it. I swung the front door open bracing myself for a conversation I had a thousand times already.
“Sorry I’m late Dad. I tried to make curfew.” Maybe if I kept it light so would he.
His moss green eyes narrowed to slits, radiating anger from every pore. “You know for someone who has been through what you have, you’re still pretty naïve when it comes to vampires.”
I wish I had the strength to knock that smug look off his face. My hands formed into fists anyway. “Seriously Declan I am not in the mood for this. You’re like a broken record.”
“I can’t believe you’d trust him enough to let him kiss your neck.”
My eyes widened and I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but if Quintus really wanted my blood he could have had it six ways from Sunday by now. I was alone with him all the time. “That is none of your business.”
I brushed by him to go to my room, but he grabbed my arm. I tried to pull away and it only made him tighten his grip. “You let that corpse kiss your neck and I saw the look on your face. You were aroused.”
 “That is the line Declan and you have so crossed it.”
“Are you fucking him?”
“What do you care?”
He pulled me closer. His breathe tickling my ear as he spoke. “I care Sweets. You know I do. He isn’t good enough for you.”
“You are overreacting. I haven’t had sex with him. Quintus has been nothing but good to me. I am tired of this. You have to stop doing this Declan.”
  “I just hate to see his hands on you. It is very inappropriate for a boss to be all over one of his employees.”
“What do you care Declan you fuck anything that walks in your bar and I hug Quintus good bye and you freak out. Hell you told me once you did your manager on a pallet of beer. So don’t pull that one.”
“Those girls don’t mean anything to me. They are just a means to an end.”
“Wow that is romantic. What a catch you are.”
I couldn’t tell if he looked hurt or ashamed. I hoped it was both. “Don’t be mad, I just want what is best for you.” I was mad at him, but I knew he meant what he said.
“I was hugging Quintus because he has a meeting with Illi. He is pretty sure she is going to lift the geis. So if you want what is best for me then that includes Quintus. He may have finally found a way to get my magic back.” He dropped his eyes to the floor and let go of my arm. I went to my room and gave my door a very satisfying slam. 

I hope you enjoyed this sample and decide to buy. My next Post will be about my other book Russian Pawn so stay tuned.

When the Smut Hits the Fan

I have recently published my first erotic novel. I read erotica always have. I enjoy it and am not afraid for people to know this about me...accept... Well truth be told when it came out I never told my parents or any other older close relative. Why? When I write I don't necessarily only write about my own fantasies, but they are in there, so do I want my mom and dad reading these things ah no. I certainly don't want to know that they have.
My mother checked out my book Russian Pawn. She called it dirty. I told her well don't read it. No actually please please don't read it. My great Aunt wanted to download my books. I had to ask her daughter to convince her that Blood and Loss was an awesome read, but my other book was not for her.
Does this make me repressed, ashamed of who I am or a hypocrite? No I don't think so. I believe a  woman has a right to enjoy erotica, porn, etc in whatever way they choose as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. Woman (and men but lets face it in my experience men can have sex with the house on fire as long as he knows he has another 5 minutes before the roof caves in) especially those of us with kids and jobs be they stay at home or any other kind have a burden of worries, to-dos, responsibilities etc that weigh us down and sometimes sex is the last thing on the list. Reading can be a way to take our minds off it and maybe slip into someone else shoes for a while.
So if those shoes happen to be five inch stilettos and the story line happens to be -insert sexual fantasy here- then when she lays down her book she will likely be in the mood to lay down with her man. If she doesn't have one, maybe she can at least please herself and get in a little stress relief.
Clearly 50 shades of grey hit a nerve. There are so many good erotica books out there. The range is endless. It doesn't have to be of the soccer mom variety a la 50SOG either. It can be hard core BDSM, whether she wants be be the S or the M. It can be a romance with the guy from the other side of the tracks. It can be as in my book a woman who is strong, kick-ass adrenaline junkie who enjoys sex in all flavours, but vanilla and uses that to her advantage. The important thing is that when you read it you feel turned on.
Then buy a bunch of them. In whatever form you prefer. Read them in the tub, at bedtime etc then when you feel that tingle down below call your man in the room and tell him how to satisfy it, or don't maybe you want to do it yourself either way you will be in a much better frame of mind. Oh and don't worry about the kids, that's why they have bedtimes and locks on the bathroom door.
So ladies (and gentlemen) go buy my book or whatever other smut that helps you reach the finish line sit back and enjoy.

I've Been A Bad Bad Girl

I must apologize for not updating my blog for such a long time. Time gets away and then you can't believe its been three weeks. One of the reasons for such a long hiatus is the farm. We grow organic veggies and fruit and it is our busy season. I have been slaving away as much as possible outside. We have been weeding, picking and planting. I will try not to let my outside job interfere with my inside job again.

I have been busy writing too. I am on my second draft for the second book in my Cassandra Myles series. It is coming along and I am confidant that it should be ready by the end of October. I want it out for Christmas.

I had a two day free promo for both of y books and it was a great success. I gave away 1280 books and have since increased sales and have received some awesome reviews. It has been such a positive fun experience, that I will definitely do it again.

Russian Pawn

Russian Pawn is now available for only 99 cents. It is an introductory offer only and will only be available at this price for a short time. So get it while its hot. (well my book will always be hot). It involves very adult content so please only buy if you are over 18 years old.
I am already outlining the next in the series so if you enjoy Sloane and Ian, they will be back in the next book.

Blood and Loss is doing well and it is priced at 2.99 for the summer. It will make sitting in the sun an even hotter experience. I am currently editing and reworking book two and hoped to be done by November so I can have it ready for Christmas.

This weekend was the first time since I published Blood and Loss that I took time off from promoting. It was a nice getaway, but now it feels like I am very far behind. We go to my parents cottage on the weekends in the summer and there is no internet access. While not great for my profile on twitter, it was great for writing. You can't be distracted by checking email, facebook etc. So I think when it is crunch time this fall and I really need to finish up my sequel to Blood and Loss, heading down to the cottage might be the thing I need. We don't even have a TV. Sitting on the porch swing writing on my laptop while taking time to enjoy the view of the lake makes me think I am a pretty lucky writer.

Russian Pawn is Done

After an unfortunate delay I have finally finished Russian Pawn. I am excited to go live, but I am going away for the weekend and I think I will publish it on the second of July. So I hope every one is going to get this first installment of my new series. 

Sloane is a sexy professional thief who has been hired by some of the richest and most powerful men in the world. She helps them complete collections they legally can't own. Precious artifacts, royal jewels and any other treasure that may be hard obtain. Its just a game to them, but it has made her some very powerful enemies.

The most powerful of them all is her estranged husband and head of the Russian mob. Sergei isn't used to being stolen from or rejected. Sloane has done both. Will she be able to escape his clutches? Will the man he hired to capture her let her go or turn her over?

It seems bleak, but Sloane can be very persuasive and she will use any trick of the trade to get away. (pun totally intended)

If you like an erotic story that will not only turn you on, but also has a storyline and characters that will entertain you as well, then Russian Pawn is for you. 

It gets intense, dirty and rough and Sloane gives as good as she gets. 

People of the World

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Cassandra-Myles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082ZQF8Q

here is the link for all kindle users in the United States and Canada

http://www.amazon.es/Blood-Cassandra-Myles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082ZQF8Q

here is the link for those in the UK

http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0082ZQF8Q

here is the kindle link for France

New Author starts of with a bang with this fantastic new series! The lead character shows both a vulnerability and a growing strength. I greatly anticipate the next installment to see how she grows into her strength, and to experience the new adventures the cast of characters will develope around. I'm so happy that I picked this one up!

just one of the five star reviews

http://www.amazon.de/Blood-Cassandrayles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082ZQF8Q

the kindle link for Germany

http://www.amazon.it/Blood-Cassandra-Myles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082ZQF8Q

the kindle link for Italy

http://www.amazon.es/Blood-Cassandra-Myles-Series-ebook/dp/B0082ZQF8Q

kindle link for Spain

Here are all the kindle links for my book. I hope you check it out no matter where you live. It will have you sleepless until you are done.

I can't get the links to work for some reason, but if you copy and paste it should work. I willkeep trying.

Therapy for the Multitasker

As I was putting away my 12th load of laundry (no that isn't exaggeration for effect), I started thinking about all the other things I needed to do. Like weed my garden, clean my kitchen, make supper, take care of my sick son ( he just has a sore throat), write my blog, check on my facebook page, tweet about my book, work on my next book, water my garden, try to get more followers and make a list of everything else I have to do so I don't forget.
Now I know I am not the only person out there who has these things to do and maybe even more. I am writing about this, because I am wondering when you spread yourself thin can you do any of these well? Do you just muddle through and hope for the best? Do you become uber type A superwoman who has every moment of life scheduled down to bathroom breaks? (shudders in horror) Do you just jump from one project to the next hoping something gets done?
I do a little of all three.
Hoping for the best can never hurt. Some days that is all you have. Big fat hope that tomorrow will not be quite the shit storm today is. This may come in the form of selling more books then you have in a while, your kids helping with the housework, your hubby making supper or even an extra retweet you weren't expecting.

Scheduling is not my forte. If I set a schedule and then don't get everything done, then I get stressed and work until I either can't because of exhaustion or until someone tells me to take a chill pill and relax for a second. So I do a loose kind of schedule where I work until 10am on my writing and tweeting and blogging. Then I work outside in the garden until lunch. Afternoon is the same as the morning. Write for an hour then work outside. After supper I spend with the kids and then I write some more. So that is me scheduling and jumping everyday.

You must do whatever fits into your life. Remember it is also okay to schedule a time for nothing. That is sometimes the hardest thing to do when you always feel like you are behind. Your family needs your time as well. Mine has been super supportive, but I still feel the guilt when I am inside and my husband is outside playing with the kids.

So if I have to answer the question am I doing any of these things to the best of my ability, then the honest answer would be no. I am trying my best and this period of transition will end and maybe things will get easier. It will right? The first year we owned the farm I was having a panic attack over not being able to do it. By the next season my husband was across the country for 3 months and not only did I do it, but I did it with no help and kids to take care of by myself. So this year I added a book in the mix. Maybe next year I will wonder why I was so stressed. Of course next year I won't release a book in the spring. (see I can also learn from my mistakes).


 I feel like I was just in a therapists office and my 60 minutes is up. So I will toddle off feeling a little better from unloading. Deep breathe....ahhhh. 


happy reading
Electa