Living Dead World Book 3 Update

Hey all!

I was finally able to type 'the end' on Daughter of Fate and Misfortune. This book continues Jen and Jack's story, in alternating POV's, and picks up a few months after the story Reaper Madness ended. It is currently in the hands of my publisher, awaiting its fate. (Whew...what a relief!) Now I wait to see if they want it.

This story was truly a struggle for me. I felt a lot more self-doubt and uncertainty with this one than the last book, which is probably why it took me so long to finish, Part of that was the direction the story has begun to take, and my own indecision about certain aspects. Part of that was pressure on myself to get it right. In the end, I feel good about the story as a whole and hope that other readers will feel the same.

I will post updates on the status once they're available.

The Hotter the Love by Lea Bronsen

After sexy cover model Yushka proposed, life is more turbulent than ever for erotic romance author Andrea. He is expecting a baby with his ex-girlfriend, who says she doesn’t want to keep it. How will Andrea's sons take upcoming life changes? To make things more complicated, her ex goes to great lengths to coax her back, and one of her sons' girlfriend is a tad too interested in Andrea's young and very handsome fiancé...

On the writing front, Andrea anxiously awaits news on her latest manuscript submission, and she has to decide whether to accept her publisher's offer to model in a sexy photo shoot—the same kind she and Yushka did in Cannes—in the hopes of making a new "Cover Photo of the Year". Considering the erotic poses the previous photographer demanded, can Andrea model with another guy other than Yushka?

Excerpt

We enter a hall so big the tiniest sound echoes. It’s quite humbling. I shrink in my clothes and barely dare to breathe. Dark wood furniture towers over us, with a mix of contradictory smells—orchid-scented sanitizer and old dust—filling the space.

Shoes clamping on a hardwood floor, we follow the tall, silver-haired man into a living room with exquisite furniture, gold-framed mirrors, and classic paintings on the walls. Heavy velvet curtains adorn the windows, and an impressive floor-to-ceiling library on one side has to contain literary curiosities from every part of the world. Marveling, I study each magnificent object.

The man stops and glares across the room, his facial expression clearly one of annoyance. What an oppressive atmosphere.

Yushka stands beside him and stares in the same direction.

I follow their gaze. A young and strikingly beautiful woman is half-seated on a green velvet couch with her legs folded underneath her. Dark doe eyes and pink lips stand out in a pale, oval face. A waterfall of rich, glowing auburn-colored hair contrasts with her white dress. She looks cast in a scene from the Russian classic Doctor Zhivago. Beneath full breasts, a pregnant belly protrudes, far too round and big for her frail frame. Jekaterina?

My chest tightens. The more I look at her, the more her beauty takes my breath away. She’s the woman Yushka was in love with last year. The one he slept with and impregnated.

Her gaze is riveted on him, the recognition and warmth fiery.

I shoot him a glance. His features are tight, as if he’s trying to hide his reaction, but he doesn’t take his gaze off her. This is exactly what I feared. They’ve had feelings for each other. Maybe meeting now will revive them. He has fallen for her once, so why would he not fall for her again?

I feel bad, nauseous, want to get out of here. But she’s carrying the baby girl I’m going to call mine very soon. I need to overcome my unease. Hopefully, once the formalities are done, this is the only time we’ll have to meet.

She tells him a few words in Russian, her voice the cooing of a turtledove.

Yushka replies calmly, but his throat sounds choked. He grabs my hand, palm sweaty, and leads me to a sofa opposite hers. His discomfort is more than clear in his features. He tears his gaze from her and searches me, his expression vibrating with an intensity I seldom see. It hits me—he’s afraid.

I squeeze his hand. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” he replies instantly, but his tension is palpable.

My chest tightens to a painful level. What is he so nervous about? From his interaction with Jekaterina, this has nothing to do with the baby. It’s about them, their relationship, and me. Is he afraid he’ll have to choose between us?

Goodness, I’m delirious. I sit very still, take small, shallow breaths, and pray for everything to be all right. Then bolt out of this house after the arrangements are resolved.

Jekaterina addresses me, her dark pupils glimmering. “You’re very beautiful. Are you a model, too?”

I’m as taken aback by her speaking a fluent English as I am by her compliment, and need a few seconds to shake myself. “Um, no, I’m not.”

She raises a brow. “That’s funny. I would’ve sworn you were a model. So how did you two meet?”

“At an author conference.”

Yushka clears his throat. “Andrea writes books, and I’m featured on the cover of her last one.”

“Oh, how exciting.” Her lips curve upward. I can’t decide whether it’s a genuine smile or she’s faking it.

“Yes,” he continues. “That’s why we … uh … were bound to meet. They had organized a Meet-and-Greet for authors and cover models of their books.” Why does he sound like he’s trying to make an excuse?

She flutters her long lashes at me. “What kind of books do you write?”

Before I can answer, her father walks over to a cabinet and picks up a bunch of papers. “All right, enough chit-chat.” His voice booms like thunder.

Book trailer

https://youtu.be/ho7fOUvnFfw

Book links

Evernight Publishing / Amazon.com / Amazon.uk / Bookstrand / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / All Romance eBooks / Goodreads / Pinterest

About the other books in the series:

The Perfect Shoot (book #1)

When Andrea Johnson, writing as author Cindy Vega, signed up for a Meet & Greet with the cover model of her latest book, she didn’t expect sparks to fly. Yushka is dangerously good-looking and too young for her. But their connection is instantaneous, and during a photo shoot with the two, the photographer picks up on their growing attraction. Seeing the potential for THE cover photo of the century, he decides to push their comfort limits…

Get The Perfect Shoot at http://www.evernightpublishing.com/the-perfect-shoot-by-lea-bronsen/

Mine to Love (book #2)

The writing conference in sunny Cannes was fantastical, a dream. Back at home, reality catches up with author Andrea Johnson and the sexy cover model of her book, Yushka. With tough working schedules, challenging family relations, and seductive temptation from all sides, the couple’s explosive romance is put to the test. Will their love be strong enough to have a future?

Get Mine to Love at http://www.evernightpublishing.com/mine-to-love-by-lea-bronsen/

About the author

I like my reads hot, fast, and edgy, and strive to give my own stories the same intensity. After venturing into dirty inner-city crime drama with my debut novel Wild Hearted, I divide my writing time between psychological thriller, suspense romance, and erotic dark/contemporary romance.

I love to hear from my readers! Write to leabronsen@yahoo.com or meet me on:

Website / Lea's Crazy Nights Blog / Facebook profile / Facebook page / Twitter / Amazon

Welcome Lea Bronsen and her first audio book release!

Thank you for hosting my first audio release, the erotica anthology SURPRISING MYSELF! What is your secret fantasy? That one thing you dream of doing but have never had the chance to fulfill in real life… Thirteen writers present sexy, steamy stories of women getting the chance to live out their personal fantasies. What’s yours? Whether it’s several lovers at the same time for a pulse-pounding ménage scene or the allure of getting caught in public, these stories will set your mind ablaze. From voyeurism in a sex club to swinging, cuckolding to cosplay, SURPRISING MYSELF brings you stories from thirteen hot new writers to watch out for and just might make you think about fulfilling your own wildest fantasy.  

 

ABOUT LEA BRONSEN'S STORY "COME ABOARD"

Lorna, a young American reporter, travels to a port town in France to cover a yacht race. She hopes she’ll be able to experience her wildest fantasy on the beach – sex in public. Due to getting on the wrong train, she has an argument with the controller, who she finds both immensely sexy and annoyingly arrogant. When he brings her to the engine, pretending to restrain her but instead getting intimate with her, she sees the opportunity to live out her fantasy…  

TRAILER

[youtube=https://youtu.be/ETJpsnhXGwM]

 

EXCERPT

If lucky, I might even meet a handsome Frenchman with whom to spend Saturday night. I’m single, have been for the past few months, and at twenty-three, the lack of sex for such a long time is driving me half-nuts. An interlude with a local hotness on one of the warm beaches of Sables sounds like an irresistible idea. Yes, a beach, or any other public place. The eBook I’m reading features a heroine getting the fuck of her life in an open park at night against a tree in full view of passersby. I want that kind of excitement, too. The three boyfriends I’ve had in the past few years were good in bed but not daring enough. I yearn for someone to do something crazy and a little forbidden with me, in public visibility. Surely, that hint of dangerousness, the possibility of being caught by the authorities, should increase the sexual experience—and our orgasms—tenfold.

For now, I’ll have to do with checking out the cute Maghrebian controller while waiting for him to examine my ticket. Row after row, he walks the narrow aisle toward me, distributing polite smiles to the passengers and answering questions. Tall and broad-shouldered, he has the looks and build of a soccer player. A black tribal tattoo appears below the short sleeve of his purple shirt and travels down his sun-kissed, muscular forearm. Beneath his gray cap, he sports a short buzz cut, and two or three days’ worth of black beard stubble covers his cheeks and chin, just enough to make him…oh, God, immensely sexy. With full lips, a strong nose, and black olive-shaped eyes, he’s a gem of North Africa, an exotic, roughly polished jewel. He would definitely fit in my fuck-on-the-beach fantasy.  

BOOK LINKS

Audio: Insatiable Press / Amazon EBook: Amazon.com / Amazon.uk / Barnes & Noble / Kobo Preview the book on Amazon Add the book to Goodreads See pictures on Pinterest  

ABOUT LEA BRONSEN

 I like my reads hot, fast, and edgy, and strive to give my own stories the same intensity. After venturing into dirty inner-city crime drama with my debut novel Wild Hearted, I divide my writing time between psychological thriller, suspense romance, and erotic contemporary romance. I love to hear from my readers! Write to leabronsen@yahoo.com or meet me on:

  Website / Lea's Crazy Nights Blog / Facebook profile / Facebook page / Twitter / Amazon 

Whew! Look at all the cobwebs in here...

If you know me at all, you know I hardly blog at all. It used to be a hobby, but lately, with too much on my plate, I have to prioritize which writing I choose to focus my energy on. And blogging falls low on that list. So there you go :)

You may be wondering: am I working on anything? If you've been reading my Living Dead World series, have no fear...I am actively writing the next installment. I hope to finish it this summer. Without giving too much away, here are a few highlights from the new story:

Picking up a couple months after Reaper Madness ended, a new more sinister problem has appeared on earth, landing Jen and her new reaper partner in a bit of trouble. This will send her down a path of self-discovery she never imagined, and she learns something startling about her origins.

Jack is coping with his own issues. The half-demon Nulcifer had left him with a bar to run...as well as a roster of employees who seem to be out to get him. He's struggling to gain control of the situation, and also experiencing some unusual and potentially dangerous side effects from being fused with the imp, Feargal.

More will be revealed about Jen and Jack's past.

A centuries old curse has resurfaced, ready to wreak havoc on the underworld.

And yes, Sam will be back, further complicating Jen's romantic feelings.

So there you go! :)

Jack is back...on tour!!!

February 15th: Starter Day Party @ I Heart Reading

February 15th: Book Excerpt @ Stormy Night Reviewing

February 17th: Book Excerpt @ I’m an Eclectic Reader

February 21st: Book Excerpt @ Ashley’s Wonderland

February 24th: Author Interview @ Bedazzled Reading

February 27th: Book Excerpt @ The Single Librarian

February 29th: Book Excerpt @ Indy Book Fairy

March 3rd: Book Excerpt @ Mythical Books

March 5th: Book Excerpt @ Maari Loves Her Indies

March 9th: Book Excerpt @ Sunshine Book Promotions

March 7th: Book Review @ I Heart Reading

March 9th: Character Interview @ The Book Daily

March 12th: Book Excerpt @ Bookish Madness

March 15th: Book Review @ Fanatical Paranormal Romantical

Observations on the Book World, The Hard Truth-- Part 1

I haven't blogged much recently--with limited time, it's always necessary to pick and choose where I focus my energy. I've been doing some thinking lately, particularly with regards to what I want out of my writing. Part of me is satisfied just taking a project from idea to complete, published work. I enjoy the process and get a sense of personal fulfillment from that process.

As a published author, however, there comes the problem of finding readers. And in a time where the market is so completely saturated with books, it's hard to keep from sinking into the vast, seemingly endless void of millions of other books.

I've come to the conclusion that as an indie other (small press or self published), you need to spend a great deal more than you make just for a shot at selling a few books. Whether it's advertising, book tours or paying somebody else to promote your book, we all purchase these services with the hopes that readers out there will find our books.

It's a gamble using any of these services, as none can offer a guarantee that you'll suddenly find your audience and start selling. That said, if you don't gamble you can't win, so many authors purchase these services anyway, hoping they'll find the magic formula. And judging by the amount of book promotion I see on a daily basis, it's a popular approach.

Does it work? Well...I'm of the opinion that even if it doesn't set you on the road to bestseller status, it can't hurt. Every blog that features your book, every contest you enter, every review you get--that's just one more place a potential reader could find you.

I'm also of the opinion that in this flooded market, you're much more likely to make money offering a service to authors than to be an actual author. This is in no way knocking people who provide these services to authors (we love you all, honest). It's just, when you sit and think about it, service providers are guaranteed to get paid for their work, whereas I am not. And what it boils down to is I'm paying someone else for the chance to get paid for my work. I'm hoping that if I pay somebody $75 to organize a blog tour, maybe one or two readers will find my book interesting--out of all the other books they see on tour--and possibly buy it. One or two readers. My $3.99 book. It really doesn't add up.

Now, this isn't necessarily a complaint. It's more like-- folks, this is the reality for many of us. If you're pursuing writing with the hopes of quitting your day job and being rich, know that your chances of that happening are probably roughly equal to winning a large sum in the lottery.

Art, in any form, is not easy to make money from. You pretty much need to be a shrewd business person, willing to put in the tremendous time and able to afford the money necessary to make your creative work a success. And for many of us, that is the most difficult part.

Destiny by Cait Jarrod

ABOUT THE BOOK

Destiny

Montana Dreams #2 (can be read as a stand-alone)

by Cait Jarrod

Dec. 14, 2015

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 123

With the exception of one dear friend who treats her like a daughter, Autumn Wilcox keeps her heart closed off to others. Now this friend struggles with her last breaths and makes a request—for Autumn to find the elusive rainbow that will reveal her destiny. She doesn’t have faith in such tales, but for her friend, she agrees and seeks a pilot to take her to Bluebird Valley, Montana. 

After the death of his parents and his brother’s war injury, Travis Carson withdraws and his heart goes numb. He dives into work until his brother settles in Montana because of Travis’ insistence to carry out their parents’ dream of living in the mountains. He quits his search and rescue job to pursue his vision of opening a scenic tour business in Montana. So, when friends ask him on his last day of the job to give a woman a ride to the Big Sky Country state, he agrees. Simple, easily done, but the swirl of energy radiating off her has him agreeing and doing things out of his norm. He can no longer push away his feelings to protect his heart. He wants more.

FIND THE BOOK

Amazon

Goodreads

Series Facebook Page

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author of award-winning romantic suspense Band of Friends series, Cait Jarrod won Reader Choice Awards for best HEA (Happily Ever After), suspense, and Editor's Choice.

Her heroes have been described as "every girl's dreams," the heroines as "strong, down-to-earth, and likable," the secondary characters "hysterical." The plots are "fast-paced, unpredictable and clever."

FIND THE AUTHOR

Website

LinkedIn

Facebook Fan Page

Facebook Profile

Twitter

Pinterest

Goodreads

Google+

Amazon

Stealing the Wolf Prince SALE through January 31st 2016

Blurb:  What harm could come from impersonating royalty?

After years on the road conning wealthy nobles out of their gold, Kiera is ready to give up her life of crime and return to her childhood home of Cearbhall. She’s got one last job in mind, one that will see her set for life. What harm could come from impersonating a country princess to marry a prince and live wealthily ever after? Except her childhood home is nothing like she remembered. The king has gone senile, his younger sons rule with terror, and the crown prince is missing. The prince she’s to wed is only interested in siring an heir, and her future brother-in-law wants to get into her skirts. Deciding the grifter’s life wasn’t so bad after all, Kiera plots her escape. Before she can steal away, she’s discovered and thrown into the dungeon with a crazed wolfborn to die.

Lachlan never thought that he'd see his childhood sweetheart once his wolfborn affliction set in. Nor did he expect to ever see daylight. Imprisoned in the dungeon since adolescence, his brothers have usurped the throne and trail evil in their wake. When Kiera lands in the dungeon with him, he recovers his will to put things right. Kiera may not remember him, but he remembers her, and Lachlan vows to save her from his brothers and their schemes.

Excerpt:  Kiera wields a power unlike any other, and she doesn’t need saving. But the people of Cearbhall do. As Kiera and Lachlan fight the evil princes, they uncover a greater magic in the world around them, and a powerful magic between them that can’t be denied...

Excerpt:  Kiera turned the ivory crank on the side of the massive oak bookshelf. The mechanism within propelled the shelf along a track in the floor, opening an aisle between the bookcases for her. She pulled her notes out of her apron pocket, verified that she had accessed the correct aisle of the law section, and edged sideways down the temporary corridor. Her lantern only illuminated a few feet before all was lost to shadow. The old tomes were dust-covered and occasionally misfiled, but she found what she was looking for without having to traverse the entire aisle.

She had selected a book of local history she hoped would shed light on the archaic laws that still prohibited the study of magic by the masses. Hopefully, it might hold the key to instigating some changes in current restrictions on magic practice. Kiera focused on the printed letters on the book cover as she emerged from the aisle.

When she looked up to see a man standing in front of her, she nearly dropped the book. “Good gods!” she cried. One hand went to her heart as if it might jump out of her chest. “You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that, Brogan. You know I hate it.”

Brogan’s smirk was that of a man who had accomplished something phenomenal. “It’s hard to resist when you make it so easy to do so, dear cousin.”

Kiera took a deep breath to calm herself and resisted the urge to hit him. “Have a nice trip back?”

He waved her polite conversation away and motioned to a small troupe of people standing at the massive library’s rear entrance. “It’s time to celebrate, Kiera. I’m back with money in my pocket.”

Kiera recognized all of Brogan’s companions. Friends, he called them. Wastrels, she privately thought. She fixed him with a hard glare.

He tried to distract her with a dashing smile, which might have worked if she wasn’t his cousin and didn’t know all his tricks. “You don’t have to be holed up here all night every night, you know. Phelan likes your company a lot…”

“I happen to like the library,” Kiera said, knowing where the conversation was headed. “And this is the only time I can get in here without constantly getting interrupted or harassed. Besides, we have creditors to pay. You shouldn’t be wasting any money at the bar or gambling with your friends. Where will they be when you’re penniless again?”

Brogan grimaced, but Kiera knew she was right. His friends disappeared as soon as the coin ran out, but old habits died hard. He had been raised by a

man who had squandered everything as soon as he had earned it and had passed his vices on to Brogan. She glanced back at the tall, gangly Phelan, who was watching both of them—especially Kiera—with great interest. She didn’t care that her wild, red locks were tied under a bandana and her smock was covered in dust. This was her domain, and she wasn’t going to feel self-conscious about her state of dress just because of him.

The two women beside Phelan didn’t seem impressed with the library at all and resembled deer ready to bolt at the slightest sound. Erann was looking at her surroundings with disgust, and the ever-bubbly Brigid somehow managed to bounce even though she was standing still.

Brogan waved a hand to encompass the shelves and their stacks of books. “What about all this? There’s no benefit in staying up until the wee hours of the morning in this dusty old library.”

“I’m on a mission. All people should have the right to study magic, not just the select nobility.” Kiera waved a finger at him.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Brogan rolled his eyes. “I know; we’ve been over this. If you get caught, you’ll get thrown in jail faster than we would from any of our cons.”

She scowled. “But you said we wouldn’t have to do this for very long, and here it is years later. I’m

still stuck in a dark library while you're out spending what earnings we make before we can save any of it! Before the rent is paid!”

Brogan cringed. “Now, there's no need for that…”

“Yes, there is.” She lowered her voice so the others couldn’t hear her. “You’ve made promises, both to me and to the creditors. Neither of us have seen a cent. All I can do is berate you, but I’m sure the debt collectors can extract more than just a bruised ego.”

Brogan flinched at that last reminder.

“When is the last con, Brogan? Or am I going to have to start looking up distant relatives to take me in?”

Brogan frowned. “I don’t know,” he mumbled so quietly Kiera almost didn’t hear. “If we find the right mark…”

Now it was Kiera’s turn to roll her eyes. That was a phrase she’d heard before.

“We should go for someone higher up than these merchants.” His eyes lit up. “Someone like royalty.”

“What? Going after royalty is too dangerous. You can fool a crooked merchant out of some money, sure, but if you get the wrong family against you, it’s all over.”

“But why not hit one of the outlying

kingdoms? On the borderlands or the outskirts?” Brogan started to pace, smoothing a hand over his chin stubble. “One that doesn’t have ties to the inner royal families in the empire. One that has a lot of wealth but is still small.”

Kiera forced herself to remain perfectly still. There was only one such kingdom, and she hoped he wouldn't remember its name.

“Cearbhall?” Brogan smiled. “That’s what it was called, that little place where you grew up. Cearbhall would be perfect for an endeavor like that.” Brogan's gaze grew unfocused as he stared past her into the darkness of the library. He seemed to have forgotten that Kiera was in the room.

She gave a loud ahem to get his attention again.

“Right, Cearbhall.” He clapped his hands together. “You know what to do.”

Kiera folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t want you to go there and swindle those people out of anything. They are good people, and they don’t deserve a visit from you.”

A crooked smile tilted his lips. “Well, seeing as I’m the only one able to support this little twisted family we have here, I don’t see that you have much of a choice. I want a plan by tomorrow night. Have fun.”

“Are you scheming again?” Erann shouted from the door. She stood with her hands on her hips,

glaring in their direction, tapping her foot impatiently against the floor. “We haven’t even spent the profit from Lord Blackling’s folly, and you're already planning another job?”

“Come on, Mr. Fletcher, let’s go celebrate.” Brigid waved Kiera and Brogan both toward the exit.

“Kiera?” Brogan held out a hand.

Kiera shook her head. “You go ahead. I have some more work to do here.”

“Suit yourself.” He spun on his feet and sauntered back toward his friends. “I’m feeling lucky. Anyone up for a game of Twenty-one at Hit the Deck?” He draped an arm over Brigid and Erann’s shoulders and steered them out of the library. Phelan lingered only a moment, then left as well.

Reluctantly, Kiera headed down the aisle to put back the book she had just retrieved. Her private research would have to be put on hold for now in favor of finding information about the royal family of Cearbhall. She was pretty sure she remembered some of the histories, but she would need help to fill in the blanks. It was going to be another long night of research, notes, and black tea.

Author Website:  http://elleclouse.com/stealing-the-wolf-prince/

Author Bio:  Elle has been writing fantasy and science fiction romance for years and an avid participant in the NaNoWriMo.

Elle is happily married to a martial arts instructor, a mother of two small boys, and constantly talking her husband out of adopting a new pet. She knits and stamps in her spare time as well as feeds a latte addiction.

http://elleclouse.com

https://www.facebook.com/Author.ElleClouse

https://twitter.com/ElleClouse

http://www.pinterest.com/authoreclouse/