Wednesday, April 9, 2014

April Newsletter

First of all, a BIG thank you to everyone buying and reading the Fullerton Family Saga. Even months after the release, you keep these books either in or near the Top 100 for Sagas on Amazon, and I'm continually amazed by all the support this series is getting. You all seriously rock my world and I can't thank you enough.

You might have noticed that some older titles are no longer available for sale on either Amazon or Barnes and Noble, etc. I have taken down some of the earlier books to revise, repackage and resubmit. They will come back online slowly, through the Kindle Direct program first, so that I can offer more deals to the public with reduced prices and free reads through Amazon. The first such title to get this treatment is "Love Plus One," which will be available within the coming days, so keep a lookout. I'll announce either on my Facebook author page or Twitter (or both,) so make sure you follow me so you can be updated on all the latest news.

For those of you waiting on new books, progress is going along better than expected for The Leftover Club. I had pushed back the publication date until August, but things are going so well we actually might have a much earlier date. It's a book where I take some chances, go a little further than I have in previous books, get a little more graphic in the more liberally written sex scenes, so for those of you who ever wished I'd push that envelope, Roni Lawless and her gang are ready to give you a little bit more of what you want.



I'm also starting a new trilogy to be published in its entirety by the end of the year. The STORM series will center on bikers this time around. I came up with the story in 1989, when I was homeless and living out of my car in Los Angeles. The mood and tone will reflect this grittier reality, taking a break from the more glamorous tales I love to write. This book was largely influenced by my first husband, who was, in fact, a biker, and introduced me to my fair share of "guy" flicks back in the day. STORM is sort of my informal protest, and that's really the only clue you're going to get. This story will have a little bit of everything poured into the mix. I'm going to mix genres again with sex and romance amidst a contemporary thriller where the stakes are life and death as an unknown culprit picks off Hollywood's most vulnerable. This is the song that inspired the story, just a little taste to get you in the mood.



I can't WAIT for y'all to meet MJ. S'all I'm sayin.



For anyone who wants to meet me or get a book signed, I'm currently finalizing a five-stop tour starting this summer and going all the way to summer 2015. I should have more details by the May newsletter, but Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and Michigan and Toronto? Get ready! I'm comin' for ya.

Finally I've figured out how to handle the conundrum of how much of a warning I need to put on the sales descriptions for my books. Since I write intense material for particular type of audience, I started putting disclaimers on books that stepped outside genre norms. The first, of course, was the Groupie Trilogy:



HEAs? Eh. Lots of sex frequent and fast? Eh. You buy my books, ya takes ya chances. I write stories, not formulas. The only guarantee you'll ever get from me is that if someone tells me I can't do something, it will make me want to do it. I like to twist expectations around. I find this fun. If you're a reader of mine you already know this, and most of you have told me time and again how much you like this approach and find it refreshing to the same ol' cookie-cutter template that repeats ad nauseam in a glut of other books.

I write brain candy escapism, but with enough realism to punch you in the gut. And that's the way it is going to stay, which, really, is warning enough. Some folks will like it. Some folks will hate it. That's how it works for everyone, and no specific warnings seem to minimize the damage.

Some folks won't read my books, and I'm OK with that. Some folks will be terrified to read my books. I'm even more OK with that. A writer recently told me that she wanted her readers scared as shit when they opened the first page of her novels.

I like that. This gives her liberty to take them anywhere and do anything. As a reader, I find that exciting. I'm more apt to read her books now because of it.

I ain't scared. Turn off the lights, start up the ride; let's DO this.

Since many readers are story purists like me, who want to go into a book without any spoilers of any kind, I've decided that a generic disclaimer works best for the kind of material I produce, rather than individual warnings on specific titles. I'm gradually adding the following warning for all my books written for an adult audience:

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

This author writes books that are written for a mature audience. Uncomfortable situations can and will be discussed unflinchingly and without apology, including those sociopolitical in nature. Many of these stories are written to be sex-positive, so sex is approached in a forthright manner, even in risque subjects such as triangles, cheating, polyamory and same-sex pairings. The frequency and intensity of these sex scenes depend SOLELY on the story being told, rather than formula or trend.

These stories are written to be angst-ridden. For sensitive readers, they may cause emotional triggers regarding abuse (sexual, domestic, emotional, religious,) disorders (eating and psychological,) and traumatic situations (up to and including death).

Most importantly, this writer does not heed rules that suggest "all books need a HEA." Books, in series especially, can involve cliffhangers.

If any of these are deal-breakers, caveat emptor.


(Basically, if you need a warning before you buy, don't buy. These are not the droids you were looking for.)

TAKE THREE!

Currently watching:

American Idol
The Big Bang Theory
Once Upon a Time


Currently reading:

George Orwell
Jennifer Weiner
Ray Bradbury


Currently loving:





Workout for Nerds!

See you in May!

No comments:

Post a Comment