Readers gonna read. Writers gonna write. LOL!
​TNEE went off as a huge success!!! Delta Force sold out within the first hour! Readers who already had read the story talked non-stop about Logan! I LOVED hearing that!!! They were also asking about Brody's story. <3

During my author book talk, basically a panel of just me with the readers, someone asked me about writing about my experience having an autistic child. This was a question I was not prepared to answer. Needless to say, I broke down and cried while answering. I apologize for that, as it was not expected. I hope I did not hurt anyone with my answer. Move, yes, touch, definitely. But not hurt. 

That aside, TNEE was great! The Villain's ball was AMAZING and the food? Out of this world!!! If you missed out on TNEE, there's another con you can get into and trust me, you WANT to be there! Huge announcement is coming soon! HUGE!!! I'll post about it, tweet, and share as soon as it has been released! I already know so for now, my lips are sealed!

Delta Force, Deadly Alchemy, and Fatal Intentions sold out! Southern Roots did pretty well and Clive was talked about often. I also realize it's time to start drawing back on Chronicles of the Fallen. Which is good because MORE people have it so YAY!!

Most authors did very well at TNEE. Horror authors were represented well. Even YA and NA! Oh, did I mention the Villain's ball? Seriously awesome! Check me out as Lady Loki and Milly Taiden as Madam Magneto!
​

If you haven't attended a Romance Ink event, you really need to consider doing so. They BROUGHT it! Aside from hotel issues, which is bound to happen, the staff made the event completely seamless! Now, onto the next event!

Check out my events page.
Next for me is Sassy in Jacksonville. This event will take place June 4th. Are you coming? I hope to see you there!!!
Saturday, June 4th, 2016 the event will be at Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. Main event time is Saturday 12-4. Currently there is no after party scheduled so I'm setting something up private with readers, more details coming soon! Click here for more information.

After Sassy is Authors After Dark in August! This is another Romance Ink event so if you're not setup yet to attend, you NEED to be! Seriously! If you wait to see who is attending, it may be too late to get a ticket! So sign up today! Click here for more information!

Oh! Back on TNEE for a moment, readers have been watching Marianne Morea and I talk online about Dragon Master! They asked for a reading and let me tell you... the room was silent and gasps were heard! Readers were ASKING for this story to be ready for AAD! So yeah, we're working our tails off to make that happen!!!

That's it from me for now. See you on the next trip!!!

Chronicles of the Fallen has been a wild ride! In a years time, the story had been outlined and written into four different stories, each detailing a different aspect of the series.

1. Fallen - Lisa discovers she's sold her soul to Samuel. Alex commits the ultimate sacrifice to save her.
2. Redemption - Lisa's choice has been made and with it, are severe consequences. New allies are made and new enemies are met. Before Alex loses himself completely, Lisa must fight her way back to him and save her family.
3. Atonement - Samuel needs the soul of an angel to take Jonathan's powers... and the perfect angel makes a play at destroying him. Anauel knows she can save Samuel... He knows he WILL be her downfall.
4. Culmination - Hell is rising and Jonathan's powers are a threat to everyone. Enemies must unite to save the world from a coming apocalypse. Sides will be tested and some will betray others. Trust No One.

I never thought I would be here today... writing these stories and writing about them afterward! Follow your dreams and take that chance. 
Before I took the chance to write, I would read for authors, write reviews and when the time allowed, beta read. I loved every second of it. Then one day along the way I met an amazing woman, Jillian Dodd. She is a treasure and if you don't have her on your reading list, I suggest getting to it... like right now.

I met Jillian when I took on her first published book, That Boy. I fell in LOVE with it! Jillian, like many other indie authors, took the time to talk with me. She and I befriended one another and over time, developed a friendship. Hell we even saw Magic Mike together! (Crazy evening lol!) 
Jillian invited me to Book Bash in Orlando last June, 2013. I came out and this was a turning moment for me. I met many amazing authors this day, but this is not what the changing moment was... it was realizing that THIS could be me. Alex and Lisa were waiting patiently for me to listen to them. Samuel... yeah not so much. When he realized I would finally take this story seriously, he began talking NON STOP! The readers of the Fallen series should not be surprised by this. HAHA!
Encouragement from Jillian and her assistant, Beth Suit, is what lead me to start writing out Fallen.
Jillian, thank you will never be enough.

Along the way, I met a few other women that completely changed my life... for the better.
Rebecca Cartee stepped up to the plate as my first beta reader. She informed me she was not a fan of paranormal stories, but wanted to get into beta reading and "why not?" Yes, her words. She took on Fallen and I can personally say, she's never looked back. Rebecca has since become one of my editors and I look forward to working with her in the future.

Kathey (aka: Designs by Katt) came next. She knew exactly what I was looking for in covers and never stopped working. She's image, then send it over. Image more and send it again. When I realized I was falling in love with my covers I knew we had a good partnership.
I began getting curious about author signings and events. I knew they were important but I wasn't sure HOW important. In comes Stella Price.

I met Stella back in November, 2013, before publishing Fallen. I believe I asked her if I should really considering attending TNEE Atlanta because "I'm not published yet and no one knows who I am." In other words, am I kidding myself? She told me I should come, if anything for the experience. Y'all I had so many questions! It's a good thing she did not shun me! LOL! 
March 2014 I attended my first signing and came close to selling out of my paperbacks! Stella was right and I'm SO glad I listened to her! She has since become a friend and I treasure her dearly... and our love for Tom Hiddleston and Michael Fassbender. Yum.

After Fallen published, a woman named Tabatha (some of you know her as Faith) and she took a chance on me and offered to publish me moving forward. I've learned a lot from her and hope to continue our work together in many years to come! Thank you for believing in me and my stories.

Finally wrapping this up and certainly... NOT the least... my street team. 
When I realized the Fallen series had affected people the way it did completely humbled me (and shocked me!). I met some of the most amazing women from these stories. Nicole Webb is definitely one of them. I believe our first conversation was about "questioning faith" and "letting go of pretenses." Nicole and I had a long talk and I was humbled she took the time to reach out. She was humbled I took the time to talk to her. (Seriously authors, talk to your readers. They're your bread and butter!).

In closing, many, many thanks go out to Jillian, Rebecca, Kathey, Stella and Nicole... among many, many others. Are there stories after the Fallen series? You bet there is! Will they follow this series? Unfortunately, no. This series stops with Culmination; however, in the future, if Samuel continues to pester me the way he does, he may get a novella or two. LOL! Archangel Michael occasionally bends my ear so watch out, you may see him in something soon. Who knows?
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. It means the world to me. Anytime, reach out and say hi. Tell me who you love more, Alex, Samuel or Jonathan? LOL I know there's a few Michael fans as well! Again, thank you so much for reading the stories, reading this blog and just... being there.

Much love!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 

Hey Readers! #AAD this year is giving away over 4000 books, registrations to AAD 2015 and TNEE Vegas and a TON of author sponsored prizes and gifts. And there's a HUGE costume ball, an open bar, parties, mini events, an in house tattoo artist, corsetier and a mechanical bull. 

Yeah, you heard right! Registration(250$) includes all your meals (And we DO provide REAL options for gluten free and vegetarian offerings!) a welcome bag filled with swag and books, and your pass to all the awesome we do every year. Wanna hangout with authors, I mean REALLY hangout with them? This is nothing like ANY mere signing you have attended. ALL the authors attending WANT to hangout with you, talk with you and be a part of the larger world of Literary awesome. Don't you? 

Register today! Your conformation will have links to get your hotel and a link and password to get a seat for the Sins and Virtues Ball! Check out all the awesome at http://www.authorsafterdark.org/ or the #AAD FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/450532265077444/

August 6th - 10th I'll be in Charlotte, NC for the Authors After Dark book signing! You do NOT want to miss out on this event! There is SO MUCH going on that it'll be sad, sad day to not see you there!

Wednesday there's a blind date book party
Thursday there's panels taking place covering any and every subject! Absolutely do NOT want to miss. There's a party Friday night and a Sins and Virtues ball Saturday night. Yours truly is one of the hosts of this party... Sloth! Yes... bitches being lazy and making it look fabulous! There is so much happening you do NOT want to miss this! Click here for more information on the Facebook page! Click here for ticket sales!

September 12th and 13th I'll be in Tampa, FL for the Indie Mashup presents Angels & Sinners book tour! If you've not been to Tampa, now's your chance! September is still warm but this event will be HOT!
The VIP ticket includes the signing AND Angels & Sinners party Friday night! Get front of the line access Saturday for the big signing! Industry professionals will be joining us so don't miss this opportunity to join us! Check out the video below made for the events! Click here for more information the Facebook page! Click here for ticket information!

October 2nd through the 5th I'll be in Minneapolis, MN for the first Pure Textuality con! You may see #14PT going around. If so, that is it! 
Minneapolis weather may be chilly in October but I guarantee you the event will be STEAMING!! There are many panels, HOT subjects, guests of honor and so MUCH more! Did I mention a party? Well yeah, there will be a huge party a well! Do NOT miss this opportunity to come out to Minneapolis and party with us and attend the signing. It will be EPIC! Click here for more information for #14PT. Click here for ticket sales!

REDEMPTION IS COMING SOON!! March 15th will be here before we know it! Here's what a few reviewers have posted about Redemption, book two in Chronicles of the Fallen series:

Another winner of a book from Julie Morgan. She has given birth to her own honey of a storyline and keeps her readers wanting more. Took me a single day to get through this one and now I'm waiting to see where it all goes. Way to go Julie!

First off, you must read Fallen first to understand whats going on in Redemption, both are amazing books!!

Redemption, WOW, it kicked some major ass! Redemption blew me away!!
The angel vs demon battle has so many ups and downs, it kept me intrigued and irritated when I had to stop reading for some reason, I was dying to finish it and find out what happened.

There were times I wanted to slap or curse some of the characters, you get so drawn into the story you can't bear to put it down.
The author did an amazing job with this one, you can literally picture everything that's happening, it has such great detail. I am completely in love with this book and cannot wait to read more.

Wow! Keep your arms inside the ride at all times! I highly recommend having tissues, chocolate, and the ability to curse out loud when you read this book. There are several Holy **** moments. 
Emotionally this book was a real roller-coaster for me. I was given an ARC to read, and boy was I not ready for the emotional roller coaster to come. 
I will tell you that I dreamed of this book, I thought about it when I wasn't reading it, and I ate a lot of chocolate. I messaged the author telling her I wasn't sure, emotionally, if I could handle finishing the book. When I couldn't stop thinking about it though, I had to finish. This is one book you won't want to put down for long.
Julie Morgan has done a great job of creating a whole world beyond this one with her characters. You want to love some of the characters, fight for them, and you wish you could slap or defeat others. 
The steamy scenes make you wish for a steamy bad boy of your own.
I look forward to reading more books by this talented author.

I'm VERY excited to get this book into your hands! TRUST ME!!! I recently finished writing Souls of Fire and Ice, book three in the Chronicles of the Fallen series. This story is about Samuel finding his own redemption. He's still the bad boy, he's still a demon. None of that changes. But when a certain angel puts herself back into his life, he's determined to be her downfall... or will she be his? This story actually crosses over (slightly) into the world of BDSM. If you've read Fallen (and soon Redemption) you'll understand why. Samuel is a BAD boy. Super bad... he's THE Samuel... and I love him. He's a creation from my own mind. Same as Alex, a creation from the demise of my mind! LOL!

I received my swag order! New rack cards (aka: over-sized bookmarks) and postcards! I've been sending them out this week to readers of Fallen! If you'd like some, send me a screenshot of Fallen on your ereader, or a screenshot of the paperback and I'll drop it in the mail! EASY!!

The two hotties on the image here are (left) Alex (aka: Jesse Christopher) and Samuel (aka: Daniel Hosse). 
March 28th - 30th I'll be in Atlanta signing at The Novel Experience Event (click here to see more information). Daniel will be joining me at this event! You won't want to miss this!!! 

I have been considering creating these t-shirts. What do you think?
Look for them coming soon! I'll have them for sale on my Store page once I have them in hand.

I read this article and thought it should be shared. I'm glad I read it. Thank you Asteria's blog for posting. I know I've bombarded a few of the groups I belong to but lately, have shy'd away from doing it any longer... with good reason. I also know of a few authors who do ALL of the mentioned items below. Someone did # 1 to me not too long ago when I won her ebook. "Want to be on my street team?" Honestly, I know nothing of her, how could I? I politely told her no, that I'm running my own team, but appreciate the offer. Now when it comes to social media, don't be a snot. Talk to your fans. Follow them back on Twitter. Don't be that asshole. They took the time to enjoy your book. Take five minutes to follow them back and answer their questions. 

10 Ways to Piss off Potential Readers
Potential readers are the bread and butter of any indie author's career. Finding those readers is often a daunting task, and so most of us turn to Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/etc. Reaching new people is the goal, yet many authors think that social networking really means let's-annoy-the-crap-out-of-complete-strangers-by-beating-them-over-the-head-with-my-latest-promotion-or-event.

Who thought that was a good idea?

Here are the top ten ways to piss off potential readers using social networks:

#10. Go ahead and send that Direct Message on Twitter. You know, the one that starts with "Hey, thanks for the follow! Please check out my latest book here (http://whatever), or better yet, find me on Facebook! (http://notinamillionyears)

Yeah. Because twitter lovers have nothing better to do than to click on EVERY site sent in a direct message. 

#9. Be sure to use a call to action tweet with new followers. 
Sad thing is I think someone actually told this author that this is a great idea. Demanding something of someone you just met doesn't exactly set the tone for a good start to a new friendship, does it?  

#8. Promote one event on every single group/site/page you own on Facebook. You know this campaign is a success when Facebook finally suspends the URL due to spam. 
Here's the thing. Chances are the people that follow your fanpage also may be one of your coveted 5000 friends or are in the same group you're in. You're preaching to the same choir, just in a different loft. And no one enjoys listening to the same sermon twice. Best to stick with putting it on your fanpage only. If you want the extra exposure, ask some close friends to share it in a group or two.  

#7. People love a narcissist.  Only post stuff about your work. They'll follow you in droves.  
If you make the NYT's or USA Today's bestsellers list, or if you hit anywhere in the top 100 on Amazon by all means, shout it from the rooftops! But otherwise, post reviews and updates in moderation. People would rather see a post about the deer in your backyard or a picture of your laptop at Starbucks over an hourly updated screen-shot of your Amazon sales. 


#6. People admire snarky authors that put other books down. Don't be afraid to state your opinion about other author's work. 
Riiiight. Like that won't completely offend the faithful readers of that other author, will it? Too, it won't make you look like a pompous ass ... not at all. 

We all have different styles of writing, and not one is any better than the other. Putting down someone else's work makes you look like a total douche. In the words of my grandmother, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."  

#5. People want to hear your political views. No really, they're riveted. 
A well written book is loved by all. Why on earth would you want to alienate half the reading population by taking a political stance on a controversial subject? Love Obama? Hate Obama? Tell you family, your close friends, but by all means keep it off your social media feed. 

#4. Be sure to make it as difficult as possible for people to contact you.Readers love a good challenge, and they'll feel privileged when they finally get through. Oh, and be sure to wait at least a month before getting back with them if you reply at all. 
Twitter validation services, contact forms instead of email addresses, and putting people off to an "agent" does nothing but distance you from your readers. Contact info should be front and center on every site. And if readers take the time to contact you, respect that by contacting them back. Preferably in a timely manner. 

#3.Don't follow people back on Twitter. Having 10,000 followers while you are only following "The Chicago Manual of Style" sets a precedent. Readers love a writer that is standoffish and aloof. 
The whole "mystery persona" is a crock. Sorry, but it's true. While movie stars and professional jocks may get away with it, if you're a writer and your numbers are this out of whack, people think you're a snob. 

#2. When a reader wins a signed copy of your book, mail it whenever. They can wait. 
I know we all are crazy busy, but when a reader takes the time to participate in a giveaway and they win, they're excited and want their book. Chances are if you get it to them ASAP, they'll bump you up on their TBR. And please, take a second and write a small "Congrats" email and then a follow up of "Hey there, I just sent your book via USPS. Here's the tracking number." A little consideration goes a long, long way.  

#1. As soon as someone so much as says "hi" bombard them with information. Be sure to ask if they'd like to help make Pinterest pins. Oh, and ask if they'd like to join your newsletter. Street team anyone? Hey, do they have a blog? Because you'd love for them to run your blog tour, right? 
This one's a doozey. By overwhelming new contacts, writers are not only losing a reader for their current work, but probably every work thereafter. 
Readers are smarter than your average bear. They also share the same passion that writers do: the love of a good story. We should appreciate that, not try to take advantage of it. In this ADD world, the art of listening is sadly being lost. When someone takes the time to reach out to you, reach back. Shake their cyber hand and listen. 

Remember, social networking isn't about hocking your wares. It's about reaching out and making new friends. Take time to get to know someone, to really care about them and foster friendships. For when something really great happens with your work, those are the people eager to shout it out on their network. They want to participate in your blog tour, they cheer when your book hits #1 on a list somewhere. 

More importantly, your life is enriched because you took the time to get to know them.