NEWS ABOUT SOUL AVENGED!

I’ve got some prrreeeetty exciting news about Soul Avenged ... It’s about to get a makeover.

That’s right, to keep the look of the series consistent, I’m having the cover redesigned by my favorite Cali photographer, David Wagner, who has designed not only Soul Resurrected but will be designing Soul Enslaved as well.

All of the content in Soul Avenged will remain the same so if you have an older version of the book, no worries, the story will not change.

Only the face.

And speaking of faces …

Ayden is going to have a new look as well!

Meet Carla Coates (Carla Harvey as I knew her).

click to enlarge image:

Not only has she worked as an entertainment reporter for the Playboy Channel with a variety of roles in film and TV, and published a comic book that premiered at Comic Con 2011 - (yes, she's an insanely talented artist), she’s also the lead singer of the Butcher Babies AND a former classmate of mine.  Originally from Detroit, Carla moved out to L.A. to pursue her dreams of music and mayhem, proving that you CAN make a living doing what you love.

With all this going on, including an international tour that will have her on the road most of this year, I was a little nervous to ask if she’d like to be the fresh new face of Soul Avenged.  After all, Carla and her co-singer, Heidi, were dubbed the Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock by Revolver Magazine.  She's a hot ticket right now and her fan base keeps growing.  Which ... ahem ... includes me if you care to take a gander at my writing playlists.  I saw her band play last year at The Machine Shop and holy hell they put on one badass show!

(pssst!  Check it out:  Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock )

I was pretty damn thrilled when she said she'd love to!

Carla easily has Ayden’s badass, lycan-slaying, take no shit look.  And I am so excited to feature a Detroit native, the city where the series is set.

So, the deets still need to be worked out, but the photo shoot will happen sometime after Soul Enslaved.  And … for those attending the San Francisco signing next summer, I’ll have a gorgeous batch of books to sign!

WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!!

Okay I’ll just start out by saying this contest was hella crazy. Why?

Last Cover Model Contest, I received about 500 votes, spread out over a two-week period.

This time?

Three times as many!!!  And that was in just 4 days of voting!!  Holy hell, ladies and gents, you were all over these guys!  Ha!  Votes continued to come in up until midnight.

Before I get to the winner (don’t peek!), I want to say thank you to some folks who helped out with this contest and made it a success.

First, to David Wagner, for weeding through all the portfolios submitted for the contest, and narrowing down some smokin’ hot guys.  Damn, they were sexy and I’d have never stumbled upon them without David’s help.  Authors, seriously, check out David’s cover work.  He’s so easygoing, fun to collaborate with AND he has connections to some truly stunning men!

Second, to the four gorgeous candidates – Mickael, Rafael, Daniel and Jason.  Thanks so much for possessing superior genetics and making this contest an absolute blast!  If I could’ve squeezed all four of you onto the cover, I would have!

Third, to my pimps … all the kickass bloggers who helped me spread the word, enormous thanks to each and every one of you!!

And finally, to my readers, thank you for helping me choose the model for Gavin’s book!  I love the fact that you all play a role in my stories – a huge role, since a story’s cover is what draws a reader.  Thanks to you, Gavin now has a (very) handsome face—one I shall drool over, I mean, muse over as I finish writing his book.  If you opted in for it, your name will be included in a Special Contributors page of Soul Enslaved just for stopping in to vote!

Okay, now for the WINNERS of the Rafflecopter giveaway!!!

The TWO winners of a $50 Amazon giftcard, Sons of Wrath Property of Gavin t-shirt and swag are:

SIERRA MCBRIDE

HOLLY COLLINS

The FIVE winners chosen to receive an eARC of The Fallen (publishing in April) are:

STEPHANIE FREDRICK

CYNTHIA B. CLUBBS

MICHELE AVERY

NENA MF

BOBBI-VAUGHN READER

I’ll be emailing all winners with the details!!

Now that we have all that sorted … are you ready to see which drool-worthy candidate YOU chose??

I’m so very excited ….

Very very excited ….

Thrilled to announce that the incredibly sexy

DANIEL SOBIERAY

will represent the face of Gavin for Soul Enslaved!!!

Le swoon!  That wicked smile!  Those beautiful eyes!  That chiseled physique!  Daniel will make one fine-looking Wrath demon … very happy to have him on the cover!

And I had the pleasure of chatting with David this afternoon, brainstorming ideas to make this cover hot hot hot!!  So you’re in for a treat, ladies … as you know, Gavin has his own style and it’ll surely come through in the design we’re planning.

If your guy didn’t happen to win this particular cover—and I’m asking that all voters please be respectful to all candidates in the contest—you still played an enormous role by getting to know the character, spreading the word and taking the time to cast your vote.  And for that, I’m incredibly grateful!  There will more opportunities throughout this series for all of you to own a part of my stories.

So when is Soul Enslaved coming??

I’m working on Gavin’s story as we speak.  I will keep you updated as it gets closer to publication!

In the meantime, I’ll be publishing a FREE short erotic novel, titled The Fallen.  That will come out sometime in April and is the story of Xander, the fallen angel in the Sons of Wrath series.  This book is a standalone and NOT part of overarching story that spans the series.  Keep an eye out for that!

Thanks so much for reading <3

COVER REVEAL: Emergence by K.L. Schwengel

Happy Monday!  Today I have a treat!  A writer bud of mine will soon be releasing the second book in her Darkness & Light series and today is the cover reveal!  I had the pleasure of beta reading this beauty and I can tell you, if you're a fan of fantasy, you'll want to nab this one.  The writing is superb, with well-developed characters that you can't help but fall in love with.  *sigh* Bolin .... So, without further delay, here is the cover for EMERGENCE, book two in the Darkness & Light series by K.L. Schwengel:

BLURB:

The battle for Ciara's power has drawn the full attention of the Emperor and the Imperial Mages, forcing Bolin to put duty above safety and take her to Nisair. It won't be an easy trip, even with an Imperial escort and a Galysian elder accompanying them. Especially since Donovan has found himself some new allies, one of who wields a dark magic that has literally gotten under Bolin's skin.

For Ciara, coming to terms with the increasingly tangible manifestation of her power could destroy her. Even if they make it to Nisair--something that grows more unlikely by the day--there is no surety of safety for Ciara, or any of them. Not with Donovan willing to gamble everything to achieve his goals, or Bolin's uncharacteristically reckless behavior, the result of which is the attention of something that has everyone worried.

Loyalties will be tested, lives will be lost, and no one will emerge unchanged as they find things are not always so clear on the line dividing Darkness and Light.

About the Author:

K. L. Schwengel lives in southeast Wisconsin on a small farm with her husband, a handful of Australian Shepherds, Her Royal Highness Princess Fiona the Cat, and assorted livestock. Growing up as the youngest of nine children, and the daughter of a librarian, Kathi spent many hours between stacks of books, and secluded away in dusty archives, drawn to tales of medieval heroes and conquering knights. With so many characters and ideas spinning in her head, she had to get them onto paper or risk what little sanity she possessed. She has been penning wild tales of magic and mayhem as long as she can remember, but opted to follow her artistic muse first. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts and spending many years working as a freelance artist, grocery clerk, art teacher, graphic designer, stable hand, advertising account coordinator, dog trainer, and process technician (among other things) she answered the call of her writing muse. When not writing, Kathi trains and trials working Australian Shepherds, still paints, dabbles in photography, graphic design, and anything else creative her assorted muses send her way.

Kathi's work is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and other on-line retailers in both paperback and e-book versions. Signed copies are available via her blog.

Connect With K.L. Schwengel:

Blog

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Goodreads

CHOOSE MY COVER MODEL 2014

The votes have been tallied and we're down to TWO smokin' hot finalists for the Cover Model Contest!! Thanks so much to all my email subscribers who came by to vote!!  I know it wasn't an easy choice.  All four these guys were dayum sexy.  Thanks to you, the rest of the world can bite their nails over half as many.

So ...

Wanna know who the finalists are??

Hop on over to the Voting Booth and check them out!  This round is open to EVERYONE.  Tag friends on FB for extra points in the Rafflecopter!!

Hurry ... you only have until March 9th to get your votes in!  Voting booth will close at midnight.  Vote more than once!

GO, GO, GO!!!!!!!

Voting Has Begun!!

First round voting is under way!!

Yesterday kicked off the Cover Model Contest for SOUL ENSLAVED (Gavin’s book).

I’m letting readers select the best candidate from the four smokin’ hotties I’ve narrowed down by some miracle of the gods.

Phew!  Votes are pouring in and I must say, this is getting pretty.  damn.  exciting!!

It’s a good mix at this point, though I refuse to TOUCH these until it’s time to determine the winner.

Email subscribers will get to choose the TWO finalists that everyone will have a chance to vote on (beginning MARCH 6^TH-9^TH, 2014).

Wanna see all FOUR sexy candidates and choose YOUR favorites before the first round voting ends on March 2^nd???

Head on over to THE VOTING BOOTH!

Not signed up for the VIP Email list?  No problem!  Sign up here then get ready to join the fun!!

Cover Reveal: THE FALLEN

It's here!!! Man, I've been DYING to show this sucker off!  As I've mentioned in previous posts, at the request of a very awesome reader during the Bitten by Books party, I decided that Xander's story had to be told.  This book will be a prequel to Soul Avenged, a spinoff of the Sons of Wrath world, but NOT part of the overarching storyline that spans the series.

It can be read as a standalone.

I'm labeling this an erotic novel based on the content.  Yes, I said NOVEL because when I set out to write a NOVELLA, it just doesn't work.  This book is looking to be 60K words--short for me, but still considered a novel.  Therefore, I'm dubbing it a short novel.  Ha!

Even though it's longer than I originally planned, it's still going to be FREE.  There will NOT be paperback copies available for purchase, but if you're signed up to my VIP email list, there will be opportunities to WIN a signed paperback!  Get signed up today and you'll be able to view ALL FOUR candidates in the Cover Model Contest for Soul Enslaved and vote for the two finalists!!  A special perk for all my wonderful email subscribers.

As I've said before, this is the first time I've had to slap a warning on the book based on content. In all fairness though, this is Xander we're talking about.  If you've read Soul Resurrected, you know he's a character who kind of walks a very fine line between good and baaaaaaaad.  He was not originally created to be a hero.

You've been warned.

Huge thanks to my ridiculously talented brother, Ryan, for the design of this cover.

If you could share this post to get it out there in the blogosphere, I would be incredibly grateful! ❤

Okay, enough of the blah blah blah.  Without further delay, allow me to present, THE FALLEN (A Sons of Wrath Prequel):

The_Fallen_Prequel

BLURB:

To catch the Fallen, you have to become the very evil you were bred to slay.

Show loyalty.  Be willing to go deep into the gritty underbelly of the world, where the vilest acts of human carnage thrive and seep into your mind like a black poison, consuming every part of you that was once good.  Ignore your dark cravings and keep to the most important rule of all: never save the mortals.

This is the life of a Sentinel.

Some call us the toughest angels in the heavens.  Unbreakable.  But even the strong can break in the face of temptation.

Human females have always been the forbidden fruit for our kind—an enticement I’ve resisted for centuries, until she came along.

Karinna lusts for vengeance.

She wants inside the darkness, where the Fallen own the corrupted streets of Detroit—the perfect bait to take down the biggest crime ring the city has ever known.

I want her.  To have her, though, I’ll have to break the rules.

For one taste of the forbidden, I’ll have to commit the most heinous sin of all …

An exact release date for this book has not yet been determined but will likely be April 2014!!  In the meantime, add it to your Goodreads shelf:

PLAYLIST FOR THE FALLEN:

BLOGGERS!!

I'd love to have you assist with The Fallen Release Day Blast!!  If you've got openings in April, please sign up below:

[gravityform id=9 name=TheFallen Release Day Blast description=false]

Sons of Wrath Logo (Red Text - Style 2)

Grab a copy of Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) here:

Amazon (Kindle) |  Amazon (Print)  |  Barnes & Noble (Nook)

Grab a copy of Soul Resurrected (Sons of Wrath, #2) here:

Amazon (Kindle) |  Amazon (Print)  |  Barnes & Noble (Nook)

Cover Model Contest Update!!

It’s that time again!

Pull out your drool bibs, stock up on batteries, shine your computer screens and slip into something comfortable cos it's about to get steamy!

The next book in my Sons of Wrath series is Soul Enslaved (Sons of Wrath #3),  and I decided that, since the first Cover Model Contest was so much fun, why not let readers choose the face of Gavin’s book?

Add SOUL ENSLAVED to your Goodreads shelf:

ADD SOUL ENSLAVED

Anyone who’s read previous SoW books, knows the eldest Wrath brother carries a certain air about him.  Like one reader said to me, “… a man who looks like he can kick your ass and turn you inside out, then adjust his Armani 3-PC like nothing happened.”

I'm not even gonna lie ... I was nervous trying to find a face for his book.  My Pinterest boards were going wild for a while there--like I was subconsciously hoping to mash all the Gavin inspiration together and pinpoint the right guy.

For those who might be new to this CMC thang, you’re in for a treat!  The last Cover Model Contest was tons of fun.

Check it out: COVER MODEL CONTEST 2013

This time, I had some help recruiting these guys.  Huge thanks to the awesomely awesome David Wagner for weeding through nearly 500 candidates and pulling out the best of the best for our beloved Gavin.  I’ll tell you what—I thought it was tough going through all those pics for Logan’s book, but take a well-established and respected photographer’s casting call and you end up with massive sensory overload.

Perfectly carved muscles*~*~*~Chiseled jaws*~*~*~Gorgeous eyes

And some of those poses are just … le purrr.

I should've been a photographer.

I can’t even begin to tell you how f**king excited I am right now!!   Four sexy candidates are on board for this contest and I'd take any one of them for Gavin's book.  Good thing I don't have to choose because every one of them have drool-worthy features. In fact, I wish I could just put all of them on a cover, titled Four Smokin' Hot Guys on a Cover.

No story needed--no one would get past the cover anyway.

So what’s next??

The contest is going to be slightly different this time around.

Readers who are signed up for my VIP Email List are going to get a profile on each of the candidates I have in the pool.  THEY will get to drool over each entry and choose the TWO finalists.

Once the two finalists are chosen, I’ll post the voting booth, just like last time, for everyone to vote for the best man who will represent Gavin in Soul Enslaved.

Not yet signed up?  No problem!  Just click the link below, enter your email address and voila!  You’re in!

YOU WANT to be in, not only for the contest, but also because my email subscribers will get coupons for my books.  And I won't flood your inbox with a bunch of spam either--unless you consider half-naked men with muscled bodies like Spartan warriors to be spam.

In that case, don't sign up.

When is the next Cover Model Contest??

Email subscribers will receive a password to view and vote for the TWO finalists on February 26^th – March 2^nd.

Everyone will have the chance to vote:

March 6^th – 9^th  -- ONLY 3 DAYS!!

I will announce the winner on March 11^th

A cool little swag pack AND a $50 Amazon gift card are up for grabs!

PLUS …

FIVE winners will be awarded e-ARCs of my upcoming erotic novella, The Fallen!

ATTENTION BLOGGERS!!!

I need your help spreading the word about the contest!!  If you’d like to participate in the Cover Model Blast, March 6^th – 9^th please sign up via the form below:

[gravityform id=10 name=CoverModel Contest Blast 2014 description=false]

Okay, recap …

• FEB. 26^TH – MAR. 2^ND:  Readers signed up to my VIP email list will vote on the 4 candidates
• TWO finalists will be chosen
• MAR. 6^TH - 9^TH:  I’ll set up a PUBLIC voting booth right here on the website where EVERYONE and their brother can come and vote for the face of Gavin
• Swag pack and $50 Amazon gift card up for grabs PLUS ARCs of my upcoming erotic novella, The Fallen
• As before anyone who votes will be added to a Special Contributors Page of Soul Enslaved.

GO FORTH AND SPREAD THE WORD!!

I'll have prizes set aside, including giftcards, and flash giveaways for those who share the news and tag friends!

YOUR INBOX IS ABOUT TO GET HOT!

Grab a copy of Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) here:

Amazon (Kindle) |  Amazon (Print)  |  Barnes & Noble (Nook)

 Grab a copy of Soul Resurrected (Sons of Wrath, #2) here:

Amazon (Kindle) |  Amazon (Print)  |  Barnes & Noble (Nook)

Sharing The Love ❤

If you're not from Michigan, then you probably don't know how f**king C.O.L.D. it can get here.  I mean, eyes-watering-then-turning-your-eyelashes-to-icicles cold.  Look at this, taken just last week:

Frigid.  And when the wind blows?  Like little daggers of misery beating against your bones.  On days when it dips below freezing with a wind chill somewhere in the negatives, my first thought is, how the hell do the homeless survive in this shit?

As you know, the Sons of Wrath series is set in Detroit.  Not just by random selection.  I was born in Detroit and raised on the outskirts.

I'm currently running a limited time promotion for Soul Avenged and will be donating a percent sales to:

Covenant House of Michigan - This is an organization that provides shelter and education to runaway and at-risk youth in Detroit (ages 13-22).

How can you help?

For every book purchased during this promotion, a percentage of sales will be made in the name of Keri Lake's Caring Readers.

Help me get the word out and support a good cause.

For those who share and like this status on my FB page, I'll be randomly giving away a limited edition print, signed by cover model Julian Christian and moi, of course.

Thank you sharing the love ❤

Grab a copy of Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) here:

Amazon (Kindle) |  Amazon (Print)  |  Barnes & Noble (Nook)

 Grab a copy of Soul Resurrected (Sons of Wrath, #2) here:

Amazon (Kindle) |  Amazon (Print)  |  Barnes & Noble (Nook)

Here's What's Coming in 2014

Wow! Can’t believe a month has passed since I last blogged.  Okay, I kinda CAN believe it’s been a month because a lot of crazy shiznit has gone down in the last few weeks, sweeping me up like a tornado and tossing me around.

The holidays are always busy, but this year, it seemed like everything was non-stop.  Just before Christmas, we mourned a death, had a family member hospitalized and dealt with a major power outage that affected a good chunk of the state.  After Christmas, we packed up the kiddos and headed down to Texas to visit my best friend.  It was kind of a spontaneous trip – I seem to like those best these days.  But we returned in time to get slammed by a nasty storm that left us buried in a foot and a half of snow and ice.

Just this past weekend, hubs and I drove two hours north of where we live to pick up a new member of the family – our sweet little Labrador pup, Polar, so named for his pale, almost white-looking coat.  I’ve always had big dogs growing up so I was ready to welcome him into our home.  What I’d forgotten is how much WORK those first few days home with puppy can be!

Holy shit.  Like, all the time.

He absolutely kills me with cuteness, but I’m looking forward to getting past the potty training stage.

As a result of all this craziness, I haven’t been online as much as I’d like.  Another big reason for that though, is I’m writing two projects simultaneously, with another in the works.

For those who don’t follow my FB page, I’m finishing up an erotic novella that’s sort of a spin-off from the Sons of Wrath world, titled The Fallen.  This is the story of how Xander came to be a fallen angel.  Back in December, during the virtual release party for Soul Resurrected over at Bitten by Books, one lovely reader asked about him.  I sort of stuffed that thought aside, thinking, if there’s time, perhaps I’ll explore that a bit later.

Ho ho.

I should’ve known better.  Like most of the alpha males floating around in the oversized bachelor pad I call a brain, he refused to be ignored or ‘back burnered.’  So I jotted a few notes down for kicks.  That snowballed into a few thousand words.  That snowballed into a few more thousand words.

Two weeks later, I’m approaching 32K.

I know I’ve said that each book is dark.  Soul Avenged was dark.  Soul Resurrected was darker.  This book is the darkest thing I’ve ever written to date.  Cringe-worthy, in some cases.  Consider yourself warned.

Add The Fallen to your Goodreads shelf:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20429000-the-fallen

So because I like to get the crap news out of the way first, I’ll tell you the bad.  Soul Enslaved doesn’t have the wordage that I’d have liked at this point.  It’s been slowed down by this shiny shiny that I’ve stumbled upon.

Not to worry though, come hell or high water, Soul Enslaved will be in the hands of my editor on the date promised.  I don’t really have a choice there, as she has other clients with deadlines.

Therefore, even if that means I don’t sleep for DAYS and I end up having hallucination of lycan wolves lurking in the shadows of my bedroom, which gets me thrown into a padded room with a cozy shirt that ties at the sleeves, this book is going to be written and delivered.

The good news is, The Fallen will be out VERY soon.

And the even better news??

It’s going to be F.R.E.E.

That’s right!  I’m putting this baby out there for nothing because this was a request from a reader and it’s been a blast to write.

So keep an ear out for that announcement because I won’t be running a huge tour or anything.  Though if there are any bloggers that might want to help spread the word on Release Day, please fill out the form below because I’d LOVE to get your help!  And you get to shout about a free book – that’s always a plus.

[gravityform id=9 name=TheFallen Release Day Blast]

Okay, so The Fallen is coming, followed by Gavin’s story in Soul Enslaved.

I’ve got even MORE news – I’m telling you, the past few weeks have been Cray-Zay.

The second annual Cover Model Contest will soon be underway!!  I’ve enlisted the help of David Wagner, photographer extraordinaire, to help me find some super smokin’ panty dropping hotties that would make one fine looking demon brother.  We’ve already talked about this cover and I can assure you, it’ll be Gavin-worthy.

There are a number of sexy faces on the scene these days, so if you’ve come across someone you’d like me to consider for the contest, post the link to his FB page in the comments below and if he fits the character, I shall check out the goods.  Er, by that I just mean, the level of hotness and muscles.  Not like, you know, the packaged goods or anything.  Here’s an example of a newbie I came across recently:

https://www.facebook.com/AssadShalhoubModelingAndFitness

Ahem. **dabs drool**

Moving on.

The Fallen

Soul Enslaved

Cover Model Contest.

Mark your calendars ...  2014 is gonna be one helluva year!!