Cover Reveal: BACKFIRE

It's finally here! I've been dying to show off this gorgeous cover, designed by the insanely talented, Hang Le.  Paired beside Chris Williamson's handsome face on Ricochet's cover, these books are going to look so damn pretty on my bookshelf.

Before I get to the goods, I want to thank Eric Battershell for working with me and traveling to Florida to photograph the sexy model that I had to have for this cover.  In fact, I'd gone through a number of images before I stumbled upon his, and I refused to consider anyone else for Backfire.  He matched the face of Jase Hawkins so perfectly.  Thank you to model, Johnny Kane, for being so awesome (and possessing some damn good genes).  Follow him on Instagram for some ridiculously hot pics.

Many many thanks to Hang Le for being so patient and so wonderful - absolutely love working with her!

I also want to thank Book Slut Goddess from The Literary Gossip for recommending Eric!

Finally, I just want to mention that I wouldn't have considered a spin off to Ricochet, if not for the amazing support of the contemporary bloggers and my wonderful readers who encouraged me to write more of this genre. ❤

Okay, okay, I know what you came for, so without further delay, here is the cover and blurb for BACKFIRE.

Add it to your Goodreads shelf and be sure to enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win an ARC before it releases!

BACKFIRE

By Keri Lake

Adult Contemporary Romance - Standalone

Expected Release Date:  June 2016

Cover Design:  Hang Le

Image Credit:  Eric Battershell

(Click below to see full size image)

AND

BLURB:

No matter how unbreakable he may seem, every man has a weakness.

A year ago, my home became a bloodstained crime scene. That night marked the beginning of my hell—the same night I was tortured by my enemies and tossed into an underground prison to die.

They failed. I survived.

Now that I’m free, only one motive burns in my soul:  revenge.

Lucky for me, they think Jase Hawkins is dead.  Maybe I am. I’ve got nothing but a cold, merciless rage, and Black Betty, the sharp steel blade that never leaves my side.

Then she drifts into my life.

Lucia wants answers—so much so, she’s willing to fall into the darkness where my enemies lie in wait, to kill her for what she knows.

Or to take her for the depraved fantasies her body alone can rouse in a man’s mind.

Me?  I want her for the fire in her touch that feeds my addiction, forces me to feel what has become numb, but my appetite for bloodshed runs deeper than flesh.

For my own sanity, I’ve vowed to stay away from her. Because she’s my only weakness, an obsession that leaves me craving more—one that could make even the most steadfast plan backfire.

Backfire Teasers

 

 Backfire Playlist

 Giveaway Time!!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal Sign-Up for BACKFIRE

Phew!  It’s been a while since I posted on the blog, but there’s a reason for that—I’ve been so freakin’ busy plotting and writing books, I feel like I’m crawling back into reality for the first time. So today I thought I’d tackle two things:

  1. I have the sign up for the cover reveal for Backfire
  2. I’ll address the questions I’ve received about Ricochet and Backfire

In TWO WEEKS—March 3rd—I’ll be sharing the gorgeous cover for Backfire, the second book in the Vigilantes series!!  Any bloggers who’d like to sign up for the reveal, simply click this link:

Thank you so so much for your incredible support!

 

Okay, now on to some of the questions about this new book and how it relates to Ricochet (I’m not going to say TOO much as I don’t want to spoil any of the story):

Is Backfire a continuation of Nick and Aubree?

Nope.  This is a totally new couple.  I wanted to keep Ricochet a complete standalone, as promised, but I didn’t want to leave that world behind yet, so Backfire is a spin-off of Ricochet.  There will be a second book to this spin-off titled Ballistic, but each book can be read as a standalone with its own HEA.

Will we see more of Nick and Aubree’s story?

I’ve tossed around the idea of a short novella, but nothing has been plotted out yet, at this point.

Will characters from Ricochet appear in Backfire?

Yes.  There will be some characters from Ricochet and a whole lot of new ones.

Is this going to be the same storyline as Ricochet?

This is a Vigilantes novel, set in the same world as Ricochet, so the theme of revenge and corruption will carry through.  It’s also a look at how another home was affected by Devil’s Night.  The circumstances are different from Nick’s though.

Be sure to pop in on March 3rd when I’ll reveal the cover for Backfire!  In the meantime, add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Cover Reveal: Enticed by J.A. Belfield

Okay, I'm NOT going to take credit for the birth of this story, but I will tell you that about a year ago, I BEGGED J.A. Belfield to write a short about Ethan, "and make it really steamy ..." happened to be part of the request.  Then, a few months ago, a story popped up in my inbox, and J.A. asked me to check it out and holy shizzzz, it was my sexy Ethan short!!  I say 'my' because she'd gone so far, in the first draft, to change that other leading lady's name to mine!  Do you have any idea what it feels like to have your smexy book boyfriend telling you (directly) to lie back and spread your ... nevermind--that's between Ethan and me.

Moving along, this story is short and sweet and all kinds of sexy.  It has Ethan in all his broody hotness (and who doesn't love Ethan's broody hotness?), in a way you've not seen him in previous books.  Fans of paranormal should definitely add the Holloway Pack boys to the TBR--loaded with action and romance, it's sure to please!

Speaking of pleasing, let's take a look at that cover for Enticed!

Title: Enticed: A Holloway Pack Mini

Author: J.A. Belfield

Release Date: April 16th, 2015

Add it to Goodreads

Happy Birthday to Ethan.

Or is it?

Gifts aside, Ethan’s morning hasn’t been anything to write home about. Sure, life is good, the pack is staying out of trouble, he finally has a mate who boils his blood … in a good way.

Except Shelley hasn’t called. Hasn’t come by. Didn’t even bother to join her son and his girlfriend for Ethan’s annual I’m-a-year-older breakfast.

What Ethan doesn’t know is that Shelley has plans. Plans that have been in progress for weeks. Ones that Ethan will never see coming, and that she’s banked on him not knowing a thing about.

She can only hope her secrecy doesn’t force his inner wolf to the surface—at least, not too early.

*Can be read as a standalone.

 

 

COVER REVEAL FOR RICOCHET!!

You know when you've got something incredibly exciting to share and you can't yet, so you kinda go a little crazy in the time you're forced to wait? I was there.  For the entire SUMMER that I had to sit on this reveal.

While writing The Fallen back in January, I was hit by a dark and gritty story, set in Detroit, but not part of the Sons of Wrath world.  I knew this one would be a contemporary romance from it's very beginnings and I kept it on the backburner, unsure of whether or not I wanted to jump into a whole new genre.  To me, it felt like starting over.

Then sometime in May, I was casually perusing Specular's portfolio on Facebook and my eyes immediately zeroed in on one helluva striking image.  The face fit the character for this story so freaking perfectly, I was mesmerized.  I decided I HAD to have him on the cover.  Long story short, I contacted the photographer and that was all it took - the MC in this story refuses to be ignored and the book is practically writing itself, now that I've got my muse.

Before I show this baby off, I have to thank the very talented Chris Davis (photographer) and the insanely gorgeous model.  Holy hella hotness!  He's a British model too, so you KNOW there's a sexy accent to go with dem looks.

I imagine something like this:

Also huge thanks to my brother Ryan (who happened to hog all of the design talent in the family), for taking the time to design the cover.  As one of the founders of a thriving business, he always has a lot on his plate, but never hesitates the many times I approach him with, "So I have this idea ..."  ❤

Thanks so so much to all the contemporary bloggers (I've never had so many bloggers participate in sharing the cover!) who are helping out with this reveal, and to the readers and bloggers (particularly my street team) who helped connect me to them.  Love yas!! ❤

Okay, I know, I know.  You didn't come here to read a story.

So without further delay, here is your first glimpse at Ricochet's cover and blurb! Add it to your Goodreads shelf and be sure to enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win an ARC before it releases!

Screen-licking is encouraged ...

RICOCHET

By Keri Lake

Adult Contemporary Romance - Standalone

Expected Release Date: Spring 2015

Image credit: Specular

BLURB:

The only sure way to destroy a man is to take what he cannot live without.

Three years ago, I had everything.

A beautiful wife.

A son.

A reason for living.

Until a ruthless task force, assembled under Mayor Michael Culling, with a brutal strategy to make the streets of Detroit ‘safe’, ripped away everything I loved in a deadly hunt called The Culling.

They tried to kill me, too. I wish they had. Now I'm cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife.

A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.

I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who's seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.

Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife.

An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him.

If she doesn’t destroy me first.

************

Add it to your GOODREADS SHELF!

To be notified when the book goes live, join my VIP EMAIL LIST!!

RICOCHET PLAYLIST:

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

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Ricochet Cover Reveal Sign Ups!

The cover for Ricochet is designed and I'm drooling over it as I type this (it's my screen saver while I write the book).  I'm DYING to show this baby off!  The blurb is finished too, thanks to my brilliant writer bud and editor, Julie Belfield. I'm looking at SEPTEMBER 12TH for the cover reveal, so if you are a blogger fill out the form below or if you're a reader who follows a particular blog that you love, give me a heads up in the comments and I'll contact the blogger to see if they'd like to participate!

As I've mentioned before, this is NOT a paranormal romance.  Ricochet will be my first standalone contemporary, so I'll be looking for blogs that post contemporary, or PNR bloggers who cross over.

I've already given the street team a lil sneak peek at the cover and the response has been very favorable!  In fact, my fellow droolers gave a thumbs up on both the cover AND the blurb.

I'm already about 12K into this novel and the ideas are coming FAST.  I'll admit, I've teared up a few times while writing it.  RICOCHET will also be set in Detroit and have the dark, gritty feel of my paranormal novels, but with humans.  Lol   Not as dark as The Fallen, but definitely not a light a fluffy read.

Add the book to Goodreads:  RICOCHET

Be the first to see the cover by signing up to my VIP EMAIL LIST >>>>>>

 

Cover Reveal! Hereditary by J.A. Belfield

Sorry it's been SO LONG since I've posted something here.  Busy, busy, busy! Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer!

Today I've got a treat ...

You know how much I love the Holloway Pack, right?  Well, my lovely friend J.A. Belfield is offering up another installment in her addictive paranormal series, a short story that can be read independently of the series (though why would you want to miss out on a pack of sexy wolfy men?), and it's FREE!!!

Before we get into the details, let's check out the gorgeous cover first:

Title: Hereditary
Series: Holloway Pack
Author: J.A. Belfield
Release Date: August 13th 2014

The trouble with one-night stands: you never know who—or what—you’re sleeping with.

~~~

Being a parent isn’t an easy ride. Even more so for single mum Shelley Lewis.

When her thirteen year old son’s hormones kick in, she’s faced with his immense growth, insane sweat, and ridiculous hairiness, not to mention all the normal teenage issues.

Discovering her only son isn’t human on top of those is the shock of a lifetime, and Shelley knows she’s the only one to blame.

It may be too late to save her son from her mistakes, but she can still try to save Gabe from himself.

~~~

For fans of J.A. Belfield’s Holloway Pack series, Hereditary is a look back at the origins for characters met in Resonance.

Go add it to your Goodreads shelf!

COVER REVEAL FOR SOUL ENSLAVED!!

It’s here.  I’ve waited WAY too long to share this cover and it’s finally here!! I know you didn’t pop in to listen to my blabbering so I’ll try to keep this short and sweet by first saying THANK YOU to all my readers who stopped in to vote for your favorite model during the Cover Model Contest.  Once again, you made this such a fun event for me!

Thank you to Daniel Sobieray and all his lip-biting, muscly sexiness.  He makes one smokin' hot Wrath demon.  Le sigh.  By the way, ladies, in case you had any doubts while perusing his profile, those abs are the real deal.  I’ve got over 500 raw images to prove it.

The background image is Woodward Avenue in Detroit, taken by the amazingly talented Curtis McGuire.  One of my favorites and I saved it for Gavin ❤

And enormous thanks to my designer, David Wagner, who is so much fun to work with!  I've had a baaaaaaaad case of coverlust going for the last few weeks.  There may have been excessive staring and drooling and it's all thanks to David's brilliance.  Can’t wait to start the next cover for Soul Redeemed!

Finally, lots of love for the kickass bloggers who helped me spread this purdy little thang all over the net

So without further delay, here is YOUR cover, the one YOU helped design:

SOUL ENSLAVED (Sons of Wrath, #3)

By: Keri Lake

Website:  http://www.KeriLake.com

Release Date:  TO BE ANNOUNCED

Genre:  Adult Paranormal Romance

Cover Designer:  David Wagner of Wagner LA Photography

Here is the full wrap:

ADD SOUL ENSLAVED TO YOUR GOODREADS SHELF!

Synopsis:

Imprisonment in Obsidius.  Enslavement to a soul-sucking succubus.  A reproductive cycle that’d send a sex fiend running into the arms of celibacy.  Given the choice, most demons would opt for death.

Gavin, eldest son of Wrath, has been sentenced to all three.

When the succubus decides its time collect, though, he fears his nightmares have only just begun.

And Sabelle’s timing couldn’t be worse.

With a bad case of uncontrollable lust, thanks to his Savidon, the last thing Gavin wants is a vengeful succubus stoking his darkest desires, but debts must be paidhe just didn’t bank on enjoying his punishment so much.

Because the swinging bachelor may have found his perfect mate in the sexy seductress.

However, just as things seem to be looking up, past sins resurface, plunging the two into a deadly game of power and deception. As their worst fears merge into one unexpected threat, Gavin is determined to protect Sabelle and win her freedom.

At any cost.

RELEASE DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

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SONS OF WRATH SERIES:

 

THE FALLEN (A SONS OF WRATH PREQUEL) FREE on Amazon!

Amazon (Kindle)

SOUL AVENGED (SONS OF WRATH, #1)

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

SOUL RESURRECTED (SONS OF WRATH, #2)

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

 

 

 

Sons of Wrath FAQ and updates!!

I’ve had questions come up after some have read The Fallen and I thought, since they seem to be similar, I’d just answer them here instead of private messages. Will there be more of Xander and Karinna (THE FALLEN)?

Originally I hadn’t planned to write much more—I was simply providing a character’s backstory.  As I’ve said before, I wrote this book at the request of a reader, after the Sons of Wrath books 1 and 2 were already out there.  This book tells the story of how Xander came to be Fallen. However, it seems readers have come to love Xander and Karinna more than I had anticipated!  Therefore, you will definitely see more of these two.

Even though I’m a cruel mistress and I LOVE to put my alphas through some hell, I think they all deserve a happy ending and Xander will get his … eventually.

Will this darker tone carry over to Soul Enslaved?

The Fallen is certainly not the darkest book out there, but it is the darkest thing I’ve ever written.  It deals with very disturbing themes of torture and rape—had me cringing as I wrote it so I’m certain readers had moments of wanting to scrub their eyeballs with bleach.  I’m always trying to push my writing to places that force me outside of my comfort zone.  It keeps it new and fresh for me.  Keeps me from getting bored. This book was an exploration into a very dark and twisted character that I introduced in Soul Resurrected (Xander).  I don’t think I’ll ever lose the darkness in my writing, but where horrific scenes were shown in The Fallen, I try to leave them up to the reader’s imagination in my other books (they tend to be implied).

Soul Enslaved will return to the usual banter and brotherhood that you’ve come to know in the series.  Gavin certainly likes his kink and you can expect to see lots of it in this book, but he’s not a sadist, so no mindfuckery or pain in this one.

When is the cover reveal for Soul Enslaved?

The cover is designed and is GORGEOUS.  I’m just finalizing the blurb at the moment.  Its never easy condensing an enormous book into 150-175 words, and this happens to be giving me hell.  I’ll plan the cover reveal for Tuesday, May 20th. 

Mark your calendars!!

BLOGGERS!!

If you’d like to participate in the cover reveal, please sign up here:

ALSO … I’ll have limited edition prints, signed by the very sexy Daniel Sobieray to give away for the release of the book!

How is Soul Enslaved coming along?

Very well, actually!  I’m taking my time with this because this installment gives more insight into the overarching story that’s building in the background.  I’m widening the scope a bit and want to make sure there are no glaring plot holes as the main story continues to progress.  Each brother’s story plays a role in moving it along and the further into the series I go, the more obsessed I become with double-checking my world-building.

As for the love story in the thick of all this chaos … I’ll say this, it doesn’t happen often, but I’ve had a couple tearful moments while writing it.  Some scenes were harder to write than others.

I find when I write, there’s a particular song for each book, that, no matter what I’m doing just before I hit the keys, pulls me into the story immediately.  Sort of like a theme song that allows me to slip into the world.  For Soul Enslaved, it’s Always by Killswitch Engage.  The song came on the radio while I was driving the other day and reminded me of the heart-wrenching scene I have to write and my mind immediately went into daydream mode, imagining it as I battled 5 o’clock traffic.

I will continue to post updates on the story and let you know of a release date as it gets closer.

What is the deal with this new book, Ricochet?  It’s not a paranormal romance?

This will be its own separate post, so I won’t go into too much detail.

A while back, I had an idea for a contemporary romance, but never really pulled the trigger on writing it.  Well, it turns out, my head hasn’t forgotten about it, because a couple weeks ago I was slammed with the opening scene while driving an hour to a meeting.  It’s dark.  It’s gritty, but not as graphic as The Fallen and has NO paranormal elements in it.  So think of the Sons of Wrath world through the eyes of humans and you’ve got Ricochet.  This will be a standalone romance.

I’ll have more info about this one at a later date, but writing begins this summer, after I’ve handed off Soul Enslaved.

In the meantime, you can check out my inspiration board on Pinterest or add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Hey what’s going on with the Audiobook for Soul Avenged?

I actually listened to a few chapters this morning and it’s coming along!  I can’t yet say when it will be available but the first 14 chapters have been uploaded and they sound fantastic!  Jarman does such a nice job keeping all the voices with multiple characters distinct enough to keep track of who’s talking – it’s crazy!!  And I love his voice for Wade…wait til you hear it.  Haha!

Will let you know as it gets closer to completion.  Maybe I can post a little teaser at some point!

Lots of stuff coming your way so stay tuned for updates!

 

 

Cover Reveal: UNNATURAL by J.A. Belfield

I think I've mentioned the very talented J.A. Belfield and the yumminess of her Holloway brood ... Well guess what?  There's MORE Holloway hotness on the horizon and I'm giving you a peek at the cover!  I thought Caged was a sexy cover--and it is--nothing will top Ethan.  But I gotta say, this cover is pretty damn gorgeous ...

Check it out:

Unnatural

A Holloway Pack Story

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: April 7, 2014

Target Reader: Adult

Keywords: Paranormal RomanceWerewolf

 Back of the Book

Unnatural. One word to sum up werewolf Kyle Larsen—his mood swings, abnormal body, and choice of female.

The first two, he blames on the vampire venom.

The third, though? No, feline shifter Brook Nicholls was all his doing—a female of whom the pack will never approve.

As part of the Coalition, an organisation with even stricter rules than the pack and a rigidly warped sense of responsibility, Brook comes with a whole lot of opposition of her own.

No wonder the two of them keep their relationship secret for as long as they can.

Now, distanced from his family by his own indiscretions, Kyle’s left to fight battles he’s unsure how to win—some of them even against his own pack.

Is one woman really so important that he’s willing to defy his Alpha for her?

If his heart has any say in the matter, the answer will be yes.

 

So what do you think?  Purdy, ain't she?

IT'S HERE!! COVER REVEAL: SOUL RESURRECTED

I had a whole intro in mind for this post … Ya know, something along the lines of how few things are more exciting than seeing your characters come to life.

Blah blah blah.

NOTHING I would’ve said could’ve possibly trumped the absolute coolness of what lies below.

So I’ll just keep it brief and say THANK YOU to all my readers who stopped in to vote for your favorite model during the Cover Model Contest.  You made it such a fun event for me--one I will totally do again!

Thank you to Julian Christian and all his muscly hotness.

And enormous thanks to my designer, David Wagner, who is just too damn awesome for words.  Seriously, he not only creates great covers, he makes it fun! Collaborating with him has been a blast!

For the constant redesign of my logo, gotta thank my fandamntabulously gifted brother, Ryan.

The dark background was taken by my talented photographer sister, Lisa, inside the Packard Plant, Detroit.  So I must say thank you to her and her fiance, Glenn, for venturing where most wouldn't dare to go.  Not kidding.  Peering into depths like these, not knowing if the structure you're standing on is strong enough to hold you in all the wreckage, is kinda frightening:

No railing.  And I don't even want to THINK of what's at the bottom if you fall...

Finally, thank you to my crew of kickass bloggers who helped me pimp this purdy little thang all over the net:

BookarooJu, Lola’s Reviews, Scribbler’s Sojourn, Book Lovin’ Mamas, A TiffyFit’s Reading Corner, Romancing the Dark Side, The Autumn Review, Book Soulmates, Talk Supe, Paranormal Reads Reviews, Reality Bites Let’s Get Lost, Pages of Forbidden Love, Under the Covers Book Blog, Reading Infection, Herding Cats and Burning Soup, Fictional Candy, Paranormal Cravings, Booked & Loaded, The Raven’s Quill, A Simple Love of Reading, The Demon Librarian & The Rabid Reader, Prufreads, Rumor Has It, Close Encounters With the Night Kind and My Random Muse.

So without further delay, here is YOUR cover, the one YOU helped design:

 

The Blurb:

As Wrath’s fiercest son, Logan carries the scars of fifty years spent in the most dreaded prison of the underworld, for a sin he’d kill to keep secret. Enduring decades of gruesome torture has left Logan feared by and detached from others, until a female Alexi’s blood resurrects his soul from death and, with it, the pleasures he’s been denied for so long.

Plagued by shame of her own, Calla is drawn to the ruthless demon, Logan, whose insatiable craving for her touch rouses buried passions and, for once, leaves her feeling desired.

A dark and dangerous evil has been reawakened, however, and when Calla is drawn too close to its breeding grounds, Logan vows to summon the violence of Wrath in order to keep her safe. First, though, Calla must save him from a past riddled with deceit and corruption … but only if she can accept the chilling consequences of unearthing his vilest skeleton. 

Sons of Wrath

Never gamble with vengeance …

 

SOUL RESURRECTED (Sons of Wrath, #2)

By: Keri Lake

Release Date:  October 31, 2013

Genre:  Adult Paranormal Romance

Cover Designer:  David Wagner of Wagner LA Photography

The release date is OCTOBER 31ST, 2013 but in the meantime, you can add it to your GoodReads shelf!   http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17981911-soul-resurrected

Mark your calendars!

The blog tour for Soul Resurrected is scheduled to run:

November 6th – December 6th, 2013

SWAG UP FOR GRABS!

Since I've not given anything away in a while, if you share this cover on FB or Twitter and post the link to my FB page (or simply share my FB status) I'm going to randomly pick a winner for a Sons of Wrath swag pack!  Post link to your post here:   http://www.facebook.com/kerilakeauthor

 

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

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

 

Interview With David Wagner

Forgive me if this intro is a little all over the map.  It's Friday and I'm pretty excited about today's feature... I know I've been off the radar lately, but ONLY because the publication date for Soul Resurrected is around the corner (this will be a separate blog post announcement next week).  There is SO MUCH going on with this book!  I'm doing a read-thru of the MS that will be off to the editor next week sometime.

*clutches stomach*

In addition, the cover art is well on its way to reveal--mark your calendars--for AUGUST 29TH, 2013 (I'll be getting with my bloggers to help me show it off!).  The gorgeous cover model, Julian, has already been photographed for it by the very talented, David Wagner as I mentioned in a previous post.  I have a special treat at the bottom of this post...but you MUST read the interview first!!  No peeking.

David is also designing the book cover!

It's been an absolute blast collaborating him, pulling the image of Logan from my head into real life.  Only a patient person who's very attentive to details could manage such a feat in all the clutter I've got going on upstairs, and let me tell you, David is both.  I'm sure my author buds would agree, its an incredibly thrilling moment to see a character materialize just as you imagined.  And to top it off, David's enthusiasm in gathering and teasing out those details keeps me questioning how such collaboration can be considered 'work'.

Imagine someone asking you to gush about a character:  "Tell me his story and give me as many details as you can."

In the short time I've worked with David, I've come to look at him as somewhat of a kindred spirit.  So I thought I'd break from my read-thru to get a more in-depth look at his brilliance--the part of these mouthwatering photographs that you don't get to see.

KL: David, thank you for taking the time to let me pick your brain.  Why don't you start out by telling us a little bit about yourself: 

DW:  I grew up in a very rural part of southwest Missouri. I was lucky enough to be born to very caring parents who are still very much in love, and have just celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. I’m the youngest of 3, I have one brother and one sister. I grew up out in the country next door to my grandparents who both had a great knack for storytelling. So I spent a lot of my summers as child with my grand parents and their siblings listening to their stories of living during the time of the great depression, driving Ford Model T’s, and their memories of seeing a movie for the first time or to see an airplane for the first time.

I was drawing pictures of things around our house from the time I was 3. I drew vases. I drew houses. I drew the faces of people on the cover of Life Magazine. My favorite tv show as a child was Bewitched and I knew at a young age I wanted to be like Darrin Stephens. I wanted to be in advertising. I was lucky enough to receive an art scholarship to Missouri State University. My degree was in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design and Photography. It was there in a beginners photography class (black and white, film) that I fell in love with photography. But I felt that advertising was the better choice for finding a job when I graduated so I got my first job in advertising as an art director in 1985. I worked in Advertising for 22 years, really loved it and I think it was a great foundation to be come a photographer.

In 2005, I was diagnosed with a rare cancer and went through a very intense and challenging chemo protocol. At one point I had a severe allergic reaction to one of my chemo drugs and had to be put on a respirator for a few days. Over a four month hospital stay, I had two surgeries, a pulmonary embolism, and a ruptured upper intestine. Several times I was told to be prepared and say my goodbyes, but because of an amazing family, nurses, doctors and friends, I went into full remission. But it only lasted 3 months. At that point I had to have an experimental protocol of high dose chemo and a stem cell transplant. I was told I had a 35% chance of getting into remission and a 15% to 20% of dying from the treatment itself. Odds didn’t really seem to be in my favor but it was my only option. This was a very rough period. Basically prior to the chemo, they harvested my own stem cells that would be frozen and then given back to me after my treatment. This is done because high dose chemo is so toxic it completely ruins your immune systems ability to ever let you recover. So you get this chemo that basically get you to the brink of death, and then they infuse your back with your own frozen stem cells which were not affected by the chemo and that brings your immune system back and enables you to recover. I think that experience caused a huge shift in my life that made me feel that it was time to re-evaluate and stop doing things I didn’t want to do and to do more of what I wanted to do.

And what I wanted to do was photograph people.

KL: What an incredible journey.  You beat the odds, came out on top and ultimately pursued what you love.  Truly an inspiration!  So how did you break into photography and cover design?

DW: I think the first part of this question was answered above. One of my very best friends has been a book cover illustrator for years and he was looking for someone to take photographs of models for him to use as a basis for his photo illustrations. So that’s how the book cover work started.

KL: You can check out some of David's cover work HERE

What do you predominantly photograph?

DW: Most of my work is for fiction romance and paranormal novels. And since the majority of those covers require photographing very handsome and built men, this has expended my areas of expertise to fitness photography, and fashion photography.

KL: Handsome, built men you say?  Suddenly wishing I had some camera talent...  Do you have any requirements while photographing that get you in the zone? 

DW: My only requirement is a comfortable, relaxed, stress-free environment. No egos, no drama…from myself or the models.

KL: Have you ever photographed anyone famous?

DW: The most famous person I’ve photographed is probably the most well-known fitness model, Greg Plitt. Greg has probably been on the cover of more fitness magazines than any other model and was also one of the trainers on Bravo’s “Workout”.

KL: What do you love most about your job?

DW: I’m still in awe of light and how it shows us things and hides things from us. And it’s fascinating to try to control that to tell a story.

KL: Is there a model you’d love to photograph someday?

DW: I think my two favorite models that I would love to work with are David Gandy and Tony Ward. They are both exceptional models who really push the envelope and are willing to be seen in untraditional ways.

KL: Gandy?  *zones out* Yeah, so, when you book his shoot, let me know.  Happy to be *cough* an assistant or something.  Have you designed covers for any well-known authors?

DW: I think the most well know author that I’ve shot cover photography for would be Kresley Cole.

KL: Pause.

I'm sorry, I MUST take a moment to fangirl.

KRESLEY COLE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Okay, moving on.  Is there an author whose cover you’d love to design some day?

DW: Well, I hope to continue to work with author Keri Lake. Beyond that I would love to do covers for some other authors that are not really in the romance/paranormal genre, such as Michael Cunningham, David Sedaris, Dan Brown, Michael Chabon and Caleb Carr

KL: I'm very much hoping to continue working with you as well, David!  If you could hop into a time machine and travel to any point in history, who would you love to meet and why?

I would go to Florence Italy in the 15th century and would try to apprentice with Michelangelo or DaVinci. I think this time of enlightenment, a time when art was as important (and actually part of) science would be wonderful.

QUICK FIRE ROUND:

Life Motto to Live By: Follow your passion. Trite I know, but it’s true.

Favorite Movie: The Hours

Favorite Song/Band: Annie Lennox, “Why”

Favorite Book: Sorry have to give you 2: “The Hours” and “Confederacy of Dunces”

Favorite Drink: Again, 2 answers: Diet Coke and any decent wine.

Guilty Pleasure: Diet Coke and any decent wine.

Star Wars or Star Trek: Oh, SO easy…Star Trek all the way!!!! But with much respect for Star Wars

Batman or Superman: Superman!

ATTENTION AUTHORS!

If you're looking to have some cover design work, get in touch with David!  Let's just take a moment to summarize what makes him a fantastic guy to work with:

  • He's so easy going
  • Has years of experience in advertising and design work
  • Fun to work with and very detail-oriented
  • Has designed covers for some well-known authors (KRESLEY COLE!!!!!!!!)
  • He's got connections to some very sexy men.

Wanna find out how to get in touch with him?

DAVID WAGNER PHOTOGRAPHY

DAVID WAGNER ON TUMBLR

And now ...

here's a special sneak peek teaser from Julian's photoshoot and a quote from Soul Resurrected!

This is NOT the actual photo that will be on the cover.  This is just to get your mouth watering until August 29th, when I'll be doing the actual cover reveal!

Grab your drool bib.

Meet Logan from Soul Resurrected:

"Not following.  And to be honest, I’m caring less the more you talk.  So let’s cut the shit and start the bleeding.”  Logan flipped the dagger in his hand.  “My hand gets twitchy after a while."

- Soul Resurrected (A Sons of Wrath Novel)

 

 

 

Caged by J.A. Belfield - Sexy Cover Reveal! #Caged

Oh have I got a treat for you today ... For many series out there, I can be a bit of a fickle whore, jumping from one male lead in the story to the next.  Hey, if he's sexy, has some personality and the author leads me to cheer for him along the way, I'm usually sold.  Yeah, I have my favorites, but they can be easily outshined by another character.

There is, however, one fictional man that I remain devoted to and when the author of this series asked me to be part of her cover reveal, well, let's just say she didn't have to ask me twice ... or wait long for my response, for that matter.  And when I finally received the email with attached cover for the book?  Sa-woon!!  No really, a fixed stare, gape mouthed moment of drooling.  But don't take my word for it.  Check it out yourself:

Le sigh.

Caged

A Holloway Pack Story (#3)

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: August 5, 2013

Target Reader: Adult

Keywords: RomanticUrban FantasyWerewolf

Book Blurb:

If the meek can become deadly, the strongest can be weak.

For Ethan Holloway, his mission to find a missing werewolf should be simple. Crack a few heads, bust a few chops and the solution always reveals itself. Always.

Not this time.

Ethan’s reputation precedes him, and because it does, someone is ready. Waiting. Unbeknownst to Ethan, he’s about to go down. Hard. Against a foe he never suspected and in a world he never imagined could be real.

What awaits Ethan is a fight not only for his reputation, but also his pack, his female, and his life. If he survives, damage control will become priority number one.

If he survives.

Because even Ethan’s not sure he’s strong enough to take on an entire race all by himself.

Especially one hell bent on exposing who and what he is in the name of sport.

Le double sigh.  You see why I adore this man?  He's tough.  He's protective.  And dayum, he has one fine looking back ... scars and all.

Unfortunately, this baby won't be ready to roll until August.  In the meantime, catch up on the series:

Other Novels in this series include: Darkness & Light (#1) Blue Moon (#2)

In-between release novellas include: Instinct (#0) Eternal (#.5) Resonance (#2.5)

If you want to know more about this amazing author, you can find J.A. Belfield lurking around Twitter and Facebook.

And feel free to come back and drool anytime.  I'll be here too.

Cover Reveal & Giveaway!! Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) #Giveaway #SoulAvenged

Biting my lip as I write this post because I am way too damn excited—so much so I’m having a hard time coming up with an intro for it. For a few months now I’ve been going on and on about this new series that’s taken over my head.  As I near the end of the first draft of book 2, I’m gearing up for the release of book 1!  And I FINALLY get to share my cover with y’all!! 

Before I do, just want to say THANK YOU to my designer of both the cover and the logo, Mel Gannon of Mahdesigns.  I enjoyed the collaboration—taking an idea that I had in my head and watching it materialize.  This woman is insanely patient.  I was ready to scratch my own eyeballs out on her behalf, as many times as I came back to her with changes.

Also want to say thank you to my ridiculously talented friend Narcisse Navarre for her help in the direction of the cover and logo.  You rock!

Finally, thank you to Lisa & Glenn for allowing me to use the staircase pic from the Packard Plant urban exploration.

Okay, okay, without further delay, here is the cover:

SOUL AVENGED (Sons of Wrath, #1)

By: Keri Lake

Release Date:  February 6, 2013

Genre:  Adult Paranormal Romance

And the blurb:

Passion is blind in vengeance and love  ...

Ayden’s suburban home was invaded by a pack of Lycans.

The brutal attack is the only memory she carries of her former life.

Now, one motive burns in her soul:

KILL THEM ALL.

The Sons of Wrath—a brood of vengeance-dealing warrior demons—band with Ayden to hunt the Lycans on Detroit’s most deadly feeding grounds.

Kane Walker should’ve been her easiest kill.

Unfortunately, the newly bitten Lycan has something she wants—clues that may finally lay her past to rest.  To reach them, she must be willing to submit to the sensual pleasures awakened by his touch.

Time is running out.

In seven days, Kane will become what Ayden despises most.  She can halt his transformation but the antidote requires the ultimate sacrifice.  As the beast takes hold, Kane becomes more of a threat.

Ayden must choose between her lust for revenge, or surrender to her enemy and discover a horrible truth.

Sons of Wrath

Never gamble with vengeance

 The release date is February 6th but in the meantime, you can add it to your GoodReads shelf!

Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath #1)

AND … If you hurry over to the blogs listed below, you can enter to win an ARCpass!

What's an ARCpass?

It’s an all access pass to receive a FREE ebook ARC of Soul Avenged TWO weeks before it’s released!  My brother, who happens to be one of the most gifted designers I know, put these things together and they are AWE-SOME.

So hurry!  Go go!  Enter to win.  ARCs will be released on January 23rd

HUGE thank you to these bloggers who helped with my cover reveal:

Bookaroo-Ju

Narcisse Navarre

Candice Bundy

Terri Rochenski

Aimee Laine

Rebecca Hart Writing

Imran Writes

Heart of An Angel

Herding Cats & Burning Soup

These bloggers have posted a review for Soul Avenged, stop by for a chance to win an ARCpass and see what they thought about the book:

Twigs at Bitten by Paranormal Romance

Lolita at K-Books

 

 

Cover Reveal: Witch Hunt: Of the Blood

It’s Monday again.  And while I normally dread this day of the week, I’m actually pretty excited today.  I mentioned a while back that I've contributed a story to the Witch Hunt: Of the Blood anthology.  Well, today I get to show you the face of the book.  And man, it’s one pret-tay looking cover… Sue Campbell, one of the contributing authors, is also the talented designer behind this gorgeous cover.  It is the follow up to Devin O’Branagan’s best-selling novel, Witch Hunt.

So I’m going to shut up and step aside.  Because you came here to see a cover, not endure a ramble of incoherent, sleep-deprived, NaNo nutcase wordiness, right?

More details about the release date for Witch Hunt: Of the Blood to come!

Back:

Five novellas based on Devin O’Branagan’s bestselling novel, Witch Hunt

You’ve closed the cover on Witch Hunt, but the story isn’t over … yet! Devin O’Branagan has handpicked writers to take up her characters’ stories and explore what happens next. 

The anthology begins with O’Branagan’s own novella about Hawthorne matriarch, Vivian. Vivian and her fellow British witches work together to prevent a Nazi invasion during World War II. Then there is Colonial maiden, Bridget, who struggles with the guilt of failing her family in Salem, 1692. Her younger sister, Prissy, mysteriously disappears and finds another magical world. Julia, torn by family loyalties, love, and her spiritual quest, pays a huge price to continue the bloodline. And Miranda uses her powers against the great influenza outbreak of 1918—but finds the ultimate foe is prejudice against her kind.

Discover what was left out of Witch Hunt and revisit your favorite characters with these exciting novellas. The story isn’t done until the battle’s lost and won.

Novellas by: DEVIN O’BRANAGAN • SUZANNE HAYES CAMPBELL • KERI LAKE • K.L. SCHWENGEL • KRISTA WALSH

So what do you think?

 

Some Progress...

As my projects are beginning to round out a bit more, I thought it’d be a good time to give another update on progress.  Forgive any nonsensical ramblings that may occur along the way, I had the horrible experience of waking up to find I’m out of coffee this morning.  This is my pre-Starbucks run version of a blog post.

So I finally came up with a title for my novella that I’ll be contributing to the Witch Hunt anthology.  Kinda smacked me upside the head one day - wasn’t really thinking about it at the time.  I happened to be perusing some websites when The Banishing just sort of popped in my head out of nowhere.  It fits the story perfectly so I’m incredibly happy about that.  Second draft has been submitted and the project is coming together nicely.

Requiem (Halos, #2) is underway.  Some exciting little twists going on with this book!  You’re either going to love me or hate me.  My hope is, you’ll just keep reading and trust me.  No matter what.

Thanks to my beta readers, who were eager to know more about the dark and crazy world I’ve created for Soul Avenged, I’ve added a glossary to the book.

If you’ve read some of my tweet and FB updates, you’ll see that I’ve gotten some reviews back for Soul Avenged.  How the….?

I’d sent some ARCs to a few book reviewers/bloggers who were awesome enough to give some feedback.  What I hadn’t expected was coming across kickass ratings they left on GoodReads for it.  Hot damn!!  If you haven’t seen them yet, take a lookie:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15981347-soul-avenged

Even though it’s not yet available, you can still go ahead and add it to your shelf!  So by all means, do so.

You might be wondering why the boring looking cover?

Well…that’s because, my lovelies, it's in the works!  I’ve been locked away in my secret laboratory cooking up something really sexilicious!  It’s all sketched out.  And the BEAUTY of not being a graphic designer is that I have no comprehension of what complexities are involved in this.  So I've handed it off and moved on to the next exciting piece of design – finding that gorgeous face to match the one in my head.  Pretty sure I’ve gone through about a thousand pictures of half-naked bodies in the last couple of weeks.  Erm, not that I’m complaining…

I’m on a hunt.  And I’m determined.

So once the face has been chosen, I shall release my secret monstrosity onto the world!!  Uh…in other words, cover reveal to come.

If you are a blogger/reviewer and think you might want to participate in the cover reveal, please sign up here:

[gravityform id=3 name=SoulAvenged Cover Reveal Sign Up]

I’ve got some interesting blog posts planned, another flash story for one of the Soul Avenged characters and I’m thinking about posting my playlist for Soul Avenged too.  Busy times!  So be sure to keep checking back...

Hope you all have a fandamntastic week!

COVER REVEAL - HALOS: Somnium

Okay…so every time I think I’m going to post one of my flash stories, there’s a new development with my book!  And this one has been very difficult to sit on because I’ve been dying to show you the cover.  Somnium is going to be available in paperback and e-book.  The wraparound cover for the paperback is pretty darn awesome too!  I had two designers on this that did one kick ass job:  my brother, Ryan, and Nick from Everything Indie.  If you haven’t yet checked out Nick’s site, you must: 

http://www.everything-indie.com

 

And here is my lovely (which is a little bit difficult to see against the background of the website): 

For a better look, go to my Facebook page:  http://on.fb.me/jdf0ia

 

  

And the book blurb:

  

A work assignment in Kittery, Maine should be routine for Allie Lynch; nothing more than to prove herself as a brilliant engineer. Instead she finds herself torn between two men: a gorgeous military guard, Colton Briggs, and her devilishly handsome colleague, Drew Costa. To resist temptation, Allie does the only thing she can: she throws herself into her work.

But fate has other plans for Allie. Women are going missing all around her, Allie is struck with a series of life-threatening mishaps, and she becomes the obsession of a local deranged psychopath.

Thrust into a dark world that she can hardly fathom, Allie must fight for her very survival, open her mind to new realities – and open her heart to the possibility of love. Because both of these men are trouble – but one is a greater danger than she could ever imagine …

   

So excited I could combust right here, right now!!! 

And as I mentioned in my last post HALOS: Somnium comes out DECEMBER 16, 2011.  Continue to check back for more details and giveaways!