Gavin Is Coming!!

Gavin is coming!! …well, I mean his book is coming.  The date is set!

Mark your calendars for DECEMBER 5TH!!

Which is in like ... 3 weeks.

I'm kinda freaking out but no worries! I'll be fine.

Newsletter subscribers will be the first to know!

I’m just adding some finishing touches to the manuscript and then … and then … it goes off to formatting this week!!

I've been obsessing over this thing long enough.  It's time to unleash the beast.

I’ll try to get some early ARCs out around the 24th – possibly earlier, so bloggers, I will be in touch soon!

Speaking of bloggers, in case you missed my previous post, I’m running a contest JUST FOR YOU!

All you have to do is look through some sexy eye candy, cast the Sons and you could win a $50 Amazon gift card!

READERS are going to vote on their favorite collection of hotness.

What do you have to lose??

There will also be an awesome prize pack with some Soul Enslaved themed goodies up for grabs for all who stop by to vote!  I had fun picking out these prizes – all of which, are relevant to the book.  That’s all I’mma gonna say about that.

Some of the picks coming in have served as an effective distraction for me that past week – holy shit.  I gotta say one of my favorites is Nick Bateman.  Le sigh.

WARNING:  The images you are about to see are total panty drenchers.  Proceed with caution.

That was just a warm up ...

Getting hotter...

No words.

 

What was I saying?

Oh yeah, my book.

If you'd rather participate in the book blast and opt out of the contest, that's okay too!  Just fill out your name, email and let me know if you'd like an advanced copy prior to release!

CLICK HERE to sign up!

Some early reviews are coming in!!

Check out this one from Naomi (lots of book quotes included!)

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1098588148?book_show_action=true&page=1

Ah, I LOVE the gifs!

And here’s another from the lovely Terri Rochenski:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/647461543?book_show_action=true&page=1

Don’t forget to add the book to your Goodreads shelf while you’re there!

Huge thanks to my editor, the very kickass Julie Belfield, for whipping mah boys into shape.  I don’t know what I’d do with her.  Also, THANK YOU so much to the lovely ladies - Sammy, Naomi and Anne - who've been a huge support these past few weeks ❤

 

THE FALLEN RELEASE DAY BLAST!!

 

It’s Release Day for THE FALLEN!

At the request of a very awesome reader during the Bitten by Books party last December, I decided that Xander’s story had to be told.  This book is a prequel to Soul Avenged, a spinoff of the Sons of Wrath world, but NOT part of the overarching storyline that spans the series.  I'll caution, this is the first book I've written with a content warning slapped to the front of it.  In most of my books, I imply horrific scenes.  In this book, I'm showing them.  It's not gratuitous violence on my part--all of it is important to understand these characters, both of whom, are a little more complex than they appear on the surface.

I also added the playlist to the front of the book.  As I've mentioned before, music plays a HUGE role in my writing.  My playlist helped me get inside this dark world every morning.  Some songs just seemed to help mold the characters.

To thank my readers for their continued interest in my books, I'm offering The Fallen as a FREE download!  If you’re new to the Sons of Wrath, this is a great opportunity to acquaint yourself with the dark, dangerous fallen angels and demons that dominate the streets of Detroit. Below, you'll find a short excerpt and links to download your free copy.

THE FALLEN

GENRE:  Dark, erotic paranormal romance

Warning:  Not recommended for readers under the age of 18 due to graphic violence, sex and strong language.

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 …

READ SOME EARLY REVIEWS & ADD TO YOUR GOODREADS SHELF:

The Fallen (A Sons of Wrath Novella, #0.5)

Enjoy a short snippet then click the link below to pick up your copy!

EXCERPT FROM THE FALLEN

Karinna tugged at his grip, as Xander guided her up a winding staircase and came to a stop in front of a dark wooden door, with deep black grooves, that gave off an ominous warning of bad things on the other side.

He pushed it open.

Awe and horror battled inside her head as she looked around the room. Unlike the relatively normal décor on the first floor, it did look like something out of the serial killer’s edition of Better Homes & Gardens.

Beautiful enough to have her admiring the color scheme.

Terrifying enough to leave her contemplating the quickest exit.

A large steel cross stood atop a thick brown rug, in the center of the room. Chains hung from the ceiling. Paddles and whips of varying size and shape dangled from the wall. A gun safe, in the same shades of beige and brown, stood off to the side, holding God knew what, considering the rest of the interior design.

How very color coordinated.

A dungeon that would bring the most sadistic Dom to his knees in tearful appreciation.

Guiding her inside the room, Xander kept his eyes on her, as though assessing her reaction. After tossing Karinna onto the bed, he crossed the room to the ominous-looking safe and rifled through its contents.

Bolt. Run. The door had been left open. A straight shot. He could be quick, but she’d always been a sprinter. Her tongue thickened, mouth drying as visuals of Texas Chainsaw Massacre passed through her mind. Jesus. What if she picked the wrong door? Would his leather-face doppelganger fly out, swinging?

She had no intentions of finding out what lovely little devices he kept inside that safe, either. Before she could talk herself out of it, she jumped up and made a dead run for the door.

Yeah, she wanted in. Wanted to find the sick sons of bitches who’d hurt her sister. Being tortured and raped had crossed her mind, though the reality of it smacking her in the face didn’t exactly lead her down the path to acceptance. Being alone with a psychopath out in the middle of nowhere never once played into the many ways she’d contemplated getting in the club, for sure.

Shame on her for not having a game-plan for that shit, but c’est la vie, as the saying went, no sense beating herself up over it.

Fuck this.

The steady thud of his boots disappeared to frightening silence.

She glanced over her shoulder, fear strangling her breaths at the long, dark and empty hallway.

A wall of muscle smashed her cheek and knocked her back a step. Out of instinct, Karinna hammered his throat and punched his face, throwing his head to the side.

He growled. Shit. Growled? Only beastly things growled.

Arms gripped around her waist, and he hefted her over his shoulder, as he’d done back at the club. Karinna screamed. As long and as loud as she could, she screamed until the rasp stole her voice.

Now she’d done it. Pissed him off.

Grab your FREE copy!

If you live outside of the US and would like a free copy,
please contact me at keri (at) kerilake.com

 

THE FALLEN RELEASE PARTY!

Join the Facebook Release Party today from NOON until 7PM (EST), where a paperback of The Fallen will be given away EVERY hour!

THE FALLEN RELEASE PARTY

 

SONS OF WRATH SERIES:

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)

 

Release Date For The Fallen!!

I have a release date for The Fallen!!

Man this has been one crazy story.  I can’t believe how quickly it snowballed into the monstrosity that I’ll be publishing in … well, I’ll get to that in a moment.

What I wasn’t expecting, was that this simple little novella—a very light exploration into a side character of the Sons of Wrath series, would turn into a story that I’d absolutely love writing.

Xander is one fucked up guy.  Which means I was all over his character.  And Karinna ... I'll let you tell me what you think of Karinna.  I describe her as a tough, kickass female like Ayden but not as brutal.

When I turned the manuscript over to a writer friend of mine, J.A. Belfield, for a beta read, it sat somewhere around 38,000 words.  Ms. Belfield had some suggestions for me—one of which was, write the story the way it needs to be told. 

I’d been so worried about trying to keep this thing to novella length, that I had to cut scenes I loved.  Scenes that made the story and characters so much stronger.  So I followed her advice and now, the book is a whopping 75K.

Yep.  Not really a novella at this point.  More of a short novel.  Hey, ya know?  What did I expect when my novels tend to be about 500 pages??

But it’s still going to be FREE.

If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, then you know I'm a huge fan of music when I write (cos I post music all the time).  The Fallen has a playlist (all my books have playlists), but each song on this list added something to the story--characters, plot, difficult scenes, the songs provided a whole lotta inspiration, particularly Lola Montez by Volbeat and Beautiful Pain by Eminem and Sia.  And I cannot write Xander without hearing Rob Zombie's Pussy Liquor on endless loop inside my head.  So because the music was such a big part of writing this book and pulling me into this dark world, I did something different this time, by adding the playlist to the front of the book.

Now on to the release date …

Advanced copies will be going out to readers next week.  The book will be available for everyone on APRIL 17TH!!!  Just over two weeks away!!!

In the meantime, add it to your Goodreads shelf:   The Fallen (A Sons of Wrath Novella, #0.5)

BLOGGERS!

If you would like to participate in the release day blast and score an early ecopy of The Fallen, sign up here:

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

Some have asked about paperback copies.  There won't be paperbacks for sale (unless you guys threaten to tie me up and confiscate my chocolate stash for a week) - at least not initially, but I'll have a stock of them for giveaways.  On release day, I'll be giving away a paperback every hour between noon and 5pm.  You'll not have to purchase anything to participate!  More details to come ...

I hope you enjoy the story.  This is a special ‘thank you’ to those of you who’ve stuck with me and continue to support my writing.  Without you and all the likes, shares, follows, recommending the books to others and leaving reviews, I’d never find readers.  Thank you so much❤

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

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 6TH-9TH, 2014).

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

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):

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:

The Fallen (A Sons of Wrath Novella, #0.5)
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]

 

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 26th – March 2nd.

Everyone will have the chance to vote:

March 6th – 9th  -- ONLY 3 DAYS!!

I will announce the winner on March 11th

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 6th – 9th please sign up via the form below:

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

Okay, recap …

  • FEB. 26TH – MAR. 2ND:  Readers signed up to my VIP email list will vote on the 4 candidates
  • TWO finalists will be chosen
  • MAR. 6TH - 9TH:  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)

Contest & Signed Paperbacks

Hello lovelies! The date is getting closer and closer!! This week, I've been busy cranking out some Wrath brother snippets and other fun posts for the upcoming Soul Resurrected blog tour. I'm also prepping the questions for the big scavenger hunt. So excited!! Man, October, I must say, is probably one of my favorite months. So that brings me to the actual release of Soul Resurrected ...

First, since it releases on Halloween and I'm feeling fun and festive, I'm going to hold a little contest.

Are you an artist? Do you have some mad carving skills?

Well I wanna see it!!

So for anyone willing to carve the Sons of Wrath skull logo into their Halloween pumpkin this year, I'm going to be giving away a nice little prize! I'll be enlisting the help of my brother, who happens to be ridiculously talented when it comes to carving, for my own pumpkin here at home. Winner will be announced on Halloween so get your sharp picks ready ...

Once you've carved your masterpiece, send me the photo! You can upload it here OR simply send it as an attachment via keri@kerilake.com.

[gravityform id=8 name=PumpkinCarving Contest]

Here is just one of the prizes included in this lovely little pack (click on image to enlarge):

A Sons of Wrath inspired bracelet, designed by BookGeek Boutique!

So go, go, go!  Gets to carvin!

Secondly, for anyone who'd like to purchase a signed paperback copy of my books, I now have a virtual signing page that you can check out here:

VIRTUAL SIGNING PAGE

Pre-orders for Soul Resurrected will be shipped AFTER the release date.  And please be specific about how you'd like your book signed!  This is open internationally - shipping rates apply.

NaNoWriMo is coming up next month and I will be participating!  I'll be working on both Soul Enslaved (Gavin's story) and a lil' novella I've had tucked away in the back of my mind for a while now, based on one of the Wrath brothers.  I feel like my books get darker and steamier with each installment and SE is no exception.

By the way, if you haven't yet added Soul Enslaved to your Goodreads shelf, by all means, do so!  ADD SOUL ENSLAVED  And while you're there on Goodreads, be sure to enter to win a signed paperback of Soul Resurrected that I'm giving away!

Finally ... I'll have an upcoming announcement about how I'll be conducting the Cover Model Contest next time.  You'll want to check that out.  And you might just wanna sign up on my little side-bar thingy >>>>  where you see Newsletter sign up.  Note:  be sure to enter your email in the NEWSLETTER sign up.  My cover designer, David, who happens to photograph some very drool-worthy men, (seriously, you must follow him) has sent over a couple of possible candidates and um ... *picks up jaw* holy shit.  That's all I'm gonna say for now.

Cover Model Teaser #4!! #CoverModelContest #SonsOfWrath

It’s happening again … I’ll blame it on the fact that Soul Resurrected is written, in edits, and I can’t really torment my characters much, that I feel the need to take it out on all of you.

My diabolical half has, once again, coerced my (otherwise angelic) self into serving up another inbox teaser from the Cover Model Contest.  By now, you know the drill:  a cropped, blurry, pixelated, ripped body—cruel on my part, I know.

I’m certain you haven’t even bothered with my ramblings this time and have scrolled straight for the goods.

For those who haven’t bailed on me yet, thanks for sticking it out.  You have incredible willpower because, yeah, I’d have skipped the first half of this blog post too and zeroed in on what’s really important here.

I'll keep this brief.  A reminder:

JUNE 10-14   COVER MODEL SPOTLIGHTS (Get to know these guys)

JUNE 14-28TH  THE VOTING BEGINS!!

And just for stopping in to vote, you'll not only exercise the power to choose my next cover model, I'll also include you in the acknowledgments of book 2 on a special 'Contributors' page AND you'll score VIP access to nab the book before its released!

I’m still going through all of the entries, as they continue to come in.  Keep in mind, the contest runs until June, meaning there will be lots of perfectly sculpted abs and pecs (and biceps ... mmm) to keep my salivary glands in working order.  And lets not forget those lady-killing smiles to go along with them!

Sa-woon!

Oh wait … you guys haven’t seen those yet.  Sorry.  *snicker*

I’ll keep at it though, because I want to give you one kickass cover for the next book.  One you’ll hold in the palm of your hand, biting your lip as you ponder what exactly a washboard stomach tastes like.

All right.  Enough of my blah-blah-blah.  I know what you really want.

Believe me when I say, it hurts to have to mess with these pics.

Here's today’s teaser:

And if you're reading this at work, make sure your boss doesn't catch you licking the screen …

Le sigh.

Somewhere in the world, this body, hidden beneath a perfectly normal t-shirt, is leaving behind a wake of distraction in every female he passes.

(Source: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/swooning%20gif )

The Cover Model Contest runs until June 7th and YOU will vote on the final guy for the cover.  Book two is Logan's story.  Want to know more about him?

Grab a copy of Soul Avenged here:

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

Soul Avenged #snippet

Between editing Soul Avenged, working on Requiem and writing for an anthology, my blog posts have been suffering!  At least I'll have something to show for it soon.  In the meantime, I decided to post just a short snippet from Soul Avenged.  Once my plate clears a little (there's a light at the end of the tunnel!), I'll go back to writing some flash stories.  I have yet to write Logan and Zeke's from Soul Avenged. Speaking of Zeke...

(I promise I'll get to the snippet) I found a couple of things I love this week that I want to share.  First, while perusing Amelia James' (Trashywriter) Pinterest board titled 'Man Candy', I came across something that made my coffee taste a little sweeter.

When it comes to a guy's hair, I'm typically a short-crop kinda girl.  However, in Soul Avenged, I gave Zeke a little bit longer hair.  I've seen very few guys who can pull off this style, so I had to go with a LOT of my own imagination.  Zeke looks like a god in the book - he's big and brawny and beautiful.

Although I don't like to put existing faces to my characters while I'm writing them, I'd say this guy's probably the closest I've gotten to what I had in mind for Zeke...just need to photoshop a few tats on him ;)

 

So, can ANYONE tell me who the hell the guy is in this photo?  Because I think he is just about the best looking long-haired hottie I've seen yet.

The second thing I came across is a couple of bands whose music I've been listening to non-stop.  Blood Red Shoes is one worth checking out.  Bonus points for the lady rockin' the guitar.  My favorite song so far is Cold  <<must listen to this one!

I've always been a fan of The XX, and I'm so looking forward to the new album, Coexist, coming out September because I have absolutely fallen in love with their sneaky peek song, Angels .  I'll just come clean and admit that it's played a couple of times while writing Requiem (Halos #2).

Another favorite from The XX is Shelter.  This one I've listened to a few times while writing Soul Avenged.  Birdy did a nice version of it too...but I remain a fan of the original:

OK!  OK!  Now on to the snippet:

In this scene, Kane wakes up from a nightmare to find Ayden standing over him...

A raging storm emanated from the woman’s gunmetal eyes, almost palpable, as she held him captive with no more than the weapon in her hand.

So beautiful

In spite of the blade at his throat, his breathing slowed, heart calmed.  He fell back against his pillow as she held tight to the hilt.

Her hands were steady, unmoved by him - a relief after the nightmare he’d had.  She didn’t speak a word as she lowered her weapon and retreated to the chaise beside him.

He wanted to watch her for longer.  Wanted to study the lines of impassiveness in her face.

Sleep dragged her from his view.

 

Wishing all of you a great week!

 

Just A Little Update...

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged...anything!  I thought, since I've gotten a few questions in real life, asking 'When's book 2 coming?', that I should provide a little update; letcha know what's going on in this head of mine. First, my nephew was born a week ago today.  Man, time flies!  He's such a little cutsie pie!  Check this out:

I am one happy auntie...

Second, I just sent off my newest WiP, with a working title of Soul Avenged, to my beta readers.  This is book 1 of the Sons of Wrath series...clearly a distraction for me, but one that I couldn't let slip past without writing it down.  Here's what happens:  I'm this walking, open vessel for ideas.  It's a curse, really.  I can't get over how many silly things manage to inspire a story.  I hear a song...BOOM, a story pops in my head.  I rifle through pictures of a recent trip...BOOM, a story pops in my head.  I read someone's brilliant poetic words...BOOM, a story pops in my head.  I don't even know where Soul Avenged came from, what of the million little inspirational gems I've been exposed to since last October, might've given rise to these voices and scenes.  But they did and I went with the flow.  In the end, I wrote a 100K novel that I'm hoping is being torn to shreds by my betas at this very minute.

So my nephew is born...my distraction is sated (sort of)...what happens next?

I've already begun the prequel novella to Halos.  You want answers and I'm going to start giving you some.  But I think you know me well enough by now, to realize you're not getting everything...hehe.  Well, because I like to torment.  That's just how I roll.  So I'll sneak a few answers in to hold you over until book 2 comes out.

When is the prequel expected to arrive?

Because it's just a novella, I am going to shoot for completion at the end of summer.  It will go through the same process - beta readers, editor, cover reveal etc.  AND BOOK 2?!  You ask, with your hands on your hips and that unyielding expression on your face.  Book 2 will be out shortly after the prequel.  So hold tight...but don't worry.  Distractions are a natural part of my genetic make up.  They don't mean I've off and left y'all hangin' like a dangling chunk of tuna bait over shark infested waters.  Uh...sharks being your overwhelming curiosity...

I'm hoping to give you more to devour.  Soon.

Just want to tell you how much I love your continued interest in the trilogy.  The emails, the comments on my FB pages, the conversations in person...all so humbling.  Thank you for being such awesome readers.

In the meantime, check back this Friday...I'll be posting another flash story based on some characters from Soul Avenged!