Hit Me With Your Best Shot Releases Soon!

Feb15

I’ve spent so much time focusing on promoting and discussing Key of Solomon, the first book of my Relic Defender series with Samhain, that I keep quiet about Hit Me With Your Best Shot.  I’d like to remedy that today.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot was originally released in 2007 by New Concepts Publishing. This was before I knew anything about epublishing or even how to promo. Writer tip – don’t wait until you have a book published to learn about promotion and marketing. When they say it’s too late, it really is too late. By that, I mean, bringing yourself up to speed on promoting is a nightmare. Learn what you can now.

Back to Best Shot. It made a little. Not much. It’s not erotic, and I didn’t promo. That was okay. I learned and I had the experience. Last year, after I got the rights back, I found a home for it with Lyrical Press (www.lyricalpress.com).  On February 20, it releases with a new cover and updated story thanks to my terrific editor. And to give myself a little credit, let’s say I’ve learned a lot since 2007. Show, don’t tell anyone? :-D It’s definitely a better told story.

To celebrate my newest release, starting on the 20th, I’ll have some giveaways and goodies for you to share in the re-launch of a new and improved Hit Me With Your Best Shot.

Click on the page above to read the blurb and the first chapter.

 

Write What You Know

Feb9

For years, writers were told to “write what you know.”  And this was something I heard when I began writing in 1997.  It came up again and since I was surprised that little gem was still being bandied about, I did some research on who said it. While that little statement is most frequently attributed to Mark Twain, there is a general consensus that no one really knows who said it but more than that, it’s something that should be banned.

So, what does it mean, really? Well, some believe it should be taken literally – to mean writers should not write about things we have not personally experienced. This is actually the definition I heard many years ago. Now, I find it very amusing and my reaction to it can be summed up by a quote from Robert Duncan (writer for Rolling Stone, Circus, Hit Parade and Life among a few), “If I write what you know, I bore you; if I write what I know, I bore myself, therefore I write what I don’t know.”

Isn’t that great? Here’s another by Howard Nemerov (an American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry) that made me laugh – “Write what you know. That should leave you with a lot of free time.”

So true. Now, I don’t consider myself uninformed. I’m smart. I know stuff. But I don’t know enough about places and things to infuse my stories with the atmosphere and depths readers are looking for. Because while we read about characters, we also read for places and things. If I were to write only about what I know, I’d be writing short, flat stories.

I write paranormal stories. I have yet to meet a fallen angel, demon or a shape-shifting rock. I have yet to travel to another planet. I have yet to visit Egypt and see the pyramids at Giza. I have yet to explore the Mayan ruins in South America. Yet, these are all places I have visited in my research.

I’d like to leave you with another great quote on author’s writing what they know. This is from Valerie Sherwood (romance novelist): “Don’t write what you know – what you know may bore you, and thus bore your readers. Write about what interests you – and interests you deeply – and your readers will catch fire at your words.”

Would my writing be any better if I experienced some of these things? Maybe. I don’t know. I think what makes it great is that I haven’t been there so I can infuse my stories with the passion of discovering something new. And that’s what I try to do.

I hope you agree.

Congratulations Jamie & Mary!

Feb8

Ladies, thank you very much for posting on my blog and I appreciate what you have to say. You both get your pick of one of the three giveaways. Just send me an email at rwakw@yahoo.com and tell me which one you want. For the book, I only have one so that’s first come, first served. If you choose digital, let me know what version.

Again, thanks for stopping by and helping me celebrate my book!

Blog Re-Launch Giveaway!

Jan31

Hi all!

Okay, I’ve been so, so bad at updating this blog but I’m really going to try and post at least two-three times a week. To kick-off my re-launch of, shall I say, getting off my rear-end and being a much better blogger about what’s happening with me and my writing, I’m doing a giveaway for the following:

* Digital copy of Key of Solomon

* Printed copy of Key of Solomon (trade paperback, releases on February 7 but I happen to have a copy :-D )

* Digital copy of my upcoming release from Lyrical Press, Hit Me With Your Best Shot.

What do you have to do to be entered for a chance to win? It’s easy. Simply leave a comment telling me what kinds of things you like to read on authors’ blogs and leave your email address. That’s it. Aw, come on, it’s easy. You don’t even have to subscribe (although, that would be lovely – and appreciated).

Questions? Leave them in the comments too.

Oh, and here is a blurb for Hit Me With Your Best Shot. I actually released this in 2007 with another publisher and it did okay; however, I have a wonderful new publisher at Lyrical Press and she helped me make it nice and shiny.

Sidra will do whatever it takes to find her target. Even if it means pairing up with an operative who has more secrets than she does.

Sidra is tough, street-smart and independent. And she’s living a double life. As an agent for Triad, she follows orders and gets the job done. But as Norah Rainwater’s surrogate daughter, she’ll do whatever it takes–even defy Triad–to find Norah’s missing daughter and save Norah’s life.

She plans for every eventuality…except Gideon, who lives a triple life beyond Sidra’s wildest suspicions. Sidra knows him as a charming playboy more intent on conquering women than saving the world. But he’s more than that. Under another identity, he fights to destroy the five men who lead the criminal organization called the Alliance–the same men who murdered his father for trying to leave the group.

With Norah near death, Sidra can’t let anything get in her way. Not even Gideon, who reminds her so much of Ranger, the only man she has ever loved. But Gideon can’t let Sidra reach her goal without crushing any chance he has of reaching his.

One More Day on Tour and Giveaway!

Oct27

Tomorrow, October 28 is the last day of the book tour. I can’t believe a month has gone by. The tour was a lot of work but well-worth it as I had a lot of fun and ‘met’ some new people. Plus, the reviews have been awesome for Key of Solomon. For a book that almost wasn’t, the positive reviews mean even more.

To those who have subscribed to this blog recently, huge WELCOME! I’m thrilled you are here!

Now that the tour is over, I plan to spend more time on my blogs and of course, finishing book 2, The Death Skull plus prepare for the release of Hit Me With Your Best Shot, my post-apocalypse romance coming from Lyrical Press. I’m going to do a launch party so they’ll be chances to win some great prizes and the book itself. Stay tuned!

More importantly, tomorrow is the last day to enter the giveaway for $20.00 gift certificate to use at Samhain Publishing!  If you haven’t followed the tour and would like a chance to enter, please leave your name and email address below and you can have a chance too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Key of Solomon is on Tour – A Blog Tour

Oct3

Beginning today, October 3, Key of Solomon is going on a month-long blog tour with interviews, special articles, giveaways and more! If you haven’t gotten a copy of Key of Solomon, visit any of the blogs and enter to win. All you have to do is leave a comment. It’s that simple. And for the person who visits and comments on the most blog tour sites will get a $20.00 gift certificate from my publisher, Samhain!

And keep an eye out here.  I’ll do some special giveaways this entire month to celebrate the tour. And to whet your appetite for book 2 coming out next August, I’ll even post some snippets.

Here is the schedule:

Relic Defender: Key of Solomon, Book 1 by Cassiel Knight – NURTURE Book Tour Schedule:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope to see you around the blogosphere!

Ah…A Writer’s Life

Sep3

It’ Saturday morning, about 10:30 a.m., West Coast time. I’m sitting on a deck overlooking a beautiful yard with the sound of a water fountain in the background. Straight ahead, is a sparkling lake, sunlight dancing on the water like diamonds. The sun is shining, but it’s not hot because I’m under an umbrella and there’s a lovely breeze. Stately pine and fir trees line the lake, and the air is cool and clean. Up until a bit ago, the only sounds were the trickling of the fountain, the splash of water on the little sandy beach and the chirp of birds mixed with an occasional bark of a dog or the soft chatter of humans (the slightly intrusive sound is that of a saw cutting wood followed by hammering).

Sounds pretty perfect, doesn’t it?

No, I’m not at home, darn it. While I love my house, especially since we’ve gotten some work done, a long-time dream of mine is to have a vacation home on a lake, or even better, at the Oregon coast. But until that can happen, I use someone else’s vacation home.

Currently, I and seven other writer friends, are sharing the home in honor of one of my friend’s birthday. You see, we are all writers and, for her birthday, what she wanted most was to spend the weekend writing with her closest friends. Talk about unselfish.

Now, it’s for her birthday, yet, I feeling I’m getting as much benefit from this as she is. I wrote twenty-one pages yesterday on The Death Skull, book 2 of my Relic Defender series with Samhain and, today, feel confident I’ll be able to get another twenty+ pages done. Oh, and the man candy here? That’s my idea of what Jackson, the hero of book 2, looks like. Pretty yummy, huh?

There’s something inspirational about beautiful scenery and being surrounded by close friends with a total focus on writing. I love my very supportive husband and my three adorable dogs and enjoy being with them, but writing feeds my soul in a way not much else has.

I feel blessed that I’ve found a profession I love so much. And I feel even more blessed that I’ve found two publishers/editors who have given me the opportunity to continue to do what I love.

How about you? What feeds your soul? Are you indulging? If not, why not?

New Cover for Hit Me

Aug31

As promised, here is the cover for my Lyrical Press release of Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Renee Rocco, the owner of Lyrical Press, is also a phenomenal cover artist. All you have to do is visit the website to see what I mean. That is part of the reason I submitted to them. And I loved Renee’s responses on Absolute Write.  Is this gorgeous?

Also, I have a release date for this – ta da – February 20, 2012!

I’m hard at work doing content edits with my terrific editor. You know, I listened to others talk about how much of a big deal it is to have someone love your work and finally, I get it. I really do. Carin gets my voice, gets my style and absolutely loves my heroine. Sure, I have edits but everything she’s having me do makes the story much better. I hope my readers will think so.

That’s it for now. I have other news to report but am waiting just a little bit for one last piece of information before I share. I had a great August and am looking for September and on to be even better.

What’s Going On?

Aug9

It’s been a while since I posted (has it really been over a month since Nationals?) so I thought I’d post about a new publishing venture for another of my stories.

I have a new publishing house, Lyrical Press. I’m still with Samhain for my Relic Defender series (and maybe more?); however, I found Lyrical Press and am publishing my futuristic romance, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, with them. This is a book I published in 2007 with New Concepts Publishing but was too new, green and wet behind the ears, that I never really did anything with the book or New Concepts. It wasn’t because of anything they did/didn’t do. In 2007, a mere 4 years ago, I just wasn’t involved with social media and promotion was a dirty word. All that’s changed.

So, I got the rights back and Lyrical is republishing it next March. So far, they are keeping the same title but I get a new cover by one of the owners, Renee Rucco. For her covers alone, you’ve got to go check out the site. She’s does phenomenal work. I’m a total fan girl. The pictured cover is one done by Tanith Dean of Tanithtopia and I love this cover but this isn’t the one I’ll be using. That’s not to say I won’t use it – just not for this story. She does lovely work so a plug for her; check her out. I just had to show this – you’ll get the idea of the story from the cover.

Anyway, I’ve been working with a terrific editor (boy, have I been lucky with both my Samhain and Lyrical editors!) and recently had the chance to update this story. Thank God! Seriously! Who’d have known I was a fan of words I didn’t need and yeah, telling not showing, um, that was an issue in the first part of the book. I’m so grateful I got to go through first and clean that up. It was also fun to revisit the story and to think about what I would like to do with a follow-up story.

So, that’s some recent news. I’ll post when I get a release date and, of course, when I get a cover.