Friday, April 26, 2013

RT Convention, Part OMG I NEED TO PACK!

I leave for the Romantic Times Convention on Tuesday.

TUES. DAY.

I've already got my clothing packed, and I'm doing my best to ignore the little voice in my head that's telling me to FIX IT FIX IT OH GOD YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK LIKE HAMMERED ASS. AND THERE WILL BE PICTURES OF IT.





So. I'm not touching the clothing bag, not at all. I've tried everything on at least twice, and the amount of ass that will be visible should be at a minimum.

I still have to do my nails, pack my fold-able bins for Promo Alley, put some books on the Nook I'm giving away at Club RT, sign the print copies of Bear Necessities and Cynful that are going into said tote...

Did I forget to mention I'm giving away a tote with swag at Club RT? And that one of those bits of swag is a copy of Cynful, which won't be out in print until May 7?

Oh. Consider yourself told.

I'll also be signing The Gray Court series at the Giant Book Fair. I wanted to celebrate the release of The Hob by signing the previous books this year. It will be interesting to see which Dare to Believe cover shows up on my table. Come check it out, you might get one of the last white covers!

And my schedule wound up getting slightly changed. Instead of being at the FAN-Tastic Party 6:15 to 6:45, I'll be there from 6:30 to 7:00. It doesn't leave me a lot of time to change outfits for the Carina Press Cocktail Party or the Harlequin dance, but it will be worth it.

And that's it. I won't blog next week, because I'll be in Kansas City. I will send out my newsletter a few days early. Expect it some time on Sunday, as Monday I'll be hobbling around screeching like a howler monkey (when the Enbrel hasn't knocked my hammered ass out) and throwing shit into my suitcase.



You can find my full schedule here. If I'm at one of these events, or you see me at the bar, feel free to walk up to me and talk to me. I'd love it. :D

Friday, April 19, 2013

Gearing Up for the Romantic Times Convention

I leave in twelve days (TWELVE DAYS!!!) for the Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City, MO.

EEP.

I think I have all my outfits picked out, my jewelry and my headbands and tiara and...

And...

Did I remember to order those posters?

Gah. I always go a little insane right before a convention. And things are a little different this year, which is giving me hives, but is also a good thing. Instead of selling three eBooks at the eBook Expo, we're selling them all. You can purchase my entire eBook inventory currently on All Romance eBooks!

Which means, if you're attending and plan on purchasing eBooks from some of your favorite authors, make sure your device can read Qwerty (aka QR) codes. We'll be slapping stickers onto post cards with the code that takes you to the author's ARe page. And in case you're wondering, this is what a QR code looks like:

Go ahead. Scan it. It should take you to my ARe page. (If not, let me know; I'll need to fix that ASAP!) All of the authors selling eBooks will have these on something, be it postcards or something else.

If your device doesn't have that QR code reader attached, you can check your device for a QR Code Reader app. Most mobile devices have them available for free. In fact, I realized I didn't have one on my phone and downloaded it. There was more than one to choose from, and it was pretty easy! (PLEASE NOTE: Your phone or mobile device, like an iPad, needs to have a camera function in order to read a QR code.)

If you don't want to mess with QR codes and downloading apps to your device, you can simply click or type in this link into your tablet, phone or PC internet browser:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Dana+Marie+Bell

That will take you directly to my ARe author page.


FOR THOSE WHO *CANNOT* ATTEND THE EXPO IN PERSON

Mark Your Calendar for the RT EXPO on May 2  from 4 to 6 pm and join in the virtual EXPO event!

THIS YEAR THE RT EXPO IS GOING GLOBAL! ARe is the official bookseller for RT's Expo and this year we are making the book lover event global so that everyone from home can participate. Join in the fun by visiting this page on May 2 from 4 pm to 6 pm and attend the virtual event! Just click on any author’s name and it will take you to their unique author page on All Romance e-Books website where you can begin purchasing. We recommend that, if you do not already have an account with ARe  you set one up before the EXPO begins on May 2 to make your purchasing easy on the day of the event. We will be tweeting and Facebooking from the hotel with a live feed so feel free to join in the fun!

And in case you're wondering where I'll be at the convention, I'm posting my full schedule here.

P.S.: My Hob posters came in on time! 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Barnes and Noble Hecate's Own

UPDATE 4/15: Hecate's Own is no longer on the B&N site. I'm hoping that means they're resolving the issue with the bad file. Hope it's done soon!

UPDATE 4/15, Pt. 2: I hear the file has been fixed, and the book is now available for download. The link from my website works again.
So. I've gotten some emails telling me that people have bought the Barnes and Noble version of Hecate's Own, only to find that they haven't received a sexy witch shifter, but instead... 14 pages of poetry. Apparently bad poetry, from the numerous complaints I've gotten.


My publisher is are aware of it and is trying to fix it. They're in contact with Barnes and Noble, hoping to get it resolved as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, you can always purchase through Samhain (@samhainpub) and side-load it onto your device. http://store.samhainpublishing.com/hecates-own-p-7349.html

Here are Samhain's instructions on how to side-load a book if you want to go that route:

Nook

EPUB and PDF files both work on Nook, but we recommend EPUB when you have them. eBooks you load won’t appear in the cover slide show or the main ebook menu. They are in the My Documents section. Just like Kindle, you plug in the Nook with the USB cord. Open the Nook drive/folder and drag-n-drop your books into the My Documents folder within.

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/NOOK-Talk/Instructions-for-Sideloading-B-amp-N-Books/td-p/1232954

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Release Day: Hecate's Own!




When a wolf is hot for a witch, the sparks can be downright dangerous.

Heart’s Desire, Book 2

Zachary Beckett has finally done something right. He saved his brother’s life, and his reward is a ticket to Cleveland to train as a witch. Except every spell he casts wreaks havoc—until he’s banished to the children’s classroom.

At least his teacher is easy on the eyes. It isn't long before the heat is rising, and it has nothing to do with a bubbling cauldron.

Jo has never met a walking Karma bomb like Zachary. His blue eyes haunt her, his body is made for sin, and his magic? The less said about that the better. But Jo is determined to help him, even if she has to fight their mutual attraction, tooth and nail.

When Zach discovers he’s been operating under a hex, he and Jo come together in a blazing-hot ritual to break its hold and reveal Zach’s destiny to fight evil. But the old enemy who cast the spell won’t give up until every Beckett male is stripped of his mate. Which could leave Zach to howl in agony forever—and doom Jo to a fate worse than death.

Product Warnings: This novel contains explicit sex, graphic language, a sexy, awkward, blue-eyed wolf-witch and a woman who can make his dreams come true.


Prologue

Lana grabbed him. “Stop thinking like a wizard and start thinking like a witch!”

Zach turned to her, his eyes blank from shock. “Think like a witch.” He blinked, his eyes refocusing, his gaze centering on the shield. His expression became cold and certain. “No. Not wizard, not witch.” He stepped back and raised his arms. Power arched between his hands, glowing above him, clean and pure, a powerful counterpoint to the rancid energies behind the barrier. “Me.”

Pure white light blasted into the barrier separating him from his brother and the warlock intent on killing him. He could sense the demon rising through the foul circle, knew what Cole Godwin intended to do to Christopher.

He couldn’t stand by and do nothing while his brother died.

The protections around the dueling circle were strong. It would take him time, time he didn’t have, to wear them down.

He couldn’t stop. He had to save Christopher. He had to get to Cole and take him down before he hurt anyone else.

But something happened, something that shocked him to the core. Christopher threw something into the pit that had opened at his feet, and Zach knew Cole was doomed. Pulling back the power he’d been sending into the shields around the dueling circle hurt, but he knew what was coming and needed to be prepared to move.

Cole looked up from the circle, horrified. “No. What have you done?”

He watched as something snaked out of the pit and pulled the warlock’s soul out of his body.

Cole was dead, but the threat wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. He saw Davis Godwin rush through the suddenly open circle, pick up his son’s wand and point it at Christopher. “You killed my son!” Hideous green power poured from the tip of the wand, blasting into Christopher.

It was a spell meant to burn the soul itself, scarring it, eating away at it until nothing was left but a husk of a man.

Zach stepped forward and pointed his finger at Davis. “Back the fuck off, warlock.” He flicked his finger and the man flew backward, landing with a hard thud against the side of the building. He fell in a graceless heap and didn’t get back up.

Zach bent over Christopher, the glow still surrounding him. “You okay, bro?”

Christopher tried to stand but couldn’t. He hissed in pain, and Zach wanted to whimper. He was too late. He could see the vicious green glow in the wound, wondered how long Chris had. “No.”

Lana pushed him over, ignoring Chris’s indrawn scream. She bent and examined his new wound. “It’s bad, Zach.”

Zach looked down at the blackened flesh, the blisters already broken and wet. Lana bent over her mate, tears in those pretty eyes of hers.

He could see Christopher was struggling to respond. “Hey.”

She sniffled. “Hey yourself, wolfman.”

“Don’t go.”

She sobbed. “Not going anywhere. You hear me? Chris? Chris?” His brother’s golden eyes closed. His breathing was shallow and uneven. Blood was beginning to puddle beneath him. If he bled too much more it would take a miracle to save him.

Zach knew what he had to do. He’d prepared for it, but he’d thought it would be Lana in Chris’s place.

How wrong he had been.

If he fucked this up he would lose both of them.

He held out one hand to Lana. “Help me.” His other hand pressed into the wound in Chris’s side. Tears filled his eyes. “One hand in mine, one on the ground. Please, Lana. Trust me. Complete the circle.”
Without hesitation she took out the amulet he’d prepared the day before and held it in her hand, placing it between Zach’s palm and her own. She slapped the other against the earth and opened herself up to Zach’s magic and Chris’s life force.

Zach closed his eyes and began to chant, the words lilting and strange. He wasn’t certain what he was saying. It was almost as if someone, or something, had taken him over, giving him the power to save his brother’s soul and life.

Zach pulled the darkness from Chris’s wound into his own body, channeled it through Lana. He took the brunt of it, trying his best to spare her as much as possible, but he couldn’t shield her from it all.

Lord and Lady, it hurt. He’d never felt anything that hurt like this. Agony blossomed through him, growing and growing with each beat of his heart until the only thing he could see or hear was pain.

And still he chanted.

Lana began to scream.

Still he chanted.

The amulet began to burn, heating his flesh, branding him with his failure.

When Lana passed out, Zach took on what she hadn’t been able to finish, purifying the horror through his own soul.

And still, he knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Chris was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Behind him, in the glow of a fire that shouldn’t have been there, Davis Godwin laughed.


Friday, April 5, 2013

The Meat Grinder, and Fishies

I'm planning on putting Bear Naked through the Meat Grinder no later than Wednesday of next week. It might have been sooner, but yesterday, for some odd reason, I developed a fever but no other symptoms.

AS can be a very strange disorder. I'll get fevers, chills, exhaustion, pain and inflammation in joints that don't normally have issues (my hip has been killing me)... and all of it can be attributed to my ankylosing spondylitis.

A-Nnoy-Ing.

So instead of hitting around 95% yesterday like I'd hoped, I barely hit 92%. It didn't help that Eldest Son decided I had to hear about every single video game related thing he was working on, disrupting what little flow I had going. And when you try to explain to him that you're working, he gives you that blank stare, waits patiently for you to finish, then resumes right where he left off.

Le sigh.

I'm hoping today I'll hit near the 68k mark, but I doubt it. That would be a little over 3200 words, and my hands can't handle that. I'll probably hit between 1000 and 2300 words, meaning the rough draft will be completed next week.



On the upside of things, we're planning on taking the kids to the aquarium this weekend, unless my body decides that's not gonna happen. It's the one thing Eldest Son wanted for his birthday. That, plus teriyaki shrimp at his favorite Japanese steak house. So I'll be getting my fish two ways: swimming and sushi!


Have a good weekend!

Favorite Quotes

"I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability." Ron White

"So let me get this straight. You want me to kill the little guys, kill the big guys, crowd control those I can't, buff the team, debuff the boss, keep myself alive, AND keep you alive, all while waving a stick and dressed in a towel?" - Anonymous Role Playing Gamer

"I think that statue over there is a statement on modern life. The statement is, "Well, shit." - Varric, Dragon Age II

"Why is it all claws and guns? Can't we piss off a fuzzy planet? Still dangerous, but hey. Bunnies." - Joker, Mass Effect

"Last night, I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and thought to myself, "Where the heck is the ceiling?" - Dilbert


"Aim at the high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you'll hit the bull's-eye of success." - Annie Oakley

"It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly." - Flemeth, aka The Witch of the Wilds, Dragon Age 2

"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.'” - George Carlin

"I hear there's a wild bridge tournament down the street. And you know Bridge. It's a lot like sex. If you don't have a great partner, you'd better have a good hand." Barry Weiss, Storage Wars

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." - Marcus Cole, Babylon 5, "A Late Delivery From Avalon"

"I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein

“If you think you can or think you cannot, you are correct.” - Henry Ford
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