Happy New Year to all of my awesome readers! In honor of 2017 finally being over, and to celebrate my birthday (yes, I'm a New Year's Eve baby), I'd like to share a scene that was left on the cutting room floor after my beta readers read one of the earliest drafts of Steel Empires … Continue reading Steel Blood Deleted Scene
TARDIS Contest: Winners and Final Tally!
Thanks so much to everyone who submitted guesses in my crazy contest! And the final TARDIS tally: 34! Congratulations to the following: Kelly M., the random winner of a hardcopy of their choice from the Steel Empires series Kat S. and Jules D., who both guessed the closest at 32, the winners of an ebook … Continue reading TARDIS Contest: Winners and Final Tally!
Con Report: Confluence 2017
I was thrilled to once again be invited to Confluence, the annual SF/F literary convention hosted by Parsec. I have a ton of fun, and this year was no exception. FRIDAY Road trip company is the best, and this year a friend drove to my place outside of Baltimore on Friday night to join me … Continue reading Con Report: Confluence 2017
July Wrap-Up & August Goals
We are officially at two months in a row where I manage to accomplish everything on my list of goals (sort of). Obviously the biggest accomplishment this month was the publication and launch of my third novel, book 3 in the Steel Empires series. If you haven't yet gotten your copy of Steel Blood, it's available … Continue reading July Wrap-Up & August Goals
Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #14
It's been a whirlwind two weeks, but today is the last stop of the Steel Blood blog tour! If you missed any stops along the way, you can find the full roster at my Guest Blog page. For our final stop, author Weston Kindcade was kind enough to discuss his thoughts about Steel Empires Book 1: … Continue reading Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #14
Not your typical vampire: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #13
Author Jennifer Loring asking me the ever-important question about writing in the fantasy genre. What makes my vampires and other supernatural creatures stand out from the crowd? How did I put my own spin on the mythology while still making my characters recognizable? Take a quick look: My vampires fit the mold in that they’re … Continue reading Not your typical vampire: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #13
Author Interview: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #12
The weather is spectacularly stormy here in my corner of Maryland today. I can only assume that the star of Steel Magic, storm-mage Toria Connor, is perturbed that all the attention has been on Victory lately as the main character in Steel Blood. Too bad for both of them, though, because today the focus is on me! … Continue reading Author Interview: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #12
But I’m not a horror writer!: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #11
Yesterday, we got a look at the more "human" side of my main character, the vampire Victory (over here, if you missed it). And while I love that scene, it's not unique -- being a vampire is just part of who Victory is, which also includes being a partner, a mother, a politician, a mercenary, … Continue reading But I’m not a horror writer!: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #11
Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #10
Author Anna Zabo offered to host a short excerpt from Steel Blood on their blog for this stop of the blog tour! The scene takes place near the beginning of the novel, when Victory and Mikelos have arrived in the Qin Empire’s colonial city of Jiang Yi Yue. As a vampire, Victory was prepared to wait … Continue reading Book excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #10
Tell Me: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #9
Author and editor Jennifer Brozek (currently living the live I sometimes envision for myself) was kind enough to host me on her regular blog feature: Tell Me. So, I told her all about how I was inspired to make up some new rules (and then break them) as I started the process of writing Steel Blood. … Continue reading Tell Me: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #9
Meet Victory: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #8
Because our books are being released a week apart, I teamed up with fellow RDSP authors Lee Murray and Dan Rabarts to do a bit of cross-promotion. This morning, I interviewed the main characters of their upcoming novel, Hounds of the Underworld, on my blog, and they were kind enough to do the same! A quick … Continue reading Meet Victory: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #8
STEEL BLOOD featured on The Skiffy and Fanty Show: A Book By Its Cover!
In a surprise blog tour spot that I knew was coming, but had no idea of when, Steel Blood has been "reviewed" as part of a relaunched monthly feature at The Skiffy and Fanty Show: A Book By Its Cover! It's a joke column that literally makes up a book review based on what the cover … Continue reading STEEL BLOOD featured on The Skiffy and Fanty Show: A Book By Its Cover!
Writing strong female characters with Rhonda Mason: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #6
I have kind of a love/hate relationship with the "strong female character" trope. Today, with author Rhonda Mason, I talk about the ways the main character of my series falls into this particular urban fantasy stereotype -- and how I break the stereotype. A quick look: I’ve only been participating in programming at conventions for … Continue reading Writing strong female characters with Rhonda Mason: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #6
The history of Limani with A.M. Justice: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #4
For the next stop on the Steel Blood blog tour, I couldn't miss a visit with my internet doppelganger, author A.M. Justice! We share a love of world-building in our fantasy novels, so she asked me to write a bit about how the city of Limani came to be. A quick look: But while the … Continue reading The history of Limani with A.M. Justice: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #4
New Book Excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #3
Happy book birthday to the third book in the Steel Empires series! Steel Blood features the continuing adventures of Victory and Mikelos, who couldn't quite manage to stay safe at home while their kids were off having adventures in Steel Magic. Today, the book is now officially available in hardcopy and ebook form from the following retailers: … Continue reading New Book Excerpt: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #3
State of the Empires at Raw Dog Screaming Press: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #2
For day 2 of the Steel Blood blog tour, I visited the Raw Dog Screaming Press blog for the first annual State of the Empires! Here's a short excerpt: In the past few months, since the official announcement of Steel Blood, people keep congratulating me on finishing my book trilogy. While many fantasy series do typically come … Continue reading State of the Empires at Raw Dog Screaming Press: STEEL BLOOD Blog Tour Stop #2
June Wrap-Up & July Goals
Every once in a while, I'm totally allowed to have a month where I not only complete EVERYTHING on my list of goals, but also exceed it! (Mostly because sometimes I forget things when I'm writing up the list of goals, but I'm going to take the win anyway.) June Wrap-Up Steel Time was officially … Continue reading June Wrap-Up & July Goals
Con Report: In Your Write Mind 2017
Last night, I got home from one of my favorite trips every year. In Your Write Mind is a writer's workshop/conference hosted by Seton Hill University, as an offshoot of their Writing Popular Fiction graduate program. (Basically, the graduates wanted an excuse to come back every year, so we created one.) The workshop is open … Continue reading Con Report: In Your Write Mind 2017
Participants needed for STEEL BLOOD blog tour this July
Are you a book blogger and/or reviewer? Would you like to be part of a blog tour this summer to promote the next book in the Steel Empires series, Steel Blood? Please use this Google form (no registration required) to submit your contact information, availability, and interest in the following: Spotlight (book and author info) … Continue reading Participants needed for STEEL BLOOD blog tour this July
April Wrap-Up & May Goals
You know that saying, about how the best way to get something done is to ask a busy person? Yeah, apparently I need to be that busy person. Did I get everything done that I set out to do this month? Nope. But I did a bunch of other cool things, like see my little … Continue reading April Wrap-Up & May Goals