May
18
2012
You may be wondering how a hot fudge sundae relates to anything in this post. To find out (sort of), read Gavin and Zoe's interview. Or you can read JUST BREATHE when it comes out. The book will make it quite clear.
My “bookie” life is aflutter with activity this week. Here’s a run-down of what’s happening with me:
Giveaways:
If you’d like a chance to win an e-copy of INHALE, check out Rumor Has It, Paperback Dolls, and Kindle Fever. All contests end soon!
Reviews:
INHALE scored some fantastic reviews this week. You can read them here: Fictional Candy, Reading Lark After Dark, Rumor Has It, and Erin Danzer.
Interviews:
Paperback Dolls interviewed me; I interviewed Gavin and Zoe; and Sinnder’s fans interviewed him. Sounds like a really hot and nasty four-way, no? That Sinnder…whoa, he melts me every time!
Accolades:
A Reader of Fictions named JUST BREATHE the Cover of the Week on May 11. YAY!
Excerpt:
EXHALE excerpt is now up and at ‘em. Psst…the book is coming soon. Like, REALLY soon. Stay tuned.
Help:
If you don’t have the patience for entering drawings, you can buy a copy of INHALE at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. The e-book is only $2.99, and all profits go to programs that educate people about whales. So, even if you think the book sucks, at least you did something nice for a really big ocean creature that needs your help. ;-)
Have a great weekend, my friends! Don’t let the sun burn you on the ass. Or any other delicate areas. ;-)
May
17
2012
When Kendall offered me the chance to take over her blog for a guest post, I wondered exactly what I was going to talk about. But inspiration hit me when I was thinking about the day before I published my first book.
So, I present to you, the day before I published…
07:00 – I woke up feeling quite excited. This was the day I’d dreamed about for years, the day I was going to finally have a published book.
09:00 After sorting out my two daughters with breakfast, getting them dressed and other things that you wouldn’t think would take two people so long, I finally got to my office, eager to get things sorted.
10:00 – I’d spent the entire previous day trying to figure out how to format the book in the correct way. All I succeeded in doing was angering myself and generally deciding that whoever had come up with the idea of having to convert a word document into HTML format is in fact an ass. Fortunately, a good friend had told me that I could use Scrivener to do it.
10:30 – And done. I’d used Scrivener to compile the book and a wave of euphoria swept through me.
11:00 – I downloaded the Kindle viewer app and my euphoria changed to something akin to being kicked in the balls. Repeatedly.
11:10 – I have no idea what the problem is. None. The first fifteen chapters work like a dream. But after that there are chapter numbers replaced by words, the first line of chapters are no chapter heads, and basically it’s all gone horribly wrong.
11:30 – I recompile the file in the hope that I’d done something wrong and it was a one off. It was not. I did it again. And again. In fact, I did it A LOT, each time changing a few settings to figure out what the hell was going on.
12:00 – I start to curse ancient gods. Mostly, because I don’t want to piss off any that might actually still hold sway over anything, but also because cursing Zeus is just more fun. Nothing changed. But I also wasn’t hit with a thunderbolt, so you get the rough with the smooth.
12:30 – I email my friend to explain what’s happening. Her response of ‘try this’ fills me with the kind of hope a seal must feel when it hops onto an iceberg to escape a pod of orcas. Her suggestion doesn’t work. Her follow up of ‘eh’, now makes me feel like that same seal as it jumps back in the ocean only to realise that the orcas have been playing a game of hide and sneak.
13:00 – I e-mail Scrivener themselves in the hopeful attempt that they might know what’s wrong with my computer.
13:00 – In the mean time I read various forums to try and find a result.
14:00 – I’m no more the wiser, and after reading some of the forum posts, I actively now worry about the human race.
14:00 – I go back to Scrivener’s forum, normally a bastion of helpfulness, to find an answer. I type in my problem and fifteen pages of forum flashes up. I get comfortable.
14:30/15:00 (I no longer know, time is relative when reading forums) – On page 12, I find someone with a similar problem. I refuse to allow myself to feel hope, but my heart flutters. Just a little bit.
15:30 – I’ve tried the suggestion and… it works. I jump in the air in a euphoric moment. Or I would do, if I had a larger office. In reality jumping in the air in my office would cause me all kinds of pain.
The problem, as it turns out was that Word placed hidden page breaks in my novel. Yay, Word. Removing them fixed the whole problem (something clarified by the e-mail from Scrivener explaining this to me at the moment I figure it out). I curse Microsoft and change a few details in the book before creating an epub file and mobi file that actually works.
16:30 – I upload the book onto Amazon in preparation of the book launch the following day (it takes 12 hours or so to go live) and go find a bottle of scotch.
It was the single most nail-biting day of my life that didn’t include the birth of my children. My wedding day was less stomach-churning than realising that my book might not be ready on the day it was meant to be.
But in the end it worked out. The book went live and I had one of the craziest days ever. But that’s a story for another time.
Steve McHugh is the author of Crimes Against Magic, an urban fantasy set in modern day London with Historical flashbacks to early fifteenth century France. The book is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.uk.
May
14
2012
I got back to work on my final edits for EXHALE, book 2 in the JUST BREATHE trilogy, last week. I’m a little over a quarter of the way done. I switched the original publication date of June 5 to July 11, but really, I’ll publish this book whenever I publish it. I’m not getting worked up about deadlines anymore.
I’m still trying to get the blurb in shape. It totally sucks ass, but I hope to post it soon.
In the meantime, here’s an EXHALE excerpt for any interested parties. It’s Gavin and Zoe’s first date, which got off to a rough start. They left a show he played with his band, and have just reached their hotel room…
A bucket of iced champagne sweated on a low-slung glass coffee table in front of a long, blue-upholstered couch. Zoe’s overnight bag sat on the floor beside a small black duffel at the foot of a king-sized bed. Dainty chocolates adorned monster pillows at the headboard, and the corners of the sheets were folded back. Matching ‘His and Hers’ robes draped across the thick, royal blue comforter.
Gulp.
Seeking refuge against the now-closed door, Zoe swept a hand across her forehead, brushing some windblown wisps of hair out of her eyes. Gavin dropped the key and his sunglasses next to a bulbous green lamp on a dresser and turned to her, his colorful, tattooed arms swinging with the spin.
He closed the distance between them, then reached around her head, loosened the rubber band, and tugged it free. Hair tumbled down her back. Heat prickled her skin as a whiff of his woodsy cologne set her belly alight. The loud clack of a lock snapping into place rang out from somewhere near her right arm.
Trapped with Mr. Perfect.
Zoe’s heart raced. Dropping her gaze to the floor, she inhaled a sharp breath. He peeled open the jacket still hanging on her shoulders and slid it off. The leather fell into a heap behind her. What was he—
Thumbs wriggled through the belt loops on either side of her hips and pushed her flush against the door. One black boot appeared between her feet. The other planted itself in the carpet to the left of her right shoe. She looked up to protest. His lips landed on hers, gentle as a falling feather. Breath shuddered out through her nose, and her eyes drifted closed as he staked his claim on her mouth.
Umm…sold.
Jitterbugs swarmed her stomach. She reveled in the rhythm of each tiny movement of his mouth as if they’d done this a thousand times before. Which, they sort of had. In her dreams. But dreams weren’t real, and this…so…was.
Her cheeks and ears flushed with fast-pumping blood. His pierced bottom lip, which she’d been dying to taste again, hypnotized her into performing a precarious balancing act between girlish retreat and slut-worthy acceptance of any- and everything he might put up for auction tonight.
A moan vibrated between their mouths, and she realized with embarrassment, it came out of her. She opened her eyes and pulled away, wiping her lips with the back of a hand.
Thanks, Modesty, for the interruption. Your late arrival was poorly timed, but much appreciated.
If the kiss had gone on much longer, she would have straight-up jumped his ass.
He looked down at her, his thumbs still holding her hips by the belt loops, a steady couple of inches away from his steaming hot body.
Breathless, she focused on the lip ring. Big mistake. He licked it.
Thank you, sir, may I have another?
“What was that for?” It took a few seconds, but her senses returned and reminded her of his distance only moments before. Was he buttering her up for sex? Rock stars were notorious users. Maybe he was grooming her to be his next victim.
She couldn’t take much more of the mixed signal shit.
He stepped closer, eyes rippling blue. At five foot eleven, Zoe wasn’t short, but he had a good five or six inches on her. And if his physical stature didn’t dwarf her, his epic hotness was the perfect stand-in. “It’s eleven fifty-two.”
Did she imagine desire hanging thick in his voice, or was that husky tone the result of scream-singing on stage for an hour? Had to be the singing.
“You gonna turn into a pumpkin at midnight or something?” Look away, damn it. Be strong. She stuffed both hands in her front pockets, but he didn’t let her go. Instead, he leaned in even further, heat rising off his sweat-drenched shirt in the cool, air-conditioned room.
“When I woke up this morning, I promised myself I’d kiss you before this day ended.” He tugged her hips to his with a jerk. Holy freaking hell. “Eleven fifty-two.”
Book one in the JUST BREATHE trilogy is avaialable now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
May
12
2012
Thanks to everyone who attended my silly INHALE Release virtual party last night. I had a blast hanging out with you guys. Here are the winners of the signed INHALE ARCs. Please email me your address, and I’ll mail your books this week!
General Giveaway winner: Kathleen Groger
Picture Giveaway: Lisa Edwards
Scavenger Hunt 1 Giveaway: Paula McCurry
Scavenger Hunt 2 Giveaway: Christina Franke
May
11
2012
Okay, we’re down to the last giveaway. You may need to hit those research skills once again for this. Google is your friend. :-)
Names are super important to me, so I make sure every one counts in my books. Yileen used the Aboriginal word Nerida in a scene with Gavin in INHALE. That word can also be a name.
1. What does Nerida mean?
2. What does Yileen mean?
Write both answers in the comments section here on the blog. Those who provide the correct answers to both questions will be entered into a Random.org drawing for a signed paperback ARC of INHALE. You have until 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time tonight, May 11, 2012 to enter. Good luck!
May
11
2012
For the next INHALE Release Party giveaway, you need to put your research skills to work. The Sentinel Council in INHALE consists of seven members. Name at least four of the Councilors.
Write all four characters’ names in the comments section here on the blog. All correct answers will be entered in a Random.org drawing for a signed paperback ARC of INHALE. You have until 8:00 Eastern Standard Time tonight, May 11, 2012 to answer. Good luck!
May
11
2012
Got your cameras and drinks ready? Take a picture of yourself partying like INHALE’s rock star hero, Gavin Cassidy, and post it to Twitter (you MUST use #INHALEparty hashtag) or the Facebook INHALE Release Party event page. You’ll get one entry per picture. If you post the same picture on Facebook and Twitter, it only counts once, but you can post two different ones (or more) for extra entries. Go crazy. I want to see you unleash your inner rock star. ;-)
You have until 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time tonight, May 11, 2012, to post your picture(s). I’ll use Random.org to determine who wins a signed paperback ARC of INHALE. Good luck!
May
11
2012
Earth, Air, Fire, and Water rule the living, breathing world of Realis in my JUST BREATHE trilogy. These four Elements are part of every human Wyldling as well as the Elementals who feed off them. Most people are a pretty good balance of the four, but there’s always one that tends to appear in slightly greater measure than the rest.
Here’s a silly quiz I made up to help you find out which Element dominates you. Read each item and choose the answer that *best* fits you. Try not to think too hard. Just write the first answer that comes to your mind on a sheet of paper.
I’ll post the key to figuring out which Element rules you on the INHALE Release Party Facebook page shortly.
1. Out of these choices, my favorite color is:
a. red
b. blue
c. green
d. yellow
2. In my job, I work *most* with:
a. My hands
b. My heart
c. My mind
d. My soul
3. In relationships, I tend to be the:
a. Rational, grounded one
b. Irrational, reactive one
c. Emotional one
d. Manipulative one
4. My astrological sign is:
a. Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
b. Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
c. Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
d. Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
5. A guy mugs me. I…
a. Try to talk him out of it
b. Take his gun away and pistol-whip his sorry ass with it
c. Give him a sob story about how my kid needs an operation
d. Scream in his face
May
11
2012
My INHALE Release Party is scheduled to detonate tonight between 7:00 – 8:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time. I’m making this blog “home base” for the giveaway stuff since I’ll be jumping between Facebook and Twitter and prefer not to lose any more of my mind than I already have.
I have giveaway posts set to explode on this blog at 7:15, 7:30, and 7:45 pm. Prizes are signed paperback Advanced Reader Copies of INHALE.
Okay, here are the rules:
- The party will be split between this blog, Facebook, and Twitter tonight, Friday, May 11, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Any items posted before or after this time will NOT be considered as valid entries. You do NOT have to own a copy of INHALE to participate. I will use random.org to determine all winners.
- GENERAL GIVEAWAY: For every 25 individuals who comment on the Facebook event page OR Tweet using #INHALEparty hashtag, I’ll do a random drawing for one signed ARC of INHALE (for example, if 100 people comment, I’ll give away 4 ARCs). Comment or Tweet using those guidelines, and you’re automatically entered in this drawing. EASY!
- STUPID PICTURE GIVEAWAY: To enter this one, you’ll need a Facebook or Twitter account, an easy-to-upload-to-the-interwebs camera device, and a drink nearby (doesn’t have to be alcohol, but that certainly helps!). Winner determined by random drawing.
- SCAVENGER HUNT GIVEAWAY: I’ll send you into the wild blue yonder to find answers to prickly INHALE-related questions. Some answers can be found in my previous blog posts, but others are in the book itself. All correct answers will be entered into a random drawing.
- PIMP GIVEAWAY: No, I’m not giving away pimps. HA! If you Tweet or Facebook post INHALE’s Amazon buy link (http://www.amazon.com/Inhale-Just-Breathe-Novel-ebook/dp/B006TEW7KW) between 7:00 – 8:00 pm EST tonight only, I’ll enter you into another random drawing. Tweets MUST include #INHALEparty tag and Facebook posts MUST tag Kendall Grey to be eligible. Please only do this once to avoid spamming your friends with buy links. I will only count one Tweet and one FB post per person. If I deem your Tweet/post particularly clever, I’ll count it twice. Be creative!
- I have a total of 20 INHALE paperback ARCs to give away. If we exceed that many winners (which would be effin’ awesome!), I’ll give out INHALE e-books (choose MOBI, EPUB, or PDF version) to the remaining winners.
- Each person is limited to ONE prize, so once you win a book, your name will be removed from all other giveaways.
- All winners will be announced here on the blog, on Twitter, and Facebook as soon as I can figure out who the hell gets what.
INHALE is now available in e-book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. All profits from the sale of INHALE will be donated to programs that educate people about whales, so your money is going to a good cause. :-)
I think that’s everything for now. Leave questions in the comments section if you have ‘em. Thanks for your support. Can’t wait to see you tonight! Let’s have some serious FUN!
May
8
2012
I’m hosting a Twitter/Facebook party to celebrate INHALE’s release this Friday, May 11 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Here are the details from the Facebook event thingie:
This party will be exclusively online. We’ll play stupid games, chat about INHALE, and figure out which Element rules you. Bring your questions for Kendall, fave quotes from the book, and an adult beverage of your choice (yes, there will be drinking games). For every 25 people who comment between 7:00 – 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time on the INHALE Release Party page or on Twitter (hashtag #INHALEparty), I’ll give away one signed paperback ARC of INHALE. @Gavin_Cassidy and @Dr_Zoe_Morgan have been known to pop up on Twitter. In the event that Gavin shows up, I must declare this an adults-only party. Graphic language/content is pretty much guaranteed with that bloke around, so if you’re easily offended by swearing Aussie hotness, EARMUFFS! ;-)
Hope you can make it!
INHALE is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. All profits will be donated to programs that educate people about whales. Thanks for your support!
INHALE, the first book in the JUST BREATHE trilogy, is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Awesome Book Reviewers
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