SO MUCH TO CATCH UP ON...

The summer is flying by! I had no idea that my last newsletter was out at the end of May. My apologies to you all! I'll do better getting back to monthly updates, never fear. But I have lots of fabulous things to tell you in this newsletter. A new release, updates on the work in process, audio book news and re-releases of some books at lower prices. Plus my first Facebook Live video! So let's get to it.

HAVE YOU READ THE PROBLEM WITH WITCHES?

The Problem with Witches released June 30, and reader response to this crossover between the Knights of the Board Room and the Arcane Shot series characters has been great. An encouraging number of you were motivated to read the two books in the Arcane Shot series before or after they read The Problem with Witches, which was something I was hoping would happen. Not because I want to sell books (though paying my light bill is always nice). I simply love Derek/Ruby and Mikhael/Raina's stories, and would love more of my readers to fall in love with them too (beaming). So, if you haven't had a chance to read The Problem with Witches yet, here are some reminders about it:

The book is available from Amazon, Nook, iBooks and Kobo, and is available in ebook and print formats. If you have any difficulty finding the book at your preferred vendor site, the buy links are on the book page of my website, here. You'll also find an excerpt and blurb there, along with the lovely cover art.

Just as a refresher on the storyline, there's something seriously scary about to happen in New Orleans if Mikhael and Raina from In the Company of Witches can't stop it. But since they pull in Ben and Marcie of Hostile Takeover for help, as well as some other characters you know well from both series, the bad guys don't have a chance.

Nice things readers have been saying about the book:

"No matter the specific sub genre or setting, Joey W. Hill is always a must buy for my collection. In this novel she achieves a fabulous meld of the Arcane Shot and Knights of the Board Room series characters. As the combined group represent some of my most cherished characters in her lexicon, this was bound to please. That said, she knocked it out of the park!"

"I am finished — was soo hard to stop so I could sleep and go to work this week!! I should no longer be surprised by the emotional ride, nor by the full immersion into a world that is so real and not fiction. I know that is just how Hill’s stories are, and yet I am amazed and awed every single time."

As I noted above, this book has created new interest in the Arcane Shot series, and All About Romance resurrected their review of In the Company of Witches recently as a result. Rating it a "Desert Isle keeper", the AAR reviewer said: "Raina is hands-down one of the best female characters I have encountered in fiction. She is strong in witchcraft and in character and acts as a combination of mentor and mother for her succubi. She’s sharp, resourceful, and fiercely independent without ever crossing the line into foolish actions or general obnoxiousness. Mikhael makes the perfect foil for her by matching her in strength and allowing her to be vulnerable with him. Dominant to the core, he’s able to give Raina the boundaries she needs to feel truly secure."

NEW AUDIO BOOKS COMING

Audible is going to be producing an audio version of Controlled Response and Honor Bound, Books 2 and 3 of the Knights of the Board Room series! We're dealing with contract stuff now, but once that's taken care of, my Audible contact said it's around 2-3 months from contract signing to audio-version release. Hooray! Lucas/Cass and Peter/Dana will soon join the rest of the characters in having their books available at Audible.

Now, for the less happy news. Audible is NOT currently interested in the Vampire Queen series. I know, I was very disappointed about this, too, but it doesn't mean it's a dead issue. Just dormant for now. My best window of opportunity was unfortunately a few years back, when the earlier books had their strongest sale numbers. At the time, the publisher holding the audio rights wouldn't utilize them or come to an agreement with Audible about them, so the window of opportunity was missed. Publishing can be a bit frustrating that way. We can make ourselves crazy over things like that, or we can focus on moving forward toward where we want to go (grin).

If the marketing efforts we'll be pursuing over the coming months succeed in increasing new reader interest in the earlier books, then the bump in sales may either 1) revive Audible's interest or 2) give me the capital to produce audio versions of the books myself and then contract them to places like Audible (production is the big up front cost for any audio book). So don't despair, and keep telling your reader friends how much you love the Vampire Queen series. If it's meant to be, we'll figure out a way to get there.

In the meantime, I look forward to announcing CR and HB's release in audio before the end of the year! The Knights of the Board Room series will also soon be offered through the Audible Escape program, if any of you participate in that.

MY FIRST FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEO CHAT

I have a YouTube channel where I have Q and A sessions and fun video posts, but I hadn't yet tried the interactive Facebook Live chat option until recently. If you didn't get a chance to join in, don't worry - it was recorded. Go to my Joey W. Hill Author page on Facebook, where you can see it big and noticeable under the video options, since it's my one and only at this moment. Or you can just click this direct link. I started a bit slow, figuring things out, but once we got rolling into the questions, I think it turned out pretty well. I'll be doing more of these in the future, because it was so great to talk to you all "live!"

VAMPIRE QUEEN'S SERVANT AND NAUGHTY BITS RE-RELEASED AT SELF-PUBLISHED PRICE

I am SO pleased to report that at long last ALL books in the Vampire Queen series are being offered by my self-published imprint, Story Witch Press. Vampire Queen's Servant, the first book in the series, was the final book returned to me by the original publisher. You can see the beautiful new cover on its book page here, as well as find the updated vendor buy links.

Now, on that same note, Naughty Bits is also back out, so you can get your hands on Logan and Madison's full story at the ebook $4.99 price, if you haven't yet had a chance to read it. A print version is also available, and Audible/Tantor offers it on audiobook. That graphic designer I sleep with (grin) did an excellent job honoring the spirit of the original cover with the gorgeous updated one! For those wondering about Naughty Wishes, when I finally get the rights back to that one, I'll offer all of Geoff, Chris and Samantha's story under one cover, the way we do with Naughty Bits - in print AND ebook.

CONTINUED DISCUSSION OF MY 100-BOOK LIST

Several months ago on my GoodReads blog, I started a four-part series about my personal 100-Book list; meaning, the books that have influenced me from childhood to current date. The final two parts have been posted: "The Husband and Writing Years" and "The Open-Ended End". I really enjoyed this walk down memory lane, examining the reading choices that shaped me as a writer and person, and recommend everyone do the same. It's interesting to consider the books you've read at different phases of your life!

PACKAGING CHANGES - BUT NOT CONTENT!

In my continued attempt to reach new readers and navigate our brave new world of book marketing in the current day/age, I am going to be working with a publicist over the next few months. As a result, you may see some changes happen in the presentation of my books, and some different kinds of marketing efforts from what I've tried in the past. These changes will not impact the content of my existing books, just some of the packaging/presentation. For instance, my entire Knights of the Board Room has been reloaded with newly branded covers recently. Please don't hesitate to email or find me on FB or Twitter if you have any concerns or confusion about what is going on. Fingers crossed, the result will be that our cast of characters finds an expanded readership that enjoys them as much as you all have and do! [And my continuing quest to pay my light bill without resorting to pole dancing will prevail, lol.]

CONFERENCE RECAP, SASS 2019 IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

I was so thrilled to see those of you who were able to make it to the July SASS conference in Charlotte. I met up with some folks I hadn't seen in awhile, made some new friends and had a really nice time. The folks at the Charlotte downtown Sheraton were so helpful and kind, and the hardworking SASS staff and organizers took excellent care of us, beginning to end. The signing was a blast, and we stayed non-stop busy until end of the day, which always thrills an author. My wonderful sister-in-law was standing in for Scott to help me with money stuff. She is a natural born seller and all-round fun person to spend a day with, so I was very glad to have her there. She's not involved with the D/s lifestyle at all, so she said she turned "50 Shades of Red" at some of the conversations that happened at the table, but she handled herself very well for all that, lol. I knew the day was going to go well when the first person who came to my table was a Dom/sub couple where the Dom was wearing a golf shirt with some very special embroidery on it: the red M and M character dressed in bondage gear! They were a wonderful couple, as were so many who came to the table. You all have your own stories to tell, and I love to hear them. Thank you for stopping by to see me.

Want to join me at SASS next year? Tickets available NOW. I will definitely be attending the SASS con in Norfolk in 2020, barring any unforeseen catastrophes, so I would love to see you all there! You can click that SASS conference link above or in the sidebar to learn more, but tickets for the event just went live Friday, August 16. IMPORTANT NOTE: There will be only 94 VIP tickets offered (allowing early access to the big Saturday signing), so if you want one of those, act NOW. Here's the ticket link.

SO WHAT'S NEXT?

Vampire Master! I am roaring right along with Wolf and Ella's story. As often happens when I get deeper into who the characters are and where their story needs to go, I find I have to research new and different things. While their book is not a Daddy Dom story, Wolf and Elle conduct a workshop on the topic for the Club Atlantis membership. Like most people who are Doms/subs, I have my own particular preferences as a submissive. I don't have to practice an aspect of D/s for it to be part of an erotic scene or character dynamic in my story, but it does have to engage my interest enough for me to make it work.

Sooooo, I'll admit it - when it became clear that I'd need to learn more about the Daddy Dom/little girl play, I was a little unsure about it. I had some pre-conceived notions about it that did not initially make it an erotic premise to me. I assumed there was no overlap between that type of D/s and the Master/sub relationships I usually write. Of course, like most of my preconceived notions on things, I was wrong, lol. After researching online and reading some excellent examples of the genre, I've discovered this type of play has a much broader spectrum of expression than I expected. So again, Vampire Master is NOT a Daddy Dom story, but it provides a glimpse of the dynamic that I think will surprise some of my readers. I know it did me.

I'll keep giving you tidbits about the book's evolution in each newsletter and on the FB pages, but I am loving how the story is unfolding. I've hit 120,000 words this week and I anticipate finishing the first draft by the end of August. If all goes well in editing, I should be able to set a December release date. I'll keep you posted.

Reminder of where these characters have occurred before in the series: Ella is a submissive at Club Atlantis, introduced during Vampire Mistress/Trinity, and Wolf made his appearance in Vampire's Soul. A few months back, I gave you a little teaser story about these two in Dreams of a Vampire Master.

After I finish this one, next stop on my list will be a contemporary, likely a Nature of Desire series story. You can always see some of the ideas I'm playing with on my "In the Works" page on my website. We have plenty more adventures ahead, I hope!

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USUAL STUFF

CONTACTING ME - Remember, you can find me online through my website email contact link or email me directly at storywitch@PROTECTED. You can also leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Facebook under Joey W. Hill, and you can visit the JWHMembersOnly FB fan forum group here. I'm @JoeyWHill on Twitter, and my Pinterest boards related to the books are here.

Thank you all so much for your support of my work!

DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? It seems those darn online filters are becoming more and more aggressive. And don't get me started on the many ways Facebook plays tricks with my messages, lol. But responding to my readers, and doing so in a very timely manner (within 24-48 hours), is extremely important to me. So if you have sent a communication to me in any of the mediums I've mentioned - direct email, FB, GoodReads or Twitter - and have not received a response, a technical glitch has occurred. Either your communication did not get through to me, or my response did not reach you. If you suspect that's the case, use one of the alternative communication methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or FB, or a tweet, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!

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NEWSLETTER NOTES

While you can subscribe to the newsletter through my website, you may find your email host isn't letting it through, thanks to broad spam-blocking mechanisms that don't separate communications you've specifically requested to receive, from those you haven't. Regrettably, there's not a lot we can do on this side if the newsletter is hitting an email filter that is bouncing it without notifying either one of us. However, we do have some things you can try that seem to have worked for folks:

FIRST - make sure the newsletter email is part of your contact list: "newsletter@PROTECTED."

SECOND - Check whatever filters you do have for spam and the like and see what methods are available to you to ensure an email like this gets through. My newsletters have a plethora of links in them to make it easy for you to find the things I'm talking about, but the flip side of that is it can get the newsletter tagged pretty quickly as spam.

THIRD - Contact me at newsletter@PROTECTED and ask to be unsubscribed. Once we confirm with you that has been done, rather than us sending you an invitation (which can bounce for the aforementioned reasons), we have you go in to the website newsletter link and subscribe yourself - here's the link to that. If it works, you'll get an automatic invitation to confirm, and then, fingers crossed, you should be set.

FOURTH - If none of this works or all of it is just too frustrating and you want to say "screw it!" (and I can hardly blame you, lol), then just make sure you've liked my FB page or are following me on Twitter. This is because whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post the updated link to it on both of those, to make sure it reaches the widest number of people possible! It's the same link monthly, so if you want, just put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorites. You can click on it anytime to see if an update has been posted. I try to post a new one every 30-45 days.