I'm about to complete the second of four edit rounds on Arcane Chaos and I can't believe how fast the month of May is flying. Have you preordered your copy yet? Remember you can PREORDER NOW from these vendors:
Amazon * Amazon Worldwide * Apple * Kobo * Nook
[Print and Google will be available on or just before the release date. No plans for audio at this time.]
Here's also a draft Chapter One if you'd like an early sneak peek! It'll undergo some more streamlining and tightening before the final version, so forgive me if it's a bit rambly. Every writer has their process to get to that final polished version. Mine goes something like this:
FIRST DRAFT - scribbling madly while thinking, "I love this, love these characters! I'm so happy to be a writer!" (cue the birds twittering, sun shining, etc).
FIRST EDIT ROUND - "OMG, this is a dog's mess. I've written a piece of total crap. I need to figure out how I'm going to pay the bills because obviously my writing career is ending." (and yes, I go through this phase with EVERY book).
SECOND EDIT ROUND - "Actually, this might be ok. After I do four jillion edits."
THIRD EDIT ROUND - "Yes, this is working! The characters are starting to feel so real, and I love their chemistry. Oh, but I've got to fix this and this and this... and EEK, I'm how close to deadline?!"
FINAL/FOURTH ROUND - "I'm out of time, it's good, leave it alone, oh, but if I don't do those last thousand tweaks..."
DEADLINE! Husband pries it out of my hands and uploads it, giving me the stink eye and fending me off with a fly swatter when I say "I KNOW you've uploaded it to all the vendors, but on Page 76 there's this one thing..."
Lol - anyhow, I hope when we get through all those steps, Silas and Ramona's story will be one you'll enjoy.
Guess what book is now part of the "first-in-series" free family? If you've never read the other two books in the soon-to-be completed Arcane Shot trilogy, you can start with Ruby's story - for FREE! Here are all the links, plus a BookFunnel link if your vendor doesn't show it. You can also view the full series list on Amazon here. The banner below shows all the free "first-in-series" or "gateway-to-series" books I offer. Type any of those links in your URL line to see the vendor download links, plus BookFunnel.
Part One and Two of Lyssa and Jacob's story on audio - have you enjoyed the listen yet? They're available from multiple audio vendors, including Audible, Apple, Chirp, Libre, Google, BookBinge and of course my Authors Direct site on Findaway Voices.
Just go to Vampire Queen's Servant or Mark of the Vampire Queen on my website and click on Audiobook Links under the blurb/buy links. It will pop up all the current vendors I know about. If you don't see a vendor in the list that you know is selling it, give me a heads up and I'll add it.
It will take a while for us to accumulate enough sales on these two audiobooks to fund the production of the next book in the series, so just keep spreading the love wherever and however you can! And remember, there is another standalone book in the Vampire Queen series that has been available on audio for some time - Nightfall, the story co-authored with Desiree Holt!
Are you coming to the Sexy and Sassy signing in Norfolk? It's coming up soon, isn't it? July 28-31 weekend! IF YOU ARE GOING AND WANT TO BE SURE I'LL HAVE CERTAIN BOOKS AVAILABLE - email me at storywitch@storywitch.com and tell me what book(s) you'll be seeking. If you want to be pre-invoiced for them so they can be signed and waiting for pickup, just let me know that as well!
If you haven't joined the Facebook Group to stay on top of all the details, be sure to do that. Here's a permalink to a recent post on the group, reminding us of everything from registration to hotel reservation stuff. And if you don't do Facebook, you can find the Eventbrite page here, which includes a link to contact the organizers if you have further questions.
I'm continuing to brainstorm my Fall 2022 book, At Her Call, the third Mistresses of the Board Room story. I can't wait to work on this one! (Obviously, since I'm already madly scribbling ideas for it, lol.) Skye, our mute IT/Tech manager, has the occasional enjoyable session with Tiger, a handsome tattooed garage manager and biker bad boy. A powerful sub, he's never become overly attached to one particular Domme. Unexpected circumstances will change the nature of their relationship, however, taking her to new levels as a Domme, and demanding far more from him as a submissive.
We have a release date for Ramona and Silas's story! June 15 is when I'll have it in your hands, and you can PREORDER NOW from these vendors:
Amazon * Amazon Worldwide * Apple * Kobo * Nook
[Print and Google will be available on or just before the release date. No plans for audio at this time.]
I've finished the first draft and am starting the first edit round now. I tear my hair out a little when I write paranormal stories because of the challenge of integrating the love story with that pesky paranormal action plot. But I'm loving the character exploration, particularly learning what it's like to be a Grim Reaper (and falling a little in love with Silas, just like Ramona does!).
While technically any of the books in the Arcane Shot trilogy can standalone, if you'd like to read the others while waiting for Ramona's story to release, here are the links:
Arcane Shot - formerly Something About Witches
Arcane Madame - formerly In the Company of Witches
Arcane Knight - formerly The Problem with Witches
Though the titles have been changed, the story content is the SAME, with the exception of any tweaks for typos or inconsistencies from the old versions. As such, if you have the books under the old titles, there's no need to repurchase unless you just like the beautiful new look of the covers with the updated titles!
Have you been looking for Part Two of Lyssa and Jacob's story on audio? Well, the wait is over! As of March 15, Mark of the Vampire Queen is available from multiple audio vendors, including Audible, Apple, Chirp, Libre, Google, BookBinge, and of course my Authors Direct site on Findaway Voices.
Maybe you were waiting for this second book to be available on audio before reading the first one, just like this reader: "I was/am so excited for these books to be in audiobook. This did not disappoint. Of course, I had to wait for both books to be out before I listened to them... I would have gone crazy waiting. Now I am going crazy waiting on the next one, lol."
I hope you all love now being able to listen to both parts of the story without a delay between them. After all, Jacob and Lyssa's story STARTED as one longer book - years ago, it had to be broken into VQS and MVQ for publisher print requirements (grin).
If you don't see them at your preferred audio vendor, just go to Vampire Queen's Servant or Mark of the Vampire Queen on my website and click on Audiobook Links under the blurb/buy links. It will pop up all the current vendors I know about. If you don't see a vendor in the list that you know is selling it, give me a heads up and I'll add it.
It will take a while for us to accumulate enough sales on these two audiobooks to fund the production of the next book in the series, so just keep spreading the love wherever and however you can! And remember, there is another standalone book in the Vampire Queen series that has been available on audio for some time - Nightfall, the story co-authored with Desiree Holt!
Don't forget I have FOUR gateway-to-series books now permafree. The freebies are a great way to try a series you haven't yet read, or get a friend hooked. Drop to the FREE EBOOK SECTION at bottom of the newsletter to see what THREE free ebooks are being offered this month from other authors you love (or who may become a new favorite for you!).
NOTE: All of my gateway-free books are available from popular vendors, but you can also find BookFunnel links on their book pages on my website (noted under each cover above). Thanks in advance for spreading the word, and hope you enjoy reading or re-reading them yourself!
Are you all ready for the Sexy and Sassy signing? It's coming up July 28-31 weekend in Norfolk, Virginia. If you haven't joined the Facebook Group to stay on top of all the details, be sure to do that. Here's a permalink to a recent post on the group, reminding us of everything from registration to hotel reservation stuff. And if you don't do Facebook, you can find the Eventbrite page here, which includes a link to contact the organizers if you have further questions. SASS is a unique event because it is a la carte and very laid back. You pay a reasonable fee for the events you want to attend, while getting plenty of time in between to get together with authors and fellow readers to see the sights, share a coffee or drink by the Elizabeth River, and talk books, books, books! Hope to see you all there!
I'm already brainstorming and outlining my Fall 2022 book, At Her Call, the third Mistresses of the Board Room story. Skye, our mute IT/Tech manager, will get far closer to Tiger, the handsome tattooed garage manager, biker bad boy and master mechanic who played a key side character role in At Her Service. Tiger is an alpha male sub who can be a challenge, but a blessing to the Mistress with a firm hand. He's never become overly attached to one particular Domme, but unexpected circumstances will bring him and Skye together. Their relationship will take her to new levels as a Domme, and demand far more from him as a submissive. I can't wait to work on this one!
Woohoo! Apple, Chirp, Libre, Google and BookBinge already have notice of the audiobook or preorder links up on their site, and more will be coming on or after the release date, including at Audible and my Authors Direct site. Part One of Lyssa and Jacob's story, Vampire Queen's Servant, came out in December on audio, and now the Part Two conclusion, Mark of the Vampire Queen, is only days away!
Right now, Apple has the best preorder price at $7.99. I have set non-subscription launch pricing at $9.99 (that's what it will be at Authors Direct), but vendors can choose to go higher or lower. I'll always let you know about a lower price when I see it, but if you find one before I do, feel free to announce it in the comments on any of my social media platforms or email me.
If you haven't listened to Vampire Queen's Servant yet, all the current audio vendor options are on the book page on my website. Click on the Audiobook Links under the blurb/buy links. It will pop up all the current vendors I know about. If you don't see a vendor in the list that you know is selling it, give me a heads up and I'll add it. The Mark of the Vampire Queen book page is set up the same.
WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE AUDIOCODE FOR MARK OF THE VAMPIRE QUEEN? I'm giving away TEN free audio codes for Part 2 of Jacob and Lyssa's story. For the chance to win, email me at storywitch@storywitch.com with some kind of proof/screenshot that you purchased/downloaded Vampire Queen's Servant from your preferred audio vendor (yes, a subscription service like Audible DOES count). I will enter you in the drawing and send you a code once they're available to me (usually the week the book goes live and it gets loaded onto Authors Direct).
WANT TO SEE MORE VQS BOOKS IN AUDIO? I don't do Patreon and those kinds of things. If you've bought a book, you have given me proper compensation for my time and effort. When you recommend my work to your friends and fellow readers, you multiply that gift! So, if you want to listen to more Vampire Queen books on audio, the best way to do that is to help me spread the word about these first two audiobooks. You can use the graphic and any information I provide to your reader groups, friends, or share by word-to-mouth -- however you want to do it. Sales of the books will determine if we can dedicate any more funds to the production of the rest of the series. Oh, but don't forget, there IS another VQS book available in audio. Nightfall, the standalone title co-authored with Desiree Holt, has been at Audible for some time!
Last month, I told you I'd made four of my first-in-series books FREE for download. While there is a lot of love for Lauren and Josh's story, Holding the Cards, Book One of the Nature of Desire series, my readers have told me certain books are better than others when it comes to pulling new readers into the series overall. Ice Queen, Marguerite and Tyler's story, received high marks in that regard. Therefore, I have changed the offerings from free "First-in-Series" to free "Gateway-to-Series," and replaced Holding the Cards with Ice Queen as the Nature of Desire series freebie. Hope you all like this change, and remember, the freebies are a great way to try a series you haven't yet read, or get a friend hooked. Nothing's more fun than being able to "Siskel & Ebert" a book with a fellow reader equally passionate about their reading choices!
If you visit the bottom of the newsletter to check out the FREE EBOOK SECTION, our new standing feature where we offer you up to THREE free ebooks currently available from other authors, you'll find our third book this month IS Ice Queen, to give you quick access to a download link. All of my gateway-free books are available from popular vendors, but you can also find BookFunnel links on their book pages on my website (noted under each cover above). Thanks in advance for spreading the word, and hope you enjoy reading or re-reading them yourself!
So I'm scribbling right along on Book Three of the Arcane Shot trilogy, Ramona's love story with Silas, her mysterious Grim Reaper. In revisiting Ruby and Raina's stories to re-familiarize myself with certain backstory details, I spent time with favorite secondary characters, including the delightful succubi and incubi in Raina's bordello. Since being a Grim Reaper is a unique job, I asked readers on my social media platforms what questions they might pose to him. A handful of those fun questions (like "were you in charge of Elvis's reaping?") were co-opted by the sex demons when they cornered Silas in Raina's parlor. He was very patient with them, and the scene is a lighthearted interlude in the middle of some serious save-the-world type stuff happening.
While I've been working on the book, I've also been changing the covers at the vendors to reflect the new titles (reminder of new versus old titles below). I'm SO very glad I started this process early, because I've hit all the expected snags on it. My husband has said NEVER DO THIS AGAIN, lol. I can fortunately reassure him that this is truly a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence, but I despised those original titles SO much, and am way more tickled with the new titles and cover branding. Your feedback on it seems to agree, which makes it doubly worth the headaches.
Arcane Shot - formerly Something About Witches
Arcane Madame - formerly In the Company of Witches
Arcane Knight - formerly The Problem with Witches
I apologize in advance to all for any confusion. We're trying to make sure that the blurbs at the vendors clearly state that Books One and Two and the Knights of the Board Room crossover novella were originally released under other titles, because I don't want anyone to buy the books twice by accident. FYI, the story content is the SAME, with the exception of any tweaks for typos or inconsistencies from the old versions.
After a two-year hiatus, the Sexy and Sassy Signing (SASS) is a go. It's coming up July 28-31 weekend in Norfolk, Virginia. If you haven't joined the Facebook Group to stay on top of all the details, be sure to do that. Here's a permalink to a recent post on the group, reminding us of everything from registration to hotel reservation stuff. And if you don't do Facebook, you can find the Eventbrite page here, which includes a link to contact the organizers if you have further questions. SASS is a unique event because it is a la carte and very laid back. You pay a reasonable fee for the events you want to attend, while getting plenty of time in between to get together with authors and fellow readers to see the sights, share a coffee or drink by the Elizabeth River, and talk books, books, books! Hope to see you all there!
My Fall 2022 book will be an exciting new Mistresses of the Board Room story, featuring Skye, our mute IT/Tech manager. And it's now confirmed by the muse - her hero is going to be TIGER, the handsome tattooed garage manager, biker bad boy and master mechanic who played a key side character role in At Her Service, Abby and Neil's story. I can't wait to get started on it! Tentative title at this moment, thanks to a reader's wonderful suggestion: At Her Call.
Great news - as you know, Part One of Lyssa and Jacob's story, Vampire Queen's Servant, came out in December on audio, and now we have the Part Two conclusion, Mark of the Vampire Queen, releasing MARCH 15!!
"Although I read the Vampire Queen series long ago, I have waited an eternity to enjoy the experience of listening to the stories be brought to life through narration. As agonizing and frustrating as the wait has been, it’s been well worth the patience!"
--Audible Reviewer
If you haven't listened to Vampire Queen's Servant yet, all the current audio vendor options are on the Vampire Queen's Servant book page on my website. Click on the Audiobook Links under the blurb/buy links. It will pop up all the current vendors I know about, which includes Audible, Google, Chirp, Apple and more. If you don't see a vendor in the list that you know is selling it, give me a heads up and I'll add it.
Keira Grace has been the wonderful narrator for both books. If you want to learn more about Keira, visit the January issue of the newsletter, where she introduced herself via video, answered questions, and gave us a tour of her studio. She also showed a clip of her working on Mark of the Vampire Queen!
WANT TO SEE MORE VQS BOOKS IN AUDIO? I don't do Patreon and those kinds of things. If you've bought a book, you have given me proper compensation for my time and effort. When you recommend my work to your friends and fellow readers, you multiply that gift! So, if you want to listen to more Vampire Queen books on audio, the best way to do that is to help me spread the word about these first two audiobooks. You can use the graphic and any information I provide to your reader groups, friends, or share by word-to-mouth -- however you want to do it. Sales of the books will determine if we can dedicate any more funds to the production of the rest of the series. Oh, but don't forget, there IS another VQS book available in audio. Nightfall, the standalone title co-authored with Desiree Holt, has been at Audible for some time!
AUDIO CODE WINNERS! Per my giveaway in last month's newsletter, Christina, Carle Lee, Misty, Leslie, Mecca and Cindy all won an audio code to download Vampire Queen's Servant! I've emailed them with those codes, but keep an eye out, because I'll do more audio code giveaways in the future.
If you visit my FB pages JWHMembersOnly or JoeyWHillAuthor, or my MeWe page, you will currently see this banner, a reminder that I have FOUR Free First-in-Series books now. So dive into a series you haven't tried, or recommend one to a friend. Also, be sure to visit the bottom of each of my newsletters to check out the NEW FREE EBOOK SECTION. Each month I'm offering up to THREE free ebooks currently available from other authors. Download them to find your next great read.
It's official! We now have a draft cover for Ramona's story, Book 3 of the Arcane Shot trilogy. What do you think? My cover designer (my wonderful husband) is going to tweak the heart triquetra to be more "smoky," like the one in Arcane Shot, before we do the official reveal, but I'm very pleased with the look. I hope you are, too. Ramona's love story with her mysterious Grim Reaper will come out late Spring 2022.
You might have noticed, I've changed the titles of the two previous books in the trilogy, plus the bonus crossover novella with the Knights of the Board Room series.
Arcane Shot - formerly Something About Witches
Arcane Madame - formerly In the Company of Witches
Arcane Knight - formerly The Problem with Witches
IMPORTANT NOTE - the CONTENT has NOT changed, with the exception of promotional front/back matter and any typos that have been caught since first publication. So, if you bought these books under their old titles, there's no need to pay additional money for the new ones. The cover updates to the vendors and my website are ongoing, so don't get confused if you go look at them right now. We should have it all sorted well before the next newsletter.
What's the story on the original titles? Well, Books 1-2 were originally offered by another publisher. At the time that happened, A Discovery of Witches had hit it big with readers, and NY publishers were trying to capitalize on those sales with lookalike material. They wanted comparable titles. I try to be a team player, so we came up with the titles. However, I am VERY relieved to be replacing them with the ones I always thought were a much better fit for Books 1 and 2. Same goes for replacing The Problem with Witches with the FAR more suitable Arcane Knight! Lol...
My Fall 2022 book will be an exciting new Mistresses of the Board Room story, featuring Skye, our mute IT/Tech manager. Her hero is lurking somewhere just outside my peripheral creative vision, so my guess is he's waiting for me to finish Ramona and Silas's story to make himself known. The muse keeps threatening to give me a deaf hero to challenge me (since Skye is mute). I admit, it is an intriguing idea... Anyone recall the "silent" signing musical number from Season1, E9 of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist? It was performed by characters portraying deaf students at a college. I just saw that episode, PLUS Mr. Holland's Opus popped up in my recommended movie list this week (he has a deaf son in that movie). So these may be signs confirming the muse's direction (no pun intended). We'll see. Just thinking about it now has given me an interesting "ping" on an idea with an existing side character...hmm...off to make some notes.
"Although I read the Vampire Queen series long ago, I have waited an eternity to enjoy the experience of listening to the stories be brought to life through narration. As agonizing and frustrating as the wait has been, it’s been well worth the patience!"
--Audible Reviewer
So as of December 15, Vampire Queen's Servant is available in audio format! A wide variety of audio vendors are offering it, including Audible. Want to see if your preferred vendor is one of them? Go to the VQS book page on my website and click on the Audiobook Links under the blurb/buy links. It will pop up all the current vendors I know about, which includes Audible, Google, Chirp, Apple and more. If you don't see a vendor in the list you know is selling it, give me a heads up and I'll add it.
To celebrate the audio release, we had some fun video features on the JWHMembersOnly FB group and YouTube with our narrator, Keira Grace, including a clip of her reading Mark of the Vampire Queen. Yep, she's working on it now, and fingers crossed, we'll have Book 2 of the series out in audio format sometime in March. She also answered a handful of questions we provided to her. Here are the links to those clips if you'd like to view them.
Keira's Introduction and Tour of Her Studio (1 minute/FB group)
Mark of the Vampire Queen reading clip (less than a minute/FB group)
Keira's Q&A (7 minutes/YouTube)
Several readers reported being thrown at first by having a female narrator reading both Lyssa and Jacob's parts, since we didn't do dual narration, but as the story progressed, they settled into the story and that became less of a concern. The overall feedback has been enthusiastic and favorable. Hope you all have a similar experience. If you decide to leave a review at your preferred audio vendor, I thank you tremendously!
LET'S GIVE AWAY SOME AUDIO CODES AND AWARD LAST MONTH'S PRIZE!
It's time to award the VQS blanket plus print book I offered in last month's newsletter. My winner is...Taylor K! I've notified her and will soon have it on its way to her, along with the print copy of Vampire Trinity she wanted. But I'm not done with prizes. I'm offering TEN CHANCES to win an audio download code of Vampire Queen's Servant. The only requirement for entry is to email me at storywitch@storywitch.com and tell me you want one. I'll award the winners before the next newsletter!
And now to award my other giveaway - the annual charity donation I do every December. The winner is...Kathleen G! In honor of At Her Service, Kathleen wanted me to donate the $100 to a local mental health agency, which is a wonderful idea. Therefore, I am currently researching the best one in the area to receive the prize.
As always, those who entered the contest impressed me with the wide variety of great charities they support. I have very good-hearted and generous readers! Here are some of the organizations they nominated for the prize: Salvation Army, Putnam County Animal Shelter in West Virginia, St. Mary's Food Bank in Arizona, Friends of Big Bear Valley in California (environmental awareness/support), St. Jude's, Disabled American Veterans, St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Mark the Evangelist in San Antonio, Texas (helps with local needs) and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Thank you all for caring for others!
"This book is love and hope and sex all rolled up into one. I seriously can’t say enough about it... Some books are snacks, easily devoured in a lazy afternoon. Other books are meals, so emotional or engagingly complex that you have to take the time to absorb them over the course of a few days. This book? It’s a feast." ---Amazon Reviewer
The good reviews continue to roll in for Neil and Abby of AT HER SERVICE. Do you have your copy? Here are all the buy links. I appreciate everyone leaving reviews for the book or talking about it on their reader groups. Nothing beats reader recommendation when it comes to spreading the love of a story!
Amazon Kindle/Print * Amazon Worldwide * iBooks * Kobo * Nook * Google * All Links
So even as I'm loving all the good reviews for Neil and Abby's book, I'm also getting drawn into what I'm going to bring you in 2022, the third book to complete the Arcane Shot trilogy. Want to learn a little bit about Ramona, our witch heroine of Arcane Chaos? Here's what her best friend Ruby had to say about her (Ruby, the heroine of Something About Witches, is a witch who also owns a gun shop/firing range). She's describing Ramona to Silas, the Grim Reaper who is so intrigued by her:
"Imagine a game of Russian roulette," Ruby said, spinning the chamber and then snapping it in place. She pointed the revolver at the target. "To the person facing the barrel, it's chaos. Not knowing when the next trigger pull will fire the bullet. Some of that chaos belongs to the person who holds the gun, too, because they spun the barrel and took the choice of when it would fire out of their own hands. But the gun knows. Somewhere in the chaos, there's always the gun. Someone who knows there is order behind what others see as chaos. A person who has absolute faith in that, not just from experiencing it all her life, but from knowing it deep inside her soul, because that's how her soul is made." She flashed a tight smile at Silas. "That's Ramona."
I'm taking care of some needed marketing tasks for the first part of the year, but my hope is I'll be back to a normal writing schedule by February at the latest, so I can get this book out to you all in the spring timeframe. After that, my Fall 2022 book will be another Mistresses of the Board Room story. I think it will be about Skye, our mute IT/Tech manager, because that is the one calling to me. We'll see!
Last month I revealed that Board Resolution, Book 1 of the Knights of the Board Room series, is now a perma-FREE novella at most vendors and through BookFunnel. As you can see below, we've also made the first books in the Nature of Desire and Daughters of Arianne series permafree on those vendors and through BookFunnel! You're welcome to share the information, and thanks for helping me bring new readers into these series. Click on the title beneath each cover for the vendor and BookFunnel links.
Again, these three books will remain permanently free. However, as you can see from the text below this section, the books that will be offered going forward will change month to month, featuring free books from other authors you might enjoy. So be sure and don't miss an issue!
"I love a good BDSM read; this was that and then some... a love story around a strong, powerful woman who has suffered… Hot, passionate, erotic, but coupled with an emotional rollercoaster. I will definitely be reading more from her."
AT HER SERVICE is OUT, and it's receiving a great response from readers, including those who struggle with mental illness. While I felt very close to these characters and loved Neil and Abby's chemistry, it's always a relief to have confirmation that I didn't miss the mark on a topic like that. I also love how BDSM romances can be not just about the sexy, erotic scenes, but how the Dom/sub power dynamics integrate with life's challenges, like a mental illness or physical handicap. Here are several reactions that reflect that:
“Watching the dance between these two dominants was delicious and heartbreaking. There's a sensual give and take, wrapped in love as he retains command while she is in charge. Hill never fails to deliver unique, poignant, emotional, complex stories that will captivate and touch your heart.” – Wyldheart Reviews
“Joey is one of a very few authors that I trust with my BDSM storyline stories. She brought her A-game with the intensity and passion between our leads. Every time the book focused on Abby and Neil, it was riveting, emotional, passionate, and quite suspenseful.” --OMG Reads Blog
“I loved reading this book because it tackles hard problems… At the heart of a great story for me is when I fall in love with the characters. Abby and Neil's love story is about resilience and taking the good with the bad days. Highly recommended to readers looking for deep character development and who want a message of hope.” --La Crimson Femme Reviews
Like all authors, I tend to highlight my glowing reviews (grin), but I encourage you to check out any other feedback at Amazon, GoodReads or Bookbub. There are no "bad" thoughtfully written reviews, because each guides a reader's preferences. I know they do that for me when I'm choosing a book to read. Sometimes it's the one-star review that will make me one-click! Which explains why some authors actually use them for promo, lol. This classic review I received a few years ago illustrates perfectly why they might do that. The one-star rating included this single insightful statement: "I hate BDSM." Ha!
We had so much fun on release day at the JWH Members Only FB group. We talked about the settings and music that helped bring At Her Service to life, and our favorite home reading nooks. We also had a fabulous "all purple" prize package giveaway. Though release day has passed, you're welcome to read the posts and the comments. We also have a spoiler thread set up to discuss the book in detail:
Settings * Playlists/Music * Favorite Reading Nook * Spoiler Thread
Don't worry, we have another big giveaway coming with the audio book release of Vampire Queen's Servant - you can find more about that in this very newsletter, a couple subjects down.
Here are all the buy links for At Her Service. Hope you all enjoy (or are enjoying) Abby and Neil's story!!
Amazon Kindle/Print * Amazon Worldwide * iBooks * Kobo * Nook * Google * All Links
NOTE: As of the publication of this newsletter, Nook has not delivered pre-orders of this title and is not showing it as available for sale on their site. My understanding is I'm not the only author experiencing this issue. I deeply apologize -- repeated email requests for correction have been sent to BN (they have no phone contact for their publisher/author partners), and I hope they will resolve it soon. If you decide to cancel your Nook preorder and seek the book from another format, that may enable you to get the book sooner. I'll keep everyone updated through the social media platforms if and when it goes live. Again, I'm so sorry for this - I do not like it when my readers are disappointed!
Have you been wanting to read my Knights of the Board Room series? Or have you been telling your friends forever it's an absolute must-read? (THANK YOU for that, btw). Well, now you can give them an incentive to take the leap! Board Resolution is a first-in-series perma-FREE novella at the following vendors. There's also a BookFunnel link for easy download if it's not free at your chosen vendor. You're welcome to share the pic and links, and thanks for spreading the love for Matt and his team!
Amazon * Apple IBooks * Google * Kobo * BookFunnel * All Links
Since this is my first experience funding an audiobook production, and using Findaway Voices to do so, I'm learning as I go. I was a little alarmed to be this close to release day and still have the same four vendors showing pre-order links, but then the helpful folks at Findaway explained that most of the vendors don't do preorders. They won't list the book until release day. I also can't load the book for sale on FV's Author Direct site (where you can purchase it directly from me) until then.
So my total guess is December 15 will be somewhat of a "soft" release date, where some of the vendors will go live, I'll get the Authors Direct approval submitted, and hopefully, within a few days, the bigger audio providers (like Audible) will go live with the title. We'll see - we're all in the same adventure boat together on this one, lol.
Since I could potentially have up to 40+ vendors offering the book, my husband has also helpfully added a popup link on the VQS book page on my website, so you can go there at any time and see where the audio book is currently available. Just look beneath the blurb, where the buy links are listed, and choose Audiobook Links. All current audio vendor links will pop up and you can choose your preference.
For those vendors that offer straight out purchase (versus subscriptions/credits), I have a 30-day launch price of $9.99, after which it goes up to $12.99. However, all vendors can choose their own pricing, regardless of author preference. Some might be lower than the launch price, while some might choose not to offer it at all, as noted by the four vendors who are listing the book and showing pricing at this time. The book is a 13+ hour read. I'll keep you updated as more links go live.
Google Play - offering promotional price
Libro FM - not offering promotional price
Binge Books - not yet showing a price
Apple - showing a 7.99 price
RELEASE DAY GIVEAWAY!
So, to celebrate the audiobook release of Jacob and Lyssa's story, I'm doing a giveaway. Would you like the chance to win this blanket? I'm giving away TWO of them, one on social media, and one to a newsletter subscriber! Full disclosure: As you can probably tell, the image turned out way muddier than the cover, but a straw poll of my readers said NOT to turn them into dog blankets, lol. But just because I feel bad about it, I'll also be adding a signed print book of the winner's choice to the package. To enter, just email me at storywitch@storywitch.com, and let me know you'd like to win the blanket, and which signed print book you want if you win. I'll ask for your mailing address if you are the chosen winner, so you don't have to provide that in the contest email, but I want to be sure I have your preferred book in my author copies. I'll award the winner in the January newsletter. To get additional chances to win, watch for the giveaway offer soon on my FB group, Author Page and MeWe platforms as well.
Release festivities: Because of that "soft" release date, a lot of the celebration and promo will happen on or in the days after release. So keep your eye on my social media platforms, because in addition to the two blankets, I'll be offering giveaway codes for the audiobook! I'm also working with our wonderful narrator, Keira Grace, to see if she can provide me some interesting "behind the scenes" info on reading VQS. And btw, she's already started working on Mark of the Vampire Queen, so we should have that out by early spring if all goes well. Remember, there's a Sample Audio Link on that same VQS web page (directly below the blurb) if you want to get a taste of the story beforehand.
For the next few weeks, I'm catching up on some marketing issues, but in January, I'll pull together all my notes and outline for Ramona and Silas's story and get started on Arcane Chaos!
TITLE REMINDER: I'm going to keep this paragraph under this section for awhile, to avoid any confusion. Initially the Ramona/Silas book was going to be called Where Witches Dare to Tread, to somewhat match the current title style of the first two books (Something About Witches and In the Company of Witches). However, I'm working on changing all three Arcane Shot series book titles to the ones I originally wanted them to have - Arcane Shot, Arcane Madame and Arcane Chaos. As we get closer to the spring 2022 release date for Arcane Chaos, we'll see if we can make that change happen. In the meantime, if you haven't read the other Arcane Shot books, I hope you'll give them a look!
My Fall 2022 book will be another Mistresses of the Board Room story. It should be about Skye, our mute IT/Tech manager, because that is the one calling to me. However, Cyn is trying to cut in line (no surprise - she's kind of pushy, lol), so we'll see!
The holiday snuck up on me a bit this year, but I would never overlook our annual charity giveaway. Like many of us, this is the time of year where I particularly try to share the many blessings I've been given. If you haven't participated before, here's how it works. Email me at storywitch@storywitch.com with your favorite charity. Before the next newsletter, I will randomly choose a winner and send $100 to that charity! I like the tradition of this contest, because it reminds me how many folks are out there trying to help others - and makes me even prouder of my generous, warm-hearted readers!
JOEY'S FREE CHRISTMAS READS: A reader recently reminded the JWHMembersOnly group about one of my free Christmas reads, and the group enjoyed the refresher. In case you'd like to use them to get into the holiday mood as well, I'm listing the easy download BookFunnel links below for all my FREE past Christmas novellas/shorts. These are under my Cantrips (Vignettes) menu item on my website as well.
First Christmas - Nature of Desire series, my one and only CONTEMPORARY Christmas story (at least so far - wink) - featuring Marcus and Thomas from Rough Canvas
Christmas Past, Christmas Future - Vampire Queen series, featuring Cai and Rand of Vampire's Soul (M/m)
You're All Invited - Vampire Queen series, featuring many of the VQS cast members from the first half dozen books, including Lyssa/Jacob, Daegan/Gideon/Anwyn, Mason/Jessica and more!
A Season of Giving - Vampire Queen series, offering a "future look" at the VQS kids as adults - Kane, Lyssa/Jacob's son, his friend John, and Farida, Mason/Jessica's daughter.
A Yule Gift - Vampire Queen series, a visit to the past to meet Daegan's mother (Daegan is from Vampire Mistress/Vampire Trinity)
Christmas at the Mall - Vampire Queen series - my very FIRST Christmas vignette, a little short piece about Jacob and Lyssa's shopping trip
Though not free, there's also Submissive Angel, my M/m Christmas story that released last year as a far-more-extended story.
I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed holiday - happy Yule and Merry Christmas!
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire some of my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed and reviewed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and marketing considerations on the sites. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
How would you like to download Book 1 of the Mistresses of the Board Room series for FREE while waiting for Abby and Neil's book to release on November 30? At Her Command is Rosalinda and Lawrence's story. We meet Abby and Neil in their book as secondary characters, but they came through so strongly, there was no doubt in my mind that they were going to be the main characters of Book 2. Here's the BookFunnel link for easy download of At Her Command to your preferred device. I've included the Chapter One sneak peek of Neil and Abby's story at the end!
NOTE: At Her Command and At Her Service are both standalone love stories about two different couples, so you don't have to read Book 1 to enjoy Book 2. As I said above, Neil and Abby do meet briefly toward the end of At Her Command, and don't forget the FREE bonus novella, The Barbecue, gave us some key early scenes between the two of them. Again, nothing that will lose you if you choose to read At Her Service by itself, but since At Her Command is free in November, and The Barbecue is permanently free, why not treat yourself to them while waiting for November 30?
When one of my beta readers sent me that feedback about At Her Service, it gave me a special charge. Two additional members of the five-person review team for Neil and Abby's story were a therapist and a caregiver to a spouse with a severe mental illness like Abby's, and they also gave the book high marks. All of which makes me eager to share the book with you all.
I feel so strongly about these two characters. Every book I write pulls me in. Every book gives me characters to love. If it didn't, I wouldn't be writing their story. But there was something very special about Neil and Abby to me, something that reminded me of my enduring bond with Tyler and Marguerite of Ice Queen/Mirror of My Soul. This is a story about two Dominants as well, so at the outset, I thought Abby and Neil's power dynamic would be somewhat like Tyler and Marguerite's (Marguerite remained a Domme, but decisively switched for Tyler), or like Janet and Max's of Willing Sacrifice (Max wasn't a sub, but had a strong service bent). Instead, as usually happens if I get out of the characters' way and let them choose the identity they're meant to embrace, they went a whole different direction. Did I mention I can't wait to share their story with you?! Be sure and pre-order your copy so it will be waiting for you on release day!
PRE-ORDER LINKS FOR AT HER SERVICE
Amazon US * Amazon Worldwide * iBooks * Kobo * Nook
Print format will go up for sale about a week ahead of the release date as usual. Google Play has changed their pre-order format in a way that doesn't gel with our process, so we'll also load up that format close to the release date. No audio book at this point, but maybe later on down the road (see audio book update later on in this issue).
RELEASE DAY FUN - I'll be having a day's worth of posts and giveaways on my JWHMembersOnly FB page on November 30, followed by an author party from 6-8pm EST at the Social Butterfly Party Room on December 1. Come out to either location to celebrate the release!
I've posted a lot of the same status info from last month below to be sure everyone sees it, but here's the latest. Preorder links ARE going up at the vendors. While it will take a few weeks for them all to get in, below is what I have so far. Eventually I'll have one link that will take you to a full list. And make note of the varying prices. For those that are straight out purchase offers (versus subscriptions/credits), I have a 30-day launch price of $9.99, after which it goes up to $12.99. The book is a 13+ hour read. Some vendors can set their own prices, and as you can see, Apple is actually below the launch price at this time. So choose what works for you! The book has been submitted to 43 vendors for distribution, so if you don't see your preference yet (I know many of you are Audible subscribers, and their process takes longer), I'll keep you updated as more links go live.
Google Play - offering promotional price
Libro FM - not offering promotional price
Binge Books - not yet showing a price
Apple - showing a 7.99 price
RECAP FROM LAST MONTH:
Keira Grace, our fabulous narrator for the audio version of Vampire Queen's Servant, did such a great job with the book. I think she really nailed Lyssa's essence. Since Keira is a female narrator, of course the male voices won't sound like we imagine them for Jacob, Mason, Thomas, etc, but by the time I hit about Chapter 3-4, I didn't even give it a thought - I was caught up in Lyssa and Jacob's story.
Would you like to hear the retail sample clip for the book? It's about two-and-a-half minutes, and it's from that scene in the Eldar Salon when Jacob and Lyssa first formally meet. Click here. The audiobook will be coming out December 15. In the next newsletter, I hope to be offering some giveaway codes!
Keira's already agreed to read Mark of the Vampire Queen, so we'll have continuity in the character voices for Jacob and Lyssa in Part 2 of their story. Since I'm going to use money from the sales of each audiobook to fund the production of the next, anything you can do to help me spread the word and enthusiasm about VQS in audio will be appreciated!
JULIA KENT brought our guest author series on the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group to a close for the year on October 30. Given how much fun her books are, it was no surprise to find she had a delightfully genial, upbeat personality on her FB Live. She was also very generous on the day of her visit, offering free downloads of a couple of her books to all, plus some giveaways. If you didn't get a chance to see the Live, here's the recorded video.
I've immensely enjoyed hosting all these talented ladies on the group this year, and hope you all liked the chance to talk to some of your favorite authors as well. I won't be continuing it in 2022, because outside of the writing of the books, there are other marketing efforts that are going to be consuming my attention, but thanks so much for all your help and input in making the series a success!
Last month, I told you the title I was thinking about for Ramona and Silas's story was Where Witches Dare to Tread, but that was not the title I really wanted for the book; in fact, if I had my druthers, I'd change all the titles in the Arcane Shot three-witch trilogy to the ones I originally wanted them to have - Arcane Shot, Arcane Madame and Arcane Chaos. I recently attended an industry conference where I learned this wouldn't be as impossible or confusing as I feared it would be, so I may be rethinking it. I'll keep you posted on the final decision.
In the meantime, when I was on vacation, doing my daily walks on Seabrook Island, I couldn't stop scribbling notes for the Ramona and Silas's story while I walked. Opening hooks are not my big forte, but I liked this draft one I'm sharing with you all below. It will likely change, but I think it gives a hint of how absorbed I'm already feeling by this story:
_____
“You’d have the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen, if they weren’t blue.”
Before Silas turned to face the woman who’d spoken, he knew three things about her.
She was a witch. She carried the magic of chaos. And he would let his eyes be whatever color she wanted, if she’d keep talking to him.
His eyes were in fact green, though most people saw blue when he was in this form. Or gray. Or brown. It depended on what was in someone’s heart. What they needed to see. The soul, which protected everything, would shield those that viewed him. His true form brought the heart face-to-face with mortality, and that often didn’t go well.
He turned around, and saw large lavender eyes and blonde hair. She had dubious fashion sense, but the zebra striped canvas sneakers under a velvet skirt, and glittery purple shirt that clung to her pretty figure, seemed to work for her. She also was the proprietress of the store behind her. Toys, Tea, Herbs and Magic.
He had some time to indulge his curiosity, and he certainly wasn’t averse to being around a beautiful woman, or pursuing where that might lead. Sex was important. It maintained vitality, kept the bonds between him and the rest of the world strong. A reminder that, no matter that he was a member of the most isolated race in the universe, he was still connected to all life.
Perhaps more than most, since a soul was never closer to life than on the cusp of death. All in all, a decent excuse for deciding he wanted to partake of her. Put his mouth on her skin, hear her gasps, take her over, plunge deep in her so her soul would open and see his.
A Grim Reaper who lost his ability to connect to another soul was not a good thing.
______
I'll be working on this book at the beginning of 2022, with the hopes of having it out by late springtime. In the meantime, if you haven't read the other Arcane Shot books, I hope you'll give them a look!
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed and reviewed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and marketing considerations on the sites. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
Last month I shared the cover, release date (November 30), and preorder links for At Her Service, the next book in the Mistresses of the Board Room series. This month, I have even more news about Neil and Abby, our Navy SEAL and the beautiful but troubled CFO of Thomas Rose Associates.
SNEAK PEEK - Want to take a look at CHAPTER ONE? Here's the easy BookFunnel link to download it to your preferred device. This is also posted under the book page on my website.
FREE EBOOK COMING NOV 1-30: To celebrate this release of the next story in the Mistresses of the Board Room world, At Her Command (Book One) will be FREE on ebook in NOVEMBER at all vendors. I'll give you a heads up in the November newsletter, but the links will be the same as where you find the book now at your preferred bookseller - just the price will change to $0.00! If you have any trouble locating that link at your favorite vendor, remember you can always go to the book's page on my website and find all the links there.
NOTE: At Her Command and At Her Service are both standalone love stories about two different couples, so you don't have to read Book 1 to enjoy Book 2. Neil and Abby do meet briefly toward the end of At Her Command, and don't forget the FREE novella, The Barbecue, gave us some key early scenes between the two of them. Again, nothing that will lose you if you choose to read At Her Service alone, but since At Her Command will be available for free download in November, and The Barbecue is permanently free, why not treat yourself to them while waiting for November 30 (grin)?
PREORDER LINKS FOR AT HER SERVICE
Amazon US * Amazon Worldwide * iBooks * Kobo * Nook
Print format will go up for sale about a week ahead of the release date as usual. Google Play has changed their preorder format in a way that doesn't gel with our process, so we'll also load up that format close to the release date. No audio book at this point, but maybe later on down the road (see audio book update later on in this issue).
Keira Grace, our fabulous narrator for the audio version of Vampire Queen's Servant, has finished recording this first book of our Vampire Queen series. I had the pleasure of reading all the chapters to sign off on them and WOW. WOW. WOW. Yeah, I'm VERY happy. I think she really nailed Lyssa's essence, just as I hoped she would. In one particularly intense scene, her reading of Lyssa's reaction actually brought me to tears. Since Keira is a female narrator, of course the male voices won't sound like we imagine them for Jacob, Mason, Thomas, etc, but I think she did a great job with them. By the time I hit about Chapter 3-4, I didn't even give it a thought - I was caught up in Lyssa and Jacob's story. It's been a long time since I've read VQS from beginning to end, so I'd forgotten a lot of the little details I loved about the journey they took together in this first book.
One funny note - though Thomas and Brian are both British, in my head, I always "heard" American English when I read them, since that's how I talk. Therefore, when she read them with British accents, it startled me. Then I remembered, "Oh yeah, they're British!" Would you like to hear the retail sample clip for the book? It's about two-and-a-half minutes, and it's from that scene in the Eldar Salon when Jacob and Lyssa first formally meet. Click here.
We have a release date!! The audiobook will be coming out December 15 at over 40 audiobook distributors, including Audible. This is the first time I've done this, and I understand the different distributors have varying processes for getting the books loaded and up on their sites. That's why for this first book, I chose a release date that had a buffer of about six weeks or so.
I'm delighted Keira's already agreed to read Mark of the Vampire Queen, so we'll have continuity in the character voices for Jacob and Lyssa in Part 2 of their story. Next month, I'll have more information on how we'll be marketing Vampire Queen's Servant for its release in this format. I might even have some Giveaway Codes!
Since I'm going to use money from the sales of each audiobook to fund the production of the next, I will appreciate any help spreading the word and enthusiasm about the audiobook, but regardless, I hope you'll love hearing Lyssa and Jacob's story read to you.
LEXI BLAKE and her PA, Chloe, entertained all of us at Lexi's September guest author appearance on the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group . Lexi told us why she enjoys writing her very popular Masters and Mercenaries series, answered tons of questions, and offered fun stories about her dogs (Precious came by a couple times to check on our progress, though Frodo was less interested in the goings on). I never realized how many series/genres she has written. If you weren't able to make it, you can see the full video here.
WHO IS NEXT? JULIA KENT is not a BDSM romance author. However, since our guest author list was reader-generated, and my fans are avid readers of a wide variety of romance genres, it shouldn't surprise anyone she made the invite list. She is a feel-good romance author whose stories transport readers to a fun, loving and sexy place. For those who enjoy committed menage, she also has three series with that dynamic - Random, Obedient (not BDSM) and Her Billionaires. Her bio states: "From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire)." Oh, and btw? That book, first in her Shopping for a Billionaire series, is FREE - click here.
So come join us at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on October 30, 8pm EDT for Julia's FB Live - plus tune in anytime that day for the drop-in posts she’ll leave for us!
Note: Julia will be our LAST Guest Author of 2021 as we head into the November/December busy holiday months. We had planned to have the wonderful Kylie Scott finish us up with a November FB Live, after she had to reschedule with us from a month earlier in the year. However, unfortunately, she notified me recently she will once again have to bow out. This year has confronted her with a few personal difficulties, and she needs to focus on her books. We've all been there, so our hope is that 2022 is kinder to her, even as we're excited to know she's working on more books for her readers to enjoy!
I do not know how long it will last, but as of the release of this newsletter, In the Company of Witches, Book 2 standalone in the Arcane Shot series, was being offered by Amazon U.S. at a discount price for the ebook versions - $2.72 (regularly $4.99)! Check it out here. I don't know about non-U.S. Amazon sites, but definitely check if that applies to you.
As noted last month, the next book I'll be writing is Ramona's story, which will round out the original plan to have this series be a trilogy. Ruby and Raina have had their stories told; now, at long last, it's Ramona's turn. Working title (which may become permanent) is Where Witches Dare to Tread.
Though I think it's a decent title, is this what I really wanted to call this story? No. Hell, no. Lol...
When the trilogy was conceived, I wanted to call the three books: Arcane Shot, Arcane Madame and Arcane Chaos. Unfortunately, at the time, A Discovery of Witches was all the rave, so the marketing people at my publisher wanted a "similar sound," which resulted in the title that still makes me cringe: Something About Witches, followed by the equally yuck In the Company of Witches. That one also originally had the Twilight-inspired cover with two teenagers on the front - again, marketing people. I like the current cover (noted below) much better!
Anyhow, because of this, I felt I needed to choose a title for Ramona's story that had the "sound" of the other two titles (I made that same choice with the Arcane Shot/Knights of the Board Room crossover, The Problem with Witches). If it wasn't for ISBN issues and the general confusion I would inflict upon my wonderful readers, I'd change the titles to what I always wanted to call them. But in the end, what matters is what's between the covers, right? So Where Witches Dare to Tread it is (unless something else strikes us better between now and publication time).
I really LOVE these stories, and my readers who've given them a try have expressed the same, both in email and in the reviews they've left. Here was one posted by Romance Books Forum: “Have you ever read a novel that was so good, so right, so perfect that it leads you to hate the novel? Because you’ll never be able to experience that exact book again, you’ll never be able to get to read that book for the first time again. I loved this book so much that I hate it. I hate that it’s over….A fantastic book…wonderful, beautiful, and completely gripping.”
I'll be working on Ramona's story at the beginning of 2022, with the hopes of having it out by late springtime. In the meantime, if you haven't read the Arcane Shot books, I hope you'll give them a look!
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and recommendations on the site. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
I have so much to share about At Her Service, the next book in the Mistresses of the Board Room series. In addition to the preorder links, we have the beautiful cover reveal, shown in this newsletter issue. Plus we have a release date -- November 30! Here's the blurb:
* * *
Two Dominants. One a Navy SEAL. One a Mistress facing a hell she can't escape. Luckily, hell is just another day at the office for a SEAL...
Abigail Rose is CFO for Thomas Rose Associates, a successful New Orleans marketing firm she runs with her best friend Rosalinda Thomas, and their three fellow executives, Cyn, Vera and Skye.
Since all five are Dommes, they work and play together. However, Abby has lived with the threat of a severe mental illness for most of her life, and now the monster has come out of the shadows. Everything that defines her--including her control as a Mistress--is shattering.
Neil Shepherd is so calm under pressure, his SEAL teammates know he'll hold the line, no matter what goes down on a mission. At home, he finds his peace navigating the waters of the Louisiana bayou. As a Dom himself, he shouldn’t be attracted to Abby, but Fate doesn’t consult the power exchange playbook when it comes to who is meant to be together. From the first time they meet, he knows he wants her. Even the shadows that are trying to claim her won’t stop him.
* * *
Preorder links for the ebook are below. Since we can't do preorders on the print format, it will go up for sale about a week ahead of the release date as usual. Google Play has changed their preorder format in a way that doesn't gel with our process, so we'll also load up that format close to the release date. No audio book at this point, but maybe later on down the road (see audio book update later on in this issue).
Amazon US * Amazon Worldwide * iBooks * Kobo * Nook
Each book I write brings an interesting mix of research topics, and this one is no different. Girls' softball, Navy SEALs, paranoid schizophrenia and the Tlaquepaque Arts village in Sedona, Arizona all play a role in Neil and Abby's story. I probably blow the circuits of marketing bots trying to understand my Internet surfing patterns, lol. As we journey toward November 30, and on release day itself, I'll post tidbits about the evolution of the story.
"There is nothing redundant about [Hill's] world of vampires and witches... As always, the characters are super well constructed, have depth, nuance, are not perfect, make mistakes, [and] so they are very endearing." --Amazon Review
I'm tickled that you all continue to offer good feedback on Adan and Catriona's story. As for the reviewer's last comment, "I really hope you're not done with the Vampire Queen series!" I can assure her that we have plenty of characters with stories left to tell. I'm equally delighted that Derek Stormwind and Ruby's key crossover appearance in Vampire Guardian has led to a surge of interest in the Arcane Shot series characters. Which is timely, as I'm FINALLY going to write the originally intended book that rounds out the trilogy (see What's Next section).
Just a reminder, if you haven't read Vampire Guardian yet, you can find all the buy links for the book on my website or at the specific vendor list below. Some readers say it can stand alone, while others have said they think it was better having read at least a couple earlier books in the series. I'll let you decide!
Amazon US * Amazon Worldwide * Nook * iBooks * Kobo * Google
As mentioned last month, I chose my narrator for Vampire Queen's Servant. Keira Grace (her narrator "pen name") delivered an extended sample (15 minutes of the book) to me a few weeks ago, so we could even more carefully review how the characters and tone are presented. I had very few tweaks to offer - she did a good job in how she read the story. So now it's all in her hands to complete the full narration by October 30. Then I have a couple weeks to listen to it and request any significant corrections before distribution/release. If all goes well, maybe the audio version will be available in time for Christmas, or early in the new year. I'll keep you all posted. Then I hope to start the process with Book 2, Mark of the Vampire Queen!
On her August guest author day, EDEN BRADLEY brought a toy bag full of fun things to show us. She also discussed her background in BDSM that informs and directs her many wonderful series, including the famous Training House books, and led to her conducting sexual empowerment courses. We're so glad she spent time with us, and look forward to dropping in and hanging out with her at FB After Dark Social Club group she runs with wonderful fellow authors Sierra Cartwright, SL Carpenter and Khloe Wren.
WHO IS NEXT? I know our September Guest Author LEXI BLAKE will generate a lot of excitement, because many of you have expressed your deep love of her Masters and Mercenaries series (note the new one below, coming VERY soon)! Lexi has written nearly a hundred books, including urban fantasy, BDSM, contemporary and paranormal romance. Her characters cover a wide range, including Dom/sub and menage relationships, fairies, Texas heroes/heroines, arcane artifact hunters...and the list goes on. She started her writing career co-authoring books with author Shayla Black. You can also visit Lexi's Amazon author page to get more of an overview of what she has to offer.
So come join us at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on September 25, 8pm EDT for Lexi's FB Live - plus tune in anytime that day for the drop-in posts she’ll leave for us!
When I started writing the Arcane Shot series, it was planned as a trilogy. I had three witches whose stories needed to be told: Ruby, Raina and Ramona. At the time I wrote Book 1, Something About Witches, Ruby's story, my then NY publisher asked me to make it a little less overtly D/s, to give me a shot at winning over more mainstream paranormal readers. I did try, though the Dom/sub undercurrent between Derek and Ruby is pretty strong. By Book 2, Raina and Mikhael's story, In the Company of Witches, we decided to abandon the attempt and I went back to the edgy BDSM tone I particularly love to explore in my paranormal romances.
I loved these two stories, and the heroes...oh, Mikhael and Derek. They still make my knees weak. Though my more popular and longer series kept commanding the muse's attention, the call for Book 3, a book for Ramona, has never disappeared. In Raina and Mikhael's story, her hero even had a cameo - Silas, a Grim Reaper! Back in 2019, I wrote a crossover novel between the Knights of the Board Room and Arcane Shotseries called The Problem with Witches, where Ramona and Silas also made a key appearance. And now, even more recently, with the strong role played by Derek and Ruby in Vampire Guardian, the timing feels right with the muse. So I'm VERY happy to report Ramona and her Grim Reaper will be my first book in 2022! I'll keep you apprised as the story develops.
In the meantime, if you haven't read the Arcane Shot books, I hope you'll give them a look. I've lost count of how many readers of my more popular series sent me an email, after they read these books, that expressed feelings along the lines of "why have I never read these books?!" I love them and the characters, and am looking forward to finally giving Ramona her happily-ever-after.
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and recommendations on the site. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
The good reviews keep coming for Vampire Guardian! This one in particular touched me deeply: "Your books have gotten me thru my darkest of times, when the darkness nearly won. Your books have pulled me back from that edge. They are so full of love, compassion and empathy." Writing has helped me through some dark times, so learning that my stories sometimes offer my readers a similar gift means a great deal to me.
I also stumbled on a delightful and comprehensive review of the first eight Vampire Queen series books by an author whose writing freaking AWES me - Pam Godwin. Here's what she said about the VQS: "Passionate, raw, often painful to read. Hill takes D/s to a supernatural level that knows no bounds. The world she creates is haunting and addicting, rife with floggers, whips, paddles and fangs. It hurts so good, stabbing way down in the deep dark squishy part of the soul."
Praise from wonderful readers and admired fellow authors - it doesn't get better than that!
AUGUST BOOK OF THE MONTH BDSM GOODREADS GROUP: Just a reminder, the BDSM GoodReads group, a community of nearly 6,700 BDSM romance lovers, is featuring Vampire Guardian as their August Book of the Month! If you're on GoodReads and join the group, you can participate in the discussion here. Crimson, the moderator, has already posted some early discussion questions. At the end of August, I will be awarding a GIVEAWAY to one commenter - $25 Amazon GC, 2 ebooks and 1 signed print book of the winner's choice! So if you like the sound of any of that, go check out the group and rub elbows with a host of other readers who love this genre.
You can find all the buy links for the book on my website or at the specific vendor list below. Some readers say it can stand alone, while others have said they think it was better having read at least a couple earlier books in the series. I'll let you decide!
BUY LINKS FOR VAMPIRE GUARDIAN
Amazon US (includes Print and Kindle)
As mentioned last month, I chose my narrator for Vampire Queen's Servant! Keira Grace (her narrator "pen name") is a very accomplished voice actress who I think will represent the characters well, capturing the VQS tone of dark sensuality.
Where are we at now? I'm waiting on Keira's extended sample (15 minutes of the book) to even more carefully review how the characters and tone are presented. We'll make any final tweaks on how she does the reading, then she'll be off and running for the whole manuscript. Since I do a lot of internal dialogue in my Vampire Queen books, not only with the characters talking to themselves, but with the vampire and servant talking to each other, mind-to-mind, I realized the original manuscript needed to be tweaked. I took the time to add some simple tags, like "she thought," or "he spoke aloud," so readers could manage the transition from internal dialogue to spoken words more easily in audio format. Otherwise, the narrator might read this:
Jacob, kill everyone at the table after dessert.
Of course, my lady.
And the reader (who would not have the benefit of seeing the italics, which indicate internal, mind-to-mind dialogue), would be saying "WTF? Even though I totally agree with having dessert first, didn't EVERYONE at the table hear her say that?!"
Lol... Anyhow, the finished audio reading is supposed to be delivered to me by October 30. Then I have a couple weeks to listen to it and request any significant corrections before distribution/release. Findaway has given me feedback on what a realistic release date would be, and I'm currently considering mid-December. I want to mull on it a little longer before I decide for sure. After that, I'll start the process over again, with Book 2, Mark of the Vampire Queen!
Thanks to a couple different tweet streams, as well as a thought-provoking book I'm reading on human relations, I was inspired to write a new blog post. It focuses on how we handle/react to stories with content we like or dislike. See what you think.
On her July guest author day, GOLDEN ANGEL offered us an excerpt from Pride and Punishment, the three-box set in her Bridal Discipline historical series. She also posted about her Stronghold Doms, a contemporary series featuring a group of friends who share membership in the same club. She offered giveaways, played games with us, and then had a great chat with the members during her evening FB Live. Despite some signal issues that night, she offered a lot of fun info about her and her books. Here's Part 1 and Part 2 (two segments because of the signal issues). We're so glad she spent time with all of us!
WHO IS NEXT? Our AUGUST Guest Author will be EDEN BRADLEY!! While many of you probably came to know Eden from her popular Training House series, her book catalog is extensive, including these contemporary and paranormal BDSM/erotic series: Dangerous, Edge, San Francisco Doms, Midnight Playground, and more. Click here to browse the full booklist, but beware - you'll get sucked in and likely be one-clicking, lol. On that note, the graphic below links to the Amazon page for the re-release of her San Francisco Doms series with Red Hot Publishing - pretty covers!
Eden is also a sex educator who offers a variety of resources on that topic, including an online course (co-taught with life coach Christine Rose Elle) called Empower Your Sexual Self. I know she'll have a lot of interesting things to offer on her Guest Author Day at the JWHMembersOnly group. Also, if you want to spend your time laughing at crazy kinky humor and learning about more good stuff to read, I recommend hanging out at the FB After Dark Social Club group she runs with wonderful fellow authors Sierra Cartwright, SL Carpenter and Khloe Wren.
From her personal bio on her website, she reveals she's been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. "When I was 3 ½, even though I wasn’t quite clear yet on my alphabet, I decided there were never enough adults around to read to me and demanded to be taught to read myself. My Auntie Mo took the time to teach me. At age eight, I volunteered for summer school so I could take a creative writing class. My friends thought I was crazy– all they wanted to do was climb trees, go roller skating, swim. But I knew what I was doing with my summer was even better." Oh, and important note. Her Boston Terrier, Voodoo? He accepts fan mail. Or Snausages.
So come join us at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on August 28, 8pm EDT for Eden's FB Live - plus tune in anytime that day for the drop-in posts she’ll leave for us! [Note: If you have trouble with the above website links, here's also her Facebook profile link.]
At Her Service, the next book in the Mistresses of the Board Room series, is ROARING along. I just told a reader that I feel like a hamster on a wheel, where the ideas are coming so fast I can't keep up, so the wheel ends up taking me on an upside down full loop-de-loop, lol. Since both Neil and Abby are Doms, and Abby is dealing with a pretty serious mental illness, initially I thought we might end up with a situation where Abby switches for Neil, letting him top her to help her with her stability and control. But the reality is actually a bit more complicated - and VERY fascinating. I'm LOVING watching how they're working it out between them. The joy of writing BDSM relationships is, when the writer gets out of the way, the characters decide the unique shape of their power exchange. I hope to have a cover reveal and preorder links for you all in September!
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and recommendations on the site. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
You don't get much more delightfully straightforward than that! My thanks to Wyldheart Reads for the glowing review of Vampire Guardian, but I also extend that enthusiastic thanks to the many of you who expressed your feelings about the book on Amazon, Bookbub, social media, and directly emailing me. Like this comment from Alicia:
"Your books mean so much to me. The tenderness you express for the frailties of the human state, as well as the clear love you have for us as a species, warms my heart. xxx."
AUGUST BOOK OF THE MONTH BDSM GOODREADS GROUP: I was also thrilled to receive this feedback from La Crimson Femme Book Reviews: "This tale is rich with love - lovers, parents and siblings. Heartwarming as well as heartbreaking, this erotic romance is a must read. I highly recommend it to all romantics who love to feel multiple emotions when reading a book."
That glowing review led to the honor of Vampire Guardian being named the August BOOK OF THE MONTH at the BDSM GoodReads group, a community of nearly 6,700 BDSM romance lovers! If you're on GoodReads or have thought about joining, this is a great place to find and discuss BDSM reads (NOT a social media platform - GoodReads is more like the old forum structures, IMO). They will be doing a group read of Vampire Guardian with a discussion thread throughout August. At the end of August, I will be awarding a GIVEAWAY to one commenter - $25 Amazon GC, 2 ebooks and 1 signed print book of the winner's choice! So if you like the sound of any of that, go check out the group and rub elbows with a host of other readers who love this genre.
LAST MONTH'S GIVEAWAY: The release celebration giveaway of a Vampire Trinity cover PLUSH BLANKET, PLUS a signed print copy of Vampire Guardian, was won by Alesia M! She is currently figuring out how to keep her adult daughter from taking the blanket from her, lol. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, which, among other things, involved sharing your love of my books with someone else. I appreciate that, always and greatly!
If you haven't indulged in Vampire Guardian yet, you can find all the buy links on my website here or listed below. Surprisingly to me (but I'm the author, what do I know? lol) the bulk of readers have said it can stand alone if you want to dive into the Vampire Queen series with it and work your way back to the beginning. Or you can start with Book 1. I'm good with either option (wink).
BUY LINKS FOR VAMPIRE GUARDIAN
Amazon US (includes Print and Kindle)
I chose my narrator for Vampire Queen's Servant! Last month I narrowed it down to a female and a male narrator, and sent feedback to tweak their initial readings. When they submitted updated auditions to me, it was a tough choice, but I ultimately decided on the female narrator. Keira Grace (the nom de plume she uses for audiobooks) is a very accomplished voice actress who I think will represent the characters well, capturing the VQS tone of dark sensuality. PLUS she is a third degree blackbelt and a child adoption advocate, a cause I strongly support. So - a kickass woman with a tender and protective side. Much like Lady Lyssa herself!
What happens now? Based on more specific production notes I've provided, Kira is preparing a recording of about 15 minutes of the book (versus the initial 3-5 minute audition). When I receive that, I'll review it carefully and we'll make any final tweaks on how she does the reading. I have the option of having her re-do and send it back to me if those tweaks merit it. But after that is all done, she'll begin recording the full thing.
Right now Findaway Voices has indicated she should have it ready by October 30. Then I have a couple weeks to listen to it, request any corrections (like a mispronounced name or something major like that, though hopefully our initial prep steps will have avoided any of that). Then it will be ready for distribution/release. I'm communicating now with Findaway on what the most realistic release date would be, considering her completion date, my final thumbs up and time needed to get it distributed to audio vendors. Next month, I hope to be able to tell you what that date will be! And if it works out and she's available, I'll have her get started on Book 2, Mark of the Vampire Queen, as soon as possible.
Elizabeth SaFleur never disappoints! Though she had some technical/signal issues, she handled her FB Live with her lovely smile and unflappable calm. In addition to discussing her fabulous Elite Doms, Shakedown and Justice series, she showed off her burlesque costumes and gave us firsthand performance tips. If you want to see her FB Live, it's on the group site here where you can view it anytime. Despite the glitches due to the signal issues, it picks up each time right where she leaves off, so no info is lost.
Who's our Guest Author in JULY? GOLDEN ANGEL!! I'm so delighted she'll be joining us, and I know the group is excited, too, because her name came up multiple times when I asked for guest author invite suggestions. Here's a reader comment about her work that reflects why: "The stories flow with the telling, the characters are so personable and relatable you'll feel like you already know them, and the plot is woven so seamlessly it just becomes fact. These are the kind of books that grab hold of you and carry you along until you finish with a sigh."
Golden Angel has penned BDSM romance in various subgenres, including domestic discipline historicals, Daddy Doms, and contemporary BDSM. Her latest release, Dungeon Master, features a 50-year-old Dom who still plays with his ex at their favorite club, but wants to win her heart again. (Just the kind of storyline many of us love!) She also writes non-kink paranormal romance. You can visit her website to learn more. Here's her official bio:
Golden Angel is a USA Today best-selling author, Amazon Top 50 bestselling author, and self-described bibliophile with a "kinky" bent who loves to write stories for the characters in her head. If she didn't get them out, she's pretty sure she'd go just a little crazy. She is happily married, old enough to know better but still too young to care, and a big fan of happily-ever-afters, strong heroes and heroines, and sizzling chemistry. She believes the world is a better place when there's a little magic in it.
So come join us at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on July 31, 8pm EDT for Golden Angel's FB Live - plus tune in anytime that day for the drop-in posts she’ll leave for us!
So come join us at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on July 31, 8pm EDT for Golden Angel's FB Live!
NOTE: A quick update on Kylie Scott, who had to cancel her May Guest Author appearance due to a nasty head cold. I'm happy to report she has rescheduled to be our NOVEMBER Guest Author, so we'll look forward to having her with us then.
At Her Service, the next book in the Mistresses of the Board Room series, is progressing well. I've started the opening of Neil and Abby's story, which takes place in the park where Neil, Lawrence and Max do their exercise regimen. (Remember their scene together in At Her Command, Book 1?) Abby's a runner herself. In the freebie The Barbecue, apparently Neil suggested it "off page" as a good place for a run, so she decides to try out the trails. When they cross paths, she challenges our hot SEAL to keep up with her. Nothing like a sexy chase scene, right? I have SO many ideas for this book that my MS Notes tabs are multiplying and overflowing. Can't wait to share it with you all in the fall. I'm thinking it will be a November release date, but we'll see.
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and recommendations on the site. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
Less than two weeks to release day!! But don't forget, you can go ahead and preorder Vampire Guardian now, so it will show up on your device promptly on June 15 (links below blanket graphic). Those of you who enjoy favorite character appearances from other books/series are going to get the full ice cream sundae with a cherry on top when it comes to this story. You might recall in the April newsletter, I posted a pic of the stack of past books containing characters who would play key roles in Adan and Catriona's tale. Those included Vampire Mistress/Vampire Trinity, featuring reader favorites Daegan, Anwyn and Gideon. So how about a giveaway that involves those three, PLUS Catriona and Adan?
GIVEAWAY: In celebration of the release of Vampire Guardian, I'll be giving away the PLUSH BLANKET shown below, featuring the Vampire Trinity cover, PLUS a signed print copy of Vampire Guardian. Interested? Here's how you enter (open to international):
1) Follow me on Amazon, BookBub OR GoodReads, if you aren't already.
2) Between now and June 15, share your feelings about my Vampire Queen series with someone. Can be a friend, family member, bookclub, online group, stranger at the grocery store, etc. It can be face to face, through email, or on a social media platform. Totally on the honor system. It just has to happen between now and June 15 (not someone you've told in the past, though I thank you for that profusely!).
Email me at storywitch@storywitch.com, letting me know you've done 1 and 2. And that's it. You're entered! I'll draw a winner on June 16. Oh, and as an additional perk, if you want me to send you OR someone you've told about the series a couple of my beautiful Vampire Queen series bookmarks, just include the mailing info so I can do that (only for the purposes of the mailing, not used for ANY other marketing purposes).
If you're on MeWe or Facebook, I'll be doing some posts/teasers about the writing of the book between now and June 15. On June 15 itself, I'll have the usual full day of celebration posts on the FB JWHMembersOnly group, plus a multi-author release day party at the Social Butterfly Party Room from 6-8pm EDT. I'll finish up the day with a FB Live 8:30-9:30pm EDT at JWHMembersOnly. So be sure and come out to join us if you can!
PREORDER LINKS FOR VAMPIRE GUARDIAN
Note on Print Format (Amazon) - Proof is on order and due to be delivered shortly. If everything looks good, we'll put it up for sale immediately the way we usually do, so that those who prefer the print format can order and receive it in time for the official ebook release date. I'll announce the print link on social media when it goes live AND update this page here. No plans for audio at this time, but see section on the Vampire Queen series and audio format, further on in this newsletter issue.
[Regarding The Vampire Queen series] "...easily the most superbly written books I've ever read, and I've read hundreds of books. I can't recommend them enough. Treat yourself well and please begin the series." -- Reader Twitter Review
Don't forget, Vampire Instinct, a standalone in the Vampire Queen series, is FREE until June 15! For someone who hasn't read any other books in the series, I believe it's the best standalone "prep" book for Vampire Guardian, since Adan, the hero of Vampire Guardian, is Mal and Elisa's son (and they are the hero/heroine of Vampire Instinct). It also offers a good basic introduction to the structure of the Vampire Queen world. That said, if a reader feels inspired to read other books in the series after reading Vampire Instinct, I will not object (grin). Vendor download links are below the graphic.
Nook (code BNPJOEYFREE)
Reading is essential to keeping my writing voice fresh and energized, so no matter how crazy editing, marketing or domestic life gets, I keep an eclectic reading stack going. I wrote a GoodReads blog about this, plus shared some of the books that made a marked impression upon me these past couple months, in case you want to add to your own TBR list.
We're getting closer! Thanks to JWHMembersOnly fan group feedback on the initial audition, I requested a second audition from one female narrator, and a new audition from a male. If they both come back as good as it seems they will, it's going to be a TOUGH choice.
A little insight into the audiobook process. When I was collecting reader thoughts, several of you mentioned liking it when the main characters are read by different narrators. While that is a delightful idea, it's twice the narrator cost and a much higher production cost. Way beyond my budget, I'm afraid, usually shouldered by a major publisher or a much more famous author with deeper pockets than mine, lol. But hopefully we'll be able to choose the right voice, where having a single narrator will be sufficient for a satisfying listening experience!
Fingers crossed, by our next newsletter I'll be able to report we've selected a narrator and production of Vampire Queen's Servant in audio has begun! Supposedly that process takes about 2-3 months from start of production to distribution to the audio vendors, like Audible. My intent is that the audio sales from each book will fund producing the next book in the series, and so on and so forth, until we can FINALLY get the whole series out!
We had a little snag with our guest author day in May, when Kylie Scott had to cancel due to a nasty head cold. The up side is we can look forward to her rescheduling with us for a future time. As noted last month, Kylie writes delightful hot romances featuring sexy bartenders, movie stars and more, who meet up with contemporary heroines who are just the right match for them. She left some lovely posts with us on the JWHMembersOnly group on May 29 if you'd like to check those out - just search on her name. I'll keep everyone posted on her new FB Live date with us!
So who's up for the month of JUNE? Our dear author friend and group favorite, Elizabeth SaFleur. Elizabeth's Elite Doms (MaleDom), Shakedown (Erotic Romance) and Justice series (FemDomme) are wonderful glitzy and glam stories with very personal, sexy and appealing heroes and heroines. Elizabeth herself is a warm and vibrant personality, plus a successful businesswoman and recreational dancer/performer who has taught pole dancing and been in burlesque shows. I've had the pleasure of spending time with her at conferences, so I know firsthand how delightful and entertaining she is.
Here's her more "official" bio - Elizabeth writes award-winning romance that dares to “go there” from 28 wildlife-filled acres, which she shares with her husband and one very spoiled Westie. When not immersed in books, she can be found dancing or drinking good Virginia wine—not necessarily in that order. [Note from Joey - I recommend subscribing to her newsletter specifically because of her monthly "character conversations" - they never fail to make me laugh! Her FB group, Elizabeth's Playroom is also a great community.]
So come join us at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on June 26, 8pm ET for Elizabeth's FB Live!
Now that Vampire Guardian is officially DONE, I'm doing a couple weeks of heavy marketing for the book and then I'll start writing Neil and Abby's story, the next book in the Mistresses of the Board Room series. When I wrote The Barbecue free vignette early this year, it was tough not to let the few scenes with the two of them take over. Their chemistry is strong, as the quote below shows, and I love feeling that vibe well before the book's first page is even written. And we now have a title for their story!
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and recommendations on the site. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
"Just finished Vampire Instinct by Joey W. Hill. It was so good I'm left staring into space with a book hangover. Thank you for the riveting experience. I thought after Beloved Vampire I wouldn't love one of your books more than it; I was wrong." -- Reader Twitter Review
Vampire Instinct, a standalone in the Vampire Queen series, will be FREE until June 15! While this is partly to celebrate and promote the June 15 release of Vampire Guardian, it has a practical purpose as well. Since Adan, the hero of Vampire Guardian, is Mal and Elisa's son (and they are the hero/heroine of Vampire Instinct), it seemed like the best book to prepare readers who haven't read the rest of the series yet, but who might want to dive into the newest release without having to read all the previous books. And after reading Vampire Instinct, they may decide they want to read some of the other books while waiting for June 15 (grin).
You all do a wonderful job of spreading the love of my books. Many of my Vampire Queen series readers came to me after a fellow reader turned them toward it, so I wanted to give you added ammunition to bring them to the fold. Who can resist a free book, right? Vampire Instinct is Book 7, but since it takes place in the 1950s, which is prior to the contemporary time period for most the previous books, it helps with the ability to read it as a standalone. Here are all the links -
Nook (code BNPJOEYFREE)
Don't forget, we have preorder links for Vampire Guardian, so you can reserve your ebook copy now. Look under the graphic below for the preorder links. If you haven't already, you can click here for the Chapter One peek, offered in easy BookFunnel download link for your preferred device. ARE YOU A BLOGGER OR REVIEWER? You can sign up here for all the promo stuff - blog tour, ARC review, etc. And thank you so much if you do!!
Since a lot of the story happens at Club Atlantis, this is considered a Club Atlantis book, which has become a sub-series within the Vampire Queen series world. However, Adan and Catriona don't stay there the whole time. They manage to find their way to the island big cat sanctuary where Adan grew up, spend time in the Fae world, and there's eventually a trip to the Underworld! (grumbles the author, who has to handle the set up on all those locations, lol...)
As noted above, this book ended up having a wide scope of characters, locations and action scenes. Don't worry, though - Catriona and Adan figured out how to fit in some steamy D/s scenes. Adan is a vampire, after all - for his race, there's ALWAYS time for a Master or Mistress to play with their beloved servant, lol.
Currently, I have requested auditions from three narrators for Book 1, Vampire Queen's Servant. Once I find the right narrator, I'll ask if she can commit to doing Book 2, Mark of the Vampire Queen, as well. I posted the first audition I received on the JWHMembersOnly Facebook page to get their feedback on her. So far the response has been pretty positive, so we'll see if I'll be able to announce an official name for our narrator next month! Once a narrator is chosen, it's supposedly about 2-3 months to get each book ready and released on the audio distribution sites (including Audible).
I'm STILL riding on clouds with kittens about finally getting the chance to bring you this series in audio format. You'll recall, the only VQS book to date that has made it to audio format is Nightfall, the story I co-authored with Desiree Holt. Fortunately, Findaway Voices offers self-published authors an affordable way to bring audiobooks to readers. With the Voices Share program, I pay 50% of the up front production cost and offer a bigger royalty share to the narrator (which seems very fair to me, since the appeal of his/her audio reading will do a lot to increase reader enjoyment of the book in that medium).
My intent is that the sales of the first two books will fund producing the next book in the series, and so on and so forth, until we can get the whole series out.
The lovely Sasha White spent such a great evening with us all in April, discussing her current books, what she has planned for the future, and the challenges writers face when balancing serious family issues. With her talents as bartender/waitress/world traveler/avid reader, she brings such an amazing background to her books. Be sure and take a look at her website and the new May release in her Hunter Protection series, Drake's Hunt. You can see her full FB Live with us at JWHMembersOnly group here.
So who's next on the guest list? Take a deep breath and try not to fan girl screech - KYLIE SCOTT! She writes the popular Dive Bar and Stage Dive series, sexy rock-star and bartender heroes whose lives are upended by the women who steal their hearts. Her latest book, Fake, has a celebrity hero and a waitress heroine, and the tag line caught my attention right away: "He walks the red carpet. She’s more familiar with vacuuming one."
Kylie's books are feel-good crack, according to her readers. I found this Happy Ever After USA Today quote that seems to summarize it well: "an absorbing storyline infused with Kylie Scott’s distinctive wit, singular charm and sublime emotional intensity.” That was talking about her book It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, a title I automatically loved. Though seriously, after going through her book list, I honestly defy anyone to not one-click her books based on their blurbs alone, lol.
Here's her more "official" bio - Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into fourteen different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. [I love hosting a Guest Author who uses the word "dithers," btw.]
So come join us at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on May 29, 8pm ET for Kylie's FB Live!
I'm still doing research, brainstorming and outlining on Neil and Abby's story, the next book in the Mistresses of the Board Room series. Since I'm already pretty well versed in Navy SEAL research (Neil is an active SEAL), most of the research for this book is on paranoid schizophrenia. In Book 1, At Her Command, it was revealed that Abby lives under the shadow of this very challenging difficult mental illness, since both her grandmother and mother suffered from it.
I'm also learning how exhausting trying to live with this illness is, thanks to medications, body chemistry and a lot of the other "unknowns." So how does a person overcome it, embrace a relationship with someone, get the most out of their life? Particularly a Dom/sub relationship. It's the kind of HEA writing challenge I like. Fortunately, with Neil being a SEAL, he's up for it as well. He doesn't apply the word "quit" to anything, let alone the woman who has captured his attention from the first moment he met her.
Fair warning - though this series is called Mistresses of the Board Room, because all five of the women featured in it are Dommes, it looks like we're going to have a switch dynamic happening here, somewhat like what happened for Marguerite in Ice Queen. Abby is still very much a Mistress, but it may be that Neil's Dom traits will provide her something essential she needs, as an additional room in her BDSM explorations.
I never force my characters into a box - ever since Holding the Cards, when I tried to "make" Josh a Dom, and it turned out the story flowed far more beautifully with him as a beta sub, I've learned to listen to what the characters tell me - and the story itself. No matter what, though, this one is going to be a heartrending ride. My hope is I'll have this book ready for you all sometime in Fall 2021.
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and recommendations on the site. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
Hooray! I've finished the first draft of Vampire Guardian, which means I have PREORDER LINKS for you, as well as a CHAPTER ONE sneak peek. Look under the graphic below for the preorder links, and click here for the Chapter One peek, offered in easy BookFunnel download link for your preferred device. You can also find all that at any time on the book page on my website. We're looking at a June 15 release date, and yes, this will be considered a Club Atlantis book, which has become a sub-series within the Vampire Queen series world.
While I don't have a Bookstagram account (I can barely keep up with the social media I have now, lol) I've been playing with ideas inspired by it. I did the below picture earlier this month to visually demonstrate just how many characters from my other books are playing a part in Adan and Catriona's story.
For some reason, whenever the Fae get involved, the cast expands. Bound by the Vampire Queen and Night's Templar were the same way. For an author, that's a headache and a half, because I don't want to lose the connection with Adan and Catriona in the crowd, but I also don't want those side character appearances to be empty cameos. But the front end effort is worth the final result, if I do it right. I have plenty of Excedrin Migraine standing by to help get me through, lol. Plus the chocolate and Cherry Coke Zero shown!
So for years, I've been asked this question by my readers: "When will the Vampire Queen series be available on audio?" The only VQS book to date that has made it to that format is Nightfall, the story I co-authored with Desiree Holt. Well, Quinn and Selene's story is about to have company. I'm extremely happy to report that we are auditioning narrators now to bring the first two books, Vampire Queen's Servant and Mark of the Vampire Queen, to our audiobook audience!
Once the narrators are chosen, if all goes as it should, it's about 2-3 months to get each book ready and released on the audio distribution sites (including Audible). I'll keep you all posted on the schedule.
This development was made possible by Findaway Voices, a relatively new player on the audiobook market. They offer self-published authors like myself a more affordable way to bring our books to readers in audio format. With the Voices Share program, I pay 50% of the up front production cost and offer a bigger royalty share to the narrator (which seems very fair to me, since the appeal of his/her audio reading will do a lot to increase reader enjoyment of the book in that medium).
My intent is that the sales of the first two books will fund producing the next book in the series, and so on and so forth, until we can get the whole series out. Therefore, when it's time for these first two to release, I'll be doing a big promo push to let people know they're available. Anything you all feel like doing to help spread the word at that point will be very helpful, to ensure we can continue to produce more audiobooks for the series.
I'm so excited to be making positive steps toward offering my vampires in audio. FINALLY!
In March, we enjoyed having Joely Sue Burkhart as our Guest Author. During her FB Live on March 27, she entertained us with stories about her research and inspiration for her reverse harem series Their Vampire Queen. She also discussed her eclectic series list - MaleDom, FemDom, menage, polyamory, contemporary, paranormal and more. We were so glad to get to know her better.
So who's next on the guest list? The fabulous SASHA WHITE! I've been friends with Sasha many years, and was delighted when the group chose her as one of the authors they'd like to be part of the guest series. With fellow author TJ Michaels, she and I started the first "Erotic Trivia" game that became so popular at our shared conferences. We have spent more than one book signing within a rock's throw of one another's tables (actually, that would be chocolate throwing - we're not above pelting one another with candy during the slow times).
Here's her more "official" bio - After almost 20 years as a bartender/waitress/world traveler/avid reader, Sasha White decided to give writing a try. Her first novel, Bound, was released in 2006 by Berkley Heat, and she hasn’t looked back since. Sasha writes modern erotic fiction with an edge of kink, usually contemporary, with the occasional foray into paranormal and science fiction. Having published over thirty stories with publishers such as Kensington Aphrodisia, Berkley Heat, Avon, Black Lace, and Samhain Publishing, she's recognized as one the top authors of the genre. Born in Calgary and raised all over Western Canada, she is a Rocky Mountain girl at heart.
So come join us at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on April 24, 8pm EDT for Sasha's FB Live! I know we'll all have a blast. And in the meantime, check out her website for more about her available series. She has a new book in her Hunter Protection series coming up in May, Drake's Hunt. Here's my favorite cover in the series - I thought you all would enjoy looking at it! This is the same model I used for one of my Submissive Angel promo graphics (grin). Oh, and if you'd like a FREE Hunter Protection short story from Sasha, "Mountain Retreat," just subscribe to her VIP mailing list here. It's a good intro to her writing.
See you all on April 24th!
I've started doing my research for Neil and Abby's story, the next book in the Mistresses of the Board Room series. In Book 1, At Her Command, it was revealed that Abby lives under the shadow of a very difficult mental illness that both her grandmother and mother suffered. It has kept her from making any permanent bonds with a lover. However, since Neil pretty much decided he was over the moon for her from their first meeting, this Navy SEAL isn't letting anything stop him from proving she can count on him to love her through any challenge they have to face. And from what I'm reading about this mental illness, that challenge will be considerable.
Don't worry, though. As you all have hopefully found in my books with physically challenged heroes or heroines (Des in Worth the Wait, Rory in In His Arms, Dale in Unrestrained and Dana in Honor Bound), I believe it is possible to balance serious issues with the hope and joy we crave and need in our romances - and in life itself.
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and recommendations on the site. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
What do you think of the cover of Vampire Guardian? There's a scene between Adan and Catriona where they're in this position, her gazing up at him and touching his chin just like that. I initially played with concepts that incorporated her wings, since she IS Fae. However, what they call the visual "branding" of the series - those character close ups, and the sepia-like tones with the reds - call for keeping it simple. I get that logic, because I like this final result. Hope you do as well! Maybe I'll ask my talented husband to turn some of those more complicated ideas into teasers as we get closer to release day (wink).
Oh, and if you're looking at this on your computer, wondering why the cover is posted above as well as in your sidebar, it's because on a smaller screen the sidebar is sometimes moved to the end. I didn't want to point to it in the sidebar and have readers looking at this on their phone or tablet and saying, "What's she talking about? I don't see a cover!" Lol.
So, if you'd like to know how the story is going, I hit 100k on the first draft this week! That might sound good, but I have mixed feelings about it, because I've been tweaking my creative process. I'm a very ordered and disciplined person, so up to now, my book-writing progression was very measurement-oriented. Meaning, I'd write 5000 words/day, five days a week, and have 150k in six weeks. Then I had a set number of days/weeks to handle the first, second, third and final edit rounds.
However, my fifth decade of life has brought some focus/physical issues requiring a different approach. Writers (and artisans of all kinds) have to strike a balance between channeling the creativity that puts HEART into their work, and achieving a level of productivity that pays the bills.
So, to keep things going in the right direction, I was advised by a fellow creator to try and work each day until "the juice" runs out. Doesn't matter if that's six hours or one hour, or anywhere in between. On the days when the juice runs out faster, that's more time to give to the marketing/business end of things (which is a never-ending to-do list). This person advised that if it works the way it should, I will somehow make just as much progress on the book and meet the deadline - and be as happy (or more so) with the results.
I won't know until this book is done if this worked, but I can say that I'm noticing some very good things about this process. I'm happier with what I'm writing as the first draft, which logically means I'll make up the time on the back (editing) end I lost on the front (creating/first draft) end, and still achieve that June 15 release date. And by not forcing it, I'm drawn deeper into who Adan and Catriona are, and where the story needs to go--always a good thing.
One caveat for my newsletter subscribers who are also authors: This probably isn't a good process for someone who already has writing discipline issues or difficulty meeting deadlines. But for an obsessive workaholic, the biggest challenge to this process is convincing myself I'm not a slacker because my creative process is becoming less rigidly measurement-oriented.
Remember, you can read the blurb for Vampire Guardian on the book page on my website. Preorder links should be up by the next newsletter, fingers crossed!
So we've now had two fabulous Guest Authors do a FB Live at the JWHMembersOnly Facebook group on the last Saturday night of the month. If you'll recall me mentioning this last month, I had asked our group members for suggestions on who they wanted to visit the group, and they provided me 80 names! In February, our guest was Samantha A. Cole. This retired police officer and paramedic regaled us with entertaining anecdotes about her pre-author life, as well as the inspirations for her popular Trident Security series, Doms of the Covenant, Master Key, the Malone Brothers series, and the list goes on. If you weren't there for the FB Live, you can watch it here anytime on the FB Group.
If you're catching up with our monthly guest author series, you can also watch our first one with Desiree Holt by clicking here.
So who's next? In March, our Guest Author of the Day is going to be Joely Sue Burkhart! With the tagline "Finding Love in the Shadows," Joely has a very eclectic series list - she writes MaleDom, FemDom, menage, polyamory, contemporary, paranormal, etc. Like me, she has a vampire queen. However, her heroine is part of a reverse harem series called Their Vampire Queen. For my FemDomme lovers, she also has a Billionaires in Bondage trilogy - yes, books where the billionaire man is the submissive (grin). But these are just two of her multiple series. You can check them out by category here.
Her bio states that Joely "has always loved heroes who hide behind a mask, the darker and more dangerous the better. Whether cool, sophisticated billionaire, brutal bloodthirsty assassin, or simply a man tortured by his own needs, they all wear masks to protect themselves. Once they finally give you a peek into the passionate, twisted secrets they're hiding, they always fall hard and fast. Dare to look beneath the mask and find love in the shadows."
Come join us Saturday, March 27, 8-9pm ET to spend some time with Joely, and be sure to check in with the group earlier in the day to see if she posts any additional information about herself, or her current and upcoming works.
Thanks to the guest author series, I've had a good number of new folks joining my social media pages. Because of that, I realized it might make sense to point people back to a post that was intended to help new readers decide which of my books to read first. Originally, I did it as a discussion post on GoodReads, but this month I streamlined it for the FB and MeWe groups. While MeWe doesn't yet have the option of a link for a specific post (or I'm not technically savvy enough to have found it yet), I'll put the FB and GR links here:
If you're one of my existing readers, you may not need these, but I thought they'd be helpful if you were introducing someone new to my work. And thank you for that, btw. A happy reader, in the mood to share her/his happiness, is the best kind of marketing an author can get!
There's been a lot of shakeup in the social media world of late. Authors tend to put their eggs in many baskets, because we want readers to be able to interact with us on their preferred platforms. So if you missed the mention of it in earlier newsletters, I'm also on MeWe (essentially an alternative to Facebook). Whatever content I'm putting on FB is also going on MeWe, so come join me there if you prefer that platform.
Something to Remember: No matter the inevitable fluidity of the social media world, there is one place readers can ALWAYS find me. [Unless there's a global EMP that knocks out all electronics, or a zombie apocalypse, in which case we'll have a lot of things to figure out a bit more important than finding our favorite authors online, lol.] That place is my website, storywitch.com. It's noted at the bottom of the newsletter, under the Contacting/Following Me section I include in every issue. When you go to my website, not only is there an email contact link, in the top right corner there are little icons that offer the variety of platforms where you can also find me, like GoodReads, YouTube, etc.
Well, unfortunately, it's looking like no SASS21 this year. With Virginia still limiting capacities and without a guarantee that would change by July, the coordinators have requested a 2022 date change from the hotel. At the time of this newsletter they hadn't officially announced the cancellation/new date, but hopefully we'll find out soon. So maybe we'll get to see one another in person at a con in 2022. In the meantime, if you're down my way in beautiful coastal SC, know you're always welcome to reach out to meet me for a coffee!
Don't forget, in January I released a new FREE vignette revisit with my Knights and Mistresses of the Board Room characters. "The Barbecue" is available on the Cantrips page on my website, with a convenient BookFunnel link to download it in your preferred format.
A reminder of what this vignette is about: If you've read At Her Command, the first book in my Mistresses of the Board Room series, you know at the end there's a reference to a barbecue at Dale and Athena's home (hero/heroine of Unrestrained). The vignette IS that barbecue. In this short, you'll get a couple nice foreshadowing scenes between Neil and Abby. Theirs is the next book to be written in the MBR series, Fall 2021. You'll also be on the front row for an emotional re-connect between Rachel of Afterlife and Lawrence, since he was her late son's childhood friend.
Another final reminder: Submissive Angel, my expanded M/m Christmas story, will return to a $2.99 price around mid-March. Get your $0.99 cent copy now, which includes the original 2012 story PLUS 180 pages of "the rest of the story." Here are all the buy links:
Amazon / Amazon Worldwide / Amazon Print
Nook (code BNPJOEY66 for sale price - also at top of blurb at Nook)
Find me online through my website email contact link (little envelope under Follow Me on the right side of home page) or email me directly at storywitch@storywitch.com. You can leave a question for me under my Author Profile on GoodReads. I'm on Twitter and Facebook (Author Page), and regularly stop in at the JWHMembersOnly fan group. I'm also on MeWe, if you prefer that platform to Facebook. If you'd like to see the pics that inspire my books, visit me on Pinterest, or check out my handful of videos on YouTube.
Finally, I'd love it if you followed me on Bookbub, Amazon or both, since that helps my books get increased visibility and recommendations on the site. And in return, you get heads up about releases and sales!
DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE? 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 medium noted above 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 methods to send me a "Hey, Joey, I sent you a note through email (or social media platform, etc). Did you get it?" message, and we'll make sure we sort it out. I will never intentionally ignore my readers!
HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING MY NEWSLETTER PAST YOUR SPAM FILTER? - Whenever I issue a newsletter, I will post about it on the social media platforms mentioned above, to ensure it reaches the widest number of people possible. So if you're following me on any of them, you'll get a heads up. Or you can put https://storywitch.com/newsletter/?latest as one of your Favorite links. You can click on it anytime to see if a new newsletter has been released. I try to get a new issue out during the first 7 days of every month.
Thank you so much for your support of my work!
Copyright © 2024. Joey W. Hill, All Rights Reserved.
