*SALE* Death Becomes Her

Something just kinda hit me and I decided to offer the digital edition of  Death Becomes Her for only $0.99 for a limited time. This is the slightly morbid (the heroine steals dead bodies for the anatomy schools) serial Regency romance I wrote for InD'tale Magazine over the course of a year.

But there's a bonus! This compilation includes a short story called The Devil She Knows that the magazine's readers didn't get to see. This is a story I wrote just for my readers and fans, a thank you just for being you. I hope you enjoy it! ♥

Get your copy from Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Amazon (CA), Amazon (AU), Smashwords, B&N, Apple (iTunes), or Kobo. 

This offer is only good until Jan 1, 2016 so tell your friends and grab your discounted copy while you can! Have a wonderful rest of 2015, my lovelies! 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Imagine Dragons ~ It's Time

Death Becomes Her is FREE!

Death Becomes Her is free in the kindle store, Dec 21-25! 

Grab a copy and enjoy! ♥

The Amazon blurb:

Death Becomes Her originally appeared in InD'tale Magazine, written and published in eleven parts. It has been compiled here, with minimal changes from how each part originally appeared in that publication.

This compiled edition includes an exclusive bonus short story, The Devil She Knows.

Total word count: over 43,000 (novella + short story)

A Gothic tale of love...and body-snatching...

Melly lives in darkness, stealing bodies in the blackest night to support her sisters and herself. Coming face-to-face with a new doctor, one who doesn't view the resurrectionists with quite the same acceptance as his predecessor, she must decide what is best for her family—a family who desires to choose for themselves.

Available for free in the following Amazon stores: 

US | UK | DE | FR | ES | IT | NL | JP | IN | CA | BR | MX | AU

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing
♫♪ Sick Puppies ~ Should've Known Better

A Brand New Convention for Indie Authors/Readers!

InD'tale Magazine and Red Coat PR have teamed up to bring you the InD'Scribe Conference, scheduled for September 17-20, 2015 in Palm Springs, CA.

At this time, only author tables can be reserved. Soon it will be opened up to everyone. If you are an author and are interested, go to http://bit.ly/indscribe for more details and the form you need to fill out. You can also find more info on the conference's Facebook page HERE. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Breaking Benjamin ~ What Lies Beneath

Calling all historical authors!

InD'tale Magazine is looking for submissions for our new column, Pieces of the Past! If you'd like to submit an article about some aspect of your favorite time period, contact TJ MacKay (tjmackay@indtale.com) or Margaret Faria (magslc@indtale.com) for more information. ♥ 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Imagine Dragons ~ Tiptoe

Death Becomes Her is now AVAILABLE!

The second serial romance to appear in InD'tale Magazine has been compiled and uploaded to Amazon. This is a bit of a morbid tale about a resurrectionist and the doctor who falls for her. She has sisters and one of these sisters stars in the special exclusive short story included in this edition, The Devil She Knows. This is my gift to you, my lovely readers, for always being the supportive, encouraging creatures you are. ♥ 

I've made it available as a pre-order, before its official release on October 20. It's only available on Amazon at this time, but will follow to Smashwords, B&N, iTunes, Kobo, and 'txtr by the end of January 2015. If you'd like an excerpt, check out my website HERE. If you already know you want it, grab it from Amazon: US, UK, DE, CA, AU. ☺

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Reba McEntire ~ One Honest Heart

The 11th Commandment is FREE!

To celebrate the upcoming release of Death Becomes Her, I've made The 11th Commandment free on Smashwords and through them, B&N, iTunes, Kobo, and 'txtr. Amazon (US) has decided to price match as well, so you can even grab a copy there, if you wish. ♥

You may recall that this story was the very first 10-part serial romance to appear in InD'tale Magazine. If you haven't subscribed to InD'tale, I strongly urge you to do so. Besides the entertaining articles, you can find professional reviews of independently published fiction. ☺

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Three Days Grace ~ Home 

~Snippet Saturday~ Death Becomes Her

The finale for Death Becomes Her has been published in InD'tale Magazine's big summer issue. I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations. ☺ 

This officially ends my "employment" with InD'tale. I will be taking a break from serial romance for the magazine. The next serial will be done by Rachel Rossano and believe me, y'all are in for a treat! ♥

I've loved working with InD'tale and I won't say I'll never write for them again. But I do need to concentrate on some other things right now. ☺

In light of this, I've decided to post an excerpt from the final installment of Death Becomes Her. If you haven't read the story yet, you can go through the magazine archives* and start from the very beginning.

Without further ado, here is today's snippet. Enjoy! ♥

---

Taken from the opening of Part 11: Escaping the Dead...

The Miller sisters silently packed their things to leave. They chose to go with Melly, even Ashlin who stood to gain so much more by staying. The doctor insisted they take all the clothes and things he’d provided for them, having no use for them himself. Melly was grateful, as it was one less thing to worry about when they were trying to make new lives for themselves, but the weight she carried deep inside would not be lessened with distance.

As they set off, Melly did not want to return to their tiny, dilapidated hovel near the graveyard, though there were things they needed to gather there before they could move from the city forever. The girls trundled along behind her, thick shoes on their feet and heavy, warm cloaks keeping the biting winter chill from their bodies.

“Melly,” she heard Ashlin whisper at her side, “I’m sorry David turned us out.”

Melly heard tears trembling on the words and she felt her chest constrict. “You could have stayed, love,” she murmured, careful to keep her voice low. “Doctor Melbourne would continue your education. You could be a doctor yourself someday.” They both knew how unlikely that was, but at David’s side, Ashlin would at least be allowed to practice the art she loved so well.

“I could not let you leave alone,” Ashlin retorted.

Melly laughed, a hint of actual mirth in the sound. “Hardly alone, love. Do you think the others would have stayed as well?”

Read the rest in the June/July 2014 issue of InD'tale Magazine. 

---

I hope you enjoyed this little excerpt. Thank you for stopping by! 

*You must be registered to access the magazine archives. Registration is free. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Tech N9ne ~ Fragile 

~Saturday Snippets~ Intrigue

I completely FORGOT to post a new Saturday Snippet yesterday! :o (In my defense, I wasn’t home Friday or Saturday.) I’ll post it now, and make sure I have next week’s scheduled ahead of time. 

That brings me to which snippet to share. That’s often a hard decision for me. That said, I’ll select a random portion of...Intrigue. This portion is taken from the middle of chapter seven. Enjoy! ♥

---

A trim little figure of equestrienne superiority erupted into the house. She twirled her shako hat on one finger, her smile of utter delight encompassing all those assembled in the great entry hall.

This was Gideon’s sister, Malvina realized. The way she carried herself would have been indication enough but the rippling scars covering the young lady’s cheek confirmed her identity.

Malvina was intrigued to note the disappearance of the charming smile as the young lady’s eyes lit upon the earl. Indeed, it was as though the light in her had been extinguished. They were suddenly faced with the epitome of a well-bred English lady.

“Hello, Holt. I hope your journey was without mishap?”

Her voice carried a distant note that was not lost upon Malvina and her son. Lady Brackney gave the earl a questioning look that he ignored and she had to pinch Wolf before he said something embarrassing, like mentioning the young girl’s scars.

“Our journey was uneventful, was it not, my dear?” he said in reply to his sister’s question. His brown eyes settled on Malvina, awaiting her agreement.

“Very pleasant,” she murmured.

“Sammy, love, this is my betrothed, Lady Malvina Brackney, and this is her son, Sir Beowulf. My sister, Lady Samantha de Witt.”

Samantha curtsied politely, smiling at his companions in an unselfconscious way that Malvina found curious.

“Where is Mother?” Gideon asked.

Samantha looked up at him. “She has sequestered herself in her apartments, Giddy.”

Malvina’s lips quirked. What an oddly disarming pet name, she thought. It didn’t suit the earl in the least.

---

Read InD’tale Magazine’s 4½-star review of this RONÉ Award Finalist. The e-book is available at Amazon (US & UK), B&N, Apple, Smashwords, and Kobo.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Sarah McLachlan ~ The Path of Thorns  

RONÉ Award Finalists

SQUEE!!

The votes have been tallied and the finalists in the 2014 RONÉ Awards have been announced. There are so many wonderful books on this list and guess what? Intrigue made it (Historical: Post Medieval)! 

Even better, my bestie's book, Dance with the Enemy, also made the cut in the Fantasy/Sci-Fi category! DOUBLE SQUEE!! 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the RONÉ Awards, I'll briefly explain. It is an award given to the best in independently published books. The first step is a professional review, done by InD'tale Magazine. If the book rates 4 stars or higher and was published in the year specified, it's automatically entered. (Books published in 2013 are the ones being judged this year, for example.) Once the nominees are announced, they pass to the voting stage, where the public votes for their favorite books in each category. The top ones are then announced as finalists.

A trophy from last year.
Image credit:
©2013 Tonya Smalley 

The next step in the award process, the step we're on now, is professional judges. These lovely men and women (authors, publishers, editors, and others in the industry) will read the books assigned to them and decide which they feel should receive the stunningly gorgeous trophy for each category. And there are so many wonderful books/authors on the list! I can't even imagine how the judges will make their decisions. I do not envy them in the least! lol

The winners will be announced in July at the Romance Novel Convention in Las Vegas, NV. The RONÉ Awards ceremony is the best part of the convention with quality entertainment, lots of laughs, and lots of class. If it's the only part of the convention you can attend, it is the best part and so worth it. With InD'tale Magazine in charge of the awards, you know it will be great! ☺

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ End of Eternity Soundtrack ~ Fighting with the Devil

"My Writing Process" Blog Tour

There's this blog tour going around right now and it's all about the writing process. I've been tagged to share the ins and outs of my particular process and I will, in turn, tag a few others to participate. There are four questions involved and I will do my best to answer them. 

Before I get into the questions, however, I should mention who decided to include me in this fascinating tour. The talented and always delightful Anna Katmore (who was known as Piper Shelly when I met her, lol) tagged me. I met Anna at the 2013 Romance Novel Convention in Las Vegas, NV. We had a lot of fun. More recently, I helped bring to life the cover for her upcoming release Neverland. That was a true pleasure and I'm thrilled that we'll be working together on the sequel's cover as well.

Now for those questions...

1. What am I working on? 

I'm always working on several things at once, but my current inspiration involves the serial Regency I'm writing for InD'tale Magazine, Death Becomes Her. Here's the little blurby thing about it: 

Melly lives in darkness, stealing bodies by moonlight to support her sisters and herself. Coming face-to-face with a new doctor, one who doesn't view the resurrectionists with quite the same acceptance as his predecessor, she must decide what is best for her family—a family who desires to choose for themselves.

Part 1 appeared in the June 2013 edition of InD'tale and the final installment will be in the June/July 2014 edition. Subscribers can go back through and read every installment by accessing the magazine archive. Subscriptions are currently free. (hint, hint) 

That said, I'm also working on a short story called Samantha's Sin that is related. I plan to release it with the compiled edition of DBH. A tentative release date is set for early August 2014.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

I write traditional Regency romance: romantic stories set in early 1800s Britain with no sexually explicit details. Seems simple and rather common, right? 

The romance isn't always the main theme in my books. It's a major one, sure, but there's always something else going on that ends long after the romantic thread is tied, not always, but quite often. While I do leave out the sexual details, thus qualifying my books as "clean" or traditional romance, I often touch on certain subjects that are not sweet, and certainly not for young readers. Thus the reason I never refer to my books as "sweet" romance. 

3. Why do I write what I write? 

I enjoy a fluffy, sweet, positive romance, I really do, and I'm glad there are so many authors out there writing them. BUT...

I was tired of "clean" romances being nothing but fluff. I wanted romances that included some reality, especially of a time period that is often portrayed as idealistic, but I really didn't want to read the graphic sexual details. So I write dark and edgy Regency romance in the traditional style, stories with some grit, sometimes disturbing, but always with a "happy" ending. (Anyone who reads my books will see some recurring characters, and while those characters got their happily-ever-after in their own stories, their appearance in another story may not be so happy.) 

4. How does my writing process work? 

Most of my books started with a character. A face and name popped into my head and the character just took shape. Some started with a scene and a fairly clear character in mind. Some started with an idea based on a book I'd recently read. (For example, my book Honor was written because of how angry I got at someone else's book. I wanted something more realistic, something that made sense to me.) Some stories started with a title and one in particular (My Lady Coward) was initially inspired by a song. (Subsequent parts of that story were inspired by writing prompts from Clever Fiction, a site for readers and writers of short fiction.) So inspiration varies for me.  

After the initial idea blossoms, I "pants" it. I write until inspiration leaves me and then I work on another story. I have folders of character bios and story ideas, handwritten scenes that may or may not make it into a final product, and research tidbits on specific aspects of the Regency. I try to write down anything that pops into my mind, then add that note to the proper folder for that book. It sounds organized, but it's really not. lol

At the moment I have over a dozen manuscripts started. Some will be finished and some will not. The ones that don't receive their ending are ones I view as practice of a sort. While I'd love to make every story in my head come to vivid life, time is not on my side. 

And now I'm supposed to tag a few more writers to take part in this tour. Their articles will be posted on their blogs or sites April 7. ☺ 

Rachel Rossano ~

Rachel's one of my favorite authors, one who lets me beta read her books and who beta reads mine in turn. I guess that sort of makes us critique partners, though we've never put a label on our authorly relationship. Her stories are mostly medieval romance set in a totally made-up world, aka medieval fantasy. And they are EXCELLENT! Her talents extend into book cover design too. 

Linda Boulanger ~ 

Linda's my bestie and has been since we met online a few years ago. Our friendship started after she read one of my short stories and offered to publish me. It was a fabulous beginning to an indescribable friendship. We met in real life for the first time last year. She's a great author whose mind positively thrives on the happily-ever-after of romance. Book cover design is also a passion of hers.  

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Sixx: A.M. ~ Life is Beautiful 

The Annual RONÉ Awards

Every year, last year being the first, InD'tale Magazine compiles a list of the books reviewed by them, published in the previous year, that garnered a 4-star rating or higher. The list of qualifying books published in 2013 has been announced and guess what?! Intrigue is among their number!! ♥ 

The first two weeks of voting have come and gone, and now Intrigue's category (Historical: Post Medieval) is up for vote until March 30. Please vote by clicking HERE. ☺ It only takes a moment if you're already a registered site member. If you're not a member, signing up is a painless process and absolutely free. If you'd rather not register, you can still vote. Instructions on how to do that are located HERE.

*All links open in a new tab or window depending on your browser settings. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Hinder ~ Better Than Me 

~Regency Wednesday~ Resurrectionist

**Warning: This post contains some images that may be mildly disturbing to some. Please proceed with caution.**

Resurrectionist is not a word often heard in Regency romances. To be honest, it's a horridly unromantic word and really has no place in romances. Body-snatcher isn't much better.

That said, I decided to defy logic and write a serial Regency romance about a female resurrectionist. It's being published in monthly installments in InD'tale Magazine. (Go HERE to subscribe to InD'tale Magazine for free. You'll get no spam, ever, and your personal information remains private.)

I've announced that here already, though, haven't I? ☺

What was a resurrectionist?

A resurrectionist,* simply, was a body-snatcher, a thief of the dead. They would dig up the bodies of the recently interred and sell them to the medical schools in London. (This happened in other countries as well, most notably Scotland, but my focus has always been England.) They were viewed as the lowest of the low, ones who desecrated graves. And though their actions weren't technically illegal, they certainly weren't legal either. The law didn't consider the theft of the body itself as grave robbery, rather anything taken along with the body. (Hence, the reason my lovely main characters strip the bodies when procuring them for the good doctor.)

And it wasn't just the resurrectionists who were hated for this practice. Oh no. A great deal of outrage was directed at the doctors and anatomists, some viewing them in the same light as the body-snatchers themselves. (I gave my main characters an odd, unlikely outlook in Death Becomes Her, the heroine actually viewing the use of bodies for the school as far more beneficial than leaving the bodies to rot in the ground. I may get into her reasons for viewing things this way in a later installment...)

Why did they do this?

The problem was lack of cadavers for the medical schools and how the law chose to address this problem. The law stipulated that the bodies of murderers were to be donated to the schools, thus making it seem as though dissection was part of the punishment meted out to offenders. As a result, the thought of a resurrectionist stealing a family member's body—or one's own body, heaven forbid!—and handing it over for dissection was an abhorrent prospect. If a body-snatcher was arrested, they often had to be protected from an avenging mob intent on killing them. Ironically, or perhaps predictably, body-snatchers themselves feared the idea of ending up on the anatomist's table.

There was a religious aspect to this fear as well, something to do with the earthly body remaining intact. This would certainly add to the desire to avoid the possibility of ending up at one of these schools.

How could one prevent cadaver theft?

Martyn Gorman [CC-BY-SA-2.0]

In 1816, mortsafes were invented.**

(My apologies to my Death Becomes Her readers. For some reason I cannot fathom, I neglected to look up the exact date mortsafes were invented, thus I made mention of them in a previous installment of that story. Turns out, as my story takes place around 1811, mortsafes weren't around yet. Again, my apologies.)

Martyn Gorman [CC-BY-SA-2.0]

These extremely heavy iron or iron and stone devices were placed over the grave until such time as the body was deemed too decayed to be of use to the anatomists. The mortsafe could then be reused on another grave.

Unfortunately, these contraptions were expensive. The average person couldn't afford one, though some groups had the idea to purchase one together, making use of it as members of their group needed. If one possessed more money, an iron casket was an option. Not very encouraging.

I hope you've...enjoyed (LOL)...this edition of Regency Wednesday. If you found this post interesting, and you're not already following, please consider becoming a subscriber to this blog through networked blogs, Google, or by email. Thank you and have a lovely week!! ♥

*To read more about resurrectionists in general, check out a rather informative Wikipedia page, or download the Google book, Diary of a Resurrectionist.
**More info on mortsafes can be found on Wikipedia. Not the best resource, I know, but the basics are there.
***All images are taken from Wikimedia Commons. Each image links to its Wikimedia page.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Breaking Benjamin ~ Into the Nothing

~General Updates~ Intrigue, InD'Tale, RNC, Book Covers

Well, dang. I don't like that I'm getting into the habit of updating this blog only once a month. Not good. Things should get back to normal after August, when all the vacations and conventions and stuff are behind me. ☺

I did it. I clicked the button.

Intrigue.... 

  Intrigue (my next full-length Regency romance) is finally done and uploaded to KDP. It's currently "in review" on my KDP dashboard. Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, it will be available for purchase.

  This one takes place between Deception and Entangled*. The hero is a secondary character from Deception. His friends include the Duke of Derringer, so of course, the morbidly attired, slightly eccentric duke makes an appearance.

  *Formerly known as Spellbound.

InD'Tale Magazine and RNConvention.... 

  The lovely ladies from InD'Tale are hosting a casual gathering at the Golden Nugget Buffet in Las Vegas on August 8. It's so they (we) can get to know the lovely readers of InD'Tale Magazine. If you plan to be in Vegas for the convention, please consider gracing us with your presence. The exact time is yet to be determined.

  More info on the event can be found HERE and info on the buffet itself can be found HERE. 

Book Covers.... 

  I have joined forces with some seriously brilliant cover designers. Our fearless leader, Renée Barratt of The Cover Counts, started a facebook page called Cover Art Collective with the specific purpose of displaying the premade covers that many of us have available. So if you are an author in need of an affordable, quick, yet professional cover, please check out the ones listed there. ♥

  *Each designer has their own album of available covers. These are NOT template designs. Each design is sold only once. When a design is purchased, it is removed from the page. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Matchbox 20 ~ Real World

~General Updates~ New Releases, InD'Tale, The 11th Commandment

It's now time for another catch-up post. 

New Releases...

I've revealed the cover for my upcoming release, Intrigue. This book is connected to my others in that it takes place between Deception and Entangled* and it features a rather memorable appearance by the Duke of Derringer (from Heartless). 

So here's the official... 

...for you lovely blog readers: 

Look for this new title in July 2013. The book description can be found on my website HERE.

*Formerly known as Spellbound.

InD'Tale Magazine... 

With the end of The 11th Commandment, there's now a new serial in InD'Tale Magazine, the first installment having officially made its debut in the June 2013 issue. Check your inboxes for your copy. If you haven't subscribed yet, you should do so now. It's still FREE.

The new story is a bit morbid, a bit dark, and a good bit more humorous than I'd originally intended. I knew body-snatching would be a dark subject and when the idea occurred to me for a woman to have this unlikely profession, it also occurred to me she'd need help doing it. Sisters, perhaps. Six sisters, in turns out, for a total of seven young women involved in one of the most despised activities of the time. Who knew they'd all have senses of humor, teasing each other, clearly a close-knit family, despite their very morbid job. It'll be interesting to see how it all turns out. ♥

On that note, I need to brainstorm a new idea for my next serial...

The 11th Commandment...

My previous serial Regency has been compiled and is now available for purchase. If you want the convenience of having the whole story on your e-reading device, it's only $1 USD to get it. The eBook is currently available on Amazon and Smashwords, with B&N, Kobo, Sony, Apple, and Diesel coming soon.

If you are an InD'tale subscriber, you can still read the whole story for free by accessing past issues in the magazine archive. (You must be registered and logged in to access the archive.)

I think that's the extent of my news at the moment. I am stressed, excited, overwhelmed, and a little nuts at the moment, but I think things will calm a bit after the Romance Novel Convention in August. ☺

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Sick Puppies ~ Odd One

~General Updates~ Regency Wednesday, RNC, InD'Tale, Cover Reveal

Regency Wednesday...

Before I get into the big updates I have to confess that I am deeply sorry but Regency Wednesday will be postponed for the next several weeks. I have eleventy-billion things to do before the Romance Novel Convention in August (Vegas, baby!!) and I'd rather choose to temporarily suspend my weekly Regency-themed posts than continue to feel guilty for forgetting to do them. 

Romance Novel Convention...

Click the image to find out more about the
Romance Novel Convention!

I had a recent issue and seriously considered asking for a refund for the Romance Novel Convention. Things have been [adequately] resolved now, though, so I will hold my tongue and plan, plan, plan to have the BEST time there. Perhaps I'll even get to meet some of my fabulous readers! ♥

The First Annual 

Romance Novel Convention 

presented by international cover model 

Jimmy Thomas 

Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino 

Las Vegas, Nevada 

August 7-11, 2013 (Wednesday-Sunday) 

All-Inclusive 

(registration, 5 days/4 nights hotel, all classes, events, and meals) 

In other RNConvention news, the first annual RONÉ Awards will be held Friday, August 9 at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino. InD'Tale Magazine is hosting this event. The voting is open now so click on over to www.indtale.com to cast your votes for your favorite indie romances.* ♥♥

InD'Tale Magazine...

The 10th and FINAL installment of The 11th Commandment has officially been published! That means I can now compile the entire collection into one convenient volume and offer it up for reader consumption. This edition will be released June 1 with the help of TreasureLine Publishing.

That also means there's a new serial Regency just around the corner. I came up with something that really plays on my dark, slightly morbid tendencies, and I hope it turns out as entertaining for you to read as it does for me to write! The announcement of my new story was done with a...

...in the May issue. Without further ado, here's the lovely threads for my next serial project:  

This new story is about a resurrectionist or body-snatcher—someone who steals bodies from graves and sells them to the various medical schools for the purpose of dissection. The really cool thing about this story is that the body-snatcher is female. And there's a doctor. And he's hot, of course. ♥

I think that's it for now. If you have any thoughts on my new cover, my new serial, the Romance Novel Convention, InD'Tale Magazine, or love and life in general, please leave a comment.

*Voting requires website registration (free). If you'd like to vote without registering, the site has instructions on how to do that. Romance Novel Convention ad, RONÉ ad, The 11th Commandment cover, and Death Becomes Her cover/ad were designed by Laura J Miller of An Author's Art (me, lol).

As always...

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ FFXIII-2 ~ Parallel Worlds

~Regency Wednesday~ Funerals and Wills

Most of you know I've been writing a serial Regency romance for InD'tale Magazine called The 11th Commandment. The story focuses on a woman, Katherine, who committed adultery, was caught, and sent to Scotland to live alone. The first part features her return to London after her husband's death for the reading of his will. (If you didn't know about this serial and want the story, click on over to InD'tale's site and subscribe. You only get messages when the issue is delivered and subscriptions are FREE. You can find past issues in the site's archive, after you've registered and logged in.)

OK, let me get to the point of mentioning this. For this story I had to delve a bit into the death angle of the Regency world, a topic that isn't written about very often. I found some great info in regard to wills on Courtney Milan's site and a bit about funerals at Regency Reader. 

Later research revealed that things I'd only guessed at, such as Katherine being present at her husband's burial and whether or not she'd have made it back to London in time to see him before he was buried, I've since been able to confirm. (There are times that you just gotta wing it 'cause the deadline's looming.)

Just a few things I've learned and links to where I found the info: 

• Katherine would not have been at the burial, as women rarely attended the burial. See the post at Regency Reader titled Regency Reader Questions: Funeral Rites.
• Katherine would not have made it back from Scotland in time to see his body before the burial. They didn't embalm bodies then and I believe my particular characters would have wanted him in the ground fairly quickly to avoid the overpowering smell. The bit on embalming can be found in an article titled Regency Death and Burial at Historical Hussies.
• For Katherine to become engaged within a year of her husband's death would be a huge scandal, especially since her husband was a duke. OK, I already knew that. That's kind of a "duh" when mourning for a husband was typically 12 months. 

As for the reading of the will, I assume that took place after the burial. I have not been able to confirm this but it makes sense to me that they would want to lay the deceased to rest before reading the will. I could be wrong on this bit and would love it if someone who knows better can either confirm or deny my assumption.

That's it for now. Next week's post will be about mourning attire. Such cheery subjects I've picked! 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ FFXIII-2 ~ Countless Partings

~General Updates~ InD'Tale, RNConvention, Writing

Time for another catch-up post. Here are a few general updates in my world.

InD'Tale:

The new issue of InD'Tale Magazine is out! Part VII of my serial Regency is in this issue, just waiting for your perusal. I haven't read the mag yet but I've heard some GREAT things about this particular issue.

◄◄◄◄ And check out this stunning cover! I ADORE it! ♥ If you haven't subscribed or your email went astray, click the image to go to the site. And don't forget to vote in the cover contest while you're there. ;O) Voting for this particular round ends tonight (1/28)! 

RNConvention:

If you are an author planning to attend the RNConvention in Las Vegas, NV, this August, then take special note of the new promotions page on the site. You might want to consider taking advantage of one or more of these options.

Writing:

I've been a busy little bee in my writing cave, tackling my planned anthology of Regency-era short stories. Included in one of these volumes will be a short story for Michaella, the sister of Heartless' heroine, Leandra. You remember Michaella, right? She went through so much in Heartless that I felt she deserved her HEA more than most.

That's all for now! Until next time.... 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Final Fantasy XIII-2 ~ An Arrow Through Time

A Heartless Cover Contest

InD'Tale Magazine hosts a cover contest several times a month, selecting the covers of books that were submitted for review. Heartless made the cut this week. If you'd like to vote for Heartless or one of the other three covers, click HERE to go to InD'Tale's site and cast your vote. It's quick and painless and takes only a second or so. 

You don't have to vote for Heartless but I would ♥ it if you did!

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Fiona Apple ~ Slow Like Honey

~Sweet Saturday Sample~ The 11th Commandment

Sweet Saturday Samples are back and here I am with my offering! 

First, an intro. The 11th Commandment is a serial Regency romance I'm currently writing for InD'Tale Magazine. Here's the short blurb for the story as a whole: 

Lady Katherine never learned the fine art of hiding one's indiscretions. Thus her one mistake became Society's biggest scandal. Can she overcome the shame and learn to love again?

The following excerpt is from Part 7, the installment set to appear in the February 2013 issue. Enjoy! ♥

---

Part VII: The Escape

She had to escape. Her very sanity depended on her swift removal from the premises. If she stayed, she knew—KNEW—she would do the unthinkable. She would seek him out, welcome him into her arms and her bed.

Again.

Katherine stifled a scream, her hands fisted at her sides. How could this be happening again? She'd returned to England to bury her husband, not take back the lover she'd taken years ago, the lover who'd ruined what little remained of her marriage.

Angry, frustrated steps took her first one direction, then the other, pacing a line in the soft carpet covering her chamber floor. She'd yet to disrobe, her assertion that she had to leave sending her immediately into nervous pacing. Three handkerchiefs lay in melancholy shreds on the floor, littered at her feet as she moved.

Her mind focused on one thing and one thing alone: Simon would ruin her again.

And she would enjoy every second of it!

Therein lay the problem. She would cheerfully go to her own ruin. She knew herself better than she used to and that meant knowing her own weaknesses. And if she knew Simon at all, he would be making his way to her room—

The knock barely sounded before she spoke, “Go away, Simon.”

Silence lay so thick Katherine wondered if she'd imagined the thunk on the door. Then, “I promise I won't touch you,” rumbled through the thick wood.

“It is not proper,” she insisted, holding her breath, a traitorous part of her urging her to let him in.

“You are a widow, Katherine. To hell with propriety.” She'd annoyed him, his rough words grating to her ears. She said nothing for a long moment. Just as she opened her mouth to tell him to take his gutter language straight to the very place he mentioned, he added softly, “Forgive me.”

Something in his tone struck Katherine. She touched the door, the smooth wood cool against her palm. Did he simply apologize for his language? Or more?

The middle of the night, in the middle of her late husband's home, the soon-to-be home of the new duke, was not the time for Katherine to have such a conversation with her former lover. If she was intelligent, she'd walk away, pretend she'd never heard his whispered plea.

If she was intelligent and not the woman who'd once tasted heaven in this man's arms. Latent desire curled its way through her limbs, a weakness in her knees tempting her to lean against the door, grasp the latch, and allow him entrance. But thoughts of her daughter and the example she must set for her firmed her determination to resist the temptation of Simon's embrace.

Straightening, Katherine took a deep breath and decided. She walked away.

---

Thank you for taking the time to read my little excerpt! If you want to read the rest, click on over to InD'Tale's website and subscribe to the magazine. Each issue is delivered right to your inbox. Subscribers also have access to past issues, where six previous installments of this story can be found. The best part? Subscriptions are FREE!

And don't forget to check out the other Sweet Saturday Samples offered by other lovely authors. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Hayley Westenra ~ Dark Waltz

Goals for 2012 UPDATE

I just read my first post of 2012, the one where I outlined the writing goals I'd set for myself. Well, here are the results. 

There's bad news. I only accomplished three of my eleven writing goals. Three is so much better than none, or one, or two, though, so I'll take it! 

Heartless was on the agenda for 2012. I managed to get that done, even though it wasn't until November that I finally got it submitted. It's now [again] my bestseller. 

My Lady Coward got her HEA and the compiled short stories were submitted and published by TreasureLine Publishing. It's now my second bestseller, even though all the shorts are still free for online reading (with a little site-hopping). 

The biggest [and hardest for me] goal that I accomplished was SELL MORE BOOKS. This goal was achieved beyond my wildest dreams. The only reason it happened was due to all the lovely book lovers out there who decided to take a chance on one or more of my books.

Just to give you an idea of the upsurge, in October 2012, my Kindle sales totaled 23 books. That's for six (6) titles, worldwide. The combined sales of my titles from all the other eBook retailers was even less. Sad, right? 

Then Heartless came out in early November and I enrolled it in KDP Select. I sold a few dozen copies of Heartless and a handful of my other titles before making Heartless free for two days near the end of the month. After that, sales spiked. Over 14,000 copies of Heartless were downloaded worldwide during the two free days and my November sales totaled 191 books (7 titles) worldwide. Quite a difference. 

My December sales have been through the roof and I couldn't be more pleased. I had another free day mid-month where 1825 copies were downloaded. Sales didn't really spike after that but remained between 25 and 50 books sold per day.

As I watch these numbers I experience a certain amount of shock and awe. There was a time when I considered 50 sales in ONE MONTH as a good month. This month I've sold over 1300 books worldwide, just in the Kindle Store; over 650 of those were Heartless. It may be possible to make a living at this writing thing after all. ☺

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has taken a chance on one [or more] of my books, written a review, told their friends and family about it, or even just enjoyed the story. Thank you! ♥

In other writing accomplishments of 2012, I scored a fab job with InD'Tale Magazine as a regular columnist. I write serial romances—currently Regency-era—for this rising star in romance magazines. And I LOVE it!! ♥

Stay tuned for my first post of 2013 where I'll reveal my NEW goals—OK, I admit, some won't be new at all.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Linkin Park ~ MY◄DSMBR