I started my new trilogy this weekend, and it's a pretty awesome feeling. As good as it feels to wrap up a project like The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy, it feels even better to start a new one. I'm all giddy and excited and full of ideas.
The Demimonde Trilogy is going to take me back to the historical romance. There will also be some suspense, but that is secondary to the history and the romance. All three books are set in Butte, Montana in 1910, and the research has been fascinating! What a remarkable time and a remarkable place! I keep stumbling upon new golden nuggets and thinking to myself, "I have to incorporate that." This is why I decided to turn one book into three.
In addition to the steamy romances and the strong-willed characters, I also get to create stories around the issues of human trafficking, prostitution, labor union fights, the Suffrage Movement, and the Progressive Movement. See! I told you that it was a remarkable time.
Is anyone else annoyed by my overuse of exclamation points yet?
I can't help it! This project has me pretty pumped up.
I sketched out some hopeful release dates, but I'm not prepared to share those. I'm only on page five, and a lot can happen between now and then to throw those dates off. And frankly, I've been eagerly anticipating this project for months, so I'm going to take my time to enjoy it and do it properly.
And since I have five more days before I get buried by my real job's obligations, I plan to put in some serious writing this week. I'll begin releasing some sample pages in January.
In the meantime, Happy Holidays to you all!
And be well.
-Carrigan
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
TRIPLE THREAT is now available on Amazon!
The heading says it all. I have finally finished TRIPLE THREAT, the final book in The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy. Check it out!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
TRIPLE THREAT Is Nearly Ready
It's nearly official. I am on the final revision of Triple Threat. I expect to release it on Tuesday, November 19, which will make it available for purchase on Wednesday, November 20. (I'm currently doing my victory dance.)
This is officially the conclusion of The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy.
And as much fun as it has been, I'm eager to work on my next project. I'm delving back into the world of historical romance and will be playing there for a while. I did enjoy the paranormal, though, and will definitely re-visit it in the future.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Raging...Not Sleeping
I should be asleep right about now, preparing to start my week at my day job. But on a whim, I decided to do a Google search of one of my book titles. I wanted to see if anyone had blogged about it or reviewed it on their websites. I got a bit more than I bargained for.
I found that a person published my entire novel online. For those who are wondering, yes, this is a copyright infringement. Simply put, it's theft.
Oddly enough, she listed her own name as the "publisher" on the website but then posted the entire file, including the cover with my name and the copyright page with my name. So she doesn't seem interested in taking credit for my work. She apparently just wanted to put it out there for anyone who might be interested in reading it for free. Illegally.
So I had to file a complaint.
Because that is EXACTLY what I want to do late on a Sunday evening.
I would like to take a moment now to string together a series of my favorite profane phrases, but I've been trying really hard to stay positive throughout this process. (I chuckle while I read bad reviews over my MiniWheats. I'm particularly fond of the ones where the reviewer admits that he/she didn't read the book.) But this makes me seriously furious. Those of us who are indie authors are genuinely trying to make some money doing something we love. So for someone to simply undercut us by stealing our work is either a huge and grave oversight or simply super shitty. See, now I've begun with the profanity.
I must go do some deep breathing exercises so that I can actually get to sleep. With any luck, the stolen novel will disappear from public domain in the next day or two. Grr!
I found that a person published my entire novel online. For those who are wondering, yes, this is a copyright infringement. Simply put, it's theft.
Oddly enough, she listed her own name as the "publisher" on the website but then posted the entire file, including the cover with my name and the copyright page with my name. So she doesn't seem interested in taking credit for my work. She apparently just wanted to put it out there for anyone who might be interested in reading it for free. Illegally.
So I had to file a complaint.
Because that is EXACTLY what I want to do late on a Sunday evening.
I would like to take a moment now to string together a series of my favorite profane phrases, but I've been trying really hard to stay positive throughout this process. (I chuckle while I read bad reviews over my MiniWheats. I'm particularly fond of the ones where the reviewer admits that he/she didn't read the book.) But this makes me seriously furious. Those of us who are indie authors are genuinely trying to make some money doing something we love. So for someone to simply undercut us by stealing our work is either a huge and grave oversight or simply super shitty. See, now I've begun with the profanity.
I must go do some deep breathing exercises so that I can actually get to sleep. With any luck, the stolen novel will disappear from public domain in the next day or two. Grr!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Not Drowning But Waving
There have most definitely been moments when I've felt that I was drowning in the writing process for the third book in The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy. I have repeatedly told myself that I refused to let Triple Threat kick my ass. But damn if it isn't putting up a good fight.
I was nearly half done when I decided to do a complete re-write. I am very passionate about sociology and politics, both of which could easily slip into this particular novel. The genre, however, is not about making some grand statement. So I started over and focused instead on developing the romantic relationship and the suspenseful action. And while I'm thrilled with the changes I've made, the choice to re-write threw me off of my deadline. I, however, refused to admit defeat and continued to forge ahead.
For the record, I still will not admit defeat. But it is important to me that I take the time to make sure this one is done properly. There's nothing worse than getting excited about a trilogy as a reader and finishing with a sour taste in your mouth. So I refer to a spectacular Stevie Smith poem in my post title to indicate that this book has not licked me, it has merely forced me to take my time to do it the justice I feel it deserves.
Triple Threat follows the story of Teddie Archer. She has just graduated from college and is returning home, but not to enter the family business as her mother and aunt had hoped. And even before she can begin to build her political career as an employee in the Mayor's office, she learns that her childhood friend has been abducted. When she ventures outside of the city walls to go after her, the secret society that has been hell bent on destroying her since birth begins their attack anew. She must rely on her own powers of premonition as well as the support of Special Agent Luke Berger and her best friend, Dominic Battaglia, two men who are both determined to love and protect Teddie at all cost.
I want more than anything to have this book wrapped within the next two weeks so that I can release by November 15, before the holiday hustle begins. But I am also perfectly aware of the obligations I have at this particular moment to my day job. So I will do the best that I can.
And as I mentioned before, I welcome any extrinsic motivation. So please feel free to email me a daily "you suck" email until I am able to complete this final book to my liking. I will welcome the challenge.
Triple Threat follows the story of Teddie Archer. She has just graduated from college and is returning home, but not to enter the family business as her mother and aunt had hoped. And even before she can begin to build her political career as an employee in the Mayor's office, she learns that her childhood friend has been abducted. When she ventures outside of the city walls to go after her, the secret society that has been hell bent on destroying her since birth begins their attack anew. She must rely on her own powers of premonition as well as the support of Special Agent Luke Berger and her best friend, Dominic Battaglia, two men who are both determined to love and protect Teddie at all cost.
I want more than anything to have this book wrapped within the next two weeks so that I can release by November 15, before the holiday hustle begins. But I am also perfectly aware of the obligations I have at this particular moment to my day job. So I will do the best that I can.
And as I mentioned before, I welcome any extrinsic motivation. So please feel free to email me a daily "you suck" email until I am able to complete this final book to my liking. I will welcome the challenge.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Teaser for TRIPLE THREAT (Book 3 of The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy)
Excerpt from TRIPLE THREAT, the final book in The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy
“Happy graduation day, Mr. President.”
He looked up from the desk in his home office and grinned in
welcome at the beautiful woman in the doorway.
She was approaching fifty now, but she was still as gorgeous and sexy as
she had been when he met her twenty years before. “Can you believe it? She’s already graduating.”
“They grow up so quickly,” she agreed, sauntering across the
room and lowering herself into his lap deliciously. Her mouth was painted red, accentuating her
pink tongue as she licked her lips.
“Don’t worry,” she assured him.
“The wife left ten minutes ago.”
“I don’t worry…as a general rule.” He pulled her forward so that he could taste
those lips for himself. “Did you see the
ceremony?”
“I had a front row seat,” she bragged. “She’s a beautiful young woman, Gabe. You should be proud of her.”
He grinned wryly.
“She still doesn’t seem to know about her future?” he asked in
disbelief.
“My sources say that she does not. She is well liked by her friends and
respected by her professors. She
graduated at the top of her class and is now returning home.”
“To work at her family’s company?”
“You would think, but no.
She’s actually taken a job with the Mayor.”
“The Mayor?”
She studied his thoughtful expression. “Is he one of ours?”
He met her intelligent eyes.
“One can never be sure,” he answered cryptically.
“We’ve waited for twenty years, Gabe. You have retired from politics and no longer
need to collect votes. She is old enough
that she will not be under the constant supervision of her family. And she is no longer living within the
protective walls of her university. I
have to wonder if it isn’t time to make a move.”
He chewed his lip thoughtfully. “She is twenty-two and will begin making a
name for herself. If she’s already got a
job in the Mayor’s office, she will begin networking. You said yourself that she is well
liked. I don’t think that we can afford
to wait and let her build a following.”
“And let’s be real, Gabe.
Between the gangs, the refugees and the revolutionaries, it’s a
dangerous world we live in. MaCall
Securities Consulting cannot possibly protect themselves from all of the bad
guys.”
He smiled in response.
“Then it’s time.”
“Get the boys together.”
“We have lost a number of members, Aislin. The Order only has a fraction of the
membership we had twenty years ago.”
She pushed herself back and seated herself on the desk in
front of him, allowing her skirt to hike up high enough to reveal that she wore
nothing underneath. “Fortunately,
darling, you still have all the power.”
He stood up and reached for the button of his slacks. “If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be here, would
you?”
Instead of answering, she grinned and pulled him to her.
TRIPLE THREAT will be available on Amazon
October 31, 2013!
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Status Update on Kindle Free Promo Results
Last week (September 23-27), I ran a five-day free promo on Amazon for my contemporary romance, Inner Moonlight. Of my four books that are currently available for purchase, this particular novel is my favorite. You can imagine my frustration with my fairly abysmal sales. So I decided to pull it off of Smashwords, put it in Kindle Select, and run a free promo.
In the beginning of the month, I sent email notifications to a number of websites, asking them to advertise my book. These include:
http://bookgoodies.com
http://www.freebooksy.com
http://fkbooksandtips.com
http://awesomegang.com
http://ereadernewstoday.com
http://bargainebookhunter.com
http://www.ereaderperks.com
http://wantonreads.com
http://pretty-hot.com
http://authormarketingclub.com
On the day of the promo, I released notifications on multiple group message boards on Goodreads and also sent a couple of tweets and Facebook updates. In general, I did the exact same promotional emails that I had done for all of my previous promos. For these previous promos, I'm averaging around 1500 free downloads for a two- or three-day promo.
After five days, I had 19,960 free downloads! Ten-thousand of those took place on Monday alone. I cannot be sure why my numbers surged. I'd like to think that I'm establishing a bit of a fan base, but more than likely, someone ran my promo and inflated my sales. And to that organization, I offer my sincere gratitude.
I wish that I had had the good sense to check these websites to see who ran an ad, but to be honest, I was so busy checking my KDP reports with childlike glee that I forgot that marketing analysis component. Oops. Regardless of how or why it happened, it has been a particularly exciting event. I actually made it all the way to #9 in all of the Kindle Free selections. And I hung out at #3 for free contemporary romances for a little while. It was a tad bit unbelievable.
In other fun news, I'm making progress on the third and final book of The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy. In addition to writing, I'm also in the final stages of the cover design with my graphic designer, Laura Gordon. I've said it before, but she is such a joy to work with.
Within another week, I plan to release an excerpt and the cover for Triple Threat. It is the romance of Teddie Archer, a young woman with more power than the other women in her family, and more challenges given the savage world in which she lives. And while the storyline initially seemed on the verge of declaring war on me, it has turned out to be a surprising pleasure.
More on Triple Threat very soon!
In the beginning of the month, I sent email notifications to a number of websites, asking them to advertise my book. These include:
http://bookgoodies.com
http://www.freebooksy.com
http://fkbooksandtips.com
http://awesomegang.com
http://ereadernewstoday.com
http://bargainebookhunter.com
http://www.ereaderperks.com
http://wantonreads.com
http://pretty-hot.com
http://authormarketingclub.com
On the day of the promo, I released notifications on multiple group message boards on Goodreads and also sent a couple of tweets and Facebook updates. In general, I did the exact same promotional emails that I had done for all of my previous promos. For these previous promos, I'm averaging around 1500 free downloads for a two- or three-day promo.
After five days, I had 19,960 free downloads! Ten-thousand of those took place on Monday alone. I cannot be sure why my numbers surged. I'd like to think that I'm establishing a bit of a fan base, but more than likely, someone ran my promo and inflated my sales. And to that organization, I offer my sincere gratitude.
I wish that I had had the good sense to check these websites to see who ran an ad, but to be honest, I was so busy checking my KDP reports with childlike glee that I forgot that marketing analysis component. Oops. Regardless of how or why it happened, it has been a particularly exciting event. I actually made it all the way to #9 in all of the Kindle Free selections. And I hung out at #3 for free contemporary romances for a little while. It was a tad bit unbelievable.
In other fun news, I'm making progress on the third and final book of The MaCall Prophecy Trilogy. In addition to writing, I'm also in the final stages of the cover design with my graphic designer, Laura Gordon. I've said it before, but she is such a joy to work with.
Within another week, I plan to release an excerpt and the cover for Triple Threat. It is the romance of Teddie Archer, a young woman with more power than the other women in her family, and more challenges given the savage world in which she lives. And while the storyline initially seemed on the verge of declaring war on me, it has turned out to be a surprising pleasure.
More on Triple Threat very soon!
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