"Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence."

Robert Fripp

So I had this great plan that in the build-up to DARK DAYS being released, I'd use some of the very cool graphics the cover artist did and share some of my favourite lines, thusly:

And I had a line for every main character, and I was going to share one every other day until 2nd Feb. And then my laptop died, as previously discussed, taking my cool graphics with it. So...that's not happening as I am still sans laptop for the time being.

So instead I thought I'd share some of the music I pulled together for my playlist for the book and the series in general. I don't often listen to music while I write, but I like to have a playlist for when I'm not writing, to keep my mind working on the story even when my fingers can't. So in no particular order, here are my Top 5 DARK DAYS tracks!











There are plenty more on there, and the list will likely grow as I start work on Book 3. Meanwhile, I'm going to continue to wait patiently for my new laptop charger so I can start working on some more promotional material...like the giveaway I have planned! Stay tuned...

"It is deep January. The sky is hard."

Wallace Stevens

Let's be brutally honest: this has not been the best start to the year. At the beginning of January we lost Fergus. On Saturday my laptop died. And yesterday my bank account got hacked, and a substantial amount of money was stolen from me. I guess if you believe that bad things always happen in threes, then I'm clear for the rest of the month, but since that's only a few days, I can't feel all that grateful.

Some of these bad things are fixable. My laptop more than likely just needs a new power supply, which is hopefully winging its way to me from Germany this week. As long as I have a working laptop by the weekend, I'll be happy...ish. With DARK DAYS releasing next Tuesday, this is a bad time to be without my faithful machine. I won't even talk about the anguish of lost writing time *dramatic swoon*

The stolen money should be reimbursed by the bank this week. I have had to cancel my bank card and online banking, which is...mildly irritating, as I now have to ask Kyle every time I want money. Hopefully I'll have a new card by the weekend. I can live with the inconvenience, but it is inconvenient, and it's really hard not to be angry about this, the laptop, and January in general.

But it's also really hard for me to stay angry when being angry gets me nowhere. I've done everything I can about the laptop and the bank situation. I can't do anything about missing my cat except miss him, so that's what I'm doing, and there's no point being angry and sad.

I'm trying to channel my energy (and my spare time, which I suddenly have a lot more of since I can't get any writing done >.<) usefully and do what I can to prepare for DARK DAYS releasing anyway. I'm really excited about this next chapter in Lola's story, and I can't wait to share it with everyone! I'm also reading a shit-ton (thank you, R Lee Smith and Mick Foley, for writing mammoth doorstopper books), and trying to lavish some attention on the snakes, who are decidedly unimpressed by my efforts.

But really, I'm just looking forward to January being over. I feel like February owes me. Deadpool had better not be disappointing, that's all I can say.

Guest Blog - Erzabet Bishop is back!

I'm loving the sound of this story - witches and werewolves! Ideal. Without further ado, let's see what Erzabet Bishop is bringing us in the first of her new series...

Conway Witches, 1

Blurb:

Love that is forbidden is always the sweetest…

Elodie Conway is the owner of The Black Magic Café, where love and chocolate go hand-in-hand. She runs the enchanted café with her cousin Madison, and together, they help lovers tie the knot with the assistance of a few spells and some delectable chocolate recipes.

When journalist Jason Thibedeaux, who is also a werewolf from a rival family, runs a scathing critique of her business in his newspaper, the fur is sure to fly. He visits the café to sample their most famous culinary delights, and ends up wanting far more than what’s on the menu. Can a Thibedeaux wolf and a Conway witch truly be fated to love each other for all eternity?

This is a previously published work. It has been edited for Evernight Publishing.

Buy links:

Amazon: http://rxe.me/00Q5F8

Evernight Publishing: http://goo.gl/Ba68zy

All Romance E-books:

Excerpt:

Elodie Conway was nothing like he had expected. As he ate her signature cake, all Jason wanted to do was savor her lips and run his hands down her very ample hips. Hers was a body a man could hold onto during sex and not break her. His wolf was awakened, and it prowled just beneath the surface. What Jason saw, he liked. Very much indeed…

The chocolate wound through his system, and with each bite, all other preoccupying thoughts faded into nothing. Images of him thrusting deep inside of her and winding his fist in her mane of dark hair flashed in front of his eyes, and he almost choked. His hands trembled as they reached for the bottle of water she’d set in front of him.

What the hell was that?

He twisted the cap and drank the entire small bottle in one go. As a journalist, he had little time for romance. A quick tumble in the moonlight during one of his runs, maybe, but this girl was something special––he didn’t know why he didn’t notice it before. Jason took another bite of cake and shifted his weight as his erection made its presence known. He could take her here, right over the top of the table, her heart-shaped ass in the air as he sank his cock deep in her pussy and fucked her until she screamed his name.

His wolf liked the idea. A whole fucking lot. Jason laid down the fork and smiled. Standing up on shaking legs, he picked up his now empty plate. Things were about to get interesting. This wasn’t just any woman. He raised his nose to the air and scented her.

Mate.

She was his fucking mate. How could he have been so blind? Did it take a hard-on for his wolf to get through to him? Apparently, because his wolf was ready to claim her by any means necessary, even it meant fucking her over the top of one of her own tables.

About the author:

Erzabet Bishop is an award winning author who loves to write naughty stories. She is the author of Lipstick, Dinner Date, Crave, The Science of Lust, Arcane Imaginarium: Spirit Board, Holidays in Hell, Mallory’s Mark (upcoming 2016),The Devil’s Due (upcoming 2016), Charity Benshaw’s Enchanted Paddle Emporium (upcoming 2016), Sigil Fire, Glitter Lust (upcoming 2016), Written on Skin, Club Beam, Pomegranate, A Red Dress for Christmas, The Black Magic Café, Fantasies in Red, Sweet Seductions: The Erzabet Bishop Collection, Holiday Cruise, Fetish Fair, Temptation Resorts: Jess, Temptation Resorts: Marnie, Taming the Beast, The Erotic Pagans Series: Beltane Fires, Samhain Shadows and Yuletide Temptation along with being a contributor to many anthologies. Erzabet has been a finalist in the GCLS awards for 2014 and 2015, winning the Goldie for her spot in two anthologies. She lives in Texas with her husband, furry children and can often be found lurking in local bookstores. She loves to bake, make naughty crochet projects and watch monster movies. When she isn’t writing, she loves to review music and books.

Coming soon:

Wicked for You, Salacious box set, Alpha Fever Box Set, Glitterlust and more…

Sign up for Erzabet’s newsletter and follow her on Amazon so you don’t miss a single thing!

Follow her reviews and posts on Twitter @erzabetbishop.

Links:

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DARK DAYS Cover Reveal!

I'll be honest, it hasn't been the best week. Last Thursday, Kyle and I had to make the heartbreaking decision to have our beloved Ferguson put to sleep. In the very early hours of the morning, he went into heart failure, and his liver was hugely enlarged. We decided to let him go peacefully while we still could. It was a horribly sad decision, not made any easier by knowing it was the right one. And, purely coincidentally, I've been ill ever since, so there's that. Anyway. Goodbye, my boy. You were a hell of cat. You had friends all over the world, and you were my fearless feline companion through many a domestic misadventure. There will never be another you, and I feel grateful to have been your favourite human.

As much as I would love the world to stop while I grieve, that's not how life works. So I have to keep on trucking, I guess. It's not all bad news. Amber Morgan had a new book out this week. That's good. Over the Christmas break I completed the edits on DARK DAYS and got a final release date (February 2nd). That's good. Yesterday I saw the mock-up of the cover. That was great. And today I got the final art files. That's awesome. Wanna see? Of course you do! Clickety-click.

Welcome to 2016! It's the Hello Hop!

We’re ringing in the New Year with lots of giveaways! And by sharing some fun and wacky facts about ourselves. There’s a new giveaway at each stop so be sure to visit them all!

So the New Year is upon us, and hopefully it's going to bring loads of new, awesome things into our lives...like new people, right? And there's no better way to break the ice when meeting new people than to share weird facts about yourself, so let's get right to it. I'm going to share five quirky facts about me, and I'm going to ask you to share some of your own to enter my giveaway. So without further ado...

1. I'm really scared of robots. Like, genuinely scared. I'm genuinely worried that Skynet is a future possibility (and apparently I'm right to worry). This all stems back to seeing Superman III at an impressionable age, and being horrified by Vera being transformed into a cyborg at the end. Ever since then, I've harboured a deep distrust of anything robotic, cyborg-ish, or even vaguely mechanical.

2. I collect tarot cards. I know how to read 'em too, although these days I very rarely do readings. I'm happy just to pull a deck out every now and then and admire the gorgeous artwork. My very first deck was the Tarot of the Moon Garden. I bought it from an indie bookstore in Liverpool while I was at university and taught myself to read the cards in my spare time. Since then I've collected all kinds of decks, from the Quantum tarot to the Santa Fe tarot.

3. I have five tattoos. I have a kanji symbol for "mind, body, and spirit" at the small of my back, which I got on my 18th birthday. A second kanji for "witch" at the top of my spine, which I got for my 21st birthday. A black and red tribal design at the small of my back, which I got on my last day of university. I have an elder sign beneath the witch kanji, which my fiance paid for as an anniversary present. And finally, I have the words "hope begins in the dark" on my left inner forearm, which I got last February as a Valetine's gift from my fiance. I'm trying to decide where to have number six...

4. I'm obsessed with perfume. Actually, this won't be news to people who know me, but if you're new here...I am obsessed. I have boxes upon boxes of perfumes. I make my own as well as buying from beautiful indie shops, so I also have boxes upon boxes of essential and fragrance oils. I never, ever wear the same perfume two days in a row.

5. I love true crime stories. I don't know if this is particularly weird, but I guess it's probably something not many people know. I'm addicted to the podcast Sword and Scale, and I especially love historical crime stories, the weirder the better!

Now, the giveaway! I'm giving away a copy of my urban fantasy, BLOOD WITCH, book one of the Blood Canticles series (it's definitely got some weird crime going on). 

To be in with a chance of winning, just tell me something not many people know about you! And don't forget to visit the other blogs on the hop. Happy hopping!

 

Guest Blog - Gale Stanley and Crossroads!

I'm back in the office today. That's bad. But I have Gale Stanley here. That's good! I'm going to ignore the ever-growing virtual pile of emails and take a look at her latest release, CROSSROADS. Come join me!

Hi! Thanks for letting me stop by to talk about my new book – Crossroads.  The story was inspired by a recent trip to New Orleans. We stayed at the historic Omni Royal Orleans in the heart of the French Quarter and we were able to walk to all the fantastic restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. We toured the area hit by Katrina, the cemeteries, and the voodoo museum. In movies and TV, voodoo is usually shown as a dark and scary practice.  In reality, it's a religious practice in which the followers have direct contact with the spirits. And that's the story I wanted to tell. The events in Crossroads take place around Christmas, a season of miracles, but really, it could happen any time of the year. All you have to do is believe…

Blurb

Long time lovers, Louis Abellard and Jesse Trudeau work in a Voodoo shop in the French Quarter. Jesse is a believer, but Louis turned his back on the spirits when they allowed his mother to die of cancer.

When Jesse is hospitalized with leukemia, Louis is desperate to save him. He’ll do anything—except ask the spirits for help. Then one night an unlikely ally makes contact, and Louis finds himself at a crossroads. Maybe it’s time to revisit his past and confront his inner demons. 

Teaser

Three years ago, Jesse walked into the voodoo shop and asked for a job. It was love at first sight—for Mawmaw and Jesse. They hit it off immediately. Jesse is a believer, the grandson she should have had.

I was smitten, too, but for other reasons. Jesse looked so damn hot, all long blond hair and golden-brown skin like he should have been riding a surfboard instead of a skateboard. His cutoffs were stretched tight over the bulge at his crotch, and being the slut I was back then, I wanted to fuck him. I gave Mawmaw a thumbs-up, and she hired him on the spot.

Jesse stayed for dinner. My grandmother filled his head with ghost stories and his stomach with her spicy shrimp gumbo. I took him to bed later and filled him in other ways. It didn’t take long for lust to turn into the real thing. Fortunately, I didn’t screw things up, and Jesse moved in two weeks later. Jesse is easy to love. I’m not sure what he sees in me, I’m just grateful the feelings are mutual. 

Available at

Evernight | Amazon | All Romance | Bookstrand

Author Bio:

Gale Stanley grew up in Philadelphia PA. She was the kid who always had her nose in a book, her head in the clouds, and her hands on a pad and pencil.

Some things never change.

Website | Blog | Twitter | FaceBook | Instagram | Pinterest

Welcome to the Year of the Phoenix

As is now my tradition, I have named the year after a mythological animal. For me, this has become a way of shaping my attitudes and aims for the year ahead.

I started doing this in 2013 (the Year of the Unicorn), because I was in really bad shape mentally, and I needed some magic. Can't think of anything more magical than a unicorn. In that year I opened my perfume shop, Common Brimstone, discovering a new and vital creative outlet for myself. And if you want magic, honestly, there aren't many things more magical I can think of than creating perfumes. It's pure alchemy.

2014 was the Year of the Kraken. I'd lost my confidence in my writing career and abilities over the previous couple of years, and in 2014 I wanted to get it back. It was a year of going balls-to-the-wall, not necessarily to get published, but just to get going again. Remembering that, yeah, this is what I do and I can do it well.

2015 was the Year of the Basilisk. It was about conquering my enemies - in this case, lingering self-doubt and anxiety about myself and my choices. And it was a great year. I got a promotion in my day job. Common Brimstone exceeded my wildest expectations. I signed eight publishing contracts, was in an award-winning anthology, and won my second Evernight Readers' Choice Award. I launched Amber Morgan as a way of stretching my wings and trying out new genres to write in. And Amber is doing pretty nicely.

It wasn't all plain-sailing, but overall, the Year of the Basilisk helped me do exactly what I wanted to do. So now we're in 2016 and it's the Year of the Phoenix, as chosen by my friend and fellow author, Olivia R Burton. I have to say, the phoenix has always been my favourite mythological creature. The idea of this beautiful, magical bird rising from its own ashes has always resonated with me. It's a story about reinvention, rebirth, rebuilding. It's about sweeping away the stuff you don't need and building a new nest for yourself.

I thought a lot about how this might translate for me going into the new year. I think I did the rebirth and rebuilding over the past three years, and what I really want to do this year is just...keep moving forward. Keep writing stories that I love. Keep making perfumes. Keep finding new things to be happy about and grateful for. There are some bad habits to get rid of, and some good habits to instill in myself. Maybe some old habits to bring back. But mostly, it's just going to be about forging ahead. Burning brightly, without burning out.

I hope whatever 2016 brings for you, it's everything you need it to be! Happy New Year!