Just a quick note here, dropping in to say hello, give an update and share a fun review with all of you.
Sales Are Going Well
I'm still marveling at my luck in scoring not one, but two Book Bub Featured Deals in less than seven weeks. The first one, for G581: The Departure was a non-U.S. deal, so it went out to a much smaller audience. The second one, for Hired Gun, went out worldwide. It was a huge deal for me and I've been watching it unfold over the past week. I'm crossing my fingers that it will establish a solid reader base for the books to follow. So far, over 1,700 copies of Hired Gun are in new readers' hands. That's super exciting!
Illness Now Allergies?
I don't know what the heck is happening to my body. But let me just say that, having a third child in the house seems to have changed the paradigm entirely for us. We seem to get sick far more often than when it was just two children. I've been battling various levels of ick for weeks now, and now I think it is progressing into spring allergies as the world slowly warms and things begin to grow.
It's slowing down my ability to write, to think, to just get... things... done.
That said, I'm determined to get back on track with Broken Code (I'm behind my writing goals by around 5,500 words) and get it out in time. I think I've built in enough cushion to make that happen.
Warning: Some Spoilers Ahead
I checked the latest reviews today and found one that made me giggle. Here is what Doris had to say...
I'm still grinning over this.
Okay, so Doris, may I call you that? By the way, Doris is my mother's name as well! Doris, my dear, I am so glad that you left a review and that you loved it, cried, hated it, and are hooked. It is, after all, the absolute exact reason I write. When I get a reaction like this, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I have done... my... job. And I promise you, Doris, that Lila and Shane will have a happy ending, or maybe even two, in the books to come. And, if you are reading this, well, message me on Facebook and I will happily send you Book 2 to read for free.
I do apologize for killing off that lovely detective. He was a wonderful, kind man and believe it or not, I felt very bad about it. Maddie, however, has a future within the series, one that intersects with Liam. Detective Stone's death was a necessary thing to propel Maddie toward her own destiny. You'll see. Hang in there, there is a far bigger story at play!
The books, the books, the books!
In case you have found your way here and are wondering just how deep the rabbit hole goes, well, it is an ever-expanding rabbit hole, several series are being actively planned and thought of. Here is a sneak peek at Benton Security Services...
Benton Security Services
At present, I have at least 13 books planned for Lila, Shane, Kaylee, Jack and a small army of sexy, drop-dead gorgeous bodyguards. Mm, so yummy. I've included the images I use when imagining the different characters below...
Book 1 - Hired Gun - Lila is the target of a hitman and she has no idea why. When she finds herself under the protection of one sexy, yet overbearing Shane Ellis, a member of the elite Benton Security Services, she rebels, determined to ignore every one of his overbearing rules. As Lila and Shane race against time to stay one step ahead of the hitman, they must also confront their growing attraction to one another. Can they stay alive and solve the mystery before it’s too late, or will the hitman succeed in taking them out?
Book 2 - Smoke and Steel - What she knows could destroy them both. When Jack finds Adrienne, rain-soaked and injured by the side of the road, he is determined to discover who she is so afraid of, even as their mutual attraction grows and sparks fly. Adrienne is the target of vicious killers who'll test even Jack's elite skills as they continue to hunt her down. As they try to outsmart her pursuers, they soon discover that their feelings for each other might be their biggest weakness.
Book 3 - Broken Code - Lila and Shane are finally reunited after six months apart. Lila finds herself embroiled in a perilous game of cat and mouse, and only Shane can protect her and an innocent young pregnant woman in her care from dangerous killers.
Book 4 - Deadly Sins - Naima Reichlin, a wildly successful writer of erotic romance, is terrified by the threatening note she receives in the mail. The local police dismiss it as a prankster or religious zealot, but she thinks it might be something more. Her friend, Lila Benoit, would know what to do, but Naima can’t find her anywhere. Instead, Lila’s friend Kaylee points her to Benton Security Services and Jesse Bardin appears at her door. Jesse turns Naima’s world on fire with his dark, brooding and abrupt ways.
Book 5 - Tempting Fate - Jack Benton had done his best to get over Adrienne Cenac, now Kaylee Stromm. He told himself that it was a fling, an unlikely romance. But when he hears Kaylee’s voice on the phone, asking for help for her friend Lila, he’s determined to have her by his side. But someone is watching, and waiting, for him to lead the way to Kaylee. Will the undeniable attraction and passion that Jack and Kaylee share be enough to protect them when he leads fate to her door?
Book 6 - Code on Fire - Shane Ellis has made plenty of enemies, but it is a ghost from his past, a betrayal he made in his checkered past that may very well be his undoing. And that man has taken the one person who Shane cannot live without. Dave Eggers was supposed to be in prison, serving fifteen years in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder. Instead, a deposed leader of a shadow organization, the Indalo, has managed to break Eggers out and he’s ready to make Shane pay.
It’s a race against time to save Lila from Eggers and the Indalo’s clutches. It will take all the passion and quick thinking that Shane and Lila have between them to survive when The Code catches fire.
Book 7 - Sweet Revenge - Madeleine Stone is all grown up. And she wants revenge. In going through her father’s personal items, she finds a hidden body camera. It recorded his death at the hands of Blanche Artinian, a woman she knows well. After all, Blanche, in true Machavellian fashion, arranges for Madeleine to grow up in the clutches of the Indalo. Eight years after Rob Stone’s death, Madeleine is a member of the Indalo. Now she must find a way to get her revenge. She never imagined she would find anyone else who hated the Indalo as much as she did. Until she meets Liam. The Indalo are on her heels, and Liam is desperate for revenge too. After all, the Indalo killed Ben. But revenge isn’t the only desire the two share.
Book 8 - Out of the Ashes - Laura, a muckraking journalist finds the story of a lifetime - kids are disappearing from the border patrol internment camps, never to be seen again. No one takes Laura seriously, not since she submarined her own career falsifying data, but her persistence is enough to put her in the crosshairs of the Indalo. And that's enough for Aiden who is determined to protect Laura and help find the missing and exploited children in the process. On the outs with Jack Benton after he failed to protect a client, Aiden must call on the resources of Benton Security Services if he hopes to save the missing children in time. He must fight his growing attraction to Laura as well, so that she doesn’t end up like his last client.
Book 9 - Perfect Memory - Skye has her hands full as a single mother with her five year old autistic son, Adam. When she accepts a job from a prestigious law firm in Alaska she has no idea she is working for a shell company of the Indalo. But when she has to bring Adam to work one evening to finish a project, he sees something he shouldn’t, and his perfect memory may put them all in danger.
In turning to Benton Security Services, she finds herself on the run with her new bodyguard, Luke. Luke is drop dead gorgeous, muscles on top of muscles, and a complication she doesn’t need in her life. Will the Indalo kill them all for what Adam saw? Will Skye manage to keep her mind on survival and her son, instead of falling into bed with flannel-clad Luke?
Book 10 - Punk on the Run - Lucy “Lucifer” Eastman, punk rock chick, avid gamer and computer hacker extraordinaire has had enough. She knows she bet on the wrong team, and that it’s probably too late for her to get out now, but she’s going to have to, or die trying. Benton Security Services is her only hope of survival and they have no reason to trust her. After all, Lucifer is Indalo, was Indalo, and the only way out of that life is in the back of a coroner’s van. Noah wants nothing to do with Lucifer. But he has to prove himself worthy of keeping on after a near-disaster with his first client. Everything Lucifer says and does pisses him off. The last thing he expects is to fall in love with a tattooed, punk like her.
Book 11 - No Son of Mine - Marley gets in deep and finds himself on the run from the Crips and they take Demetrius, telling Nia to find Marley and deliver him to them or she will never see Demetrius again. Nia, who has gone on a single date with Tyrone, goes to him, and Jack Benton as well, for help.
Sparks fly as El Nino sparked wildfires, and Tyrone and Nia's attraction, burst into flame in L.A.
Book 12 - Hear No Evil - Isobel Cox is a deaf woman who receives a cochlear implant. Thanks to the wireless bluetooth capability of her implant, and her neighbor’s mistake, she overhears something she shouldn’t. Soon she is on the run, and only Benton Security Services is willing to take on her case.
New recruit to Benton Security Services, Lex Draven has his own demons to fight, and the lovely Isobel isn't going to make his job easy.
Book 13 - Ink and Paint - Genevieve Nakagawa was supposed to be studying for her finals, instead, she was in the wrong part of town, camera in hand, hoping to find inspiration for her next painting. She can’t help taking the photo, the two men in their tailored suits and sleek Mercedes provided such a stark contrast against the urban decay that surrounded them. And when she is spotted zooming in on them, naturally curious, she finds herself suddenly running for her car, spooked by the look on the taller man’s face. Two days later, her roommate is dead and someone is following her. Genevieve doesn’t know where to turn, but she calls the only person she can think of…Maddie Stone…her best friend in high school. It’s been years, but Maddie is the only one Genevieve can think of who might be able to help. She never expects to find Dante Masters standing on her doorstep or wrapping her in his embrace as the bullets begin to fly.
I know it isn't easy to wait, and I'm sorry I'm not writing faster. Perhaps if I hadn't decided to raise a whole third generation of kids, I'd be able to focus my intent solely on writing, but unfortunately, that is not the reality I live in. Broken Code (pre-order it in March for just $2.99!) will be out by the end of July 2023, then Deadly Sins will likely be released in 2024, along with Code on Fire. Stick with me, I promise they are worth waiting for!
Meanwhile, those firmly in the sci-fi camp... Plague Tales is currently in edits and due out at the end of May 2023. Zarmina's World should become available by the end of the year. Those will be the last two books in the Gliese 581g series.
And those who loved Winter's Child? Do not despair, I am taking notes for Winter's Child Returns and also a couple of other thrillers you will love to dig into... The Retirement Home and The Family.
Send healing, productive thoughts my way. I promise I'll make it worth your while!
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