New Release: Dark Around The Edges

 It's heeeeeeere! My new/old release is here!

I'm so excited this is finally out in the world again. Dark Around the Edges is an m/m urban fantasy romance with a heavy side of magic, demons, and gunfire, on sale for $2.99. I hope you enjoy it :)

Dark Around the Edges

 

Devon Harper isn't just an agent with an elite private security firm, he's also a cambion, the half-breed offspring of an incubus and a human. While on the trail of Porter Grey, a dangerous summoner, Devon's own demonic birthright betrays him and he's captured by those who want to use his heritage for evil, leaving his sometimes-partner Rio to step in and save the day. Unfortunately, their quarry is has escaped by the time Devon is freed. If they don't catch him fast, Porter Grey could once again vanish overseas and out of their reach.

As the two men begin their search, the urgency of their mission can't quite distract Devon from the growing affection he feels for Rio—the one person whose calm nature seems to quiet his restless spirit. Their hunt leads them to Seattle, but Devon is captured and Porter Grey almost killed as the demon who has been pulling his strings springs his ultimate trap. He's got plans for Devon, and unless Rio is willing to risk everything by revealing his own hidden nature to stop him, he may have found a way to become the most powerful incubus to ever walk the Earth.

New Release: Devout

Hi guys!

Okay, so technically I've got a new release today. I mean, today's the day its supposed to be available. Due to personal issues, the press hasn't been able to get everything together, so right now it's still up for pre-order and may not be available for download until the end of the weekend. But! Pre-order means that it's cheaper to purchase, so there's that.

Also, I really liked the theme, which is basically sexy priests. I didn't quite use a priest in my story, but he's close! And he's hanging out with bad company.

Let me tell you more:

Tyson may be the Son of a Preacher Man, but he's certainly no saint. Exorcising demons is taxing work, and his partner, Seb, certainly knows how to relieve the tension. Their latest assignment seems ordinary enough, but Seb's connection to this particular hellspawn means Ty might have to strike a deal, and the terms will be questionable at best.


That's the website blurb. Additionally, it's a spin-off of the Cambion universe, so there is mention of Rio and Devon if you're a fan of those guys.  Want an excerpt? I feel you should have an excerpt. And here's the link to the pre-order, if you're interested. There are also stories by Angelia Sparrow, DK Jernigan, Ann Anderson and Annabeth Leong, it's a pretty decent lineup.

http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Devout.aspx

***

I wasn’t about to walk into an exorcism smelling like come.  I took five minutes to be as thorough as I could stand to be with the water, which never managed to get more than lukewarm, and some uncomfortably rough paper towels before heading back outside toward the car.  At least Seb had warmed it up.

And turned on the radio.  I hated giving him control of the radio; he always searched around for the song he knew would piss me off the most and stuck there.  I sighed and pulled out onto the highway.

“The only boy who could ever reach me,” crash-bam, “was the son of a preacher man!  The only boy who could ever teach me, oh-oh, was the son of a preacher man!  Yes he was, he was, oh yes he was,” bang-bang-bang on the dashboard.  “Sweet talkin’ son of a preacher man, ooh, oooohh—”

I turned off the radio.  Seb’s dark eyes flashed to me, and he pouted dramatically.  “Ty, I was listening to that.”

“You were butchering that.”

“I beg your pardon?  I sing like a choir of angels.  I should know.”

“Funny thing,” I told him as I took the next exit for Couer D’Alene, “the metaphor doesn’t get any more ironic the more often you tell it.”

“No, but your appreciation of it increases, which makes it worth the telling,” Seb said with a grin.  “Besides, I still hold out hope that you’ll learn to love that song.  It’s like your theme song.  Son of a preacher man,” he sang at me, mocking and serious all at once.  His voice really was beautiful, a perfect dramatic contralto that suited the body he was wearing right now, that of a sweet-faced young man, gangling and loose-jointed.  His hair was a mess of short black spikes, and he wore silver rings through his nose, both eyebrows and along both ears.  All he needed to complete the punk ensemble was a cigarette, but I never let Seb smoke in the car.  I had to have some boundaries, damn it.

And I’d never learn to love that song.

Two Lovely Things:)

First thing: I saw The Wolverine last night.  And it didn't suck.  It was actually pretty good, which is more than I've been expecting lately from the mutant half of the Marvel movie franchises (sorry, but the last Wolverine movie was just. Not. Good.  But this one?

This one has Wolverine, who is as ripped and snarly as ever, as well as sword fighting, ninjas, samurai, gigantic Japanese mechs and a female sidekick who is quite possibly the most interesting person in the entire movie, with a power that makes me wish I had thought of it first.

Yes, I have a total girl crush on this character, and no shame about admitting it.  She's badass.  See the movie for her if not for Hugh Jackman, folks.


The other lovely thing is...I finished Cambion today!  The final episode of the serial story is finally in the hands of my editor and will be released next month, along with another bonus story and a speedpaint drawing done by the ever-lovely Nathie, who did the art for the cover.  You can read more here: Cambion Season One.

I have to admit, I will be glad to have this one behind me.  It's been a great story to write and I have plans for a second season, but I've also got Love Letters, a collaborative novella and a m/f sci fi romance novel to finish by October.  Yeah.  So.  Anyway, good times!

Happy Sunday, darlins:)

The Super Short Notice V-Day Contest!-(is over:)

Aww, it's Valentine's Day!  And it's my anniversary! (For the paperwork--we ended up having to have a ceremony anyway because my mother threatened to cry/dismember me).  Feel the love!

It's been a good week so far, the first episode of my serial story has gotten some great reviews.

At The Armchair Reader:  I’m really excited about what is to come this first season of the serial. Devon seems like he can easily get into all kinds of trouble and Rio can always get him out. And the chemistry they have together is explosive. What I really loved was how funny I found this to be, mostly in tone. The point of view comes from both Devon and Rio, so we get a different variation on the scene depending on who is narrating, but what their voices both have in common is a kind of nonchalance for the violence they cause. That detachment struck me as funny for some reason, in a bit of a Tarantino way. And combined with the fact that everything Devon does is tinged with sex, made for a unique and well-written story. I’m just glad that it’s only the beginning!

And by Lisa at Attention Is Arbitrary: I was impressed by the energy and excitement of the action scenes. The smoothness of Rio’s killer confidence makes me want to be behind him in any gun battle. Another highlight is the anticipation of a sexual encounter between Rio and Devon. Unfortunately the steamy build up was better than the act itself. I’m not saying it was a total let down, but I needed to ‘see’ more. That being said I realize this is a serial and we can’t have it all too soon. The fact that I want to see more gritty detail really says it all, right?


Action, excitement, fun, humor, semi-casual violence and sexiness.  All for you, all for 99 cents if you just want to try it out.  But you don't even have to pay today.  All you have to do is drop me a comment on, oh, anything, and at the end of the day (tomorrow morning, actually, since this is so bloody short notice) I'll pick a name out of the hat and send the lucky winner a copy of Episode One.  You get an extra entry if you follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/author_cariz, I just need to know your handle), or if you visit Pants Off Reviews and comment on my post there today: Cari Z at Pants Off Reviews, or if you follow me on my blog here! 

If you win and you've already bought Episode One, or are in the mood for something else, my backlist is available to you as well.  You happy makes me happy:)

Cambion Is Here!

It's here!!!!  Yayyyy!!!!

Yes, I'm excited!  And why not?  The first episode of my serial novel is here!  Cambion Episode 1: Heaven's On Fire  And it costs a whopping...99 cents!  Fifteen thousand words of fun, and this is just the beginning.  What's not to like about a serial, especially one that you can try for such a a teensy investment?  I hope you'll give it a try.  Need some encouragement?  Have an excerpt.

 

 
The first thing Devon noticed about the underground lair that he was entering—though 'lair' might have been coming on a bit too strong, given that the place was well lit and decorated like a cross between a Buddhist temple and a seraglio—was the smell. It was too delicate to be called a smell, really; a scent, wafting up the stairs and past the two burly Asian men who were waiting to escort Devon into the belly of the beast. The delicate curls of incense were flavored with spikenard, a derivative of the valerian family and supposedly the stuff that drove Judas to rebel after Mary Magdalene used the costly ointment to anoint Jesus' feet, and...

Devon could feel his overactive memory trying to dive down irrelevant avenues of information in his head, and he firmly refocused himself on the men walking toward him.

"Arms up," one of the men said, his English barely scratched by a Mandarin edge. He wore a cheap, shapeless polyester suit and a bolo tie, with some sort of rough-cut brown stone for a pendant. Not exactly contemporary fashion choices, but it looked like the standard uniform for henchmen, if the other guy was anything to judge by. Devon just smiled and raised his arms, letting the man frisk him and taking note of the Taser gun at his hip as well as the piece he was trying to hide, a small-caliber pistol in the small of his back. The way he walked suggested there was something strapped down at ankle height, too, but Devon didn't plan on getting up close and personal enough to make sure.

The man's hands ran briskly down his legs, and Devon gave a tiny, experimental shimmy of his hips. The man finished his check and stepped a foot back, as square-jawed and implacable as ever. No reaction. Interesting. "This way," he grunted. The other man never spoke, but he followed behind them, sandwiching Devon between them as they headed deeper into Tian.

Tian was a Chinese word for heaven, and this place, hidden under ten feet of rock and sand in the middle of the Mojave Desert, a hundred miles from Las Vegas, seemed like an odd place to set up such a lofty den of iniquity. It was hard to get to this ghost town in the center of nowhere. The only visible things that marked the serpent's head were a crumbling adobe motel and a shuttered gas station. Few people knew about Tian, and even fewer were allowed entrance. No matter how exclusive the entertainment on offer, the inconvenience should have been enough to put people off when the glitz and glamour of Vegas was so readily available. In this case, though, it looked like the first rule of fight club was working in Tian's favor, because this serpent's belly was filled to the brim with people.

Devon was led into a large central room that looked like it had been plated with marble: floors, ceiling, walls, all of them were white shot through with a soft jade green that soothed the eye as much as it captivated. There were silk carpets here and there on the floor, recessed enclosures behind carved wooden dividers for the fortunate few who'd found a place to sit, and slender Chinese women and men weaving between the guests bearing trays of everything from drinks to drugs. Most of the clientele seemed to be male, men of many different nationalities, if the cut of their suits was anything to judge by, all drinking and smoking and trying to restrain their glances towards the center of the room, where a tall crimson candle in a gold candelabrum was slowly burning down. No one touched it, no one even bumped into it, despite the crowd. Ah-ha. A timepiece, then. Symbolizing that something everyone was waiting for was going to happen when it burned down to a nub.

"Mr. Klein." A young woman in a form-fitting silver and blue dress approached and bowed formally. "Welcome to Tian."

"Thank you, miss." Devon smiled charmingly; he couldn't smile any other way. "Its reputation has preceded it."

"I trust you will be well pleased with what our establishment has on offer. May I offer you some comfort as you wait for tonight's entertainment? A bottle of our finest champagne, perhaps, or something stronger, to calm the nerves?" She fluttered her eyelashes enticingly, and it was all Devon could do not to laugh. "Or perhaps even the company of myself, to help occupy your time until the show begins?"

He shouldn't do it. He knew he shouldn't, but Devon couldn't help himself. Being on the receiving end of a seduction was pure challenge for him. He had to prove he could outdo her, even though he was supposed to be keeping a low profile. But then, no one had ever said Devon was good at denying himself.

Devon captured her gaze with his and extended his hand. She gave hers over, almost unconsciously, and he bent over it slowly, in a gesture that appeared courtly from a distance but was smoldering up close. As he bowed, Devon pressed lightly against her body with his power.

Her scent changed instantly, growing stronger as her temperature rose, sweat and musk sliding more freely from her pores and between her legs. She gasped, then clutched her free hand to her neck. Too late, Devon realized that she was wearing the same brown stone as the guards, this time as a choker. It must have acted as some sort of warning, because an instant later she drew back, and the guards immediately reached for their Tasers.

Shit. This was not how the op was supposed to go. "Maria," Devon muttered around his clenched teeth, "they can tell what I am."

"Can you get out of there?" Maria asked through the com, her voice so faint that if his hearing hadn't been naturally augmented, Devon wouldn't have been able to hear her.

"Not sure yet." He straightened up and smiled again. "Actually, I just remembered that I left something rather important in my car. I'll be back in a minute."

"You're not going anywhere," Nameless Guard Number One grunted, reaching for Devon's arm.
Devon reacted instantly, grabbing the man's wrist and jerking it aside as he spun toward him and neatly kicked him just above his ear. Guard Number One staggered back, giving Devon time to deal with Number Two, who had gotten his Taser free and aimed all of its fifty thousand volts at Devon.





So, just a taste, but I hope it appeals!  This project is my baby, currently, with five more episodes to come.  It's going to be epic, probably my longest novel to date (except for the one, the one I don't speak of, the one I keep under my bed...my secret shame) and it'll be a fun ride.

 

Coming Soon!

Hi darlins!

I know, you're waiting for more Love Letters; never fear, it's coming tomorrow.  I just want to remind you about a few other things in the works.



First, The Captain as an ebook.  I've contacted a cover artist about doing work for it and am waiting to hear back.  I have never wished so bad that I had more than a passing acquaintance with Photoshop.  New goal for this year: learn how to make my own damn covers.  I'm also considering getting it professionally edited, because, well, if you're going to pay for it it should be the best it can be.  Once I have more success with this, I'll let you know.

Second, I got permission from one of the people who bought a fic from me for the Hurricane Sandy auction that I could post what I wrote for other people to read.  It's a little interlude set in the Changing Worlds universe, just before Jason and Ferran leave Perelan to start their new mission.  I'll be offering it up for your reading pleasure soon:)



Third, speaking of the Sandy Auction, the two authors (MJ O'Shea and Piper Vaughn) who organized it are running a contest on their blog right now.  It's the easiest contest in the world to enter, just leave a comment, and there are a huge number of prizes on offer.  Huge.  Like, astonishingly so, you should go and look just to see the enormouse pile of swag.  There are ways to get multiple entries too, and the contest doesn't end until Valentine's Day, so check it out here: 2nd Annual Valentine's Day Lovefest.



Last, the first episode of my serial novel with Storm Moon Press will be available this Friday.  Yay!  Quick blurb for Cambion: Devon Harper has struggled his entire life to control his incubus powers. Now that control faces its ultimate test when a demon sets his sights on escaping Hell using Devon as the doorway!

If you think it's the sort of thing you're going to want to read all of, you can get a season pass at a discount right now; that includes around 90k words in the actual book and extras in the form of deleted scenes, side character stories, etc.  If you're not sure, then you can just wait until Friday and get the first episode for just 99 cents, which, for 15k words, is pretty freaking affordable.  Here's the link to buy or find out more: Cambion Season One: Dark Around The Edges.

Now to finish Love Letters, which I'm really enjoying, but have to plan out before writing.  Wasn't an issue with Pandora or Paradise.  Sci fi is my brain's natural resting state:)

Cambion

Let's talk about an upcoming story, shall we? I just got the cover for by serial novel Cambion: Dark Around The Edges, and it's gorgeous, isn't it?  It's done by Nathie, the same artist at Storm Moon Press who did the cover for Changing Worlds.  The title for each individual episode will appear on the right, in the wing space.

 

I'm still working on the blurb, but give this a try:

 

 In Cambion, Devon is the child of an incubus and a human woman, and his life has been a continual struggle to control the seductive powers he possesses. He thought he was finally safe, but now a demon has Devon in his sights, as Devon is the key that demon needs to leave Hell behind forever.

 

 

 

I mentioned before that this is a spin-off of my LiAW story In All Your Ways, which you can get here for free. Once I've got a finalized release date, and pricing info for people who are interested, I'll post an excerpt of the story and see if I can't whet some appetites:) 

In other news, my readerwife read and heartily approved the first chapter of the next serial story for the blog.  I'm going to primp and polish it and make it as perfect as possible before posting it here next Tuesday.  Yay approbation!