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Merry Christmas, Team Blackthorn!

Merry Christmas

I can’t quite believe 2015 is nearly over! This time last year, after almost twenty years in the profession, I’d stepped out of my teaching career and taken the leap into writing full-time. At the start of 2015, I was finally able to give Blackthorn my full attention.

Much of this year has been spent writing Blood Dark with my head simultaneously in my old notebooks making sure I’m still on track with my plans for the finale. (As most of you will know by now, I never have my head on only one book at a time – not when it comes to Blackthorn!) Since Blood Dark’s release, the last ten weeks have been all about the first draft of Blood Instinct. I’ll share some news on that soon.

Until then, I can’t say farewell to another year without first saying a massive thank you to all my incredible readers who have been a part of it. Whether you support me here, via social media, email, or simply by rating and reviewing my books, you make a difference to me and to my series. Thank you for being there to back Blackthorn and for rooting for our heroes and heroines as we edge ever closer to the finale. 2015 has been such a stand out year for me when it comes to fun and interaction with my readers (I do solemnly swear never to pose the T-shirt question ever again), and I am so lucky to have you! Involvement in the giveaways this year has been the best ever and your support of Blood Dark’s release was simply immense. I hope you’ll be just as excited about Jask and Phia’s return in Blood Instinct!

I know it’s been far from all fun and laughter out in the wider world this year though, so thank goodness for whatever escapism we can find in books. Here’s just one of many emails I received this year that reminds me how important books are in so many of our lives:

“I am from Romania and I just wanted to say that your books have made my world such a better place … Your characters and plot of the story has taken me on a wonderful journey. Thank you.”

Is there any better reason to share stories?

Here’s wishing you all a fantastic Christmas and health, peace and happiness in the year ahead. I’ll be back in January with those Blood Instinct updates as well as my plans for Blackthorn in 2016. Whatever you do between now and then, take care. I have soooo much more escapism planned for you! 🙂

xxx

Blackthorn Giveaway Winners Announced!

It’s a Blackthorn celebration day!!!

By now, most of you will know I don’t need much of an excuse to be celebrating something Blackthorn related, but this truly is a special day for me. Three years ago today, Blood Shadows, the first book in my Blackthorn series, was published.

Someone asked me earlier how I was feeling three years ago today. The honest answer? A nervous wreck! But it was also an incredible day. Believe it or not, Blackthorn was actually sixteen years old by that point – it had been a labour of love whilst I held down a teaching job and worked on other books in the years that passed. At the time, I had no intention of attempting to get it published. Instead, I wrote it for the love of writing it – and I just couldn’t stop.

Blackthorn has come a very long way since then – and my readers have been a HUGE part of making that happen. So, to say a big thank you for all your support, I ran a giveaway this week both here and on Facebook. Thank you for the amazing response and to everyone who entered – whether via email, this blog, or Facebook. Congratulations to everyone who has won and, for anyone left disappointed, giveaways happen throughout the year so keep a look out! I’m already plotting my Jask-related giveaway for Blood Instinct next year. 😉

And the winners are (you’ve won the prize above your name)…

Winners

WINNERS – PLEASE EMAIL ME with your postal address. For those of you who have won signed prizes, don’t forget to let me know if you’d like them signed personally to you! And congrats again! 😀

And to finish, for those of you who have never seen it, I thought I’d share the book trailer that launched not only Blood Shadows but my Blackthorn series. The soundtrack Bookouture chose is called ‘Superhero’ by Tim McMorris. (Oh, and don’t be thrown by the original cover!)

Have a wonderful weekend!! <3 xxx

Blackthorn’s Biggest Anniversary Giveaway!

Three years ago this week, Blackthorn was launched. Blood Shadows, my debut novel, was released by Bookouture on 27th November 2012. Since then, Blackthorn has gone on to sell in six figures, with over three thousand four and five star reviews. And it’s thanks to your reviews and your support that the final four books in the Blackthorn series were signed last year, as well as Blackthorn being discovered by Tantor Media who converted the first three books to audio.

My readers are such an important part of Blackthorn so, to mark the occasion and to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me, I decided to launch the biggest Blackthorn giveaway to date.

If you’re a big Blackthorn fan, this is your chance to get your hands on some Blackthorn treats – some of which are limited editions, never to be repeated. The full list of items is below, with a brief description of each. They’re listed in no particular order.

HOW TO ENTER

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is tell me:

HOW YOU DISCOVERED BLACKTHORN

AND 

WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THE SERIES.

It’s that simple! You can leave your answers:

  • in the comment section below, or
  • on my Facebook page (where I’m simultaneously running the giveaway), or
  • email me privately.

WHEN TO ENTER 

The giveaway is open NOW and closes Thursday 26th November at midnight (UK time). Entries after this time will not be eligible.

HOW WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN

Anyone is eligible to enter. All entries will be assigned an entry number. Numbers will be selected using a random generator and winners will be announced this Friday evening (27th) to mark the official anniversary.

As with all Blackthorn giveaways, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are – the prizes can be posted anywhere. One of the winners in the last giveaway was on the other side of the world in New Zealand!

BONUS ENTRY NUMBERS

You can only enter your answer ONCE, but for the first time ever in a giveaway, I’m going to give you the chance to win more than one prize as well as increase your chances of winning.

Whilst ensuring I don’t exclude anyone from entering, this is ultimately a thank you giveaway so I wanted to include something extra to show my appreciation to everyone who has gone that extra step to support me and Blackthorn. So, if any of the following apply to you, tell me in your answer and your name will be entered more than once.

Let me know if you:

  • Have liked my Facebook page, follow me on social media, or follow this blog. This is worth one bonus entry.
  • Have left a review for a Blackthorn book on Amazon, Goodreads or any other relevant review site. This is worth one bonus entry.
  • Have left reviews for all five Blackthorn books. This is worth two bonus entries.

That means any one person can have their name entered up to FOUR TIMES which not only increases their chances of winning but means they could win up to four different prizes.

So it’s clear, here are some examples:

“I discovered Blackthorn on Amazon. I really like the plot twists.” Your name will be entered once.

“I discovered Blackthorn on Amazon. I really like the plot twists. I follow your blog.” Your name will be entered twice.

“I discovered Blackthorn on Amazon. I really like the plot twists. I’ve liked your Facebook page and I’ve reviewed all five Blackthorn books.” Your name will be entered four times.

THE PRIZES

As it’s three years since the release of Blood Shadows

PRIZE ONE – TWO SIGNED PAPERBACKS

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ABOVE: There is one prize of a signed paperback copy of both Blood Shadows AND Blood Roses. These books have the original covers, as per the launch in 2012. The covers were created by top UK cover designer Henry Steadman who has designed covers for international bestselling authors such as Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell and Dan Brown. Less than fifteen signed copies of each are in circulation. I will never again be giving away signed copies of the original books, so these are a real collector’s item for avid Blackthorn fans!

PRIZE TWO – ONE SIGNED AUDIOBOOK

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ABOVE: There is one prize of a signed Blood Shadows unabridged audiobook, narrated by British award-winning actress Anne Flosnik and produced by Tantor Media. The audiobook consists of 10 discs and has a running time of 12 hours. This is the last time a signed Blood Shadows audiobook will be given away.

And now that we’ve come full-circle with Blackthorn’s latest release marking a revisit to Kane and Caitlin…

PRIZE THREE – A2 SIGNED ‘BLOOD DARK’ POSTER

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ABOVE: There is one prize of a one-off, signed Blood Dark poster featuring Kane. The poster is a superb, high-quality A2 poster print on satin 200gm paper.

PRIZE FOUR – A SIGNED PAPERBACK COPY OF ‘BLOOD DARK’

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ABOVE: There is one prize of a signed paperback copy of Blood Dark. Book length: 398 pages.

And to celebrate three years of Blackthorn…

PRIZE FIVE – A HEART-HANDLED MUG (BLACKTHORN COVERS)

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ABOVE: There is one prize of a Blackthorn mug featuring the first four covers (new covers as per the relaunch).

PRIZE SIX – A HEART-HANDLED MUG (BLACKTHORN HEROES)

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ABOVE: There is one prize of a limited-edition (never to be reproduced) Blackthorn mug featuring Blackthorn’s four heroes.

PRIZE SEVEN – SIGNED POSTCARD AND KEYRING

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ABOVE: There are three prizes of a signed Blackthorn high-quality postcard and keyring, featuring the Blackthorn logo as designed by Henry Steadman.

PRIZE EIGHT: A SET OF FOUR SIGNED POSTCARDS

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ABOVE: There are three prizes of a set of four Blackthorn high-quality postcards featuring the first four book covers. Each will be signed by me.

PRIZE NINE – A SET OF FOUR BLACKTHORN HERO STICKERS

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ABOVE: There are two prizes of a set of Blackthorn hero stickers. These are waterproof and all-weather vinyl stickers designed to last forever and can be used on everything from iPhones to bikes. They measure 74mm x 52mm. Each winner will receive one set containing all four heroes.

That’s it!

Good luck to everyone who enters! And thank you again to everyone who is supporting my series. I’ll be back on Friday to announce the winners! Have a great week! xxx

A Blackthorn Anniversary Giveaway is Coming!

Friday 27th November marks three years since Blackthorn was first published. As I can’t let that go by without marking the occasion, I’ll be launching a special anniversary giveaway on Monday. Here’s a sneak peek of a few things to expect:

Teaser

I hope you’ll join in the fun when the time comes! I already have readers on Facebook trying to guess what’s in store from the images above. It should be a good one! xxx

Blackthorn Featured on Female First

 

Female First

 

It’s great to be featuring in the ‘Celebrity Interviews’ section of Female First today – the UK’s largest independently-owned online women’s lifestyle magazine.

Avid readers of my blog might recognise this (slightly) adapted version of a previous post…

Blackthorn: A Dark and Twisted Fairytale?

If you have a few minutes, you can read the feature here.

Thanks so much for hosting me, Female First. 🙂

An Amazing Day for Blackthorn

It’s been an amazing day for Blackthorn, but I’m not sure how much I deserve it this week! I’ve been mercilessly teasing my readers on my Facebook page (after doing the same to the Into the World of Blackthorn group first) when I asked them this question:

You can only wear ONE T-shirt. Which do you choose?


Kane dies, we riot.


Caleb dies, we riot.


Jask dies, we riot.


Eden dies, we riot.

I think the main problem was the statement I posted at the end:

Think carefully because there could be serious repercussions!

In the words of Colette: “Lindsay I think it’s safe to say you just might have a riot on your hands now for suggesting that kind of madness…”

Well, I think I nearly did!

Now obviously I’m not really cruel enough to make anyone choose between them. After all, their fate was marked out years ago as most of you well know… 😉

Anyway, in between me working on BLOOD INSTINCT today, things started getting busy for Blackthorn in Amazon’s charts after Bookouture ran some promo for my series.

For the first time ever, Blood Shadows not only hit #1 in both Amazon’s U.K. and U.S. Gothic Romance chart at the same time…

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…but it also simultaneously hit #1 in both the U.K. and the U.S. Paranormal Vampire Romance chart too.

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Blood Shadows even reached #3 in the overall Paranormal Romance chart AND #23 in the main Romance chart (thanks for pointing that one out, Fiona)!

On top of that, Blood Shadows entered the Top 100 on Amazon.com’s main charts, reaching #66. It also broke into the Top 20 in Amazon’s Canadian main chart for the first time ever, and reached #1 in three paranormal sub genres there: Vampire Romance; Fantasy, Futuristic and Ghost Romance; as well as Werewolves and Shifter Romance (Blackthorn is nothing if not diverse). And we nearly, nearly got into the Top 200 in the U.K.

I was equally thrilled that Blackthorn as a series also entered the Top 100 on Amazon.com in three different charts: #15 in Most Popular Books in Paranormal Romance, #32 in Most Popular Books in Genre Literature and Fiction, and #82 in the Most Popular Books in Romance. 🙂

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And it seemed we just couldn’t keep Kane down today as Blood Dark hit #1 in Top Rated Gothic Romance and #1 in Hot New Releases too!

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APOLOGIES (sincerely) to anyone who has glazed over with all the numbers, but this was one of the best days Blackthorn has had. And to finish it off, Blackthorn was featured on My Guilty Obsession Book Blog‘s Facebook page after one of my lovely readers, Amanda Perrie, applied for them to put me in the author spotlight for the day – which included dedicating their banner to Blackthorn. Thanks so much, Amanda. And thank you too, My Guilty Obsession Book Blog, for hosting me. <3

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I’d also like to say a massive thank you to my lovely street team who only just started this week but are already working busily in the background looking out for opportunities to give Blackthorn a shout out wherever they can. Thank you, Darklings! (If you’re a dedicated Blackthorn fan who loves being on social media, feel free to contact me if you’d like to find out more about the team.)

That’s it – no more chart talk! Thanks so much for bearing with me, and to everyone (including the wonderful team at Bookouture) who was a part of making this happen. Have a wonderful weekend! xxx

All Five Blackthorns in the Top 10!

I’m uber-excited to have found out today that all five Blackthorn books are currently in the Top 10 in Gothic Romance on Amazon UK! A huge thank you to everyone who continues to read, review, and spread the word about Blackthorn – I really appreciate it. <3

Have a wonderful weekend! xxx

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Blackthorn: A Recap Before Blood Dark

*WARNING: Contains HUGE spoilers for the first four books in the series*

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Now that we’re four books into my series and at the mid-way point in the Blackthorn story, there’s a lot that has happened. On Tuesday, I posted a reminder of who’s who in the world of Blackthorn. Now, here are a few key things to jog your memory of some of the story so far that will prove useful before you read BLOOD DARK…

FIRSTLY, A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE WIDER PICTURE

The regulations were put in place 80 years ago when the third species first outed their furtive co-existence. The outing was instigated by the Higher Order (vampire royalty). At the time, the Higher Order claimed they had the ability to heal humans and offered it in return for a place for themselves in Midtown.

Amidst the third species being outed, there were whispers of unconfirmed prophecies about the vampires rising up against humans. Remaining cautious, the humans set up locales and, within them, districts to manage and contain the third species. Over time, a stratified human society also started to form.

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However, it turned out that the benefits of Higher Order blood, though effective, were only temporary. Unhappy about the symbiotic relationship this necessitated and believing their original claims to be time-stalling trickery, the Global Council mounted pressure on the Higher Order. The Higher Order promised a permanent cure existed – and that they would find it.

Now it appears the whispered prophecies were true: the vampire leader has arrived.

If you’re uncertain about the set-up in Blackthorn, how the regulations came into being, or want to understand more about the mythology that underpins the series, you can find posts about it here.

AND THOSE FEW USEFUL REMINDERS OF THE STORY SO FAR

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Please note, the racaps below aren’t in chronological order – they’re just meant as reminders for readers familiar with the series.

Kane and Caitlin

  • Though committing to each other at the end of Blood Shadows, Caitlin has since returned to work at the VCU. Her new temporary boss is Matt Morgan, who was her partner in Blood Shadows. Her first case is trying to find who is responsible for a spate of human murders in Blackthorn and Lowtown. Caleb is a prime suspect.
  • Within the first twenty-four hours back on the job, Sirius Throme (Head of the Global Council) turned up in Caitlin’s apartment with a threat of invading Blackthorn should Kane not give himself up. Sirius revealed his master plan to conduct soul transferences, for which he needs Kane – a method he’s going to use to create an elite human race that will ultimately lead to a cull of the third species.
  • Kane doesn’t just have Sirius to contend with. Having come face to face with Phia in the compound in Blood Torn, Kane knows the Tryan is out there somewhere – a serryn appearing in Blackthorn the first sign that the prophecies have started. Aware of the devastating impact of a vampire uprising, he’s intent on killing the prophesied leader as soon as he discovers who it is.
  • Kane knows Phia is a serryn and that Caleb is hunting her. At the end of Blood Torn, he was on his way to see Caleb to get him to back off from Phia so he wouldn’t trace her to the compound. Due to Caleb’s links with Feinith and the ruling of all serryns to be delivered to the Higher Order, he’s hoping Caleb doesn’t know of the serryn’s role in the prophecy.

Caleb and Leila

  • Caleb is of Higher Order heritage. His mother renounced her Higher Order status but went on to have three children – Seth, Caleb and Jake – with a Higher Order male. Caleb prefers to reside with his own where he can better protect them, so has revealed his heritage to no one.
  • In Blood Roses, Caleb was revealed to be the pending Tryan: the prophesied vampire leader said to rise up and lead the vampires against the human oppression. He was supposed to kill Leila to see his transformation through and, by doing so, kick-start the prophecy. Instead, he took her serrynity leading it to jump to her next sister in line – Sophia (Phia).
  • Caleb released Leila after she promised she could find an alternative to the prophecy and, with it, an alternative to Caleb killing Phia. He is awaiting her return. In the interim, he is determined to find Phia both as a fail-safe in case Leila lets him down, as well as to fulfil his promise to her should she keep to her word.
  • Leila knows Phia is safe somewhere in Blackthorn and has warned her to stay away from Caleb. Leila is on the cusp of returning to the district.

Jask and Phia

  • Before Leila’s serrynity jumped to her, Phia was involved in a vigilante group called The Alliance – responsible for the assassination attempt on Caleb and Jake Dehain in Blood Roses. Phia since found out that a Higher Order vampire called Jarin funded that attempt. Jarin is Feinith’s bethrothed and an enemy of Caleb. Members of The Alliance are now being killed off.
  • Both Phia and Jask know Caleb is pursuing her. They know Caleb is aware of what she is, and that he let Leila go – but they don’t yet know why.
  • A secret army attacked Jask’s compound, stole some of the lycan young and destroyed the pack’s herbs days before they are due to morph. Lycanthropy in the Blackthorn world is a life-threatening allergy. Most of the pack will not survive. Jask needs to find supplies from somewhere – and quickly.
  • By the end of Blood Deep, all the lycan young returned to the compound, except for Tuly, Corbin’s daughter, who ended up in Caleb’s hands. Tuly let Caleb know that Phia is at the compound.

Eden and Jessie

  • In Blood Deep, Jessie revealed the effects of Caleb and Leila not seeing their destiny through. There has been a split in the fourth dimension and the fourth species are leaking into Blackthorn. The only way to reclose the dimension is for either Leila or Caleb to kill the other.
  • It is not public knowledge that Caleb is the Tryan. However, as Jessie has seen the prophecy, she’s also seen the face of the Tryan even though she can’t recall it. Sirius is as aware of this as he is of the prophecy itself. He wants to get his hands on Jessie to have her shadow read so he too can discover the identity of the leader and kill whoever it is.
  • Through Jessie’s visions, Sirius was revealed as being the catalyst to the Tryan’s uprising. It is Caleb and Sirius’s showdown, not solely the vampire leader’s uprising, that leads to global devastation.
  • Eden revealed that he had seen angel tears before. He believes Sirius Throme is holding angels at The Facility in Midtown, and that he is testing the superhuman abilities their tears create on his secret army. This is the army they believe invaded the compound and that Sirius now intends to use to invade Blackthorn to capture Kane once and for all.

As with Tuesday’s post, I hope that has helped refresh a few aspects of the story. I know Blackthorn readathons have already started and I hope everyone who is a part of them is having fun picking up on all those little nuances that should now be falling into place. I still can’t quite believe we’re at the mid-way point of the series!

On that note, there are only thirteen days left until the official release of BLOOD DARK! The full paperback cover will be posted between now and then, the first three chapters will be uploaded for you to get a taster of what’s in store, and there will be the all-important Bites. Stay close, we’re nearly there!

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Who’s Who in Blackthorn

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*Warning: As this post is intended as a memory prompt, it contains spoilers for the first four books in the series.*

Now that we’re four books into Blackthorn and at the mid-way point in the series, I thought it might help to give you a quick recap on the characters you’ve come across in the first four books. I hope this glossary proves useful – and it’s in alphabetical order to make it easier should you need it for reference as you read BLOOD DARK.

I’ve also attached both my Pinterest board for Blackthorn’s Cast as well as a board compiled from readers’ suggestions as to who you could envisage playing our characters on the screen. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this last year!

PLEASE NOTE: THE TABLE ORIGINALLY POSTED HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO BEING UPDATED AS THE SERIES HAS PROGRESSED. IT CAN NOW BE FOUND VIA THE TAB ‘ABOUT BLACKTHORN’. 


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I’ll be back in a couple of days with a recap on where we are in the Blackthorn story so far, which will also hopefully prove useful to you.

Don’t forget, if you’d like to win an early eBook of BLOOD DARK, you only have a few hours left to enter! Please check out my previous post or my Facebook page to do so. You can also enter by email. Thank you to all the entries that have come in so far! The winner will be announced tomorrow!

A New and Exclusive Blackthorn Interview

It’s been over a year since I’ve had an interview and, in this one, I talk about my journey to publication for the first time. If you’re a writer yourself or you’d just like to know a bit more about who I am, what inspired me to write Blackthorn and what plans I have for the future, you might find this one interesting.

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HUGE thanks to the extremely lovely Daniel Riding for hosting me – and for quizzing me mercilessly!

There are two other events to look out for this week. On Wednesday, if you’re a member of the ‘Into the World of Blackthorn‘ Facebook group (an additional group to the official Blackthorn Fan Page), I’ll be giving you the first opportunity ever to fire questions at our four Blackthorn heroes: Kane, Caleb, Jask and Eden – and you can ask them anything! If you love talking about all things Blackthorn, you’d be most welcome to join. And towards the end of the week I’ll be launching a competition to win an early e-book of BLOOD DARK. Stay close if you can’t bear to wait another 24 days until it’s yours!