I’ve been extremely lucky to have visited and discovered some amazing blogs lately, especially as part of my US blog tour. I met some terrific people willing to read, review and promo Blood Shadows, let alone take the time to interview me.
I also had an invite outside of the tour from Romy Sommer of the fabulous Minxes of Romance. Knowing of this talented team of writers, I was thrilled to be offered a guest spot. I was even more thrilled that Romy not only took the time to read Blood Shadows before the interview, but loved it too.
My interview went live today, so if you’d like to come and say hi, please do.
And thank you to everyone who has sent in questions for Kane. Don’t forget the deadline is tomorrow if you’d still like to ask him anything. More news of that soon!
Ahh, Kane. 🙂 The bad-boy vampire is great from a distance, but just how up close and personal would you honestly be willing to get?
If this file landed on your desk, would you be locked in a room alone with him? Could you sit in place of Caitlin in the interrogation room and get him to talk? A little while ago, Aimee Duffy was the first person apart from Caitlin Parish brave enough to do this, and she doesn’t mind admitting she found it just a little unnerving – even behind vampire-proof glass!
And now Kane’s going to be interviewed again – and I’d love you to be a part of it.
At the end of this month, I’m going to be featuring on GraveTells (super-excited!) and will be dragging Mr Malloy with me. And I am really, really hoping you’ll help me out.
I need to come up with some daring, probing, insightful, imaginative (and hopefully fun!) questions for Kane to answer as part of an introduction to a whole new group of readers who have never heard of him and have never heard of Blackthorn.
If you’d like to join in, if you have a burning question you have longed to ask him, if you think you can tempt other readers to discover Kane for themselves, feel free to post your question/s in the comments sections here. You also have the option to tweet me, Facebook me, or even email me if you want to keep it purely between us. 😉 You have until Friday to send them my way.
Oh, and just to be clear, I’m signing a disclaimer against being held accountable for his actions if you ask the wrong kind of question…
The Blackthorn Bites are back and this time we’d like you to have your say!
We’re already super-excited about the release of Blood Roses (out in April!), and starting to think about what our ads will look like. To help with this, we’ve selected our favourite Bites that were put together to help promote my debut paranormal romance, Blood Shadows, including some exciting NEW ones – and we want to know which ones you like best.
A brand new Bite will appear each day for the next week on Twitter and Facebook but, for those of you who follow me here, you can see them all NOW over on a brand new Pinterest board I’ve created.
On the first board you see, named ‘Please VOTE! Vampire Romance Bites’, Bookouture and I have selected our top 10 ‘Blackthorn Bites’. Tell us which are your favourites and those with the most votes are the direction that we’ll take for Blood Roses.
Simply vote with a like or a re-pin, or you can comment to let us know what you think. Also feel free to tweet, Facebook, share and even upload the Bites to your own blog.
After almost 30 years of writing, 21 years since I’d written my first paranormal romance and 16 years of Blackthorn in the making, 2012 was the year when I finally became a published author.
My avid followers will no doubt have picked up on the fact I haven’t had a moment to breathe since then. No sitting with my feet on my desk, sipping Pepsi whilst I dreamily doddle plotlines in my notebook in-between gazing out of my study window. Oh no.
In April of 2012, I’d resolved I’d had enough of sitting on the Blackthorn series and needed to seriously pursue publication. I set up a blog (a must, I was told by my new writerly friends) and, in June, started submitting to publishers.
I’d prepared for the long-haul – weeks, months, maybe even years of waiting. Okay, the latter is an exaggeration – I’d decided I’d self-publish if it came to that. But on Friday 13th July, came the request from Bookouture that changed everything. Less than a month later came ‘The Call’ along with a very impressive book proposal and fantastic plans for Blackthorn.
September was the month of secrets. I blogged about being offered a three-book deal, but had to remain hushed about who by until Bookouture was launched and all the finer details were tied up – not least the contract! And, gee, was it tough keeping quiet!
Finally, at the end of October, I was finally able to announce that I had signed with Bookouture and my brand new website was launched. News of my signing went global and there were over 1,000 hits on the news feed in the first couple of days.
As if that wasn’t exciting enough, straight after, Hollywood came calling. Yes, they really did! I didn’t say much because, well, basically I knew the chances were minimal. It was still amazing to have had the book requested though and the feedback from the head of creative affairs, although a no, was great:
“I really enjoyed BLOOD SHADOWS, Lindsay is a wonderful writer. She’s crafted one heck of a world with Caitlin, Kane, VCU and the Soul Ripper. A few of us really took to the book and world creation but, alas, the consensus was that it isn’t exactly what…is looking for.”
I didn’t have time to dwell though, because we were already in November – and what a month November was!
First came the cover reveal for Blood Shadows. And for anyone who has got a hardcopy and seen who the designer was (yes, I know some of you have!) you’ll know why I was so ecstatic about who took the project on. Shortly after came the first of the fantastic and fun Blackthorn Bites. Within days there was the release of the awesome Blood Shadows book trailer. On Thursday 15th, I shed a tear when I held a copy of my book in my hands for the first time. Then on the 27th November (give or take a few days…) Blood Shadows was finally officially launched.
The promotions kicked off instantly and haven’t stopped since, not least with my U.S. book tour starting on 28th December and running through the whole of this month.
And the reviews. Ah, the reviews. I have come to discover that reviews are single-handedly one of the most rewarding and, at the same time, utterly terrifying parts of being a published author. I’ve been lucky that, apart from a handful of ratings (rose bombers spring to mind anyone?), the reviews have been amazing. So thank you to every single person who has taken the time and the effort to share what they think on Amazon and Goodreads. There is no better way to get my books into the hands of new readers than through those reviews, so believe me when I say I appreciate your effort more than I can possibly express here.
And during all of this, I’ve feverishly been working on revisions for Blood Roses, which I sent back to Bookouture on New Years’ day. Yay! More about Blood Roses very soon…
But before I go, when I announced by blog tour last Friday, I did promise to tell you about my Christmas present this year.
I’m the kind of girl who, as long as I get a couple of notepads and a pack of pens or pencils, I’m usually a pretty happy bunny as far as presents go. Throw in a bottle of my favourite Thierry Mugler’s Angel now and again and you’re guaranteed to raise a satisfied smile. Fortunately, I have a husband whose imagination, year after year, spans beyond my feeble attempts at a creative list for Santa.
I must be honest though, this year I did give him a hint of what I wanted. I didn’t quite expect the end result though. Welcome to my new study wall…
Now if that isn’t motivation enough to keep writing Blackthorn books, I don’t know what is! And yes, if you wrote one of the earlier bites, you are up there! So huge thanks to Michele Hauf, CC Mackenzie, Fiona Chapman, Lindsey Clarke, Amity Grays and RomFan Reviews.
But that wasn’t all. As you’ve probably guessed, I’m a fan of personal gifts. So when this little chap was handed to me, overwhelmed doesn’t begin to describe it. Say hello to Batty…
This little chap was handmade especially for me by exceptionally talented, local artist Minerva (of Minerva Twist). She’s thrown a creative spin on a variety of animals but this was her first attempt at my personal favourite – a bat. Not only is he reading a copy of my book (and the glasses are uncannily like mine too!), but she even went to the trouble of joining the oo’s together just like on the cover of Blood Shadows and putting a dot after the ‘J’ in my name. Now that’s the attention to detail I like. Thanks Minerva, you ridiculously talented lady, he’s absolutely gorgeous!
And that’s it – here’s hoping 2013 brings just as much excitement!
Finally, huge thanks to my super-supportive, long-suffering husband who makes sure I eat, drink, sleep and, on occasion, get suitably socialised. Massive thanks you all my wonderful, wonderful supporters, including my fantastic new-found writing friends – to those who have been published this year and those who are going to be published in 2013, here’s wishing you every success. And for those who haven’t got there yet, I’m rooting for you with every digit crossed. I’m a walking example that dreams can and do eventually come true. DO NOT give up.
So here’s an extra special thank you to the amazing Oliver Rhodes, founder of Bookouture, for not only making my dreams come true in 2012, but for making my first two months as a published author more exciting and fun than I ever could have imagined.
I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas! I got something really special this year that I want to show you on a blog post very soon. But blog tour information first…
Those of you who follow me on Facebook will know my blog tour around the U.S. started today. This is a somewhat nerve-wracking, albeit equally exciting, experience. Courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours, 30 U.S. book bloggers kindly signed up to host me over a month. There will be a mixture of me writing guest blog posts and being interviewed as well as bloggers promoting Blood Shadows or, the really scary stuff, reviewing it.
My first post is over on Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer and is up already. For those who have been following me since I launched this blog in April, you’ll be in familiar territory because I’m revisiting a blog post I wrote for here (under a different title). It’s the only one I’ll be repeating, but as a lot of people enjoyed that one, it broke me in gently! Other posts I’ll be writing will be, amongst others, creating Blackthorn, what I’ve learned from reader feedback, why vampires makes the perfect anti-heroes and the challenge of being a British PNR author.
For those who want to follow the tour closely, I’ve listed where I’ll be and when below – as well as what I’ll be doing for each. I will, of course, put reminders on Facebook. If you’re able to come and support any of them, you’d be most welcome!
Ah, Christmas is almost upon us – and it’s the most disorganised I’ve ever been! The decorations aren’t up, the food isn’t bought and I only have half the presents… Still, one thing that I have managed to do (all thanks to Bookouture!) is set-up a giveaway of 5 signed paperback copies of Blood Shadows. You have to be a member of Goodreads (or sign up) in order to be in with a chance of winning one, but all you have to do is click on the ‘Enter to win’ button below. It’ll run for a month and Goodreads will choose the winners.
Oh, and for those who have already asked, as much as I’d like to oblige, I’m afraid that the answer is no – Kane cannot deliver them personally. 😉
With Blood Shadows now having been out almost a month, the interview invites are coming in. I’ve discovered two things about myself through the interview questions I’ve received so far – anything deep or probing and I can give you an answer more or less straight away, but ask me about my favourite book or what song I listen to most and you’ll have me floundering for hours.
I’ve had three interviews so far with another three coming this week and another two booked for after Christmas. I’ve also got a blog tour around the US starting on the 28th December courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours. I always hope, as I open the questions, that there will be something a bit different asked. Something I’ve not been asked before. I’ve been very lucky with all three this week, especially as they’re so close together, that each interviewer has offered a unique set of questions and a very different style. It kept me on my toes and that hopefully means it’ll be more interesting for you if you read them.
We’re kicking off the week with Aimee Duffy. When she approached me and said she didn’t only want to interview me, but also Kane (brave girl!) and Caitlin ‘Jeremy Kyle’ style, I thought it was inspired. When I threw in an added curveball to the questions she had sent me and asked her, instead of asking about me, why she didn’t focus on my perceptions of my characters (no one had done that yet), she was onto it within minutes.
I’ve never answered questions so quickly or easily.
If you’d like to see what I and Kane and Caitlin had to say for ourselves, you can find the full interview (and a flatteringly gushing review of Blood Shadows) here.
Thanks for the interview fun, Aimee! And the terrific review. 🙂
A night with friends turned out to be a night with a difference when I signed my very first collection of books at one of their houses last night.
My lovely friend Kelly not only bought Blood Shadows for herself, but enjoyed it enough to buy it as a Christmas present for friends and family. Aw thanks, Kelly! (She’s potentially single-handedly responsible for those Amazon ratings, you know 😉 ) Hence my very first Blackthorn book signing session!
As it was another special moment for me (notice I’m milking these ‘special’ moments for all they’re worth), I thought I’d post a couple of pics to share with you…
Complicated stuff this book signing, especially when
you can’t even work out which page to write on…
Right, down to business. Musn’t make a spelling
mistake… mustn’t blot my pen…. concentrate….
Achieved! I could get into this… 🙂
And thank you, Kelly’s cat, for not jumping on me half way through.
It’s not very often I’m lost for words. Anyone who knows me by now can vouch for that, especially my publisher who (I hope) is now acclimatising to me chuntering down the phone or via email. Then today, there’s a knock on my door and these turn up…
My first thought – they’re for someone else. My second thought – I’d better at least check the card. They were addressed to me, so that was my first theory out the window. My mind worked overtime as I ripped the card out of the envelope. I didn’t recognise the writing, so that ruled out hubbie. ‘Enjoyed it from beginning to end,’ the card read. It’s about my book, I realise. I’m already overwhelmed. And then I see the name – Nit. It’s the nickname of a friend, a very special friend. If you’ve got a copy of Blood Shadows, she’s mentioned in the acknowledgements as Anita.
I ‘met’ Anita through New Voices. We struck up a friendship via twitter and shortly after started emailing each other – regularly. Nit lives all away across the water in Idaho. That’s why I think I read the card about four times. I couldn’t quite believe she had gone to all that effort just for me.
I’ve had a week like that, and receiving these flowers today just summed this week up.
It was a week ago today that Blackthorn, via Blood Shadows, was officially launched. Since then I’ve been stunned by the generosity of people’s time and effort in sharing their thoughts and, in turn, helping get my book out there. I’ve even put a new tab on my blog to showcase all the reviews, I’m so proud. Each has been carefully thought about, straight from the heart, and that’s what means so much to me. It accumulated in me receiving a stunning email today that knocked me sideways when I was thanked for giving readers the Blackthorn books.
I’m still getting my head around actually being published, then getting reviews and emails like these, such thoughtful gestures like Nit’s, often makes me wonder what I’ve done to deserve it. So this is one more shout-out to my readers, Team Blackthorn, my new-found friends, let alone my awesome publisher – what would I do without you?
There are still two days to go until the official launch of my Blackthorn series, but the pages of Blood Shadows are already being turned. Amidst something of a hush amongst my supporters, I’ve been blamed for everything from sleepless nights to kids being sent to bed early, evoking dehydration and making people late. I’ve even been ordered to be quiet mid-twitter stream because someone is too engrossed with Kane to want to bother with me. At least I know my place.
Seriously, it’s amazing to be getting feedback on what you think so far (from those of you who aren’t ignoring me until you’ve got to the final page, that is). And thank you to those who have already left reviews – that’s what makes such a big difference in getting me ‘out there’. But finishing the book doesn’t mean it has to end there…
How about a Blood Shadows bite all of your own – published and for the world to see?
You’ve seen the idea – a couple of defining sentences or a snippet of dialogue from one of the characters. We’ve even got a quote from the fantastic Michele Hauf coming soon with what she thought of the book. And Bookouture (and me!) would love you to share your thoughts too.
So if you have read Blood Shadows and are happy to sum up what you think in words that can capture the interest of more readers worldwide, please share it with us for the chance of your bite being posted with those to come.
I might even be able to arrange for Kane to appear with you… 😉
