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DECEPTION IS COMING!

Posted by dbreynolds on January 26, 2015

PREORDER LINKS:
AMAZON.com
AMAZON UK
AMAZON CANADA

COVER REVEAL: 20 FEBRUARY 2015

Kauai, Hawaii—tropical paradise, vibrant jungles, turquoise seas . . . and sensuous nights that hide vampires so powerful they can change the world.

Raphael—powerful, extraordinary, arrogant. He’s been eliminating rivals and gathering allies, determined not just to survive, but to demolish the Europeans who think they can steal what he’s worked for centuries to create. In a final bid to avert a war that seems inevitable, Raphael agrees to meet an enemy he knows of old. She is formidable, wily, and not to be trusted. But in his arrogance, Raphael believes he can foil whatever treachery she has brewing.

Cynthia Leighton—Raphael’s human mate, beautiful, smart, and deadly when threatened. She doesn’t trust anyone, much less a powerful vampire claiming to want peace. So while Raphael prepares to negotiate a treaty, Cyn is preparing for the inevitable double-cross that she knows is coming. Raphael worries about saving thousands of vampire lives. She only cares about one, and she will do anything to keep him alive and in her arms.

When Cyn is proven right, when it all falls apart and Raphael’s enemies draw on ancient magic to trap him, taking him away from Cyn and out of the war, it all falls to her—to find Raphael, to save the thousands of vampires who will die if she doesn’t succeed . . . and to kill every single being, human or vampire, who gets in her way.

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DECEPTION IS NEAR, ALLIANCE IS JUST BEGUN

Posted by dbreynolds on January 26, 2015

It’s official. DECEPTION is supposed to be up for preorder sometime TODAY! Squeee! I was hoping to include the book description on this blog post, but couldn’t get the go-ahead in time. I’ll post it as soon as it’s official. The revisions are done, the line edit is done … we’re almost there. The cover reveal will be February 13th, and the release date is March 31st.

I will say that this book is Cyn & Raphael, with a liberal dose of Lucas, and some cameos from several other lords and/or their mates. And the word I’m hearing back from my wonderful beta readers and my editor is all good. Oh, and we finally learn the name of Juro’s twin brother. I also heard from my publisher about RAJMUND. His audio book is in the “screening” stage, which is the equivalent of proofreading for an audio book, so it shouldn’t be long now.

And I’m already hard at work on ALLIANCE, Book 10 of Vampires in America. The vampire war that starts in DECEPTION comes to the South in ALLIANCE. Vincent and Lana will be revisited, as will a new and powerful vampire who might just be the next lord, if he can stay alive long enough. That’s the plan anyway. I’ve just started, so anything goes. By the way, I’ve been playing Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogy on my HDTV while I write these days. Legolas is so damn pretty, who needs sound? Though I’ll probably switch back to Buffy once I begin the hardcore writing. It’s tradition, and we writers are a superstitious lot.

I watched some TV this week and also went to a movie. JUSTIFIED began its final season. It’s a much darker tone this season. Everyone’s angry and disillusioned. Raylon and Boyd are more enemies than friends, and sweet Ava is a hardened ex-con. I don’t buy Rachel Brooks as Art’s replacement, even temporarily, but okay. I’m watching this season with a hand over my eyes, peeking at the screen through my fingers because I’m so afraid Raylon is never going to see his baby girl. I’m also really loving STALKER, the new series with Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q. It is such a creepy show! I love it! I’m liking GRIMM this season, too. Ever since they let Nick Burkhardt (the Grimm) become a badass, the series has gotten much better. I’m still hoping to get rid of Juliet, but since she’s now apparently a hexenbiest, there will probably be no getting rid of her.

I took an afternoon to sit in the darkened theater of my local cinema and watch Black Hat with the beautiful Chris Hemsworth. It wasn’t a great movie, although it was worth watching for him alone. Typical of director Michael Mann, however, it emphasized the visual over everything else. Not enough attention was paid to the story or even the dialogue, which was aimed too much at geeks. There was lots of computer babble, and the audio mix didn’t bring out the dialogue enough to be easily understood. I personally enjoyed it, but I can see why others wouldn’t. It will probably do well in video release.

And books … I keep adding books to the “Books Read 2015″ folder on my Kindle, but I really have to update my GoodReads list. I’ll add that to my to-do list for the week. I did make the final travel arrangements for the RT Booklovers Convention in Dallas,Texas this year. May 13-17 at the Hyatt Regency. There will be a Giant Book Fair on Saturday, and I’ll be there signing books for anyone who’s in the area. You don’t have to register for the Con to attend the Book Fair.

Okay back to ALLIANCE for me. A new and beautiful vampire is waiting for me to tell his story. Details to follow.

I’ll see you back here soon, with updates on DECEPTION.

xoxo
DBR

Categories: ALLIANCE, Audio Books, Books on Sale - Where?, Conventions and Conferences, DECEPTION, RAJMUND, The Vampire Wars, TV/Media, Uncategorized, VINCENT Comments (3)

MY WEEK OFF

Posted by dbreynolds on January 19, 2015

I took a break this week. Well, sort of. But I do have some news on DECEPTION. My publisher tells me it will be available for pre-order on January 26, with a cover reveal on Valentine’s Day. I sent my editor the back cover copy this week, and I’ve been searching image libraries after discussing the cover concept with my publisher’s team.
We’ve also gotten word from Audible that RAJMUND will soon be available in audio. Audible is very persnickety and won’t give us a head’s up on its release date, or even ping us when it’s released, but we know it’s in screening, which is the final step before release. So it should be very soon.

I’ve also begun working on the outline for ALLIANCE, Vampires in America Book 10, though that’s in the very early stages. Writing character backgrounds, descriptions, names, stuff like that. I’ll do the heavy work on that this coming week, and start writing soon after.

But having spent the last few months crushing against one deadline after the other, I took the last week to binge-watch my favorite TV shows and read some great books, including beta-reads for some excellent writers who also happen to be friends.

First up, the binge watches … I caught up on SUPERNATURAL. There is nothing sweeter than watching multiple episodes of Dean and Sam back to back. And the 200th episode was great. I also caught up on The Mentalist—which is always fun, though I’m not sure I buy the “romance” between Jane and Lisbon. And Arrow, although I had to go on-line for the big Flash/Arrow fight, because it aired on Flash rather than Arrow, and I don’t record Flash.

And then there are the books! One of the best things about being a writer is getting to read beta copies of great books that happen to be written by friends.
I read this anthology a few weeks ago, but I’ve waited ’til now, so you could share the pleasure of these terrific stories. It’s by Michelle Muto, one of the many successful writers from my on-line writing group, the OWG from Kelley Armstrong’s now-defunct forum board. Michelle is a friend and one of my beta readers. She’s also a wonderful writer. If you like creepy stories, and one story that is eerie but will make you cry, you HAVE to read this anthology. Every story in it is gripping and exceedingly well written.

The other book I beta-read this week is LIES RIPPED OPEN, which is Book 5 of the Hellequin Chronicles, written by Steve McHugh, another incredibly talented and imaginative writer, another former OWG’er and, I’m happy to say, my second OWG beta reader. Steve’s fourth book PRISON OF HOPE, is currently available for preorder (no cover yet.) I’ve read that one, too! Suh-weet! And now I’ve read LIES RIPPED OPEN, which is maybe the best one yet and won’t be released until August of this year. This is such a great series. If you love dark urban fantasy with lots of action, you’ll want to check out Steve’s books.

And, finally, one of the great joys of life for a bookworm—which I definitely am—is staying up all night long to finish a book. It can be a great book, or simply one that snags your attention. I’ll be updating my GoodReads book challenge soon. I have lots of books to add, a great start to my new year’s challenge.

Okay, I’m actually going to sleep tonight. What a concept!

Happy MLK Day to those in the U.S., enjoy your 3-day weekend if you’ve got one, and I’ll see you all next week with more updates and info.

xoxo
DBR

Categories: ALLIANCE, Audio Books, DECEPTION, Holiday Greetings, RAJMUND, Recommended Books, The Vampire Wars, TV/Media, Uncategorized Comments (2)

GETTING READY FOR #10

Posted by dbreynolds on January 12, 2015

writer at work black So, last time we “spoke,” I had just turned in DECEPTION, which is Vampires in America Book #9. I’ve already gotten revisions from my editor, made them, and turned the new manuscript in. She loved the story, by the way, so, yay! I also received feedback from the first of my beta readers, and she loved the story, too. Double yay!

For those who don’t know yet, DECEPTION is a full-length novel featuring Cyn & Raphael, and it’s the first book of a new story arc within the Vampires in America universe. The story arc has a subtitle, which is “The Vampire Wars,” but we’re still figuring out how to structure that within the titles. The entire story arc is consistent with the existing timeline and characters, and takes place shortly after the events in VINCENT. You all know that Raphael and the other North American vampires have been preparing for war … well, now it’s begun, and DECEPTION is the first story within those events. That’s why the titles of the next five Vampires books are different. Instead of a name, it will be the stages of war. By the way, characters from the previous books will feature in all five of these books, alongside new characters.

DECEPTION will soon be available for preorder. I’ll let you know when. And I hope to have a cover soon, too.

story outline stickies In the meantime, it’s time for me to start working on #10. Can you believe it? #10!! This one’s called ALLIANCE, and it takes place in the South. Over the years, many of you have asked about the South, whether we’d ever learn more of Anthony’s story, or whether the South would get a new lord. Those questions will all be answered in ALLIANCE, plus we’ll spend some quality time with Vincent and Lana, too.

So, it’s a new year and a new book for me, plus lots of great new books from some of my favorite writers, like this one … Wolves’ Bane by my friend and fellow writer, Angela Addams. This is the first full-length story in her Order of the Wolf universe, and if you like shifters, specifically wolf shifters, you should check it out. It’s a different take on werewolves, where the wolves aren’t always the good guys … or the bad guys. In the previous novellas, the wolves were sexy rock and rollers and definitely the guys we were rooting for. In Wolves’ Bane, the tables might be turned. It’s all up to Morgan Stills, who will have to choose.

I’m also looking forward to new books by Nalini Singh, Kate Daniels, John Sandford and so many others. I just have to be patient and wait. ::sigh::

In the meantime, I’ll be writing ALLIANCE!

Have a great week, see you back here, same time, same place.

xoxo
DBR

Categories: ALLIANCE, DECEPTION, Recommended Books, The Vampire Wars, Uncategorized, VINCENT Comments (5)

IT’S LATE, BUT I’M HERE!

Posted by dbreynolds on January 5, 2015

RAPHAEL Okay, this picture is pure beefcake. The guy who started it all, my vision of Raphael.

Breathe.

Moving on … first up, Happy New Year to anyone who missed it! Yep, the holidays are over and we’re all back to work and school, entering the long wait until Memorial Day. At least here in the U.S. For some of us, though, like yours truly, the holidays were no vacation. I was writing like crazy, finishing up DECEPTION and getting it to my editor.

Which is why this post is late today. I was up all night—no surprise there, but I stayed up about an hour later than even I usually do. But I completed my final read-through and edit of DECEPTION and sent it off to my lovely editor, Brenda Chin. I’ll take a few days off, and then start all over again. We’ll be heading south again with ALLIANCE, Book #10 of my Vampires. As usual, you’ll be meeting the star of ALLIANCE at the end of DECEPTION. He’s a brand new vampire who might become a lord … if Raphael doesn’t kill him first.

But for now, I’m going to take those few days to celebrate the completion of another book. In the past, the DH and I would head to our favorite oceanfront restaurant, offer a martini toast and enjoy the scenery. But they closed our restaurant a couple months back, replacing it with something trendier. It’s a nice place, but it’s not the same. So I’m not sure where we’ll celebrate this time around.

I’m also going to catch up on some TV shows that I’ve been piling up. I have several episodes of SUPERNATURAL which I’m going to binge on, then there’s SUITS and GOTHAM and ARROW and … well, let’s just say my DVR is pretty damn full. But speaking of TV shows, I watched a few of the very early X-Files while I was working last week. Well, I didn’t really watch them so much as let them play in the background, but I was struck by how young and pretty Mulder and Scully were, and how much sexual tension there was between them in those early shows. I didn’t remember that.

I did more than watch TV last year, though. I exceeded my GoodReads Book Challenge, reading 177 books in 2014. I’ve re-set the counter for 2015, back to zero. My goal is the same, 150 books, and I’ve already clocked #1.

The DH and I watched some good movies over the holidays, the final HOBBIT, IMITATION GAME, AMERICAN SNIPER among them. There were a couple of other not so good ones, but I won’t mention those.

Okay, I’m going to enjoy my day, knowing DECEPTION is done … for now, anyway. It won’t be long before I get it back from my editor with the first revisions, but that’s the writer’s life. And I love it.

I wish you all a terrific 2015 filled with good books, great movies, and lots of love!

xoxo
DBR

Categories: DECEPTION, Holiday Greetings, Just checking in with misc. stuff, TV/Media, Uncategorized Comments (3)