My publisher was full of surprises this week. XAVIER will be released on September 30, and he’s already on pre-order! I’ve listed some buy links below. I think we have all of them except for Apple, but they’re always the last ones to get the post up.
AMAZON.com
AMAZON Canada
AMAZON UK
AMAZON Australia
BN.com
KOBO
KOBO Canada
GOOGLE Play
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Barcelona—exquisite architecture, masterful artists, and just down the coast, an ancient fortress where an old and powerful vampire lives…and rules all of Spain.
Tall, dark, and deadly, vampire Xavier Prospero Flores waded through blood to destroy his enemies and reach the pinnacle of vampire society—Vampire Lord. He has only one regret in his long life, and that’s the day he rejected the advances of Layla Casales. She’d been too innocent, too naïve, and far too young. But she’d also been his.
Layla Casales was only nineteen when she left Spain, brokenhearted and humiliated by Xavier’s rejection. But now, ten years later, the ties of family are pulling her back, not only to Spain, but to Xavier’s fortress. Her father, the vampire lord’s military commander, is critically ill. Layla has spent years fighting on battlefields around the world, so when her father asks her to come home, she can’t say no.
Though Xavier’s rule began on the ashes of his enemies, it’s not vampires trying to kill him now–it’s humans. He needs to eliminate his enemy before more of his people die. Layla arrives just in time to help, but while she came for her father, the minute she and Xavier see each other, desire burns as hotly as if they’d never been apart. Xavier isn’t going to let her go this time. But before they can rediscover the love they walked away from, they must first keep each other alive.
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The STUCK-AT-HOME giveaway has officially ended with two final winners last week. The lockdown has eased somewhat, but it’s not over, and probably won’t be for a while. I still can’t go to the gym yet, but I have enjoyed a few meals with friends in the fresh air and warm sunshine (under an umbrella) of summer. My afghan project is coming along, though now that I have a furry roommate, I’ll have to keep the afghan and its supplies in a drawer, instead of on the floor in front of my recliner. I’ve been bingeing way too many programs and was feeling like a slug, just sitting there, so at least the afghan lets me DO something productive while I binge.
On the writing front, I’ve already started Nick’s book. Obviously Nick’s lived a veeery long life, so my biggest problem has been deciding which time periods for the story to drop by. Nick’s had an awful lot of adventures in his life. By the way, the poll on what to name Nick’s book had a very clear winner. Over 67% of you voted for the title to be NICODEMUS. That’s okay with me, as long as my publisher doesn’t object.
KATO’s book is on sale this month, only $0.99 for the e-book until 9/15/20, from all the usual retailers.
And now I’m back to Nick…and the fur baby will probably want food soon.
Have a safe week, and wear a mask.
xoxo
DBR
XAVIER (Vampires in Europe, VIA #14) is done! Revised and edited and ready for a cover. I searched through literally thousands of images of half-naked men. You might think that would be a fun thing, except some of those half-naked men really shouldn’t be. (Bless their hearts.) I picked out some of my favorites and sent them off to my my very talented publisher and her art staff. I can hardly wait to see what they design, because my XAVIER is fantastic. This is the longest book of the series so far, because when I was writing, the story just kept getting bigger. I love this book, though. Xavier is the Lord of Spain, the love of his life is Layla, who just might be tougher than Cyn, and the bad guy is Sakal who has a most interesting back story.
So, once XAVIER was all finished I took a few days to rest the brain and exercise the body. I’m taking long walks into the beautiful Santa Monica mountains, and binge-watching all the streaming channels, and now I’m crocheting a quilt. I also took a drive up the beautiful California coast, climbed some rocks, got soaking wet and sandy. And in the evening took in the incredible art installation called Sensorio (in Paso Robles.) The evening we were there, we had a beautiful conflagration of the full moon, Saturn, and Jupiter in the night sky, over the incredible Sensorio. Everyone was wearing masks and being very cautious and polite about social distancing. We all want to stay safe and healthy.
While I was still working on XAVIER, I completed a virtual 5K to raise money for World Wildlife Federation. Participants could walk, run, hike, swim…whatever they could. I hiked 9K actually, because I’m kilometer-to-mile challenged. Somehow I thought it was farther. But I definitely did the 5K and, as promised, I matched the donations from so many wonderful readers and friends, so we ended up donating $220 to WWF.
My stuck-at-home giveaway has been going on through all of this, but now that XAVIER’s finished, and we can venture out of the house as long as we’re careful of everyone’s health, I’m going to call an end to it with one LAST giveaway. Next Sunday (08/30/2020) I’ll be drawing two final winners at random, with random values for the last two Amazon e-gift cards. So if you’re not already registered, do it now.
And now I’m off to spend some time with Nick. By the way, there’s a teaser for his book at the end of XAVIER. There’s also a teaser for the next Vampires in Europe book, too. We’re in Portugal this time.
Did you miss me? I went a little deeper into the cave than usual to finish XAVIER. Since I’m still on lockdown—which is something of a cave existence itself—I disappeared deep into the story ’til the end. XAVIER did go to my editor. And now he’s back and I’m in revision mode, though I actually don’t mind revisions too much. 
But now it’s back to work for me. No more getting sucked into TV/Movie series of any kind until XAVIER is once more in the hands of my editor.
Some parts of the world are venturing forth after the quarantine. Here in So. California, we’re taking it slowly, but definitely expanding our routines. So far, it hasn’t changed my life much. I’ve gone to the post office, the CVS, always with a mask on. But mostly I’m staying around my house, writing Xavier’s story, which is almost finished.
When my gym reopens, I’ll believe we’re on the road back to normal. Or at least the new normal. Mostly I miss my family and friends. Miss being able to hold them close, and know love still exists.
But for now I’m heading for the cave to finish XAVIER’s story. I feel old today, and tired. I can’t watch any more news, can’t see or hear any more hatred. So, stay safe out there, and remember to be kind and to act with love.
When this COVID plague first hit, I didn’t own a single mask. And then, of course, they were nearly impossible to find. But now, everyone is making them. They’re all over Etsy, one of my fellow UCLA alumni is offering them to Bruins at a discount, they’re available in Scottish tartans, your favorite sports teams, superheroes, cartoons, and so many more. And let’s not forget the ordinary medical disposables which are once again available. The picture above is my current collection, although of course I have more on order, because at the beginning, we couldn’t be sure when the ordered masks would arrive.
Here you have me outside the Red Cross donation center, where I gave blood this week. The mask is stylish, though you’ll notice I’m not bothering to blow dry/style my hair. It needs a cut, though I’m not willing to risk anyone’s life to make that happen. No one sees it except me and my niece who stops by every week to make sure I’m still alive and functioning.
To answer the question…yep, I’m still very much alive and writing every night. XAVIER’s story is coming along very nicely, and just for kicks, I’m posting a snippet for your reading pleasure. Note that this is from the unedited manuscript, and may read differently in the final version. This snippet is protected by copyright, and is not to be copied, recopied, shared, or transmitted in any way.
Heart of the Wolf, an e-novella available in