It’s 4th of July weekend in the U.S., aka Independence Day. This picture is taken off the Malibu coast, not far from Raphael’s estate. Pretty. But, of course, summer means the height of fire season here in the West. We had two fires going in or near my canyon this week, and they kept shutting down the only road in or out. I just squeaked by getting through to get home when they opened the road to residents with ID. But when I posted on my neighborhood board five minutes later, the road was closed again. It’s frustrating, but we understand and appreciate the hard work and danger our firefighters face. Safety first for them, because they’re on the front lines. I’m happy to say that so far they have a handle on it. No structures in danger, no current live flames, but they’re still working to contain the fire’s perimeter.
I’m working hard, still all Vampires all the time. I can confirm that Cyn & Raphael’s next e-novella (due to release in November) will be called RELENTLESS. I’m not announcing the name of the next Vampires in America novel yet, because I’m going back and forth between two names. It’s like 70/30 right now between the two, but I want to be absolutely sure. As I write, I’m testing the names in my head. I’m nearly there.
There was a great new review of my EPIC award-winning CHRISTIAN this week at ON TOP DOWN UNDER, saying, “Christian successfully heralds, in book #10 in the Vampires in America series, a series that is still going strong.”
KATO and I shared the Sunday Spotlight at BOOK BINGE this week. And there’s a giveaway, so stop by and check us out!
There’s a contest going on over at Fresh Fiction this month, too. Another chance to win KATO. So check it out!
Enjoy the fireworks, and I’ll see you next week!
xoxo
DBR
First, who’d have thought there would be so many people at the Grammy’s who can’t keep a beat? They flash to the audience and it’s embarrassing! Yeesh. But there were good people, too. Everyone’s talking about Beyonce, but I love Gary Clark Jr.’s guitar. If you missed it, you can 
KATO is mostly written, which means it’s Epilogue time! And you know what THAT means … a peek ahead at GABRIEL, Stone Warriors Book 3. Now, the picture above is obviously NOT Gabriel. He’s a tad bigger and a lot wilder. My Gabriel is a berserker, a warrior who loses himself in battle. He also has a secret that will force Nick to call on his old nemesis Raphael for help. Yep, GABRIEL will be a crossover book with my Vampires, with our favorite Western Vampire Lord playing a pivotal role in Gabriel’s life. As for the young lady above . . . she could easily be Gabriel’s heroine, who will break his curse and change his life.
And finally … was that a great game or what? Of course, I was rooting for Patriots, so that helps my enthusiasm level. But, I have to say that when they were 25 points down at the half, I thought it was over. What a comeback! Sorry, Atlanta fans.
Lucifer’s bookmarks and stickers are here! I’ve been holding up all of the requests for bookmarks, so if you’ve been waiting, all of the requests will go out this week. Better late than never, right? Things are a bit hectic in my life right now, but I finally got around to ordering these, and they look great. Lucifer is so pretty. I just love looking at him! 
I get questions … a reader wrote last week asking when the next Raphael & Cyn story would be coming. Well, this is how my schedule goes … once I finish KATO (which should release in late Spring/early Summer of this year – yay!) I’ll be going back to finish SHIFTER PLANET 2 (also yay!) Then comes the 5th Raphael & Cyn e-novella, which will take my Vampires to Europe. If you’ve read LUCIFER, then you know that Raphael and the other lords have decided to take the war to the Europeans, rather than wait for the next invader. Novella #5 will see Raphael and Cyn playing their part, and then Vampires in America Book 12 (!!!) will be the first full-length novel of the new, European, story arc. A whole new continent for my vampires to play on! So, that’s my writing schedule for this year. Seems like a lot. I should probably get started.
And then this happened. We’ve had a lot of rain here lately. This week was almost non-stop, though yesterday was beautiful. Cold, but no rain, with a wild surf that had waves crashing into each other, throwing white water fifteen feet high, and with this weird cloud formation over the cliff (and no, that isn’t my truck.) It was a very conducive setting for writing, and for walking … all bundled up, of course.
Heart of the Wolf, an e-novella available in