October has inspired me

I have been SO ridiculously busy this month, and the second week isn't even finished yet. LOL I've been cleaning, gardening, even walking my dog extra. But most of all, I've been writing like crazy. I think it's the change in the air. Living in Florida is truly miserable until late September - mid March. Sometimes the heat is too much even in March.

Today is another of those fabulous days and I'm eager to share what I've been working on. Everyone is trying to save money, myself included. So, I wanted to do something to help my readers save money AND still be able to pay my bills.

I decided to put together a few boxed sets of some of my most popular books.

First, I put together the Lilith Mercury, Werewolf Hunter Collection. This is a collection of the first three books in the Lilith Mercury, Werewolf Hunter series, along with a clickable table of contents. This series focuses on the life of Lilith Mercury, a werewolf Hunter who is also half werewolf. Did I mention there are several sexy men in her life? This story has graphic violence, and graphic sex. It also has a new take on the origins of werewolves and vampires. There are many ups and downs in Lilith's life and much more to come.

I wanted to give readers a significant savings, and still give them a reason to check out my Lilith Mercury series. (This collection is 248,567 words in length, if you were wondering.) At its introductory price readers will save $4.98. That's enough to buy more books! Ha. Ha.

Purchase your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FP85QUG

Next, I started working on something even more wickedly fun, the Eternally Yours Vampire Menage Collection (3 Books). I wanted to put together something entertaining/sexy for readers, as well as something that would save them money. This three book collection is 2,49, 754 words of content. Normally, that much story would cost nearly $13. At its introductory price, that is a savings of $12.98! And did I mention there are lots of sexy vampires?

This collection includes my best selling full-length novels Bitten, Necromancer, and Diary of an Incubus. All for the starting price of .99 cents.

Purchase your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ5TSFC

As you can see, I'm all fired up about October. LOL I sincerely hope everyone enjoys these stories, and the money they save. Now, I'm off to hang more ghosts in my trees. Yay for cooler temperatures and lower humidity!

What exactly do I write?

Answering this question might be harder than you think. Sure, I know my genre and categories in bookstores. However, there are still lots of people who have never heard of Erotic Paranormal Romance. Not to mention they are thrown for a loop by the word "erotic."

So many people hear "erotic" and think "porn" or "filth." While that is certainly out there, I don't write straight up filth. When asked in person about the content of my books, I'll tell people something along the lines of, "They have graphic violence, language, and sexual content." No one bats an eye at the graphic violence or language, but nearly everyone says something like, "So, it's just a dirty book?"

I cannot express enough how much I would like to slap these people. Scratch that. I'd like to Superman punch them in the face. Ha. Ha. I would also like to add at this time, that the people I encounter online are so much more accepting and intelligent than those I generally run into in person. I only have these bizarre confrontations in my small, Southern hometown and the surrounding area. 

Now, there are plenty of people online who think "erotic" means "porn." But mostly if they are talking to me, they've figured out the difference. 

I've even tried explaining to folks, "It's like watching anything on HBO. My books have the same type of content. There is violence, graphic language, sex, and A PLOT. The story doesn't take a back seat to any of the other elements. I couldn't possibly write about nothing but sex. There has to be a reason for it, for everything." 

Still, I get those blank looks. Or I get questions like, "Why include it at all?"

"Because in real life, there is violence. People speak (especially in private) however they wish to speak. Oh, and REAL PEOPLE DO HAVE SEX. Just because my stories have fantastical elements, doesn't mean I don't strive to give them a touch of reality."

That's normally the point in the conversation where someone says if there are vampires, wizards, or werewolves, the story can't be realistic. Honestly? Did they miss Harry Potter?

Anyway, this has obviously turned into a rant. LOL

What exactly do I write? One of my readers summed it up best. She said, "If Quentin Tarantino did romance, this is what it would look like."

That's probably one of the most awesome things anyone has ever said about my books. Not all of them are violent enough to qualify, but that's still a great explanation. 

Constant Cravings was on Bloomberg!

Okay, so it was only for a few seconds. LOL But still, how cool is that? I was catching up on emails this morning when I started looking through the digest from the Ellora's Cave author group. Someone posted a link to an interview with the company's CEO, Patty Marks. Okay, that's worth watching, I thought. So, I clicked the link.

Not only was it worth watching as a fabulous piece of industry news, it was seriously GREAT press for Ellora's Cave. And seeing my book in the background was an added bonus.

So, without further rambling, here's the link to the article.

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/90712733/

They show my new release Constant Cravings TWICE in the background! The picture is small, but it's there! LOL

Some people may not get how much I'm excited about this. But, to have my book flashed briefly in the background in an interview where J.K. Rowling is mentioned AND Ellora's Cave, AND erotic romance are discussed, I am THRILLED.

Still loving October:)

I'm back at work on a book called Shaman's Touch. Doesn't that just sound hot? Well, so far I believe it is. I'm about halfway finished with this work in progress (after a few weeks of a much needed brain break).

I've also started back with one of my great loves, kickboxing. I'm doing what I call a hybrid kickboxing/dancing fitness program called Turbo Fire. I'm in my 4th week and I have visible results. VISIBLE RESULTS. Ahem. Just in case you didn't hear me in the back row. lol I'm very excited.

October is always a busy month for me, but that's by choice. I love to decorate for fall and of course I LOVE Halloween. I've got ghosts hanging from the trees (and a few inside my house) and my pumpkin garden is looking GREAT. This is the first time I've grown pumpkins since I was about 8 years old. And back then my dad did all the work. Ha. Ha.

Now he scans the field and says, "Your pumpkins are looking good." I'm doing all the work and borrowing his field. :)

I've got a new short story coming soon with Ellora's Cave called Touch of an Incubus. It's sexy and short enough to read on a lunch break. It would seem by my titles that I'm very much wanting to touch things this month. HAHAHAHA

Oh, and before I forget, I wanted to thank everyone for the recent spike in sales on Fictionwise. Several of my books that have been out for a while made it back into the top 30 for NCP! Bitten made it into the top 20! Thank you so much to my readers:) And thanks to God for helping new people to find me!

Here's a listing of all my books at Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a30989/Tracey-H-Kitts/?

And I'm rambling. That concludes the update on me:)

Eden is out and it's dedicated to all of you

This book is dedicated to my readers. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading my work and for encouraging me to continue doing what I love.

Catrina’s world is turned upside down the moment she agrees to Viktor’s plan. Who even knew that Abraham Van Helsing had a younger brother? Not only that, but a brother who was turned by the King of Vampires and who held such obvious power. Now she must deal with the consequences of her actions and an attraction she can no longer deny.

Rating: Spicy/Carnal.

Purchase a copy of Eden: http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/eden.htm

To find out more about me, along with my other books please visit http://www.traceyhkitts.com/

We have lift off!

Here are the projected release dates for my upcoming books

Ebook Releases

Original Sin - Book Four in the Lilith Mercury: Werewolf Hunter Series - December 08

Bitten - February 09

Eden - April 09


Print Releases

Object of My Affection - Book Two, Werewolf Hunter Series - January 09

The Dread Moon - Book Three, Werewolf Hunter Series - March 09

Sapphire Phelan - Featured Author

Thanks to Tracey Kitts for letting me blog here today.

Today I like to talk about writing urban fantasies, both with romance and without. I wrote one, Being Familiar with a Witch that I submitted to Phaze, that hopefully will be out in 2009.. It is set in a city, and has paranormal elements in it, like a witch, and also demons, in particular, a demonic hero.

Urban fantasies have become popular, not just with fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror, but also with those who read romance. They are a sublet of contemporary fantasy, with a sprinkle of urban grittiness. The modern urban fantasy protagonist will face extraordinary circumstances as the plots unfold in where magic or paranormal events are commonly accepted to exist or where magical powers or creatures are concealed. Urban fantasy takes a metaphorical idea of many conflicting elements that is a city and weaves it into a literary framework with typically one central conflict. It is rock and roll, where fantasy is classical music and dark fantasy is Goth. It is more than battles between the world of Faerie and humans in a fantastical world, this time the battles are dropped into the mean streets of places like Chicago, London, New York, L.A., and San Diego. You name a city, and you might find fairies and werewolves hiding out in supermarkets and the clothing department at Wal-Mart’s. The heroine or hero can be a kick-ass type, or an ordinary woman or man.

Modern urban fantasy can be traced as far back as the 1920s (particularly in the field of children's fiction), it was in the 1980s that the term became widely used among adult fantasy writers and readers--and that the form grew in popularity to become a sub-genre of its own.

Pioneers of this genre were:

Charles de Lint—Moonheart and the Newford series, plus other books of his.
Emma Bull—War for the Oaks
John Crowley—Little, Big
Megan Lindholm a.k.a. Robin Hobb—Wizard of the Pigeons

Jonathan Carroll—The Land of Laughs

Matt Ruff—Fool on the Hill
Terri Windling in her role as editor of the Ace Books fantasy line and as creator of the Borderlands series.

Since then, others to enter this field range from Laura K. Hamilton to China Mieville to Neil Gaiman to Jim Butcher to Kelley Armstrong to Jeri Smith-Ready and many more. Television and Films too have entered the urban fantasy field with Beauty and Beast (I watched this one faithfully back in the ‘80s) Dresden Files, Blood Ties, Moonlight, The Crow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Big Trouble in Little China, Supernatural, Neverwhere, and more every day.

So now with summer upon us and the beach beckoning, or even your own back yard or air conditioned house/apartment, why not check out some urban fantasy from your local library. Or buy some from a bookstore in town, or download from an e-publisher or Fictionwise or Amazon?

Beware though, the next time you head downtown and walk the mean streets of the city to your favorite bar. There just might be a vampire or a ghost or even an ogre hidden in that dark alley you have to pass. Maybe even a vortex. Just be prepared for adventure.

Sapphire Phelan is an author of erotic and sweet paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction romance. She also writes as Pamela K. Kinney, for horror, fantasy, science fiction, and a nonfiction ghost book, Haunted Richmond, Virginia. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two cats, Ripley and Baste. You can find out more about her and what she has or will be coming out at her website: http://fantasticdreams.50megs.com/

Check out her MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/SapphirePhelan,
her blog at http://sapphirephelanspassioncorner.blogspot.com/,
and subscribe to her newsletter at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SapphirePhelansParanormalNewsletter .

She admits she can always be found at her desk and on her computer, writing. And yes, the house and husband sometimes suffers for it!

Sapphire Phelan's Backlist

"Jack"-Sinister Tales Magazine, Issue #1
“Wedded Magic”—LoveYouDivine: http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=22_28&products_id=16

"Soul Seduction" in Forbidden Love: Bad Boys--Under the Moon: http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Love-Bad-Boys/dp/1934153141/sr=1-1/qid=1169420587/ref=sr_1_1/103-4820911-4322244?ie=UTF8&s=books

"Being a Predator is a Bitch" in Forbidden Love: Wicked Women-Under the Moon: http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Women-Forbidden-Love-2/dp/1934153370/ref=sr_1_1/103-0687312-5804636?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179883563&sr=1-1

"To Save the Day"—Amazon Shorts: http://www.amazon.com/To-Save-the-Day/dp/B000R7GA50/ref=sr_1_4/103-0687312-5804636?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180489026&sr=1-4

"Costumed Scare" and "Full Moon Lover" (Poems) in Phaze in Verse—Phaze: http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=Phaze+in+Verse+by+Phaze+Authors

"The Dark Man" (m/m) in Forbidden Love: Sacred Bands-Under the Moon: http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Love-Issue-Sacred-Bands/dp/1934153222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197296147&sr=1-1

Beast Magic-Phaze: http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=Beast+Magic+by+Sapphire+Phelan

"Old Friends" in December 2007 PDF issue of Cobblestone Press Quarterly: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/cpq.htm

"Shadow Lover" in the charity anthology, Coming Together: Under Fire—Phaze: http://www.kingcart.com/Phaze/product=Coming+Together+Under+Fire+by+Alessia+Brio+and+Will+Belegon,+eds
Crimson Promise—Phaze: http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=Crimson+Promise+by+Sapphire+Phelan

“To Teach an Ancient God”—free read from Romance All eBooks : http://allromanceebooks.com/product-toteachanancientgod-8477-180.html