Progeny of Sin: Dark Dreams Excerpt #1

This scene is from the introductory first chapter where we meet Jade in her bookstore and she sees Nias for the first time ...

* * *

A gust of hot air blew up from the floor behind her. It seemed to come from nowhere. Jade inhaled as the fragrance of dark sandalwood and a dirty masculinity wafted into her nostrils. Her eyes closed and as she breathed in, her mind was abruptly flooded with the image of all the sex she wasn’t having.

Matt’s lowered voice invaded the darkness of her shut eyelids. “Oh, my Lord, no, I am not looking at you, not anymore, now I’m watching that!” She opened her eyes and saw the look in Matt’s eyes glaze over slightly as he motioned to something, or someone, behind her that had now consumed his attentions.

“Do not turn around quickly, but girl, turn the hell around. Slowly, I said, do not startle it and make it run away,” Matt hissed as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“What are you talking about now? Is there some kind of animal in my shop?” Jade turned and not twenty feet away, he stood.

Legs crossed, a gorgeous man leaned against a bookshelf, his cocked head resting against it in a lazy pose. A long stream of dark, almost black, hair fell below his extremely well-built shoulders, contrasting with the lighter red of the cherry wood. This man was making no attempt to hide the fact he was staring right at her, assessing her. She felt some disdain for his audacity, but honestly his stare caused her to catch her breath, and then consciously begin breathing again. Rather than turn away, she stole another peek. Jade’s eyes met his and they seemed to grab and pull her in. His eyes contained darkness, but she saw that they were actually an intense gold laced by black lashes. As she trailed down his body, large muscled arms exploded out of the sleeves of his black t-shirt.

His emotion came upon her unbidden and she felt a sudden wave of lust crash over her. She unintentionally released a breathy sigh and clenched her teeth as the pure animal nature of him surrounded her in an all-encompassing cloud of arousal. Between this force and her body stood only a flimsy white tank and it apparently was going to provide her no protection. Her breasts and nipples tightened and became overly sensitive to even the slightest movements she made. The lower regions of her body went moist and warm and she crossed her legs; the clenching, however, made the feeling even stronger.

“Holy cow,” fell softly out of her mouth.

And Matt concurred, “Yes, ho-oly cow, girl.” Her mouth had apparently remained open because, keeping his gaze stuck on the tall hunk of man before them, Matt put his hand under her chin and popped it closed.

Trying to shake off the lusty arousal, she turned and tried to take on the look of the professional establishment owner she was, and took a tentative step in his direction.

Of course, that didn’t work out; instead she tripped on the edge of the Turkish rug beneath her, twisting her foot and breaking the heel off her favorite Jimmy Choo knee-high boots.

“Damn it,” she said under her breath, “I saved for months to buy those.” As she bent down to pick up the broken heel, she tried to take a step backward and stabilize her still sexually stunned body against the wooden counter.

Naturally, being that she was Jade, her hand landed at the base of a stack of returned books, sending them and herself tumbling to the floor. She was now red-cheeked, with hair strewn across her face and in her mouth, on her hands and knees. She lifted her head to wait for the typical Matt-like wisecrack, which surprisingly never came.

Chance and Opportunity: How Collaboration Happens

Leading up to the August 20 release of Progeny of Sin: Dark Dreams, Dawn and I reminisce about how our collaboration got started ...

Aaron

For me, Dark Dreams started a little over four years ago.  It’s hard to believe it’s been that long! But the story started a while before that.

Dawn and I first “met” as part of an online roleplay writing group.  Such are the wonders of the virtual world.  Although we rarely had occasion to write together directly, I was always impressed with the humor and sensuality Dawn wrote into her character.

Early in 2011, Dawn approached me with a manuscript she had been working on, the first in a series she had called “Children of Sheol”.  She needed an editor, and thought to come to me for assistance.  Now, I’d never edited anything, although I did have a deal to get a short story published with another writing partner.  So after literally warning her of my lack of experience, I got to work.

I immediately enjoyed the read!  It was obvious this was a labor of love for her, and I committed myself to doing the best job I possibly could to help her make her dream of becoming published a reality.

We talked, exchanged edits and ideas, and then amazingly, I was asked to come onboard the project as a co-author.   The first submittal we made was into the Harlequin “So You Think You Can Write” competition, where we submitted the first chapter and it was voted on by readers. Although we didn’t quite make it into the final round (we were close), Harlequin still wanted to see the full manuscript.  They eventually passed on it, but the experience was invaluable.

Then we discovered that HarperCollins was starting a new imprint called HarperImpulse, a digital-first imprint that was looking for new submissions and seemed like a good fit for Dark Dreams. We bit the bullet and went for it, and our lovely editor Charlotte Ledger decided to give us a chance!  She suggested a change to the series name which we took to heart, and Children of Sheol became Progeny of Sin.

Make no mistake about it, Progeny of Sin is Dawn’s story.  I will be forever honored that she came to me to help her bring it to life.  It’s not like she had a shortage of great writers to choose from.  I consider myself very lucky to be a part of it.  It has been an amazing ride that hopefully has only just begun!

Dawn and Aaron finally meet in San Diego, months after
completing the Progeny of Sin: Dark Dreams manuscript

Dawn

I began the process of writing Dark Dreams as a solo writer.  I was going through a time in my life when I was seeking an escape.  After reading 38 novels in eight months, I closed the last book and decided it was time for me to set out on my own adventure.

Two of the heavy influences for Dark Dreams were Dante Alighieri’s Inferno and Paradise Lost by John Milton.  As a lover of everything dark, creepy, sexy and intriguing my mind began to do two things.  Fall in love with the power and intelligence of Milton’s Satan and all his demonic underlings; and wonder what it would be like to follow a “good” version of this character through Alighieri’s layers of Hell.

Let me stop here and explain that my comprehension and patience for endless poetry written in a way I can barely understand only went so far.  I suppose in some ways this is a good thing, my remedial grasp of the literature allowed me the creative freedom to take the basic concepts and twist them into that sweet spot where love and romance intertwine with the darkness in my head.

So, how does any of this relate to being a partner in a writing duo?  Well, I wrote my vision, I created what I think is the perfect man, tall, dark, demonic, slightly controlling and sexy as Hell but deep down you know that this being would rescue a kitten from a house fire.  When I finished my journey was 86,000 words…and a total catastrophe.

This is when I found Aaron.  Aaron’s role-play character was the boyfriend of my sister; hilarious I know, role-play can be so much fun.  I started reading everything Aaron wrote.  I was pulled into his character because of the detail with which he thought out his scenes and the organizational skills he had as a writer and a group leader.  I tried for a year to edit Dark Dreams.  It was not in me.  This piece needed another person, someone who had skills I did not possess.  It needed Aaron.

I asked Aaron to take a look at Dark Dreams as an editor at first, and quickly realized that he could add to it and give it a shape it just didn’t have.  I asked him to join me as a partner and he went through it once, twice, three times, I lost count.  He is now a piece of this work.  We go back and forth with ideas and usually agree about the direction the story should take.  

HarperImpulse not only will soon release Dark Dreams but has also purchased its sequel tentatively titled, Dark Fate.  Aaron and I are excitedly working on this piece now.  It will include the same delicious daemons you will fall in love and lust with, during the first novel, and a whole new dark escape to fall into.  Until then…

Progeny of Sin: Dark Dreams will be released on August 20 and is now available for pre-order!

Pre-order links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Devil wants his due … The Daemon wants his out … and Jade just wants it all to be over. You don't always get what you want.

Jade Shear is an ordinary girl with an extraordinary ability that’s literally about to send her to Hell. When Daemons discover Jade’s power to read and manipulate others true feelings, they force her to assist with the rescue of their sibling; thrusting her from her everyday normality deep into the Underworld with the tall, dark and deliciously demonic Nias Hu’dor assigned as her guide.

All Nias wants is to live out his life without being involved with anyone else. No more emotion, no more connections, especially to pain in the ass humans. But when he sees Jade twisting a long curl of her wild red hair, and showing off the most amazing backside he’s ever been privy to; Nias just knew he was staring at a world of trouble. How could his family have enlisted him to obtain this girls help to traverse Sheol?

This dark paranormal romance takes you from Jade’s everyday existence into the world of the Djinn Sentry; an army of demonic solders determined to protect the human race; and then plummets you straight down into the seething malevolent Underworld where a multi-levelled caste system of Shaitan and the Devil himself welcome you.

Dark Dreams Cover and Release Date!

I know I have not been here in a while, and I am sorry for that ... but it's time for some big news.  After many months, Progeny of Sin: Dark Dreams by Dawn Treadway and Aaron Speca is finally ready for release!  Here are the cover, synopsis, and links.  We will be posting more news up to the release date of August 20, 2015!

The Devil wants his due … The Daemon wants his out … and Jade just wants it all to be over. You don't always get what you want.

Jade Shear is an ordinary girl with an extraordinary ability that’s literally about to send her to Hell. When Daemons discover Jade’s power to read and manipulate others true feelings, they force her to assist with the rescue of their sibling; thrusting her from her everyday normality deep into the Underworld with the tall, dark and deliciously demonic Nias Hu’dor assigned as her guide.

All Nias wants is to live out his life without being involved with anyone else. No more emotion, no more connections, especially to pain in the ass humans. But when he sees Jade twisting a long curl of her wild red hair, and showing off the most amazing backside he’s ever been privy to; Nias just knew he was staring at a world of trouble. How could his family have enlisted him to obtain this girls help to traverse Sheol?

This dark paranormal romance takes you from Jade’s everyday existence into the world of the Djinn Sentry; an army of demonic solders determined to protect the human race; and then plummets you straight down into the seething malevolent Underworld where a multi-levelled caste system of Shaitan and the Devil himself welcome you.

Pre-order links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Story Bundles - A New Way to Shop

I'm helping out my fellow writer Nic Tatano with a new effort he's trying out - The Story Bundle!  What if ten stories in a particular genre were packaged up for you to try?  And then, you could pay whatever you think they are worth?  That's the somewhat radical concept behind the Story Bundle.

Nic can explain it better than I, which is why you should head over to his blog to check out the details.  Plus you can register to win a $100 Kindle gift card ... sounds like a win-win to me!

Nic is also the author of the Jillian Spectre series ... you can check them out here ...

Book #1

Book #2

Nic has been on the blog before!  Check out his interview from last year here.

Finding Fiction Friday - Lorraine Wilson

Today I am very happy to have Lorraine Wilson on the blog, fresh off her new release! Lorraine, please introduce yourself ...

I live in Wiltshire, England, with my husband but love to travel and have lived in four continents. From playing amidst Roman ruins in Africa as a child to riding a Sultan's racehorse in the Middle East as a teen, I’ve many experiences to draw on for the stories I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. When I’m not writing you'll find me listening to audiobooks while I sew or design handbags, usually with a rescue terrier or two curled up on my feet!

Lorraine, when did you first think about writing for publication?

I wrote a book that tackled the subject of bullying when I was fifteen and definitely thought about publication but didn't have the confidence to submit anything to a publisher until I was in my thirties.  

Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.

I once touched a hippogriff! I used to work at one of the Inns of Court in London and the Prisoner of Azkaban launch party was held there. The Tudor hall was turned into Hogwarts with 'floating' candles suspended from the ceiling and the shops from Hogsmeade. All the props were kept on the floor I was working on and I couldn't resist having a root through!

So you have a lot of news this month, your short story “Chalet Girl Plays Cupid” was released last week, and the fourth novella in the associated Chalet Girl series, “Rebellion of a Chalet Girl”, comes out March 26^th.  Congratulations!  Tell us a bit about the series and the inspiration behind it.

I spend a lot of time in Switzerland and absolutely love it. The mountain landscape is a perfect dramatic backdrop and it's the perfect setting for romantic stories- it has snow, hot tubs, luxury and roaring log fires. Even if you don't like skiing there's still the après ski to soak up. My stories are meant to be fun and little bit escapist but I like to tackle more serious subjects in the stories too. I write about the kind of emotional baggage a lot of people carry around with them but rarely talk about.

Readers can try the series for free with 'Chalet Girl Plays Cupid' -  http://hyperurl.co/chaletgirl1

Are you planning future installments or do you have something else in mind?

Ah, now that would be telling! There is one more novella planned but there are also some longer projects in the pipeline that I'm super excited about :-)

If there is one character that you’ve written or are writing that you would really like people to meet, who would it be and why?

I think most people would like to meet Sophie. In fact I'd quite like to visit Bar des Amis myself and hang out there with Sophie, Luc and their scruffy rescue terrier Max!

What about the book industry in general has most surprised you?

The amount of work there is to do after you write the book! I suppose I assumed you sent your book off and then got on with the next one. The amount of time needed to spend marketing and on social media was a bit of a shock, although there are aspects of it that I love, like chatting to readers.

Is there someone you can point to as being your biggest encouragement in moving forward with writing?

My English teacher told me when I was thirteen years old that I had the talent to be a writer. She planted the seed in me that I might be good enough and I'm very grateful to her for that.

Then I suffered a brain injury five years ago and was told by my neurosurgeon I'd never be able to write a book. I almost gave up but my support worker, a speech and language therapist, refused to let me and taught me to use speech to text software.

What do you do to get fired up to write?  Do you have a ritual or a particular inspiration?

Tea and chocolate. I'm very English!

Is there a particular genre other than contemporary romance that you might like to try someday?

I'd love to write historical fiction. I read history at Oxford University and do have several novel ideas but I know they'll take a lot of research that I'm probably not up to, health wise, just yet.

What other things do you have bouncing around in your head for the future?

Again, that would be telling ;-)

To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!

1. What is your favorite word? Mutt.
2. What is your least favorite word? Pain.
3. What turns you on? My imagination!
4. What turns you off? Feeling ill.
5. What sound or noise do you love? A running stream.
6. What sound or noise do you hate? Traffic.
7. What is your favorite curse word? Hell.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Seamstress/Dress designer.
9. What profession would you not like to do? Shelf stacker.
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Lovely to see you!
11. What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? What do you want people to get from your books? I hope readers will get enjoyment, entertainment and a bit of escapism from my stories. Also I'd like to think that by tackling real life problems in a realistic but hopeful way I might be able to help someone dealing with the same issues.

Lorraine, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your books?

You can find out more about the Chalet Girl series and any new releases via my Facebook author page.

You'll find buy links for my books on my Harper Impulse author page.

Or on my Amazon author page. 

You'll also find me on Twitter.

To celebrate having two releases this month I’m running a special competition. Enter for a chance to win a Lorraine Wilson Design Shoulder Bag made with novelty magazine cover fabric, a Chalet Girl book bag complete with signed copies of all 4 Chalet Girl Paperbacks!

Enter here!!!!!

Finding Fiction Friday - Jen Winters

Jen Winters is an independent author, entering the world of self-publishing through digital media formats. Her first book, Kissing Demons, is a paranormal romance and available for Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

Jen is a mom, a wife, a homeschool teacher, supporter of indie authors and a lover of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and enjoy a diversion in to homeschooling on her other blog, The Slamdunk Homeschool.

Jen, when did you first think about writing for publication?

                                                                                          

Six years ago I found myself at a loss. I had an 8-month-old and my husband-at-the-time had left us to pursue a different life. I had zero marketable skills and a bachelor degree that was utterly useless. The only thing I had was a lot of people who encouraged me to publish some of my writing. So, I decided I wanted to try my hand at writing for a career and I put my pen to paper. That was March 2009.

Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.

I am so utterly normal, but I do homeschool my children and I think that surprises some people because we are so utterly normal. We don’t give off that homeschool vibe.

Your first novel, “Kissing Demons” was released this past December.  Tell us a bit about this book and the inspiration for it.

Kissing Demons is a paranormal romance that takes place mostly in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth area.  I had been reading Sherrilyn Kenyon’s dark-hunter series at the time and she very much influenced my writing. The Guardians are women who during their first life lost a child and are now in their second life protecting others from the same loss. I based my main character on Beatrice Marguerite de Geneve, and called her Geneva Archer. I think you’ll like her!

As this is the first book of the series, give us an idea of what we might see in future installments.

The second in the series is called Falling Angels and it is written from the perspective of a fallen angel named Ambrose. He is good to the core, but bitter about his fate, sarcastic, and temperamental. This novel will give the reader a chance to get to know Yuruch (the antagonist in Kissing Demons) better as well. Lavinia will get her respite and Ambrose will figure out what destiny and redemption really are.

The third is called Raising Hell, and it will be a story of redemption for Yuruch. I haven’t gotten far along it, yet, but I do know that there will be a bit of archeology involved. How’s that for a teaser?

What drew you to write in the paranormal romance genre?

I love PNR! I love the escape it provides, the hope for magic and romance, and I love the idea that love can come from the most unexpected place. My own story of love could be written into a PNR if I embellished the angelic interference a bit.

If there is one character you’ve written or are writing that you would really like people to meet, who would it be and why?

Joseph of Aramithea. People need more unconditional, enduring, undeserved love in their lives.

What made you decide on self-publishing versus traditional publishing?

James Patterson’s huge success as an independent novelist has been a great driving force for me. That and my mother who thought indie publishing would be good for me.

What about the book industry in general has most surprised you?

As an indie author I have found a huge support network with other indies. It has been amazing and I didn’t even know that we were such a tight-knit group before I published. I hadn’t read a single indie book and now I can say that I have read more indies this year than traditional. The support, reviews, help and friendship I have found has been amazing!

Is there someone you can point to as being your biggest encouragement in moving forward with writing?

My father has kept on me since I decided to write for publication until today saying, “Finish the book, Jen.” Love that man.

Is there a particular genre other than paranormal romance that you might like to try someday?

I am thinking about writing a New Adult novel with an old writing partner. We have other books we are finishing up right now, but as soon as we are in a good place, we are going to write together.

What other things do you have bouncing around in your head for the future?

This is a funny question. Everyday a new idea comes to me. I’ve been considering doing a BBW PNR for a while, and it is slowing making its way to the top. I even have a character name and setting: Mitchell (werewolf), Rosie (human), and Great Bend, NE.

To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!

1. What is your favorite word? flabbergasted
2. What is your least favorite word? C@nt
3. What turns you on? The smell of oil and gasoline on my hubby (he’s a mechanic).
4. What turns you off? Metro-sexuals are completely unappealing to me. Nothing personal to my metro-friends, and they know that.
5. What sound or noise do you love? My favorite is when one of my kids is playing pretend all by themselves.
6. What sound or noise do you hate? My son’s screech when he’s mad (working on that).
7. What is your favorite curse word? I don’t really have one, but I do let the bird fly when appropriate.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I think I might like to be a mortician. Macabre, I know, but…
9. What profession would you not like to do? Pest-control…ewww
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Well done.
11. What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? Were there moments that you found difficult to write? What were they?

Jen, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your books?

Follow me on Twitter

Like me on Facebook

Follow my Blog 

Find my book, Kissing Demons on Amazon

Used e-Books: Wave of the Future, or Legalized Piracy?

In 2012, on this blog, I examined the phenomenon of online e-book piracy in a five-part series.  In that series, I attempted to examine the reasons behind piracy, the impact that piracy could have on the publishing industry over time, and even tossed some ideas around about the way the industry might eventually change to make piracy less attractive to consumers.  That series can be found at the links below, and I think it’s a really good read for those who want to get educated on at least some of the issues surrounding this controversial topic.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

It’s nearly three years later, and the industry is ever-evolving.  Independently published (a.k.a. self-published) books are more common than ever.  E-books are beginning to outpace printed books.  The Amazon Lending Library has been developed and led to other e-book lending programs.  Subscription services for e-Books that operate similarly to Netflix have begun to spring up.

But there’s one article that caught my eye recently and made me want to visit the issue, and that is the possibility of the selling of used e-books.

There has always been a used book market.  In fact, there have been stores that have specialized in the selling of second-hand books.  I know when I was in college, one would actively seek out used textbooks (as long as the newest editions was not required).  They were cheaper – one expected that the books would have some wear and tear but was willing to accept that for the lower price.

It is now reported that a group is working with “one of the world’s largest booksellers” in order to start up a used e-book marketplace.  Presumably, this would be a place for sellers to load their digital books for resale once they are done with them.

So that brings us to the big question – would such a marketplace even be legal?  The legal question involves the “first-sale doctrine” which prevents copyright holders from stopping the sale, trade, or lending of legally acquired property.  This is what makes things like used bookstores and Gamestop’s used video game market possible.  It also is what legally allows an owner of a DVD to let their neighbor borrow it.

There are a couple of key premises that make the “first-sale doctrine” work.  First, it was established in the early 20^th century, at a time when the concern was the resale and lending of a physical good.  Physical goods, including books, sound recordings, and film, deteriorate over time.  Thus it is a given that the thing being resold or lent had lost some of its quality, thus some of its value.  This is a new time, and digital media has no such “shelf life”.  The file is the same quality whether it is the initial sale or it has changed hands dozens or even hundreds of times.

The second premise, and perhaps the hardest to enforce, is that upon resale or lending the product actually changes hands.  This means that the item should become unusable to the seller or lender.  (Actually, this is how Amazon lending works on the Kindle – when one user lends a book to another, it becomes unreadable by the lender until the borrower “returns” it.)  This is where things can get sketchy.  For example, one e-book resale site can only operate “on the honor” of the lenders, that they no longer have a copy of the e-book.

However, there’s a flaw in the system that could hurt the bookstore’s defense. One of the key provisions of the UsedSoft ruling was that, in order for the transaction to be legal, the seller must “make the copy downloaded onto his own computer unusable at the time of resale.” 

Tom Kabinet has no way of ensuring that this has happened, so it is easily possible for someone to both keep and sell the ebooks they’ve bought. The company can only run an honor system, asking people to confirm that they purchased the ebook legally and that they have deleted their own copy. - David Meyer, from an article on Gigaom.com

This is where the distinction MUST be made between transference of a product, and creating another copy of the product, because if this distinction is not made and enforceable, then what could result is a form of legalized piracy.  Think about it … as a consumer I might choose to buy a $0.99 used e-book instead of a $2.99 “new” version off of Amazon.  This might be alright if it is only the one copy that the seller owned that is being sold.  But what if that person is just putting up endless copies of the e-book while they retain a copy for themselves, and selling each one at $0.99 where only they (and perhaps the marketplace) see that money?

Personally, I am keeping an open mind about this to see how things turn out, but authors should be vigilant about these potential changes to the marketplace.

Authors, what are your thoughts on this potential used e-book effort?  And readers, how would you feel about a used e-book marketplace, or do you think the momentum is headed more towards subscription services?

Sources:

Digital Reader, “Secondhand Downloads: Are Used e-BooksComing?”

Bloomberg, “Secondhand Downloads: Will Used E-Books and Digital Games Be for Sale?”

GigaOm.com, “The right to resell ebooks — major case looms in the Netherlands”