Let the Stomach Churning Begin: Revealiing #Vibrizzio @SwoonRomance

Today's the day the cover for VIBRIZZIO gets plastered all over the book bloggerverse! If you haven't bumped up against it yet, you can see it at Will Read for Feels. Or A British Bookworm's Blog, Collector of Book Boyfriends, The Phantom Paragrapher, BookSkater, Carol Oates, The Book Addict,  etc. etc. etc. Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for organizing such a smashing event!

I'd love it if you'd come back here to let me know what you think of the cover.

The blurb is posted along with the cover, but at my place I'd like to give you just a smidgen more. Below is a teensy excerpt from a conversation between our leading lady & her BFF.  It's the gist of the story in few words:

“Just because he’s a guy doesn’t mean he and I can’t be just friends.”

“And just because you don’t have to insert batteries into him doesn’t mean you can’t be more."

VIBRIZZIO has it's first review! The lovely Jennifer Lane, author of chart-topper BLOCKED, a NA sports/political romance, was my valuable crit partner on this story. She's the partner that keeps on giving and took the time to write out a wonderful review. Thanks, Jen!

Add VIBRIZZIO to your to-read list at Goodreads

Something Wicked is Here! Congrats @CarolOates

It's heeeere, Something Wicked by Carol Oates.

Now available

Kindle * Nook * Trade paperback

For the enticing blurb & author bio,
please visit my cover reveal post.

Carol took time during her busy release week activities to stop by and answer one simple question:

If you had to choose one song that best captures the essence of SOMETHING WICKED, what would it be and why?

There were quite a few songs on an eclectic playlist when I started writing this. It’s difficult to pick just one.

For writing the 19th century scenes, I preferred something with a classical feel. I love Divenire by Ludovico Einaudi and listened to it while writing an early scene, which was particularly horrific for the main character. It was the scene where Henry goes through the final moments of his transition to a vampire. He doesn’t realize the extent of what has happened to him and is, in fact, filled with a sort of hope that he’s still alive and will see his family and his precious sister once more. This hope is cut short, followed swiftly by devastation and the corruption of his humanity when Henry takes his first taste of blood. The title is ‘To Become’.

A couple of times, Henry reflects on his nature as being somewhat stagnant, he talks about patience and habit as though he is stuck, which in his mind he is. He doesn’t see that the opposite is true and he is always in a state of evolution and on his way to becoming something other than what he is at any given time. As soon as one part of his journey completes, another begins. So, I think ‘To Become’ is very apt.

When I listen to a musical score in a movie and it is telling me how to feel through every second of imagery, I get frustrated sometimes. I like the idea of beautiful music and horror so my ears aren’t telling my brain I should be scared. I like the idea of being softly lulled with a rising dramatic score and feeling it in my heart rather than my ears.

When not writing, Carol can be found exploring history, old buildings, castles, and tombs.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

Amazon.com * Amazon.uk * Simon and Schuster 

Insecure Writer's Support Group: January 2015

Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to the first 2015 meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, founded by the one and clonely Alex J. Cavannaugh. (If you haven't joined the club yet and are interested in learning more, click on either of the links in the preceding sentence.)

JUST read the memo about the brief introduction, so here it is: I live in the Chicago 'burbs w/ one husband, one bunny, one teenaged son, and a daughter who also lives across the state border at university. I work in digital and print marketing for a local retail icon so I get to do lots of writing at my day job. I realize now that I've written fiction in my head my whole life but I didn't start putting my stories into words until the summer after I turned 40. I'm so happy I didn't wait any longer.

I burrowed pretty snuggly into the Land of Offline the past several weeks, so I'm excited to bop about today to see what's up with all of you. My insecurities are the same ol' same ol' for January---a year's worth of new goals and concern that I won't be able to do it all. I've learned by now that setting a schedule & sticking to it is key, so that's what I'll do...and when I trip over inevitable obstacles, you'll get to hear all about it at future IWSG meetings, hehe.

The first super exciting thing that'll happen for me this year is the January, 23 cover reveal for my upcoming chick-lit romance VIBRIZZIO, If you'd like to post the cover on the 23rd (and get a slightly early peek at the goods), please sign up at Xpresso Book Tours.

Lyssa Bates doesn't need a man. Not when the world is fully stocked with double A batteries and a wide array of options in Amazon's health and sexual wellness category. Coming April 21, 2015 from Swoon Romance.

Yesterday I revealed the wicked awesome cover of SOMETHING WICKED by Carol Oates. Take a scroll down to see it. :)

Something Wicked...wait for it...Awesome! @CarolOates

I'm taking part in the cover reveal of SOMETHING WICKED by Carol Oates.

I think you're gonna like it...

New Adult

Historical/Contemporary Supernatural

Releasing January 20, 2015
from Omnific Publishing 

Hooray!!! Carol is a wonderful writer and I love it when she goes dark, so I'm really looking forward to this one. Here are some more deets:

Infected by the vampire virus on the streets of Dublin in 1886, the search for a cure brought Henry Clayton to London and to the brink of madness. Salvation and friendship arrived in the form of Dougal, an immortal Highlander with a devilish sense of humor and a love of life.

Amidst turmoil in vampire society, Henry returns to modern day Dublin. The Circle, a cult determined to awaken their Celtic blood god, the first vampire, is once again active.

When Henry meets a young American woman who sees past his human pretense, he fears exposure. However, his fear is overshadowed by curiosity. What is the source of the strange energy between them? Why are vampires stalking her? Determined to find answers, Henry takes Ari into his home and under his protection.

As their connection grows, Henry begins to suspect Ari isn't what she claims to be. Their shared history may hold the answers to his uncontrollable bouts of rage and thirst. Perhaps, even a cure for his wicked blood.

Add it at Goodreads 

About the Author 

Carol Oates came into the world on Christmas morning, in an elevator. Raised just across the street from the childhood home of Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, it was only a matter of time before Carol’s love of all things supernatural would emerge. 

She began experimenting with fiction at school and keeps the notebook containing her first unpublished novel in her desk drawer. Over three decades later, all her stories still begin life scrawled on paper. 

When not writing, Carol can be found exploring history, old buildings, castles, and tombs. 

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