BACK IN BLACK....AND RED

Okay, so just before I published Deadly Encounters, I changed all of the book covers because I didn't think my drawings were good enough...Books sales dropped dramatically after this. 

I wrote it off as seasonal budget stress, but recently changed Fatal Retribution's cover back to the drawing, just out of curiosity and the sales climbed back up again...so the drawings are back! Including a new Deadly Encounters cover, all in Red and Black.

4 BOOKS FOR .99 CENT

I'm always trying to reach more people with my books. I give them away for free all the time. I'm constantly contacting bloggers and asking for an honest review in exchange for a free book. Right now I'm running a promotion that blows my mind, so it better blow yours, too. LOL.

All 4 books are just .99 cents from the 5th till the 8ths....

(PARANORMAL WASHINGTON BOOK BUNDLE!) 

I completely forgot that I scheduled this until just now! So, I'm a day behind....Silly. That just speaks to how busy I am, what with the holidays and normal stress of life...oh, yeah, and I'm writing the 5th and final Paranormal Washington book! Due out next Fall, 2015.  So why not buy all 4 books now for just under a dollar?

Please follow me on Facebook!

Don't forget, All books need love, love in the form of REVIEWS! Please review Paranormal Washington if you have the time. ^_^

AN OLD QUERY LETTER

Digging through some old files on my USB, I found this old Query letter I sent out near 5 years ago. Back then Fatal Retribution was Into Darkness and Mortal Sentry was, The Hunted...I kind of still like the old titles and the old description...

Date: 1.21.2010
PMA Literary & Film Management, Inc
kelly@pmalitfirm.com
Dear Kelly Skillen,

In a world of gods and monsters a young witch will give up everything to bring a man once blessed by the god Apollo to justice…her brand of justice.
Raina’s life has never been easy, being a bastard and a mixed breed always makes things harder. But when a man starts selling a deadly disease on the street as a cure-all her life takes a turn in a dark direction. The disease this man is selling is highly contagious. It will cure you. Yes . But it will also kill you.

Raina finds herself and her brothers at the mercy of the disease, but strangely it only kills them. Her beloved brothers’ lives lay in ruin amongst those of countless others, and she can no longer trust Seattle PD to bring the man responsible to justice.

In the end it’s up to Raina and those who would fight at her side to slay an immortal of ancient legend gone mad. She can not save those he’s wronged, but she can avenge them, she can stop him. Even if doing so changes her forever. Her family will forsake her, strangers will praise her, and ruthless men will take her in as a kindred spirit.

If you are seeking dark paranormal fantasy look no further. Considering all that I’ve read of you and your agency, I believe you are exactly the agent I want to have representing me in selling my first novel, INTO DARKNESS. The novel is complete at 130,000 words and I am interested in your evaluation of its commercial potential and any constructive criticisms you might offer.

Into Darkness is the first book in a series, I’m half way through the second novel, working title, THE HUNTED, and I have story ideas for at least three more books. I can email the completed manuscript or a portion of it at your request.

Thank you for your precious time and your consideration. I eagerly await your response.

Kind Regards,
Diana Graves

  

Fatal Retribution's first cover. 

REVIEW> The Ghost at 1 Cheshill Lane

The Ghost at 1 Cheshill Lane by Marsha Gomes-Mckie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received this book from the Author in exchange for my honest review through the Goodreads group, Lovers of Paranormal (lop).

I rather enjoyed this story. A story about a Caribbean Island with two resident demons, and the people who got caught between their individual snares. But mostly it was about Theodore and Madgalene; a ghost of a man, cursed for 100 years, and a young woman who desperately needs to take control of her own life. For them love was a trap, a poison and ultimately the one thing that could save them both. I loved how the story flowed well, with strong writing and solid characters. I enjoyed the way the author brought out the individual characters and made them real. There were just a few typos, but they didn't distract from the journey. ^_^

View all my reviews

5 REVIEWS FOR GRAVE OMEN

 Grave Omen is the 3rd book in the Paranormal Washington series. I feel as though some readers lose interest in the series after reading the 3rd book. I desperately need fresh eyes to read the book and let me know what you think

The first 5 people who request a free copy of Grave Omen in exchange for a simple review can choose to have the book emailed to them as a PDF or Mobi file. 

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy18+
Length: 434 pages
Synopsis - Living in a world of myths and legends, of supernatural beasts and gods, Raina Kirkland has spent the last eight months searching for the vampire whose blood runs through her veins, but her search for her maker is halted when she receives a call from an old friend.
Large sums of people are being kidnapped at random, stripped naked, caged and set on fire! The Ethereal Investigation Department calls on Raina and other bounty hunters for assistance.

However, between the case, a wedding, family drama and her newly found medical condition, Raina can't see the storm approaching until she's in the eye of it.
That awkward moment when you realize someone is trying to kill you.

"When love is not madness, it is not love."

~Pedro Calderon de la Barca

The reviews should be posted to Goodreads within a month of delivery, and if you're just that awesome, Amazon as well.

Please leave your email address and preferred format in the comments below. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

So, November 17, 1983 at roughly 5:30pm my weird ass was brought into this world...head first. Yay (-_-) I'm 31 years old...blah.

I'll be moping about all day, but you don't have to. Picture yourself sitting on a comfy soda, hot coffee or tea in hand and a free book  Fatal Retribution is FREE!

    Raina Kirkland is a witch without magic and an elf without grace. She lives in a wondrous world that parallels our own in every way, save for one fantastic detail. Every story ever told, every monster, every god, every demon is spectacularly real! 
    Even so, Raina seems to live an unremarkable life up until the day her family falls victim to a spree of unauthorized vampire infections. Without government oversight humans are becoming terrorizing blood thirsty murderers all over the Pacific Northwest. 
    Raina is just coming into her own as a woman when she realizes the police can no longer be trusted to stop this unbelievably violent trend, and she engages in an amazing journey that brings her to her breaking point and beyond. 

“Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged.” 
~Samuel Johnson 

Warning: This book contains sex and violence. Suitable for mature readers only. 

Praise for Fatal Retribution: 

“Diana Graves cuts right to the chase as mysteries are solved, conspiracies unmasked and bad guys worthy of "Queen of the Damned," are brought to accounts and given the what for.” 

“I enjoyed this book; it has a twist on the usual paranormal/fantasy lifestyles. I managed to read it in one day because I didn't want to put it down.” 

“This was an excellent story. I am waiting for the continuation. This author tells a fantastic, engaging tale!”

You don't need a Kindle to read Kindle books! You can download a FREE APP on your phone, tablet and computer. 

GUILT PLEASURES BLOG TOUR

 

Vivian Delaney leads a life of privilege, but behind closed doors she feels isolated and trapped in a gilded cage. Unable to achieve sexual pleasure with her husband, she finds herself in the capable hands of Anton, a massage therapist intent on awakening her to her full sexual potential. By any means necessary.

Warning: This work has erotic content and is intended for a mature, adult audience.

My review

I'd first off like to thank Wicked Reads and the author, Kitty Thomas for letting me participate in this tour. I'd second off like to say that while I've read dark erotica before, I've never read the whole tie me up and spank me sort.  I like light bondage and harmless pain, biting, spanking, hair pulling, that sort of thing. But the degrading treatment these women get off on just made me ill. To me, there is nothing sexy about being abused under duress...being treated like a imputation child, a toy, an object, less than human and sex slave  all in one is not my cup of tea...

Personally, I would have called the cops and had all those men thrown in prison for ever laying a hand on me...But, it wasn't me, it was just a story. A very well written story. A story, I might add, that I read quickly. And even though much of it made me angry, I looked at my husband and truly appreciated him for not being like any of those men. I never want to be a slave, called a slut, forced to take it where it ought not be took, among other degrading and cruel treatment.

But I don't judge a book on if I'd do what the character did. I judge a book on the ride, on how well the writer takes me from my life and throws me in a world I'd never imaged. And Kitty did that. She weaved a story about a woman who wasn't happy. Her husband couldn't please her and she didn't know why. It was only when she was scared that her body finally responded, and that scared the hell out of her. She had a choice to make. Stay safe with her husband (safe but miserable) or give into her libido's true desires, no matter how unconventional, and follow the mysterious Anton down the rabbit hole and into a world of strict rules, pain, humiliation, cruelty like she'd never known...and pleasures beyond her wildest dreams. 

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

B&N  ~  GooglePlay  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords

Coming December 23rd, the much anticipated sequel to Guilty Pleasures...

Pre-Order Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca

B&N  ~  GooglePlay  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords

Check out Kitty's blog for more details and to watch the Broken Dolls Book Trailer.

Kitty Thomas writes dark literary erotica that explores dominance and submission. Not really classed as romance, though some readers see it that way. It's a case of your mileage may vary. Romance genre conventions and rules are not usually followed but some books could easily be classed as "erotic romance" such as Mafia Captive orTender Mercies.

Her latest work, Broken Dolls, is now available for pre-order. Official Release Date: December 23, 2014

This work is fiction and meant for an adult audience. The author does not endorse or condone any of the behavior carried out by characters in her stories

If you like Kitty's work and would be interested in hearing about new releases, you can subscribe via the Contact Form on her website.

Connect with Kitty 

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Amazon  ~  Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Hosted by

BAD PEOPLE

     Bad people...humans who rape and murder, abuse their fellow man and animals. These people and what they do is the reason I studied psychology in college. Four years of study and I still don't understand them. 

     Why do they do these things? Why would a man skin a cat alive for fun? What could possibly drive someone to rape a child? What on this Earth...I simply can not comprehend such cruelty. There is no logic,,,Yet, It's so prevalent throughout the world, in every country, in every town. It makes me question if we are indeed the same species at all... 

     How can people like me, and every other good person out there, be in anyway related to this madness? Every 5 seconds a child dies of starvation on a planet rich in food. Every 10 seconds an animal is abused or killed for no logical reason. Every 2 minutes a woman or child is raped....raped? Why? IDK! Every damn hour of every damn day someone commits and horrific hate crime: I don't like your religion, so I'll kill you, I don't like your country, so I'll torture you, I don't like your race, so I'll rape and beat you, I don't like you....Dude, why do you give a shit what or who that other person is? Eyes on your own plate, hater....

     ...If all the bad people vanished one day, if every sick minded, greedy loathsome person was just gone, just like that. That would be a GREAT day. That's why I think children starting in kindergarten and all throughout school should be taught ethics classes. Empathy is Hates natural enemy and it's only cure. Not prison, no rules and regulation, not threats. 

Heroes are made, not born and certainly not coerced...

LOVERS OF PARANORMAL: R2R MORTAL SENTRY

Yay! Another chance to not only gain exposure but more reviews for Mortal Sentry through Goodread's Lovers of Paranormal group.

Lovers of Paranormal discussion

This topic is about Mortal Sentry

40 views

Read 2 Review > R2R {572} Mortal Sentry OPEN 

Mod

Please read the Rules and Information before signing up for a review.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
You MUST add this book to your Currently Reading shelf! 
Reminder- You can only have TWO R2R books out at a time!!

Returning Author
Title: Mortal Sentry
Book 1 also available
Author: Diana Graves
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy18+
Length: 351 pages
Synopsis - Parallel to our own, this world is one of magic and religion, of horrors and fantastic deeds. Enter Raina Kirkland, living vampire and all around supernatural mutt, she hides in her aunt's enchanted house from a demon that wants her dead. That is until she makes a deal with him. She has seven days to comply with his demands...but a lot can happen in a week.
Saturday: two master vampires ask for her undead loyalty, and two family crises' fall on her door step. Sunday: she dodges shady characters, discovers secrets from her past and rescues her brother from the torturous clutches of a demented man with connections to the monster mafia. Monday: makes the previous two days look like walks on the beach in comparison.

The first 20 of reviewers to sign up below leaving their email address will receive a free copy of this e-book Gifted via Amazon or PDF format for review. Don't forget to leave which format you need.

*Note you have two weeks to read and review. Please post your review on Goodreads AND one of the following Amazon, Barnes and Nobles or Smashwords as well as post a link to this thread in the comments section. Make sure review is at least 5 sentences.
If you don't finish book let me know and I will take you of the list of reviewers.
Must complete book in order to review.
PLEASE give me a few days to get your book to you. I try but, sometimes life gets in the way!
If you are wondering where your book is please message or email me.

REMEMBER to state the following I received this book in exchange for an honest review (LoP or Lovers of Paranormal)
The reason I am asking for this is to get some exposure for our group so please help out.

**It is ILLEGAL to share e-books. This copy is for your enjoyment and review only. Please respect the author's hard work!

If you are going to be late and needing more time I have set up a thread under the R2R folder. Here is link, this should make things easier for everyone.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Carrie (Book Fairy)
R2R Program Mod
carrie_loversofparanormal@yahoo.com
Lovers of Paranormal
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7... 

If you wish to part take, press HERE, and join the group! Happy Reading. 

BUSY LITTLE BEE

Sorry I haven't posted in a couple weeks. A lot was going on!

• I had some internet issues
• I had some stomach issues
• My best friend got married 
• I threw a Halloween party
• And I was busy formatting Deadly Encounters as a paperback...only to find out that the current covers didn't translate well from digital to hard copy, so I had to design new covers.

       

      

I like the new covers. The words you see are actual words and sentences from the books , so it gives you a real idea of what's inside.

Yup, I was definitely busy the past two weeks, and I'm still busy. I'm still researching and building the 5th and final Paranormal Washington book, I have a few more recipes for Twisted Recipes that I've done but haven't actually written yet. LOL.  I'm reading a couple books right now, one of them for a blog tour, and Mortal Sentry is on two promotions at once. One of them is Lovers of Paranormal's R2R and the other is a reduced price from $2.99 to $0.99 for the entire month of November!

And I'm supposed to find time to do the dishes? LOL

AUTHORS BEWARE!

Just thought I'd share some of my negative experiences as an author so that other's might avoid the same fate.

 Reader's Favorite Proofreading, I paid over $300 for crap editing...this "doctor" basically just went through my book changing all my capitalized Moms into moms. Which is right? "Can you hand me that knife, Mom?" or "Can you hand me that knife, mom?" If I remember correctly from grade school, when a title is used in place of a name, it's capitalized. Duh...I did not just pay some guy on the internet over $300 to play around with my book...Oh yes I did.   FOR SHAME!

CBL Book Tours, changed their name to Book Review Bay. I paid $50 for a review tour, and all I got was the runaround.
At first everything was perfect! Then, the tour just never happened...She ignored my emails for weeks. When she finally did answer it was only because I contacted PayPal and asked for my money back. She said that only 10 bloggers signed up to do the tour (That would have been GREAT!!!!) But, instead she cancelled it without telling me and kept the money for herself. And what, I was supposed to forget all about it? She said she didn't just cancel the tour I paid for, she cancelled the program altogether. She did offer to pay back the money OR put Fatal Retribution through another program of equal value. I agreed to give her a second chance.  Guess who never ever received anything at all from Book Review Bay... I should have never gave her a second chance. Don't give her a first...

Best advice ever, never pay for a blog tour or a book review, I repeat NEVER PAY FOR A REVIEW. The only thing I ever exchange for a review is a free book, and a link on my website and blog.

I still haven't found an editor, so if you have any recommendations, that would be great. Meanwhile I rely heavily on friends, family and beta readers to clean up my writing.

As far as bloggers, I'd recommend the links at the side of my blog if you want good honest reviews.

Luckily I'm artistically inclined, so I have no bad experiences with graphic artists, but if you have any bad experiences you want to share in the comments, feel free. I'm thinking about creating an Author Beware Page.

Oh, and here's a good website for promotional business, Author Marketing Club. It's time consuming, but it's effective for promotions. 

IS EVERYONE BETTER AT THIS THAN ME?

I've been writing for more than ten years, and it took eight of those years to write the first Paranormal Washington book. Which is only $0.99, not because I think it's worth that much. I keep the price ridiculously low so people will take a chance on an unknown author. Advice on pricing is all over the place. Some say keep your prices low $0.99 - Free, to encourage readers to take a chance. Others say your prices should be $2.99 - $5.99 because really, how good can a $0.99 ebook be? A can of soda costs more.

I found a nice compromise between the two schools of thought. My first book is $0.99, so readers will take a chance on a new author. However, the other books are $2.99,so as to better reflect their value...but still keeping it low enough for people to feel it's worth it to buy a second or third book from an unknown...

But these days it takes more than just a well put together book and a fancy cover. Now you have to have an entertain presence online as well...Years ago it never occurred to me to use social media to help my writing career. I used Facebook and Pinterest for fun only,and  now I feel ever left behind. I see these authors giving away tons of stuff to bribe new followers, without having published a book yet, and when they do publish many of their followers buy the book and leave reviews. I'm rubbish at this tactic... But its put some charismatic writers on the fast track.

But what is a socially awkward girl supposed to do?  I spend my days trying to be a social butterfly. Trying to master; Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Booklikes, Goodreads just to scrape the surface, and run my own blog and website as well. Websites cost money and everything takes hours a day...and what for? Money? Ha-ha Silly, writing is no get rich quick gig. Independent writers do it for love, and nothing else.

Writing does not pay the bills. The most I've ever made in one month was $30...and at royalties of $0.30 a book, that's a lot of books. So what kind of crazy person spends her own money and hours a day working toward...next to nothing? You have to really love writing to keep it up without much positive reinforcement. My fans, (few in numbers compared to other authors), my reviews (same story there) and my love of wordsmithing alone keep me going...barely. The reviews are what really keep me pushing on.

I guess I just feel like everybody else is so much better at this than me. Every day is a struggle between work, family, writing and the beast that is online media. Oh blah, if I whine anymore I'm going to need some cheese and crackers...LOL

R2R LOVERS OF PARANORMAL ~ MORTAL SENTRY

Lovers of Paranormal is a Goodreads group full of great people and so many forms of entertainment: games, chats, programs and other activities to keep any lover of the Paranormal genre busy.

One such program they offer is R2R, great for readers, bloggers and authors. The gist of R2R is an author agrees to give away a certain number of books in an agreed format, and in exchange the reader agrees to write a review for said book two weeks after it's delivery. The waiting list to get your book on this program is pretty long, but that just speaks to how great the program is.

At the beginning of 2014 my first book, Fatal Retribution, participated in this program. Fatal went from having only 11 reviews on Amazon to having 27 reviews. My sales have increased due to these great honest reviews from readers who love the genre as much as I do.

Recently my second book, Mortal Sentry, has been approved for R2R starting November 3rd!

I'm excited and scared. Right now Mortal Sentry has only 4 reviews on Amazon;1 five star review, and 3 four stars. It needs more, obviously, but one of the biggest problems independent writers face is exposure...another one is being taken advantage of by "legit" editors and graphic artists,but that's a story for a different blog.

Cross your fingers for me.

Twisted Recipe #2 Loaded Potato Bread

I LOVE POTATOES!  

Anyway you make them, I love them: Baked, Mashed, Fried, Totted and LOADED. I love them all...except scalloped. Scalloped potatoes are a concoction of pure evil. 

I have a similar passion for bread. There is no better smell than freshly baked bread. It was a cool October night when the thought came to me. My family and I were sitting in the living room and it struck me like lightning. Loaded Potato Bread. I'm no baker. I've made bread exactly twice in my whole life, one of them was even edible. In spite of my failings (which are many, and that's where Clella comes to the rescue) I simply had to eat this loaded potato/ potato bread. 

We start with a simple Potato Bread recipe. Makes two loafs of bread. Ingredients are: 

• 1 cup of mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1tsp salt
• 2 tbs active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 5 cups of flower

1. Make Mashed Potatoes: pill,dice,boil, mash.
   
2. Stir in Sugar,Salt, Yeast & Warm Water. 
   
3. Add flower until the mixture is doughy. 
4. Kneed dough on a flowered surface for a few minutes.Then set it in a greased  bowl for over an hour. RISE, my dough, RISE!  
   
   
   
   
5. While we wait lets gather up our other ingredients:
   

• Fresh Chives
• Plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream.
• Bacon
• Sharp Cheddar
• Garlic Salt

6. Chop those Chives, Dice that Bacon, Stir that Cream, Shred that Cheese...unless you're like me and you buy it pre-shredded. (Lazy lady)

7. When the dough is up to the task  (Get it? That's punny)  fold the ingredients into the dough and place it in a greased bread pan for another 40 minutes...or 20 minutes if you're like me and can't wait....

...I almost forgot the cheese!

That's better.

8. Bake at 375 Degrees for 40 minutes. Once it is done, butter the top and sprinkle on some Garlic Salt. Trust me, it is SO worth the time and energy. Literally the best bread I've ever eaten in my whole entire life!

ENJOY!

Want more Twisted Recipes? Click Here.