So Many Things!

Things have been happening and I have been slacking on the talking about it. I'm blaming some of this on a trip to Missouri that I had to take for my best friend's wedding reception (holy hell, that place has a LOT of NOTHING... I didn't know there was so much empty space in the whole country...) But some of it is just me getting distracted by a new (old) game...

Can I just say... I freaking love this game. Why did it take me so long to play it? There are things that drive me crazy (do I really need to open the car door every time) but this thing is just... Well, all I can think to say is DAMN. Just when I think I know what is coming, they hit me with something else. I haven't been playing for long. Just long enough to completely shirk off everything else I was supposed to get done. So. Blame this guy:

Anyway! News time!

Biggest thing first! Book 3 of the Blood and Fire Saga is out! Michelle, my coauthor, worked long and hard on this baby with only marginal help from me. You should totally read it. Especially if you're getting tired of Kaie's attitude. Destiny is something entirely different. It's all about the second aspect of the prophesy that is guiding Kaie's life: The Stone. Or, if you want her name, Elora. 

You won't see much of the people you've met before. This is a new cast of characters in new lands. I promise more magic!

Next, Burnt got some work done! 

It's always bothered me, the difference in quality between Burnt and Forgotten. Or, to be more accurate, how poorly I did in getting Burnt properly edited. So. I prevailed upon Bobby to bless my first book with the beauty that adorns Forgotten and Destiny. This is what he came up with:

Pretty damn awesome, huh? And it's not just a facelift. You'll find the inside has been polished up too! I can't even put a number to how many commas I pulled out. I knew I was a comma junkie but that was just absurd. No more! 

It's still the same story. I didn't change anything. I just cleaned up. And I am proud of the results. My baby is pretty now.

More is on the horizon. We've got a collection of shorts, Lost, coming out in July. It'll be a Kindle exclusive for a while. Free too! If there's interest, we'll add other versions later. None of them are essential to the main storyline of the Blood and Fire Saga, but they do offer some insights into elements that are going to become quite pivotal as the series continues. 

And Misery is coming. Book 4 will be out this fall...

MIA

So I've been gone a while. I suppose, for anyone who knows me, this is no great surprise. When I'm really sucked into my writing (or a good video game, but I never told you that) I tend to go missing from the world outside my bedroom. What little time I did convince myself to spend away was selfishly stolen by that horrible torture known as "my job." But! I do have quite a few things to tell people. Some of it I will share today, and some of it will have to wait. Because I get great satisfaction out of tormenting people & nothing in the world torments me as much as someone telling me they have a secret that I have to wait to learn. It's just evil. And I've been good lately, so it's time to start balancing those scales!

Alright. So. First bit of news: the third Blood & Fire book, Destiny, is nearly here! I'll announce an exact date once we're sure of it, but for now Michelle and I are thinking early May. The cover art is in & let me tell you, Bobby really outdid himself this time. It is freaking beautiful!

Secondly, I'll be re-releasing Burnt in June. It will have a new cover & better editing. Neither the content nor the price will be changing, but I hope the result will be a more appealing introduction to the world of Elysium.
With the relaunch I'll also be publishing a collection of four short stories entitled Lost. It won't be essential reading for any of the major storylines - in fact two are about very minor characters & a third one who hasn't been introduced before - but show a bit of the world outside the prophesy. It will only be available for the kindle for the first three months, during which time it will be free. We will provide an option for people without kindles though, so check back for details. Lost is currently on the books for the first week of June. That might change for editing purposes.

The forth book is also coming up. Misery is slated August & that's where I've been spending most of my time (when I wasn't paying Tomb Raider). It's a tough one for me, for a couple of reasons, but I think I've hit my groove now and don't expect any delays.
Which brings me to the last point. I've gotten more than a few people asking me how long the Blood & Fire series is going to be. The honest answer is that we don't know. The plan at this very moment is six novels & two collections of short stories. But this is a big story that Michelle and I have spent more than a decade with. Neither one of us is willing to rush it just to squeeze it into a set number of books. Nor are we willing to drag it out one chapter past where it should end. So, while the plan is six, if we feel like we need more to finish it properly, that's what we'll do.
So. Now I've reaffirmed my continued existence, lifted some of the veil of mystery, and can return to my writing *cough*startplayingUncharted3*cough*

PS. I wrote this whole post on my phone, at work. So I'm going to assume the grammar and possibly the spelling were so bad that all I can do is beg forgiveness and promise never to do it again unless I really want to.

Nah Nah Nah Nah BATMAN!

I don't know if I've made this *quite* abundantly clear yet, but I am a huge Batman fan. I can't claim to be the biggest. I have not, for example, ever worn a Batsuit or gone out to fight crime. Not unless you count riding around with my friend Marty looking for his (ex now) wife's stolen bike (we totally recovered it, because we're awesome like that). I can't claim to be the biggest Batman geek out there but I'll be damned if I let someone try to tell me that Superman would win if they were in a fight.

So people are always surprised to learn that I've never actually finished Arkham City. This isn't because I don't think the game is awesome. It really is. The little bit I've played was amazing. Here's the problem: I made the mistake of playing Arkham Asylum with my brother Aaron. Playing video games as a family is a bit of a tradition with us. When one of us sucks at one part, another takes over. Not to mention, it's always fun to have someone else to laugh at all the stupid stuff you do. You're probably wondering why such a thing would be a mistake. Well, after playing Asylum with Aaron, I discovered that City wasn't nearly as fun without him. And between the two of us moving and moving back and school and work and just everything, the two of us haven't had a minute to sit down to play the game together. And I just couldn't bring myself to take it on until we could do it together.

But! Right now we are in the same place at the same time, so I am at last getting to enjoy some Batmany goodness! It's super exciting. So exciting, in fact, that I spent money I don't really have obtaining all the DLC for it. Which brings me to the actual point of this.

I love Robin.

I realize that makes me worthy of mocking, but I can't help it. You can keep Dick Grayson. He's cool enough as Nightwing, but I never really liked him as Robin. And Jason Todd? Please. Him dying was the best thing that ever happened with Jason Todd. (The second best was him coming back as Red Mask) It's Tim Drake I can't get enough of. (I know he's now Red Robin, but for various reasons I haven't read the comics yet so he's still Robin to me)

Tim is fantastic. He's just the right mix of brilliant and cocky. I freaking love that (Surprise!) He was my (second) favorite even before Bruce acknowledged that Tim's smarter than him. Plus, much respect for a guy who figures out who Batman is without first living with him. And the fact that it's now an option to play him? I am downright giddy! I just wish there were actual game-related missions as him, like with Catwoman.

My only issue is that my brother is currently the one playing. And he's more interested in playing the story than entertaining me as Tim. *Sigh*

PS. Surprised I made it through the holidays? Because I am!

Holidays Are A Killer...

I fully intend a fantastic post in the coming days. Maybe even one with pictures and font effects. You know, fancy. But alas... I work in retail. Which means, at this particular point in the year, I am just fried (look at that! Font effect!). Because that just wasn't challenging enough, I also just got promoted (feeling very mixed about that... I feel very mixed about my job in general, though, so I guess that's not surprising). That has made it difficult for me to properly string together a series of sentences on anything resembling a regular basis. Making them entertaining enough that I don't groan at the thought of posting them up for the world (or 3 people... Whichever) to read? Well let's just say the guy holding his breath for that moment is no longer with us. It's a tragedy, really.

Anyway. I thought it was important that I mention the giveaway I just set up over at Goodreads today (when Nathan pointed out I'd neglected to even put Forgotten up there yet... Where is my head at???) So yes. Look over there ---> Then enter. And enjoy wonderful Kaie-themed goodness in the new year.

Assuming I survive the next 15 days... More soon!

Oh, and happy holidays!

Drumroll Please!

Well, that day I've been killing myself for is finally here: Forgotten is available!

Just in case you missed it from the spectacular widget on the right, the ebook is available through Amazon. The print version is on it's way, as is the Nook and Apple Bookstore versions. So, if those are your books of choice, stick with me for a little bit longer! By this time next week, I'll be able to say "available wherever ebooks are sold... and also in print!" Heh. For now, be content with the fact that for the month of December (plus one day, because I can't plan) Forgotten is available for only $0.99! On January 1, it will go to it's usual price of $2.99. I just thought, hey, new book and Christmas? Why not?

Oh! Right! Link. Here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AFB2ENA

Bring On The Guilty Pleasures!

So anyone who knows anything about my taste in characters knows I've got a bit of a thing for anti-heroes. They're just fun. With a hero, you know what you're in for. Good is good, right? But an anti-hero? Who knows! Sometimes they're good, sometimes evil. Sometimes they're good for bad reasons or bad for good reasons, or both for no reason at all. I love surprises, and no type of character can pull that off the way anti-heroes can.

Lately this 'thing' is manifesting in a *slight* obsession with The Vampire Diaries. (I blame Anthony for this, by the way. He's completely responsible!) Specifically, the character of Damon Salvatore.

Now, this isn't because Ian Somerhalder is sexy. I mean, yeah, he totally is. Won't even pretend otherwise. That's why he got the gig, right? At least partly, anyway. But even if he was gross, I'd still be pretty fascinated with Damon. Aside from the fact that the character's role in the series wouldn't work at all if he was ugly, that is.

He's really just terribly interesting. Everyone he's ever loved has disappointed and/or rejected him. Often times more than once. Occasionally to the point of doing him great physical and emotional damage. Once it even killed him. To deal with this, he's built this terrific defense: he's cast himself as the villain. He'll go to extraordinary lengths to prove to everyone around him that it's who he really is. Despite heaps of evidence to the contrary, those actions he takes are typically so extreme that the people in his life can't help but to believe the act. Call it self-destructive if you want, I'm intrigued by his flair for the arguably evil.

Despite, or maybe because of this, I think he actually hates himself more than anyone else ever could. Normally this would lead to a bunch of stupid emo bs (Stefan? What?) but instead he channels it into a very amusing cockiness. I appreciate that in a character. (I know that's a shocking revelation. No one ever suspects I enjoy cockiness.)

He's also terrifically honest. Even when he lies. Which is probably my favorite thing about him.

Those same people who know my tastes will be the first ones to tell you I have 0 interest in gushy lovey-dove stories. They're boring and unrealistic, often causing me to make violent gagging noises. So no, I'm not a fan of the Elena/Stefan relationship. At best, that's the 'pure' love that you can only experience in a vacuum. Pure love can't survive the real world. It's too messy for that.

Damon doesn't love pure. He love deep and dark and completely. Which is also interesting. For all that people call him selfish - he calls himself that at least as much as everyone else does - I find him the least selfish in the show. He's willing to suffer the hatred of the people he loves, if that's what it takes to protect them. He cares more about keeping Elena alive and well then he does what she thinks of him. This, despite the above mentioned constant disappointment and rejection. It's actually spectacularly admirable. The fact that it's never once brought on the gag reflex is a sure sign that this very difficult kind of love is both well-written and well-acted.

Damn fascinating.

So Lyn, you ask, why the hell are you going on about a fictional character from a show that is gets you teased by most of your friends (damn you, Anthony!) and you wouldn't dream of watching two and a half years ago? I'm not sure, actually. I'm in obsession mode. It always leads to some fantastic idea or project, but that's later. Right now I'm just going to go on with the obsession.

Of course, this is probably the gateway drug to YA romance novels... *shudders* (kidding! Sort of...)

Look! It's That Weird Girl Again!

My goodness, it has been a while...

So. A while back, my uncle died. The one I dedicated Burnt to, by the way. I didn't do well with it. Not that there's an actual 'well' to do in such situations. But I'm particularly skilled in the not dealing with death area. I do this thing where I refuse to face it in any way, shape or form. To the point of being absurd, actually. I'm fine. Just fine. Fine.

Until I'm not.

That usually lasts a bit longer. Especially when the friends who know the signs are scattered across the country, and the ones near-by don't know any better. Without anyone calling my BS, it tends to be one hell of a funk I let myself fall into. As evidenced, this time, by my complete withdrawal from all things social. Except going to Anthony's to watch Supernatural. I'd have to be comatose to willingly skip out on Boy Night.

So. Now I actually am fine again. For real, this time. Although I am somewhat (and by somewhat, I mean EXTREMELY) exhausted. It is the holiday season, and I do work retail. So really, I think the fact that I am managing this post at all is pretty impressive.

And that's the story I'm going with. Impressive.

Shut up.

I love you Uncle Brucy

Oh, and expect another update soonish. I've got some things to discuss and a tiny smidge of motivation the season hasn't sucked out of me yet. Barring any further family tragedies, I should be good to go.

Oh, and Forgotten is coming out soon too. But more about that later.