Cover reveal for my upcoming book, NOCTE!

The night is always darkest before the dawn.

This is where the darkness begins.

Want to get exclusive sneak peeks, previews, and teasers of NOCTE, coming November 3? Sign up right here. Save yourself.

It will get better!!

 

So, this post isn’t about books.  It’s because of something I’m seeing a lot in the news lately, and in my FB feed, and it’s troubling me, so I wanted to say something.  This is a bit long, but please bear with me.

Since I moved to Florida six months ago, I’ve heard about four middle-schoolers who have committed suicide.  FOUR.  The most recent was this week, a sixth grader in a middle school in the next county.  He’d been bullied mercilessly because he was smaller than average and one day last week, he killed himself in a school bathroom.

You see it in the news nationwide, these kids who are bullied because of their size, sexual orientation, because they wear glasses or braces or are poor or socially awkward, or even when there’s nothing different about them at all.  Because frankly, middle schoolers and high-schoolers can be mean.  Period.

But if this is you, if you are getting bullied, please HEAR  ME NOW.  IT WILL GET BETTER. IT WILL.

When I was in grade school, I lived with my grandparents.  And of course fashion wasn’t the most important thing to them, so I dressed a bit funny. I had glasses.  I wasn’t a “cool kid” because not everyone is lucky enough to be born into a perfect family with money and the desire to make sure their kids fit in.  I didn’t have piano lessons and a soccer team and the best of everything.   In fact, look at this picture. You can see my progression of being a funny-looking little girl, to when I finally blossomed and came into my own.  But I was awkward and gawky for a lonnnnngg time.

I was teased.  I didn’t have any friends.  I was isolated and sad.  I wasn’t shoved into lockers or anything because that’s usually a boy thing, I think.  But I was made fun of and ostracized, and that’s just as bad.

Then in sixth grade, I changed schools and things didn’t get any better.  Kids were mean to me that whole year.  The stress of it made me physically sick– I missed so many days of school because of fevers, brought on by worrying about my life at school.

Kids that age (and I know, because I was one), they just don’t see that things will ever get better.  They don’t see it, they can’t fathom it.  They can’t see outside of today, or this week, and right now, things suck.  Bad.  They need someone to tell them– Hey, it’ll get better.  I promise.  Hang in there.  

Books became my friends, and I read voraciously.  When no one wanted to sit with me, I put my nose in a book and disappeared into a different world.  And guess what?  It totally worked out for me.  That love of reading turned into a love of writing, which is now a very good career for me.  A career that I love, a career that I’m blessed by.

By middle-school, I’d started to come out of it.  I made some friends and things started to change.  But I was scarred by the bullying from grade school, for sure. It’s something that you never forget.

I’m no longer the skinny little bespeckled girl who was ostracized.  I’m a successful, happy, well-adjusted independent woman.  Learning how to deal with the mean kids made me grow as a person.  I became self-reliant.  Because no matter how bad a situation is, you can always take something from it.

This is what I took from it. It’s a quote my grandma shared with me during that awful time.   “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”  — Eleanor Roosevelt.   And you know what?  It was true.  What some stuck-up, self-important snooty kids think of you simply doesn’t matter.  Not in the long run.  It might feel that way today, but trust me, in twenty years, those kids will be less than NOTHING to you.  Their opinion of you doesn’t matter.  Not really.  In fact, a lot of them will grow up to have icky lives, because I fully believe that whatever you put into the world, you get back in some way.

 

I know that’s hard to believe right now, right now in this instant when you are so miserable and sad.   So let me share another piece of wisdom that my grandma used to tell me, something that I never found comforting at the time, but now I know it’s true:   This too shall pass.    She’d always say, This too shall pass, honey. It always does.

And you know what?  She was right.  Everything passes.   What seems unbearable to you now, won’t be unbearable to  you in a blink of an eye.  The kids that are mean to you right now?  They’ll be ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to you in just a few years.

So please.  PLEASE.  If you find yourself in a dark place where you feel like you can’t take it anymore, PLEASE tell someone.  Tell your mom.  Don’t be embarrassed.  Tell your dad. Tell your counselor.  Be honest, be straight-forward.  Tell them,”This is bad. I need help.”  SOMEONE WILL HELP YOU.   There are online classes, there are alternatives, you can be helped.  But please. Give someone the chance to help you. They don’t know if you don’t say anything.

Just please… tell someone.  And always know that no matter how hard it gets, it’s temporary.  EVERYTHING is always temporary.  It’ll get better.  You just have to give it the chance.

Hitched by Karpov Kinrade

You guys, I’m intrigued by this upcoming release by Karpov Kinrade.  Check it out, and you’ll see what I mean.

 

He called me “wife.”

This man standing naked in front of me. Tall. Dark. Sexy as sin…

He’s my husband?

Disjointed images from the night before, the night I can’t entirely remember, float into my mind.

Meeting him in the bar. Sharing tidbits of our lives. I own a company that plans bachelor parties. He’s a pediatric heart surgeon.

We both live in Las Vegas, but we come from very different worlds.

And then I remember that kiss. The way his lips brushed against mine, gentle at first, then harder, deeper, with more urgency.

Sex in the elevator. Hot, forbidden, delicious.

I remember the way he made me feel. The way our bodies fit perfectly together.

But I don’t remember marrying him.

And now, he won’t let me go. Dr. Sexy who saves children for a living. He wants the summer to prove we are meant to be.

I can give him a summer.

But can I give him a lifetime?

***

This sounds deliciously entertaining and I can’t wait until it releases on November 23rd to check it out!

Preorder on Amazon: http://bit.ly/HitchedAmazon and iBooks: http://bit.ly/HitchediBooks

#GetHitched

My Birthday Celebration!

Yayyyyy, it’s my birthday!!!   I’ve heard that a woman’s first 39th is her best.  Lol.   Seriously, I intend for this year to be a Farewell to my Thirties, and I intend to do big things!

First off, we’ll start with today.

I’ve decided to put a ton of my titles on sale today in celebration.

 

Confessions of an Alli Cat
Dante’s Girl
Mia’s Heart
The Minaldi Legacy
Soul Kissed
Soul Bound

 

So if you haven’t read any of these titles, now is the perfect time to try them!

And as you know, Guardian re-releases today.  It’s $.99 for today only, so if you love YA Paranormal Romance, pick it up!

It’s available on AMAZON, iTunes, B&N and Kobo

**It’s taking a while to upload to B&N.  But when it goes live, I’ll leave the price at $.99 for an entire day**

Anyway.  I hope you all have a fabulous August 28th!!

 

The Launch of my Newsletter: Sign Up Now

Hey guys,

So, as most of you have noticed, the reach on Facebook has drastically decreased over this past year.   Even though I have a lot of ‘Likes” and “friends”, only a fraction of them (You) see what I post.

Soooooooo, I’ve finally bit the bullet and I’m going to do a newsletter.  I started the process a long time ago, but never actually did it, because let’s face it, when it comes to doing anything other than writing, I don’t usually want to do it.  Lol.

BUT, I mean it this time.  I’m doing a newsletter.  I promise, I won’t flood your inboxes every other day.  I’ll only do one when I have something to announce or something cool to share.  (Because again, when it comes to doing anything other than writing, I’m a bit reticent about it.  Read that as:  Lazy).

Readers who subscribe to my newsletter will hear announcements first, and will be eligible for special giveaways exclusive to the newsletter.    The first edition will go out MONDAY, August 25th, so sign up before then if you want to be in on it from the beginning.

Go to the CONTACT PAGE on my website, scroll down on the right hand side, and you’ll see where you can sign up.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!

What I Know about Life

So, I’m feeling melancholy today with all the back to school craziness, and this post doesn’t have anything at all to do with writing or my books.  It has to do with life.  And how it passes with increasing speed each year.

One of my favorite quotes is from Robert Frost:  “In three words, I can sum up everything I know about life:  It goes on.”   How true is that?   Loved ones die?  Life goes on.  Disaster?  Heartache?   Life goes on.

But I think sometimes we forget that on a daily basis…. as we scramble to get up at 6am and get our kids ready for school on time, as we scurry to pick them up and shuttle them to practices and rehearsals and games.   Life goes on, every second— and every second is one you’ll never get back.

My daughter Bella started middle school this year.  Middle School!!!  A minute ago, she was two years old and my shadow.  She wanted to be with me all the time, and was the sweetest thing in the world. I called her Ellie-Bellie and she was scared of monsters under her bed.  And now.  Middle school.   She doesn’t want to hold my hand anymore or let me do her hair.  (But she’s still scared of monsters under her bed…)

Then:

Now:

My son Tristan is 16.  When he was born, he was 6 lbs and 20 inches long.  Now, he’s 6’3″ and 210 lbs.  And he’s not done growing.  I used to call him Tristie, and he collected bugs in his little bug box and liked to feed the ducks.  He was also scared of monsters, so my husband used to search them out before bed with his cell phone as his “monster detector.”  Now, Tristan is a Tight End on his football team and is stronger than I ever thought about being.  Seriously.  He can easily beat me arm wrestling with one hand, while I use two.  He’s no longer scared of monsters.  In fact, when we watch horror movies, he laughs while I look at the screen through my fingers.

He’s funny- and makes me laugh on a daily basis… and I’m always wondering… when the heck did he grow up so much?

Tristan (and me) then:

Now:

OMG, I love my kids.  I love all the stages, even the moody ones.  I love how they change every day.  I love looking at my daughter and seeing how pretty and smart she is, and thinking, OMG, I MADE that.   And looking UP at my son, and watching how strong and fast and funny he is, and thinking I MADE that.  It’s a miracle and a blessing and they’re mine.

But life goes on.

And every day that passes is one closer to the day that they’ll each leave my house.  They’ll go to college where instead of eating food cooked by me, food that I know is organic and nutritious, and they’ll grab trays and eat in a cafeteria or pop popcorn in their dorm microwave.  They’ll do things everyday that I won’t be there to hear about, except for over the phone.

Sometimes it makes me sad and panicky, but above all, it makes me proud.  I’m growing them up to be strong and proud and independent.  And while they’re mine, they’re also the world’s, and I have full confidence that they will CHANGE the world.  I don’t know what they’ll grow up to be.  A brain surgeon?  A Navy Seal?  An Ambassador?

All I know is…. I’m doing my best to raise them right.  To teach them right from wrong.  To teach them to cook, and sew on a button, and stand up for themselves and be graceful and kind.  And because of these things, they’ll grow up to change the world in some way.  They’ll grow up to change THEIR world.  I’m doing my best to team them not to let the world change THEM.

Gah.  It makes my throat tighten up and my eyes water, and I’m not a crier.  But our kids have that power over us.  They truly are our hearts walking around outside of our bodies.  And that’s fine.  Someone’s gotta have my heart– it might as well be them.

My point here is…. we need to remember, in the middle of all of these busy, loud, giggling, hectic, chaotic days…. that life goes on.  We’ve got to cherish each day… when we’re picking up their dirty clothes for the millionth time, or struggling to hear a phone call with them yelling in the background, or breaking your favorite vase during a rowdy game of indoor football, or muddy prints across your clean floor, or “Hey mom, I need six styrofoam cones for school tomorrow” when it’s 11pm the night before.  During all of this, remember that life goes on.

So we meed to embrace today, and love it while it’s here.  And don’t blink.  If you do, you’ll miss something.

A Birthday Celebration!

So, my birthday is on August 28th.  I’ll be celebrating a few things.

One, I’ll be turning 39, so I’ll be celebrating the start of the last of my 30’s.   I’ll also be celebrating the re-release of my debut novel, GUARDIAN…which is a big deal to me.

GUARDIAN was my first book.  It was the thing, the cathartic thing, that kept me from drowning in grief after my dad died.  It was also the pivotal thing that pulled me into the writing world and changed my life forever.

To celebrate these things, I’ll be throwing a virtual party on my birthday.

GUARDIAN will be re-released.  On release day, my birthday, it will be $.99 for digital copies for that one day only.

Also, for that one day only, the following books of mine (which are some of my favorites) will be on sale for $.99:

Dante’s Girl (Book 1 of The Paradise Diaries)

The Minaldi Legacy 

Confessions of an Alli Cat  (Book 1 of the Cougar Chronicles) 

Soul Kissed (Book 1 of The Moonstone Saga) 

If you watch my books at all, then you’ll know this is a big deal, because my books are seldom on sale.

Anyway, I hope you’re all having a great day. As for me, I’m just gonna be over here… counting down the days til my birthday.  Have a great week!

Cover for Guardian!

Happy Wednesday, guys!

Today’s the day to reveal the cover for Guardian!  Woohooo!

In case you missed it the other day, Guardian was my debut book several years ago. I recently acquired the rights back, and since it didn’t get much exposure back when it originally released, we’re re-releasing it.   It’s a YA Paranormal Romance— and it’s undergoing new editing, and a brand-new cover.

Without further ado, here it is:

The ever-talented, always-awesome Matt from The Cover Lure produced this awesomeness.

About Guardian:

                                                            Sometimes, things that go bump in the night are real. 

My name is Whitney Lane.  I’m sixteen years old and at first, I thought I was crazy.

I kept seeing shadows move along walls, and hearing whispers around corners, but whenever I looked, there was never anything there.

Until one day, there was.

Our world isn’t what we think.  There are things around us, good things, bad things, scary things.

Things that we tell ourselves aren’t real, but they are.

They’re very real, and they’re terrifying.

I’ve been swept up now, in a battle of good and evil, confused about love and what is supposed to be love, but isn’t.  I don’t know what to think anymore.  I can’t trust my emotions and I don’t know what is true.

There’s only one thing I know for sure.

Nothing is what it seems.

***

Guardian is near to my heart because it was my first book.  My catharsis, my therapeutic healing after my father died.  It re-releases on August 28th, which is my birthday, and it will be $.99 for release day only.  I hope you love it!

 

Announcement of a New (sort-of) Release: GUARDIAN

Happy Tuesday, guys!

So, I’ve got an announcement to make!

A few years back, I published my debut novel with a small publisher, Whiskey Creek Press.  At the time, I was elated.  So, so, so excited to be published, because ohmygosh it was my dream.  🙂

However, I was a brand new author, and my book didn’t receive much marketing support… so actually, most people don’t even know that I wrote it at all.  Lol.

That’s where the good news comes in.

I recently acquired those rights back from the publisher, and I’ll be re-releasing my debut book on August 28! !

I’m SO excited about this.

GUARDIAN is a YA Paranormal Romance.   I wrote it right after my dad died, and it was a catalyst for me… it’s the thing that made me strive to become a full-time author.

The story is close to my heart and the book is sentimental to me because it was the gateway for me into the book-world.  It’s where I began my journey.  It’s also the thing that helped heal me after my dad died.

I’m re-editing it right now, and it will receive a brand new cover, and a brand new book birthday.  I’m gong to treat it as a new release, because it practically will be.  I’m changing the story around, and not many people read the original story anyway.  haha.

I really really hope you’re going to love it.

I’m going to release it on my birthday, August 28th, as a celebration.  A celebration of my birthday, of Guardian’s re-release, of my metamorphosis into the author that I am today….as a celebration of all of it.

Stay tuned— we’re releasing the cover and the book description on Wednesday, July 30th.  I can’t wait!!!

Until We Fly is here (Worldwide!)!!

Until We Fly is now live!!!  And it’s live around the world… not just in the US.  Woohoooo!

 

 

Are you ready to get Branded???

Check out this excerpt told from Nora’s point of view as she gives Brand a sponge bath…and while you read, keep in mind that I imagine Brand as looking like this:

 

“Being brave doesn’t mean not being afraid, Nora,” Brand tells me, lifting his ocean blue eyes to meet mine. “It means being afraid and doing it anyway.”

“Doing it?” I ask.

Brand shrugs. “It can be anything. Whatever it is that you’re doing, whatever it is that you’re afraid of.”

I’m doing this. Right now.

Because I want him. I want him this summer and he’s not getting it. He’s not making any moves even though I’m here and I’m available, and I want him. There’s only one way to make him see… I have to be as blunt as a man.

I can do this.

Because I’m brave.

I’m brave.

I’m brave.

I’m fucking brave.

I re-wet my cloth and without a word of warning, I pull the corner of his towel back, then pull it entirely off.

Brand’s eyes fly open, then fix on my face. He doesn’t say a word, but I can see him holding his breath. His flat abdomen isn’t moving.

I dip the cloth down his side, over the rippled muscle. I can feel him through the cloth, his warmth soaking into my fingers.

I pass his hip, his delicious, sexy hip. In my head, I envision it flexing as he straddles me. I flush, and gulp.

I’m brave.

I’m fucking brave.

I take a breath, and my fingers keep moving. Another breath and the cloth glides downward.

Then Brand’s hand covers my own, stopping me.

“I think I can get that part.”

I look down at him, and he’s staring at me in apprehension….because he doesn’t know what I’m doing… or what I want. I don’t know either. All I know is….I’m doing it now. Before it’s too late and he’s out of my life and I never have another chance.

“Brand, I have a proposition to make.”

My words cut the slice through the tension.

He levels a gaze at me, his eyes so fucking blue. “I’m listening.”

His hand is still covering mine. It’s warm and strong and I can hear the pulse rushing through my ears in a roar.

“I’ve wanted you since I was twelve years old. You’re here for the summer and so am I. I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again and I don’t want to look up from my desk at Greene Corp when I’m seventy and have regrets because I didn’t do this.”

I pause and Brand doesn’t say anything.

He simply waits.

The silence between us is charged and I rush my next words…I let them tumble from my mouth before I lose the nerve.

“I want you. Without any strings at all. At the end of the summer, we’ll probably never see each other again…but I want this summer.   With you.”

I have to know what’s its like.

I stand on a wall and protect what is mine.

I need to know, even if it’s just an illusion, what it’s like to be his.

To be safe.

To be good.

Please.

Brand stares at me, stunned.

I’m stunned too.

I did it.

I did it.

I’m fucking brave.

I watch his lips slowly part as he breathes out in a rush.

I watch his tongue dart out and lick his lower lip.

I feel the heat from his hand as he slightly moves it.

Then I watch the word form on his mouth…right before he says it.

“No.”

 ***

To read more… to find out Nora’s reaction, and how she manages to convince Brand… you can find UNTIL WE FLY at the following retailers:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

iTunes  (Will update with the iTunes link when it’s live)