Tag Archives: Sensor Series

New Year’s short story for The Sensor Series…

Sign-up for Cover Reveal of Chained by Darkness

I wanted to give any readers who have blogs a chance to sign-up for the cover reveal. It’s going to take place on September 18th. I promise the cover looks really good and all I’m waiting on now is the typography.

Anyone who hasn’t read this post (which gives a lot more information on the book) may not be aware that this is a novella with Lucas as the main character. He is the one on the cover, along with a depiction of how I see him in Purgatory. Honestly, it turned out even better than I imagined and I think you all will love it. The same designer handled this one as the previous two. I did arrange a photo shoot with a professional photographer last month (it was tough going through all those photos afterward, let me tell you) so you won’t find the model pose on any other book. It does show his face, as a hint.

For anyone who doesn’t have a blog, not to worry. If you’re subscribed to this one or follow me on Facebook/Twitter, I will post the announcement and you’ll get a chance to see it on the reveal date. I’ll be updating the cover on Goodreads as well so you can add Chained by Darkness to your TBR list if you have an account there and haven’t done so already. This is the link.

Bloggers who want to participate-I need you to send me a message via the contact form. Be sure to include your name and blog URL (it should be an established blog). I’ll respond as soon as I can to let you know you’ve been added to the list to participate. A couple of days before the reveal I’ll send you all the materials you need to put up your post. I do ask that you do not share it with anyone until the assigned date.

Thanks in advance to those who sign-up!

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On a related note, I actually bought the rights to two model poses after the photo shoot. I’ll be using the second one for promo material. At the end of this month I’m going to work with the designer to create some post cards and book marks (they will vary since I want some depicting the other novels in the series as well). If people show an interest in posters, I may even see about getting those as well. They probably won’t be ready until late October/early November, but I will be holding contests on Facebook to give them away. If you’re interested, make sure you follow me there so you don’t miss your chance to win!

Name contest finalists w/vote

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Thanks to everyone who submitted names for the contest. There were some really great ones, making it a tough decision on which of them I liked best. I have narrowed it down to five and now it is up to you all to decide which one will be the winner. Anyone may participate in this part of the selection process by casting their vote, but please only vote once.

You have until midnight, August 2nd (CDT) before the poll will close. After that I will notify the person who chose the winning name and arrange for them to receive their prizes.

Sometime later in August I’ll also post a short story featuring Melena and her pet. It will be a scene that takes place between Darkness Taunts and Chained by Darkness. The new name will, of course, be used.

Update– Congratulations to Emmadnz for picking the winning name “Sable”.

Name Contest!

Note- This contest assumes you have read the end of Darkness Taunts.

As I mentioned on Facebook, I’m beginning a contest today to name Melena’s new pet. As you may recall, she received a feline shapeshifter as a gift. I’m looking for unique names that have a feminine quality to them and hope you all can help me out. Here is how it works:

-You may submit as many suggestions as you want in the comments section below (Goodreads users please come to my blog to post yours).

-If more than one person submits the same name, the first one to do so will get credit.

-Make sure you leave a valid email address in the appropriate field (you don’t need to put it in the actual comment).

-You have until midnight (CDT) on July 30th to get your entries in before I close the comments section.

-After this, I will narrow the selection down to my top favorites and put up a new post with a poll so fans may vote for the one they like best. It will remain open for two days. The name with the most votes will win.

-The person who submitted the winning name will receive a signed paperback copy of Darkness Haunts and a $25 Amazon gift card (non-transferable). If you are a customer for Amazon Canada, UK, France, or Germany I will send the gift card through the appropriate site you use. Regardless of where you’re from, I will be happy to mail the paperback to you.

As a bonus, sometime during August (after the name has been chosen) I will post a short story with Melena and her pet. It will take place between Darkness Taunts and Chained by Darkness. This will give fans a chance to see how Melena is doing and get to know her pet a little better.

Good luck with the contest. I’m looking forward to seeing what names people come up with!

Info on Chained by Darkness

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As promised, I am posting the details for Chained by Darkness, book 2.5 of the Sensor Series. Please do not read this if you have not read Darkness Haunts and Darkness Taunts yet. I don’t want the ending from book two spoiled for you.

First off, I realize there are very few UF series with female leads in first person where a male takes over for a book (or novella in this case). This was not something I originally planned on doing until I was in the midst of writing Darkness Taunts and realized there was no way Lucas would recap much of what happens to him while he’s in purgatory. If you’ve learned anything about him, you know he tends to keep his revelations short and to the point (when he gives information at all). It would be extremely out of character for him to say much about what occurs off-screen from Melena. This leaves me with giving him his own book as part of the progression of the series. The events that take place do affect future books considerably.

Now on to what to expect. Lucas is going to be a prisoner in purgatory, which is usually reserved for the dead, but the angels find it a good jail for nephilim (which are one of the few types of immortals who could survive there). During his stay he will also be undergoing a trial that will be convened by a panel of archangels. His life will be at stake. Despite that, expect some belligerence on his part. He has no faith in the system and sees no reason to cooperate.

Other questions that may be running through your mind:

Will Melena appear in this novella?

The short answer is yes.

When does Chained by Darkness start on the Sensor Series timeline?

Approximately six weeks after the end of Darkness Taunts (after the epilogue). It might also be good for you to know Darkness Divides (book 3) will take place well after Chained by Darkness ends. There is no overlap of books.

How long will the novella be?

My estimates as of right now are 40-50k words. It’ll really be closer to short novel length.

What is the POV?

Third person limited (only Lucas will narrate).

Can this novella be skipped?

I’d say it is a bad idea to skip it because, once again, much of what happens in it will never get recapped. Having said that, the most important details (such as the outcome of the trial) will come out over the course of Darkness Divides in bits and pieces, but not nearly in the detail you’d get from this book. Skip it only if you really don’t want to read from Lucas’ POV and don’t mind going into the next book missing some information. Plus parts of his history/background are revealed in this installment.

When will Chained by Darkness Release?

At the end of October at the latest. As I get further into writing it, I’ll have a better idea.

Who will be on the cover?

Lucas will be on the cover by himself. I have already coordinated with a professional photographer in Boston who specializes in fantasy work (she’s done some of Samantha Young’s covers as an example). She will be holding a casting call in August so that we can select the right male model. We will look for the one who most closely resembles how I see Lucas in my head.

The actual photo shoot will take place shortly after that. Once we’ve picked the right photo (no, I’m not revealing what pose I have chosen for him, you’ll have to wait and see) it will be handed off to the same cover designer who has done the previous covers in the Sensor Series. She’ll do her magical thing that makes them look great. Then it goes off to the typographer (yes, I have a chain of people for this stuff). If all goes well, I’ll do a cover reveal sometime in mid-September along with an official blurb.

This will not be cheap for me, but I really want exclusive photos that fit Lucas’ appearance in the pose I think will look the best for the book and its content. Hopefully you’ll enjoy the picture I’m seeing in my head once it’s come to life!

What will be the retail eBook price for Chained by Darkness?

Despite the costs, it’s still a shorter book than the previous ones so I’ll be setting the price at $1.99.

Will there be a paperback version?

After the eBook release, I’ll work to get both Darkness Taunts and Chained by Darkness formatted for paperback versions so those who’d be interested in picking them up may do so. I will probably do a giveaway of some sort for them as well. Obviously print versions cost more than eBook versions, but I won’t know how much they will be until they are ready.

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I hope this answers everyone’s questions well enough. There isn’t much more I can say without going into spoilers, but you are free to ask questions. If I feel I can answer them, I will, or at least tell you I can’t.