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So far Lilo J. Abernathy has created 71 blog entries.

Release Blitz: BREAKING FAITH (Contemporary Romance)

 

Breaking-2BFaith-2BBlitz-2BBanner

 

Breaking Faith

The JackholeS Series, Part 1

by Joy Eileen

Synopsis

Faith made the mistake of giving her heart to someone who didn’t deserve her. After making the decision to leave, she sought refuge at a bar full of misfits. They accepted Faith without question, and now they protect her as if she’s family. While putting the pieces of her life back together, she fights to keep her broken heart from falling for the moody lead singer of the JackholeS. A man named Kill. Killian has his own demons to battle, yet Faith brings out his protective side: a side he thought he’d buried long ago. Can Faith and Kill trust each other long enough to leave their pasts behind and find love? Or is the past too overpowering to allow anyone a chance at happiness?

This book contains explicit non-consensual sex scenes. It contains strong language and adult situations. This book is not intended for anyone under 18. This is a series so this book does not end with resolution. Don’t worry the second book is already done and the third is being created. 🙂

 

NOW LIVE!!

Grab your copy here:

Amazon:http://amzn.to/1L8fbz0

iBooks: http://apple.co/1J5gQ3r

Barnes and Nobel: http://bit.ly/1Km8LbA

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1WpLu1O

Teasers

 

Excerpt

Realizing I was half naked and pressed against him, I slowly backed away. The immediate sadness from the removal of his electricity was staggering.

His grin disappeared, and the laughter in his eyes was replaced with desire. I could see why girls all over Portland were infatuated with him. Just one fierce look, and I wanted to wrap myself around him until you couldn’t tell where he stopped and I began.

I took the step I had just taken away from him back toward him. We both inhaled sharply when our bodies collided.

He pulled in his bottom lip, raking his teeth over it until it popped out. My attention became rapt on his bottom lip and I wanted to bite it like he had just done.

The wet heat between my legs was on fire, and the only way I could think of getting rid of the burning ache was to have him buried deep within me.

The look in his eyes, before my attention went to his lips, showed he was thinking the same thing.

My tongue darted out, and he groaned, making his chest rumble. The sound caused my nipples to pebble, aching along with the rest of my body for his attention.

He lowered his face to mine until our foreheads touched, our lips a breath away. Both of us were panting, the dull pain between my legs caused me to press my thighs together, trying to gain friction to help with the need building inside of me.

When I was about to break and press my lips to his, Kill turned around and stormed away, leaving me confused and unsatisfyingly hot.

 

Add to your TBR on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22594101-breaking-faith

 

About the author

Joy Eileen is a born bibliophile who becomes deeply engaged with her characters, and has devoured more books than she would like to admit. She becomes obsessed with happily-ever-afters, and will read any genre that fulfills that requirement. Evading the library is something she has been known to do, because after befriending the characters returning them would be a heartbreaking event. Books are held hostage on her bookshelf, and any author that makes her ugly cry becomes her sworn enemy. Nicholas Sparks is one of the many on the list of villains.

As a massage therapist, most of Joy’s stories come to her while working. With the sound of classical music, and snoring from a half covered hostage, characters are created. The victim (massage patient) has no idea that while their body is being manipulated, Joy has traveled into distant lands creating landscapes and inhabitants as she goes. Her patients should be wary as sometimes they are pulled into her stories and turned into characters. Hero or Foe? Well, that depends on how they tip.

 

Social Media Links

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August 18th, 2015|Fan News, Odds and Ends|1,199 Comments

Book Review: BREAKING FAITH (Contemporary Romance)

 

Breaking Faith

The Jackholes Series

By Joy Eileen
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1hHNpP6
#ContemporaryRomance #Comedy #Drama

For those of you who have been following my reviews you may find it odd that I’m breaking from the Fantasy genre to review a Contemporary Romance. Ohh, but you don’t know me so well, do you? I love romance in all its shades of glory: historical, contemporary, paranormal, Gothic, suspense . . . Fresh out of Nancy Drew books, my hormones first budded under the influence of Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart, but they fully bloomed during a period of Rosemary Rogers and Kathleen Woodiwiss. Romance and I have a long and sultry history. In fact, my affair with Romance has lasted well over twenty times that of my marriage that ended twenty years ago.

Without going into details about why my marriage was so blessedly short, I will say this. Breaking Faith hit very close to home. Now on to the review . . .

The opening of this story is the moment that Faith finally broke away from her abusive boyfriend, Jason. She’s sitting outside a bar with a restraining order in her hand, at a true crossroads in life. The meager amount of belongings she managed to grab are stuffed in the trunk of her car and she has nowhere to stay that night. She’s meeting some friends and hopes one of them will let her crash at their place, but she’s covered in bruises and hasn’t even shared her dark secret with them yet. The secret that Jason wasn’t the perfect boyfriend. In fact, it was an illusion that was so twisted that even Jason believed he was the perfect boyfriend. But the reality of Faith’s bruises, fractures and scars prove the illusion a lie. And stepping into the bar to expose her bruises will be her first step into breaking that illusion to her friends.

This story gives a raw, unadulterated view into the mind of a young woman with low self-esteem who ignores many red flags and gets sucked into a relationship with an abusive man. This woman, like so many women in this situation, is intelligent and kind, but she has been a loner most of her life and has never dealt with a situation like this before. Her nature is so giving, she doesn’t have practice with putting herself first. She has finally managed to break free, but she is not, in any way, whole.

The beginning of the story alternates between Faith’s first days of freedom and flashbacks of her relationship, so you get a good idea of how truly twisted Jason’s mind is. Physical abuse is never just physical. It is emotional and mind bending. Jason built a fairytale facade of their relationship that he shared with the world and he, in fact, wouldn’t even allow himself to see the true reality of the relationship. Jason’s sickness was so deep rooted, he hid his abuse of Faith even from his own mind.

But this story isn’t about Jason. This story is about Faith, broken and bruised, who steps through the door of Ray’s bar and meets a new circle of friends, including the gorgeous Rock and Roll singer, Killian (Kill). This story is about how Faith starts to pull all the shattered pieces of herself together again, still tentatively glued in places, so full of holes if she were a vase, water would flow out of it like a sieve. But she does it, by sheer force of will. She doesn’t even really believe she’s worthy of love because of how terribly she has allowed herself to be treated by Jason, but slowly, she begins to remember that maybe she might be worth something.

Now this story isn’t all dark drama. In fact, Faith has a sense of humor and has an ongoing monologue with her vagina who seems to have different opinions about the sexy Kill than her broken soul does. Part of Faith’s healing is her insistence and success at denying her vagina its way because she knows she’s not ready to delve into any sort of relationship until she has a better grasp of herself. Through the eyes of her new circle of friends and Kill, who actually adores her, she begins to shape a new and better self-image.

I recommend this story to contemporary romance lovers, lovers of truth, people who can quirk a smile in the face of great pain, and people who are brave enough to stand by the side of a not-so-perfect heroine and watch the sometimes agonizing and sometimes comedic process of her rebirth.

Lilo Abernathy

Author and Book Lover

August 17th, 2015|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|505 Comments

Book Review: WEAKEST LYNX (Supernatural Romance)

 

Weakest Lynx

The Lynx Series

By Fiona Quinn
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1hdXLpH
#Supernatural #Psychic #Romance #Mystery

It’s official, I’m a Quinn Fangirl. This book has been on my reading list for a while, but I had to get through publishing my latest in my series and I had a couple of books ahead of this. I finally got to it just the week before my ‘break between writing books’ ended. And boy am I glad I did. By the third chapter this story grabbed me with iron hooks and sucked me into a powerful vortex and a week later I emerged having read every single one of Ms. Quinn’s books. I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop. I hoped fervently she wrote under a pseudonym so I could find more books, but no dice. Yeah, it was like that. One more point before I’m on to the review. This book isn’t a paranormal shifter novel and has absolutely nothing to do with a Lynx cat. Instead, it is ohh so much better . . .

Lexi is orphaned a year before the story takes place and a fire forces her out of an apartment building where she’s lived as part of a close-knit community all her life. She’s been unschooled. By that, the author means she hasn’t gone to traditional school, but has instead been tutored by and has apprenticed with many people. Some of these people she calls her Grandma’s. They’re six elderly women of different ethnic backgrounds who teach her different languages and cultures.  Other tutors are more specialized, such as her training to fly airplanes, her martial arts training by Master Wang, or her training by Spyder, a special undercover operative of a group called Iniquus.

Lexi also has some special psychic and supernatural abilities. She can perform Reiki, which is a method of healing using energy transformation, she has psychic ‘knowings’, she can perform simple searches for lost things, and most startling of all, she can go ‘beyond the veil’. I’m not going to tell you what that is, but let me just say, it is freaking cool. It happens during the most shocking climax of the book.

Spyder recognizes that Lexi is a genius operative in the making as a young teen between her unorthodox education, her martial arts training and her supernatural abilities. She becomes his secret weapon and puzzles out complex crime scenarios to find the truth.

All of this so far is background and as you can see, it’s very rich. The story really starts the day after Lexi’s wedding. It opens with Lexi on her way to speak with her friend, a father figure, to tell him about a threatening note she received on her wedding day. She’s near tears and scared out of her mind because her husband left for service in Afghanistan that morning and she’s alone. She didn’t tell her husband about the threatening letter because she didn’t want him focusing on her when his life was at stake on his own mission. She’s never been the victim of a crime like this, or involved in dangerous situations before. She’s only lent her mind to puzzle out the crimes against other people.

The person she really needs to speak with is Spyder, but he’s been undercover for about a year and a half after the last big case she puzzled out. She hasn’t heard from him and though he suggested she go to a man named Striker if she has problems, she is independent enough not to want to get their help. Since she’s been working directly in secret with Spyder, she doesn’t even think they will believe her. Well, after more threatening notes she realizes she’s being stalked by a crazed serial killer.

I can’t really tell you more without giving away major plot points. The story covers some brutal scenes and holds a strong thread of romance. This is a phenomenal story. We have a serial killer, a team of hunky special operatives, supernatural powers, a genius heroine, and romance. What more can you possibly want?

You can want the next two books in the series and more that the author hasn’t even written yet. And you will. You will want it bad . . .

Lilo Abernathy

Author and Book Lover

August 2nd, 2015|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|477 Comments

Book Review: MELABETH THE VAMPIRE (Urban Fantasy)

 

melabethMelabeth The Vampire

Melabeth Series: Book 1

By E.B. Hood
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1dGSWn5
#UrbanFantasy #Vampire #Necromancer #Sorcerer

As a little context, Melanie, the heroine, is fifteen years old so officially this book fits into the young adult category. But due to the adult themes I think it is more appropriate for an adult audience. On to the review.

Wow! This story is jam packed with action and drama. If I were to sum it up in one word, I’d enthusiastically say that this story is very interesting. And by that I mean it kept my attention riveted until 6 a.m. when I finally had to sleep a tiny bit before picking it up again.

Melanie is born to careless parents. Her mother dies of a heroin overdose and her father ends up allowing some thugs to take her from him when he couldn’t repay a drug debt. She’s brought to a house where a pedophile forces her take part in a pornographic movie with the same thugs who captured her. At the end of the movie, he has one of her “partners” kill her. Thankfully, all this bad stuff is highly glossed over and just sets the history.

A vampire named Nicks finds her in a trash can and tries to turn her. He puts her in the ground where she’s supposed to arise in five days. Instead, fifteen years later she wakes up in the coffin, trying to remember what happened to her. She escapes the coffin and thus Melabeth is born. Her sole purpose in life is to find the men who defiled her and killed her. And she’s not looking for justice. She’s looking for VENGEANCE. Trust me, you will want her to find it too.

Naturally, after fifteen years Nicks gave up that she would ever rise and had moved on, so she has to navigate learning the rules of being a vampire on her own. Most of the story takes place after she’s been born again as a vampire. It documents in vivid detail the confusion and cluelessness of a newly born bloodsucker as she navigates the new world.

The story that follows is filled with tentative love interests, first friends, necromancers, sorcerers, witches, a new vampire family, and plenty of blood, death, and destruction. Not to mention a crazy vampire named Alice who was turned at age fourteen but is over four hundred years old.

Besides Alice, who I absolutely hated at first then came to adore for her wicked ways, I really enjoyed the way Mr. Hood described Melabeth’s awakening within the coffin. He also does some interesting things with flashbacks and memories, weaving them seamlessly into the story. Not all authors can do that well and Mr. Hood does.

I recommend this book for adults who enjoy vengeful minded non-sparkly vampires and great action. The romance is extremely light, so if romance isn’t your thing, this book should still do the trick.

Lilo Abernathy

Author and Book Lover

July 22nd, 2015|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|509 Comments

COVER REVEAL: Breaking Faith

 

Breaking Faith

The JackholeS series part 1

by Joy Eileen

Cover Reveal

Synopsis

Faith made the mistake of giving her heart to someone who didn’t deserve her. After making the decision to leave, she sought refuge at a bar full of misfits. They accepted Faith without question, and now they protect her as if she’s family. While putting the pieces of her life back together, she fights to keep her broken heart from falling for the moody lead singer of the JackholeS. A man named Kill. Killian has his own demons to battle, yet Faith brings out his protective side: a side he thought he’d buried long ago. Can Faith and Kill trust each other long enough to leave their pasts behind and find love? Or is the past too overpowering to allow anyone a chance at happiness?
WARNING: This book contains explicit non-consensual sex scenes. It contains strong language and adult situations. This book is not intended for anyone under 18. This is a series so this book does not end with resolution. Don’t worry the second book is already done and the third is being created. 🙂
Pre-Order Now:
Add to your TBR on Goodreads: 

About the author

Joy Eileen is a born bibliophile who becomes deeply engaged with her characters, and has devoured more books than she would like to admit. She becomes obsessed with happily-ever-afters, and will read any genre that fulfills that requirement. Evading the library is something she has been known to do, because after befriending the characters returning them would be a heartbreaking event. Books are held hostage on her bookshelf, and any author that makes her ugly cry becomes her sworn enemy. Nicholas Sparks is one of the many on the list of villains.
As a massage therapist, most of Joy’s stories come to her while working. With the sound of classical music, and snoring from a half covered hostage, characters are created. The victim (massage patient) has no idea that while their body is being manipulated, Joy has traveled into distant lands creating landscapes and inhabitants as she goes. Her patients should be wary as sometimes they are pulled into her stories and turned into characters. Hero or Foe? Well, that depends on how they tip.
Social Media Links:

Teasers

July 14th, 2015|Fan News, Odds and Ends|467 Comments

THE LIGHT WHO BINDS is Released!

 

Yay! Today is the day! The Light Who Binds is out on Kindle!

A couple things to remember . . .

  • I’m offering it at a reduced price for this weekend only at $3.99.
  • For this weekend, any sales made for The Light Who Shines (Book 1) will be donated to the International Wolf Center. So this is a great time to share the series with friends if you love it.

Amazon link: http://amzn.to/1Jq3Qvh

Enjoy!

Lilo

June 27th, 2015|Release Alerts|472 Comments

THE LIGHT WHO BINDS: Release Date and Parties! Cover Reveal!

 

My Dear Readers and Friends,

It’s finally time. That’s such a simple statement, but if it weren’t for the stern words of my editors and proofer, that simple statement would have about 300 exclamation marks after it. So, let’s have a moment of silence while we thank them.

Oh, what the heck. It’s finally time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That feels soooooo much better as it’s closer to how I actually feel inside. Okay, onto the news because I have so much to share.

Release Date: Saturday, June 27, 2015

The Kindle ebook version will be released first and the print copy will follow as soon as possible after. There is some slim chance I can get it ready in time for the release of the Kindle version, but I can’t promise.

Limited Time Reduced Price!

As a thank you to all of my loyal readers who’ve been waiting for Book Two, The Light Who Binds, I’m offering a reduced price of $3.99 for the first weekend. The price will also be reduced in other countries, but I’m not sure what it will be as Amazon handles the conversion automatically. So be sure to mark your calendar.

After that weekend I’ll increase it to Amazon’s recommended price, which should be $5.99 – $6.99 based on their current recommendations for Book One, The Light Who Shines.

Cover Reveal

Before going into details, I need to take a moment to thank Federico Musetti who created the awesome cover art. Federico is so amazing I want to share his work with you. If you love fantasy art the way I do, you will definitely check out his portfolio.

I’d also like to thank the beautiful Kristin Sallee, the model who provides the face of Blue and who humored me when I asked Federico to show some cleavage so people would stop thinking my novels are young adult! Not only is the heroine too old to be technically considered young adult, there’s graphic violence and a few steamy scenes, though the stories are definitely plot heavy. Plus, the underlying theme is about the very adult topic of prejudice and hate.

Okay, back to the cleavage . . . I assure you that Kristin’s photo were all modest, so I can only assume Federico has seen boobs in his time. (wink)

Drum roll please . . .
I know, there’s so much action in that photo. But that isn’t it! Federico also did a full cover spread so I can properly attire the print version.

We finally have Jack! And he has a mustache. Who knew! Okay, I’m desperate to know what you think is happening in this cover. Please do comment with your guesses. How will I know what people see if you don’t? (If you hover over the image and right click ‘Open link in new tab.’ you’ll see a larger version.)

Online Release Parties! 


Schedule and RSVP: click ======> here

Creating this book took much more work than birthing a baby, so I hope you will come celebrate with me. This is an open invite and everyone is welcome! I’m having four online parties; two on Facebook, one on Twitter, and one on Goodreads. Each party will have different games and entertainment and all of them will offer a Kindle copy of The Light Who Binds as the prize. Plus, as a door prize, all attendees will get a free copy of a new short story called The Binding of the Wolf. It’s Varg’s backstory and you can read details here.

The Twitter and Goodreads parties are my first of their kind. The Twitter party is bound to be noisy and who knows, we might even trend. The Goodreads party will be more of an intimate affair. I’m holding it in a group where I’ll be able to have great discussions with all of you who attend.

International Wolf Center

In honor all of my fans who love the wolf Varg in the series, I’m donating 100% of my royalties earned during that weekend from the sale of Book One, The Light Who Shines, to the International Wolf Center. It’s a great charity that receives four out of four stars from the Charity Navigator.

If you are feeling charitable, you can also donate directly here.

So, I hope you’ll come to one of the parties and help me make some noise about this new release.

Lilo

June 15th, 2015|Fan News, Where's Lilo|529 Comments

Excerpt: THE LIGHT WHO BINDS

 

Dear Readers,

For those who cajoled me, here’s an excerpt of The Light Who Binds . . . Enjoy!

The Light Who Binds

Bluebell Kildare Series, Book Two


Chapter 01 

Three Deaths


Bluebell Kildare
July 7, 2022, Red Ages

Lightning streaks across the twilight sky casting a brilliant glow on the building before me. Stone gargoyles loom above me, their eyes seeming to gleam and blink, their great amphibious wings, arched for flight. A slow roll of thunder fills the air as though the bowels of the earth are opening.

I behold the formidable oak doors of the Dragomir Magical Artifact Shop, wondering what mysteries lie inside. Oh, I know many spells, charms, and magic secrets reside within the artifacts, but those aren’t the unknowns I seek tonight. Tonight, I anticipate learning secrets about myself.

From behind me, the warmth of Jack’s chest radiates into my back, and Varg leans into my thigh. A measure of calm returns to me. Whatever news awaits me, at least I have friends at my side. I straighten my spine, lift my chin, and remove the remaining space between me and my future, pushing the heavy oak doors open to boldly stride in.

As I enter the shop, eddies of dust coalesce from the swish of the doors into a whirlwind at my feet. I’m instantly comforted by the familiar shelves of aged magical texts stacked on bookshelves and delighted by the glass-doored cabinet stocked with magical artifacts. I was last here just a few months ago, but I feel like an entirely different woman now.

Dragomira stands behind the counter and lifts her head with a weary expression, but a fierce glint fills her warm, brown eyes. She is not Dragomira right now. No, she is the Dragomir. Her movements, as fluid as rippling water, trace a path across the room as she quietly deadbolts the door behind us.

With a wave of her hand, she beckons us into her back room. A small fire flickers in the fireplace, casting dancing shadows across the walls. Jack and I take a seat in wing-backed chairs next to the hearth, while Dragomira, still curiously silent, pours three drinks from a beautiful decanter sitting on an ornate wooden table amidst the chairs. She places one in my hand in silent command, watching as I taste it. The shock of whiskey burns my throat and slides warmly to my belly. She sets a glass in front of Jack and keeps the last for herself.

As Dragomira takes her place, I notice again how strikingly beautiful she is. Her hair cascades in long, tumultuous brown waves against her olive skin, and her deep-set eyes gleam with life. Sitting back in her chair, she directs her scrutiny toward me. “Welcome, Illustrissima,” she begins. “I’m sure you have many questions.”

Her harmonious voice rolls through me in a soothing wave. I forget myself for a moment and tilt my ear to enjoy its song. Then I gather myself and say, “I do. Let’s start with the name Illustrissima. Why did you give this name to me?”

Dragomira blinks. Then she regards me steadily and answers, “I no more gave you the name Illustrissima than I gave you your blue eyes. It is a Latin word that has many meanings: the Shining One, the Bright One, the Lustrous One, the Famous One, the Distinguished One.” She waves her hand as though all of that is inconsequential. “You are all of these things. You simply are the Illustrissima.”

I take a slow sip of whiskey. “You can see my light.”

The Dragomir’s eyes flare with a glint of yellow in acknowledgement.

“How?”

She contemplates the fire for a moment before responding. “I am also many things. I have magic . . . gifts, you might call them, which allow me to see things that would normally pass unnoticed. However, what I have been most as of late is a scholar.” She looks at me intently again. “Tonight, your time would be better spent allowing me to share what I’ve learned about you.”

She’s right; after all, Jack and the Dragomir have kept me waiting on this information for months now. “Yes, why don’t you,” I answer curtly.

The Dragomir raises her eyebrows and Jack gives me a warning glance, but I am not so easily cowed.

She nods and settles back in her chair. “Let’s start at the beginning. I’ve told you the story of Patersuco and the inception of the Vampire race. As you know, it didn’t take long for him to kill in bloodlust and turn Dark, as corrupt as he was, but he had already started creating children. And so the curse spread.”

“What I did not tell you was that Patersuco was survived by his wife. Shaina lived in the village, and before the first winter of the Red Ages had passed, several of the townspeople had died at the hands of Patersuco and his Vampire progeny. The villagers turned on Shaina and burned her as a witch.”

I shudder at the thought of that pain, thankful I wasn’t there to feel it.

“Yes, these were rough times, Illustrissima. We have very few written accounts from that time, but from what we know, Shaina was Gifted. Like you, she was an Empath. The villagers tied her to an ash tree and used oak branches to burn her alive.”

“Both these trees have deep, old magic. Ash acts as a bridge between worlds, and oak provides strength. Somehow, the combination of the rage of the villagers, the strength of the oak, and the power of the ash all fed Shaina’s pain, creating a force strong enough to open a pathway from Shaina to the Great Demon Lilith. As she burned, Shaina was able to reach across to the Plane of Fire and lay a powerful curse upon Lilith.”

“What was the curse?”

Dragomira leans back, and her eyes glaze as her mind transports to another place and time. The firelight flickers, and shadows play artfully on the curve of her cheekbone. Then her husky whisper fills the room.

“Lilith, I call on you to hear me.
By my blood, you will be destroyed.

A light will come—
a light that shines through your evil;
a light that calls you to answer for your deeds;
a light that binds you as I am bound and burns you as I burn;
a light that rips you asunder and destroys your darkness. 

Lilith, hear me.
I call to you.
By my blood, you will pay for what you have done.

Lilith, by my blood, you will be destroyed.”

As these words wash over me, tendrils of fear sink into my flesh and thread through my soul. The curse grabs something deep and dark inside of me, and I start to shiver. I reach out for my drink and take another burning sip.

My voice comes, breathless but laden with protest against the implications of Dragomira’s story. “And you believe I am this light? You’ve proved no connection.”

She takes another drink of whiskey, a deep pull this time. I’m not sure if it’s the fire reflecting off them, but her eyes seem to swirl with yellow in their depths.

“Three times Shaina called Lilith’s name that night. Three times she demanded that Lilith listen. Three times she said that retribution would be by her blood. This cinched the curse. But what you need to know most is that while Patersuco’s son was sacrificed, his twin sister survived. Her name was Sorcha.”

“Still, how does that relate to me?”

She raises one dark eyebrow at me. “When Shaina said ‘by my blood,’ she meant her lineage, not the blood that flowed through her veins. You are Shaina’s only remaining descendent, through Sorcha.”

I stand rapidly, knocking into the table and causing it to rock furiously, my glass of whiskey threatens to spill. The table eventually comes to a rest, but I do not. I fling myself across the room and pace as the thoughts roil around in my brain. Despite the cacophony of questions on the tip of my tongue, one thought rises urgently above the rest.

They think I’m supposed to destroy Lilith!

I spin around to see both Jack and Dragomira watching me with grave concern.

Jack sits tensely on the edge of his seat as though ready to leap to my rescue. The light glints off his cropped golden curls, and he reminds me of a fierce golden angel ready for vengeance. Every hard plane of his body speaks of coiled strength and lethal abilities. I’ve felt those enticing planes beneath my fingertips just a few times, and I’m honest enough with myself to admit I want more.

Dragomira says, “There’s more.”

Jack and Varg growl simultaneously, and I guess the more she’s talking about isn’t quite the more I want.

I swipe my drink from the table and knock back the rest. The liquid scorches my throat and traces a fiery path down to my belly, providing a momentary distraction. With a huff, I sit down again and cross my arms. “Just tell me all in one shot, please. I’d like to process this once, not five times.”

Dragomira deliberately refills my glass. I consider this a bad omen. She begins again, this time watching me intently.

“Shaina was close with a woman named Mor who had the gift of sight. She warned Shaina that the villagers were coming for her. Still, they could not escape in time. When Shaina saw that she couldn’t outrun them, she entrusted Mor with Sorcha.

“Mor watched the burning from the safety of the woods, and it is she who documented the events of that night. Afterward, she took the babe to the Dragon tribe, a clan who lived in the Sea Caves nearby. While she was there, she had a vision. That’s what brings us to you.”

Dragomira lifts her hand and a roll of parchment flies off the mantle and into her palm. She passes it to me, and I carefully unroll the aged hide. Quietly, I read aloud the ancient script that promises to reveal my fate.

The DARK ONE spreads her plague across the land.
Rivers run red and earth soaks black with blood.
Man will fear the Cursed and greatly decline.
When they hide like rabbits, the end is near.
The DECEIVER will dance in her triumph.

There is one way that Man can rise again:
trust their enemy
live as one people,
or all will perish.

If they succeed, the DESTROYER will rage;
mourn her loss of souls,
plot her artifice,
move forth with vengeance.

Beware! The PRETENDER has many ways.
Need changes to greed;
love corrupts to hate;
hope buckles to fear.

Foes renew and the Great Pact is broken.
When Man wrongs Man, the BEAST has all but won.
Yet one last path still remaining for Man,
Yet one last path to deliver the Cursed.
The scion of Shaina’s blood will shine BRIGHT.

The BRANDED ONE will thrice-fold be guarded:
blade preserves body;
bone benefacts mind;
Cursed entrenches soul.

The LUSTROUS ONE will thrice-fold be fitted:
light her palisade,
justice her design,
love her instrument.

The ONE WHO IS KNOWN will thrice-fold meet death:
once in trade for life,
once that is taken,
once that is given.

The LIGHT WHO SHINES will shatter the darkness.
The LIGHT WHO SHINES will deliver the Cursed.
The LIGHT WHO SHINES will assail the DARK ONE.
The ANNIHILATOR will be destroyed.
The ERODER OF SOULS will be rebirthed.

Be steadfast, for the end is uncertain.

The edges of the aged parchment nearly crumble under the force of my grip. I loosen my shaking hands, and color flows back into my knuckles. Varg, sensing my stress, leans heavily against my knee. He places his snout in my lap, raises his eyebrows and blinks his ice blue eyes. I wrap my fingers in his long fur, gaining strength from his comfort.

I turn my attention to Dragomira and Jack. They clearly knew the prophecy, as their faces are not filled with questions; instead, a great solemnity surrounds them like a thick mist. Dragomira seems weary but resolute. Jack’s eyes burn with an unnatural shine, and fear and pain wisps around him in an eerie dance. Most telling of all are the tentative vines of hope intertwined with his concern.

Once more, I fill the dark silence. “The first stanza refers to the beginning of the Red Ages. The second stanza clearly describes the creation of the Great Pact.”

An unhappy agreement with my interpretation weighs their expressions.

I study the parchment for another moment. “We have no way of knowing if the third and fourth stanzas have occurred yet. The beginning of the fifth stanza says that the Great Pact will be broken.”

My hands tremble at the thought of that. It is not an event I wish to see in my lifetime. The image of Daylight Vampires taking blood at will and Dark Vampires going unchecked by Daylight Vampires horrifies my very soul.

Dragomira prompts, “And what does the end of the fifth stanza predict?”

Suddenly, I feel older than the darkness of the sky and more burdened than the ground beneath the mountains. “It predicts my birth and says I am the last hope.”

I lay my hand on Jack’s arm. “The last hope to free the Vampires from the curse.”

His jaw clenches, and his body becomes taut. Shame wraps around him as guilt leaks from him like wine through a sieve, filling all corners of the room.

“Jack?” I ask.

He glances at me briefly, then stares straight ahead. “You should go over the rest.”

The parchment, all but forgotten in that singular moment, still remains in my hand. I wrestle my eyes away from him and examine the next set of stanzas. “I can see how the Lustrous One could refer to me, but what about the Branded One and the One Who is Known”

Dragomira responds, “Recall that Illustrissima means Famous One and Distinguished One. To say someone is known is equivalent to saying they’re famous. Remember, there was no technology in those days—no phones, cars, or news stations. People’s circles were small. If someone was widely known, they were famous.”

“But I’m not famous, and I’m certainly not branded.”

Jack grimaces further. “You are famous. When the slaves were found in Blackwater’s house, the Dilectus Deo staged protests across the land. Of course, you were missing at the time, so your name was spoken in every other broadcast. The Dilectus Deo cast aspersions on you, said that you were involved in the crime rather than a victim. You were a topic of much debate.”

“You’re also branded. Your birthmark is no ordinary mark. To be marked like that is to be distinguished. It connects you both to the name Illustrissima and to the prophecy.”

It feels as though the noose is tightening further. I can’t imagine that I’m special enough to be the savior of the breeds. Every scrap of my life has been a fight for even the smallest amount of respect, so to be cast in this light, as though I’m important . . . I just can’t grasp it. But, clearly, they believe it.

“So you really think that I’m the Illustrissima, and I’m supposed to deliver the Vampires from the curse?”

Jack replies softly, “You don’t have to do anything. I’m not sure that the entire Vampire breed is worth your life.”

“Jack, it isn’t just the Vampire breed at stake,” I point out. “According to the prophecy, the fate of all mankind hangs in the balance. That’s a large prize for destroying Lilith. If this is true, then it’s lucky that I’ve already died twice and I only have once more to go.”

Their heads snap toward me, four shocked eyes taking me in as though wings have suddenly sprouted from my back.

I narrow my gaze as I take in their befuddlement. I was sure they would have known.

“I was stillborn,” I explain, “and with a combination of my father’s healing skills and my mother calling to my soul, much the way you did, Jack, I came back to life. That’s the first death, which was in exchange for life. The second death, the death that was taken, was at Blackwater’s hands. That leaves a third death: one that must be given, though I have absolutely no idea what that means. And I’m not saying I believe the prophecy, but how does one go about giving a life and killing the Great Demon, anyway? I’m certainly not killing anyone in sacrifice.”

A wry smile slides across Dragomira’s face. “If I knew, and if it were within my power, I assure you it would already be done. I can tell you though, it’s no coincidence that the amulet found its way into your hands. This is ultimately a war between you and Lilith, and somehow the Grimoire is involved. I wouldn’t be surprised if that necklace of yours played a part as well.”

I lightly finger the Belladonna necklace, which drapes down my breasts and shoulders like a piece of archaic chainmail. “Can you remove it? Do you know how?”

Dragomira stands in obvious dismissal. “Come to me tomorrow evening, and I will see. Now, I have other things to attend.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Available Now!

Recommended reading order for the Bluebell Kildare Series:
The Light Who Shines
The Binding of the Wolf
The Light Who Binds

Now, did you enjoy it or was it too much of a tease?

Lilo

June 15th, 2015|Fan News, Odds and Ends|1,151 Comments

Cover Reveal! BloodVault by Author Tima Maria Lacoba

 

BloodVault

Author Tima Maria Lacoba just shared the cover for BloodVault, Book 3 in The Dantonville Legacy Series. Isn’t it gorgeous! I love the green gem on the key. She has kept her Gothic Fantasy Romance feel and included her serpent ring and the flowing curtain as a common element on all her book covers.

I haven’t had a chance to read Book 2 yet, but I really enjoyed the historical and mythological aspects of Book 1, Bloodgifted. You can find my review of it here.

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/18mq9Bd
Nook Link:  http://bit.ly/1NZ9VMi

Lilo Abernathy

Author, Reader, and Book Lover

June 7th, 2015|Fan News, Where's Lilo|479 Comments

Help Me Donate My Royalties To The International Wolf Center!

 

Dear Readers,
My release date and the release parties for The Light Who Binds (Book Two) will be announced very soon!

But I have more BIG NEWS!

I’ve decided that during the weekend of my release, I’ll donate 100% of my royalties for The Light Who Shines (Book One) to the International Wolf Center. 

Hopefully with the hype of my release, I’ll get a good number of sales. But I could use your help in three easy, free, and fun ways:

The first way is to consider leaving a review of The Light Who Shines on Amazon here if you haven’t done so already. The more reviews a book has, the more people trust it’s a good book, and the more likely people will buy it. Sure, I love those big long thorough reviews. But that isn’t necessary.  Even a short one line review helps because so many people just look at the actual count of reviews and star rating. I consider this to be like polishing my shoes to prepare for the big day.

The second way is to attend one of my online release parties for The Light Who Binds. When the day comes, the more fun we have and the more noise we make, the more likely The Light Who Shines will sell as well. I know you can’t commit to that until you see the party schedule, so just stay tuned! But consider signing up here for my Release News to make sure you don’t miss the announcement. The parties will all be online and will be across a number of different social media. You’re welcome to join even if you haven’t read The Light Who Shines yet.

The third way is to simply like and share this post! 

This donation is in honor of all my readers who have told me how much they love Varg the wolf in the story. You can find more information on the International Wolf Center in the links below.

The International Wolf Center

The International Wolf Center is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to educating people about wolves. The organization is committed to advancing the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wild lands, and the human role in their future.

Founded in 1985 by a group of biologists led by world-renowned wolf biologist Dr. L. David Mech, the Center opened in June 1993.
http://www.wolf.org

It’s rated four out of four stars on the Charity Navigator.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=9226#.VW-pXc9Viko

Thank you!

Lilo

June 3rd, 2015|Fan News, Where's Lilo|703 Comments

Authors, Why You Should Retweet Your Book Bloggers!

 

Authors,

Chances are you have quite a few book bloggers on your Twitter feed that you’ve been neglecting. Instead, I suggest that you support your book bloggers, especially those who blog books in your genre. I’m not talking about authors who also have blogs or book bloggers who charge for reviews. I’m talking about good old fashioned book bloggers who read books or hear about books and talk about them to their people.

Why should you support them?

  • They love books. The world simply needs more people who love books. In fact, they are so passionate about books they can’t stop talking about them.
  • They instill a love of reading to the general public. We need more readers!
  • Your readers want to hear from them. You can’t write enough books to keep your readers busy all year long. So keep them entertained with other great content.

But what do you get out of it? As my Grandfather would say, you get ‘nutin’ . . . Well, maybe not exactly nothing.

  • You get the appreciation of your readers.
  • You further solidify the community interest in reading.
  • If you retweet your bloggers all year long, they see your name and your books and it might inspire them to review YOUR book. No guarantee on this though as the best book bloggers operate outside of author influence.
  • If they follow you back on Twitter, which I’m sure they will, they’ll see your sales and new releases and they might post about it. Again, no guarantee.

But if you don’t start the relationship, you’ll never know what benefits might come of it. So take some time to examine your follower list and identify your book bloggers. Add them to a Twitter list, then make a point of retweeting them.

Bloggers,

It isn’t all on us authors. I’ve been looking through my blogger list and I see a general lack of uniformity on book blog posts. I use an automated retweeting service and I want to retweet your book blog posts to my 19K followers. But I can only do this if you use a hashtag that my retweeting service can find.

Based on this article, and comparing to the metrics on hashtag.org, I believe the best hashtags to use are:

  • #bookbloggers
  • #bookreview

#blog also gets a lot of retweets but it is way too general. It could be a blog about luxury cars and I don’t want to retweet that. I’m absolutely retweeting #bookbloggers and #bookreview though because I know my readers want to hear about that.

Be careful about the plural forms because #bookbloggers gets lots of retweets but #bookblogger gets hardly any. Likewise #bookreview gets lots of retweets, but #bookreviews gets hardly any.

Authors,

If you use an automated retweeting service (like roundteam.co), I suggest you add those hashtags to the service as part of your regular retweeting schedule. Or, for a low tech solution, you can add your bloggers to a Twitter list and just check it occasionally.

Bloggers,

I suggest you use those hashtags on your book review posts so we can find them and retweet them.

Authors and Bloggers,

Please retweet this tweet to get the word out!
https://twitter.com/Lilo_Abernathy/status/600487308454924288 
P.S. If you’re a book blogger who blogs Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance, I want to retweet you. So let me know.
P.P.S. Isn’t that book image on my post soooo cool. It’s a book that can be read six different ways!
Happy blogging and retweeting!

Lilo Abernathy
Author, Book Lover, Retweeter

May 18th, 2015|Author World, Publishing|472 Comments

What’s My Middle Name?!

 

13261996_sIf you’re following me on Facebook you know I been searching for a middle name. I made a mistake creating a Google Plus account and had to create a new email address different from the first. So I stuck a ‘J’ initial in for fun. The only problem was I didn’t know what the ‘J’ stood for. So after almost a year and a half of being only an initial, I asked my Facebook friends to help me pick a name.

If you do follow me you also know I’m a tease, so it will come as no surprise that I’m making you wait until the bottom of the post for the winning name. I’ll try to entertain you with humor on the way, but if you’re impatient, you can skip to the bottom. Meanwhile, I’d like to hand out some Honorable Mentions by Category.

 

Most Humerous Names

First Place – Jay

Submitted by Keith Fritz, Giselle Marks Author, Raul Sprovieri, Jamie Lockett, And Adri Sinclair 

Keith says, “Homer J. Simpson’s muddle name = ‘Jay’ lol. Just kidding.”
Jamie says, “Homer that shit. Lilo ‘Jay’ Abernathy.”

I know you weren’t kidding Keith. You can’t fool me. And Jamie, I hate Homer Simpson, but even I have to agree this is brilliant! But thank goodness it didn’t win. It was probably due only to that lucky horseshoe I have hanging over my computer.

Second Place – Jabberwocky

Submitted by Martha Fawcett Vincek
‘Jabberwocky’ is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll and included in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. Here are the first three Stanza’s:

Jabberwocky

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

Here’s a nice post if you want to read the whole poem without reading Through the Looking-Glass. I can’t read his work because my mind goes into insane land as it tries to put everything into correct boxes. There are no correct boxes with Lewis Carroll and I already have a headache.

Third Place – Juggins

Submitted by Joe Ward
This is humorous simply because it means I’m an idiot. Definition: a silly person; simpleton: one easily victimized:  “was a clumsy juggins and let the ladder get out of control.”

Now I might be offended, but . . .

  1. Joe Ward is actually a relation through marriage so he’s allowed a level of casualness I wouldn’t necessarily like from others. Yes. My brother-in-law is calling me stupid.
  2. I’m not all that worried about my intellect.
  3. Joe isn’t that bright and probably had no idea what it meant anyway. (Kidding Joe! Sorry, you walked into that one and I had to give it to you.)
  4. Let me remind you Joe that we’re related through marriage so I’m allowed a level of casualness you wouldn’t necessarily like from others.
  5. You started it.

 

Most Interesting Names

First Place – Jeronimo

Submitted by Kate Sullivan
I did a search on Jeronimo and kept coming up with Geronimo. So I assume this is Kate’s attempt at telling me that I seem like a wild warrior woman capable of wreaking havoc on my enemies and being a celebrated defender of my people. Thank you for that Kate. For those who want the story of Geronimo, visit this nice post. It says that Geronimo means, “one who yawns.” That’s right. I’m such a bad-ass, I yawn in the face of my enemies.

Second Place – Jinx

Submitted by Ana Crow Clemans
Wikipedia gives Jinx a number of different meanings and the following are among them:

  • A type of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to many minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck.
  • An object or person that brings bad luck.
  • A penalty that one person can invoke on another when the two of them say the same thing at the same time.

What makes this so interesting is that I’m about the least superstitious person on earth. I will laughingly:

  • walk under ladders,
  • take black cats home,
  • break mirrors,
  • spill salt,
  • stay in a motel on Friday the 13th,
  • open an umbrella inside,
  • forgo saying “God Bless You” after someone sneezes (Yes, that’s a superstition mistaken for etiquette.),
  • drive by a cemetery without holding my breath,
  • put my hat on in bed,
  • wear my wedding ring on a finger other than my forth (Yes, another superstition!), and;
  • step on a crack. Though my mother has had back problems so perhaps I should rethink this one.

One thing I won’t do is place my shoes on my table because that is just gross! You were thinking the same thing, weren’t you? Jinx! You owe me a Coke!

Third Place – Jupiter & Justice

Jupiter was submitted by Michelle Lewis
Justice was submitted by Annette Drolette Mardis and Deborah Ehling
I couldn’t make up my mind on which of these were more interesting, so they’re tied.

Justice would be a great name for me, though my sister would probably correct me and say I’m a “nark.” I was quite the nark when we were growing up.

And being named Jupiter after the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in the solar system (one thousandth the size of the sun) is just way cool. It speaks to my geeky side. But my sister would probably say it speaks to a big head. You decide.

P.S. This is the same sister who is married to my brother-in-law who called me stupid. Are you drawing any correlations?

 

People Who Believe I am Their Child From Another Life

Now a few people like me so much they wanted to name me after themselves. I want to take a moment to thank you. I appreciate your self-esteem, err I mean, your esteem and regard. (Teasing!) I don’t have a ranking for these so I’ll just give them to you.

Jasper

Submitted by Kasper Beaumont
This one is sneaky. Kasper, I bet you didn’t think I’d look it up. Kasper is the German form of Jasper. Busted.

Janice

Submitted by A League of Independent Writers
This one is in complete disguise. A League of Independent Writers is otherwise known as Janice Williams. Peeps, you REALLY should follow her. She’s fantastic and you can find her on Google Plus and Facebook. She has been amazingly supportive.

Jeanna

Submitted by Jeanna Ford Read
Jeanna gets the prize for boldness since she brazenly gave me her first name as she displays it to the world.

To all three of you, I’m honored.

 

Most Beautiful Names

I don’t have a ranking for these names either. I just loved the way they sounded with Lilo Abernathy.

Janae

Submitted by Pam Mastricola
Lilo Janae Abernathy

Jazina

Submitted by Giselle Marks Author
Lilo Jazina Abernathy 

Joella

Submitted by Itsjoysworld Blogger-Author
Lilo Joella Abernathy

If I were picking solely based on beauty, I would probably have picked one of these. Great suggestions!

 

Most Popular Names

Third Place – Jade, Jane, & Jay

All three of these tied for third place, getting six votes each.

Jay – Submitted by Keith Fritz, Giselle Marks Author, Raul Sprovieri, Jamie Lockett, and Adri Sinclair
I’ve already said a few words about Jay and I’m sure I have a four-leaf clover to thank for this one not winning. 

Jade – Submitted by Christina Lynn, Ann Marvin, Dawn Singh, and Arriane Alter
Not only is Jade the name of a beautiful semi-precious stone, but it’s also the name of my author friend Rose Montague’s first book. Suspiciously, all of her characters have names that start with ‘J’. I wonder if she named them after my middle initial . . .

Jane – Submitted by Rebecca Stoneham Gladu, Arriane Alter, Ann Moynihan, Jeanna Bini, Rachel Mustain, and Annie Palone
My first thought was, “Are you all Edgar Rice Burroughs fans too?” Jane actually goes very well with Lilo Abernathy and I would have enjoyed it. But to me it sounds a little too innocent and I feel far from that. Speaking of innocence . . .

Second Place – Jezebel

Submitted by  Mary LoMar and Ann Doherty Jurmain
This one got seven votes, narrowly beating out the three above and almost winning. I do love Jezebel and wouldn’t have minded it at all, even though it doesn’t really flow with Lilo Abernathy.

According to Wikipedia . . .

According to the biblical accounts, Jezebel incited her husband King Ahab to abandon the worship of Yahweh and encourage worship of the deities Baal and Asherah instead. Jezebel is said to have persecuted the prophets of Yahweh, and to have fabricated false evidence of blasphemy against an innocent landowner who refused to sell his property to King Ahab, causing the landowner to be put to death. For these transgressions against the God and people of Israel, the Bible relates, Jezebel met a gruesome death – thrown out of a window by members of her own court retinue, and the flesh of her corpse eaten by stray dogs.

Jezebel became associated with false prophets. In some interpretations, her dressing in finery and putting on makeup led to the association of the use of cosmetics with “painted women” or prostitutes.

According to Israel Finkelstein, professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, apart from the names of rulers and some of the buildings and battles mentioned, the Biblical stories of Jezebel and her family contain “very little verifiable historical material”.

Doesn’t it feel like we’re playing the Telephone game? Now, Jezebel sounds like a radical trouble-maker and a regular bad-ass. If I were superstitious (and we’ve already covered this) I might be worried about the history. But I’m not. So you may call me Jezebel if you wish.
 

 

ShineAnd the First Place Winner is . . . Leave it a Mystery!

Submitted by Dannika Dark

This got 10 votes, far outstripping the other options. Thank you so much Dannika for the suggestion. For your prize I’m giving you a big fat plug. Dannika Dark is a prolific author and highly rated by her readers. I’ve personally read her Mageri series and loved it. Chances are, if you like The Light Who Shines you’ll like her work as well. You can find her books on Amazon here and her Facebook page here.

So I guess I’m back where I started and have no middle name. However, I’m planning on having fun with this and may start signing my emails and posts with a different middle name every time. I’ll never explain to anyone why, and only those of you who were in on this process will know the secret.

Thank you all for participating!

May the rest of your week be successful and bright, knock on wood.

Lilo Jaracanda Abernathy

May 7th, 2015|Odds and Ends|806 Comments

Book Review: BLOODGIFTED (Urban Fantasy / Romance / Myth & Legend)

 

Bloodgifted

The Dantonville Series: Book 1

By Tima Maria Lacoba
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1zvdKIn
#UrbanFantasy #Romance #Historical #Myth #Legend

A deftly woven tale of myth, legend, action, and romance. 

Bloodgifted starts out with a prologue that takes us back to 263 AD when the battle between two warring parties, the Pictish and the Romans, culminates in a curse thus creating the first vampires and the bloodgifted.

Author Tima Maria Lacoba spins an exciting tale of romance and intrigue as her heroine, Laura, comes into her bloodgift and the vampire race grapples at a chance to shift the power. This story is an exciting recount of the struggle between two factions of vampires, those who want to maintain order and integrate with human society and those who see humans only as food to be devoured.

Trapped in the middle, Laura struggles to survive the violent power-plays between these volatile factions, who both consider her the winner’s prize. To spice things up further, Laura must deal with the rivalry between her current boyfriend Matt, a tenacious detective, and the irresistible Alec, a vampire from the new underworld she is just discovering. But there is more! An obsessive stalker is on the loose . . .

If you love action packed urban fantasy or paranormal romance, and have a taste for history, myth, and legends, you should definitely try this story.

Lilo Abernathy
Author and Book Lover

April 30th, 2015|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|481 Comments

Book Review: NIKO (Urban Fantasy / Science Fiction / Gene Mutations)

 

Niko

The Outsider Chronicles: Book 1

By Kayti Nika Raet
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1OGgLvO
#UrbanFantasy #ScienceFiction #GeneMutations #Monsters

Before I even go into the review, I feel this cover must be mentioned. IMHO it is kick-ass. Not only does Niko look tough, but she looks sexy with some great booty. And, pleases, let’s talk about the bat. Chains and nails and dripping blood? Sweet . . .

Okay, moving on to the story. If you like original stories, creativity, and new creatures, this story is for you. 

Niko lives in a time where something happened to the atmosphere to turn all rain to acid rain. The acid is so strong you can’t let it touch you, least it eats through you. Acid proof shingles have to be put on roofs. Your shoes have to be acid proof or they will melt away. And all water must be treated or it will kill you. This is a harsh world.

It’s made even harsher because humans have divided into the Haves and Have Nots because there are limited resources. Only the wealthy can afford to live in the city where purified water is in plentiful supply. The rest are kept out by gates, guards, and guns, surviving by their brawn and wits.

If that isn’t bad enough, there are genetically mutated humans who have transformed into scary as hell creatures called Slithers. Slithers eat people and move with incredible speed, far beyond the average human. Luckily, some rare people have an innate ability to move fast enough to kill them.

Enter Niko, a seventeen year old girl who’s entire family is killed by Slithers, except for one brother who goes missing. When the insider populace finds out Niko can kill Slithers, she’s taken to the city to protect the populace. However, her brother is on the outside and all Niko cares about is finding her brother. Outside of the gate waits Slithers galore, acid rain, starvation, thirst, gangs, and other people doing whatever required to survive their brutal existence. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a unique kick-ass urban fantasy with science fiction elements in a dystopian environment.

Lilo Abernathy
Author and Book Lover

April 29th, 2015|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|510 Comments

Book Review: JADE (YA Urban Fantasy / Action)

 

Jade

Three J’amigos Series: Book 1

By Rose Montague
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1bFej6S
#UrbanFantasy #Paranormal #Action #Shifter #YA

An Action Packed Story of Good Versus Evil
The story opens up with Jade Smith joining her new police partner, Rolfe, a shifter who takes the shape of a huge Kodiak bear. Rolfe initially thinks Jade will be a weak female partner, a liability if you will, but he is soon disavowed of that notion. Jade kicks butt. 

But what is Jade? She has the build of a shifter, but keeps mum about her shifter form. She has vampire fangs and fay relatives. One part of her is even more secret than all the rest. Where did Jade come from and what did she do in her life prior to working with Rolfe? How does she happen to know the secret of a weapon legend says was used by angels?

The plot is rife with twists and turns, new friends and lovers, and set-ups and betrayals. The mysteries are slowly revealed.

This story will be enjoyed by YA readers and adults alike. Kudos to Ms. Montague for weaving in a LGBT relationship into the story. There is considerable focus on diversity, which I really appreciate.

Lilo Abernathy
Author and Book Lover

April 29th, 2015|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|484 Comments

Book Review: THE CALLING (YA Urban Fantasy / Romance)

 

The Calling

The Gateway Series: Book 1

by Louise White
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1Fz42Wb
#YA #UrbanFantasy #Romance #Action

I loved this book. The beginning was absolutely incredible. Carolyn walks in to see her family being destroyed and something happens to her. She becomes this beautiful feral wild thang. She is called the Destroyer and her purpose is to kill Demons who steal humans.

Let’s just pause here a moment and reflect on the Feral Wild Thang. When I say feral, I actually mean feral, as in the movie Nell with the feral child, starring Jodi Foster. It’s fantastic like that too. I am soooo envious that Author Louise White thought of this idea before I did. Now that she’s written it and I’ve read it, I can’t use it. Maybe in about 20 years. But for now, I can’t. So . . . major envy here.

The story is filled with thrilling action as Carolyn completes her mission of destroying demons. Eventually, she starts to move toward a more aware mind and way from being a raving killing beast. The transition is fascinating to watch. Then, several possible love interests appear, each with potential ulterior motives, leaving the reader unclear who’s safe and best for her. I’m rooting for one male, but I’m not sure if Louise is with me on that. 🙂 Deception and betrayal complicate the plot and the characterization is excellent, allowing you to feel deeply for Carolyn’s team.

Several side plots further enrich the story and mysteries abound. Do some of the secondary characters have a relationship? What is the relationship of the strongest Mage to the God-like Protector? What is this parasitic power that has attached to her first, and secondly to Note? So many mysteries . . .

I’m looking forward the next book!

Lilo Abernathy
Author and Book Lover

April 29th, 2015|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|514 Comments

Book Teaser: THE LIGHT WHO BINDS

 

Exciting News: The Light Who Binds is coming soon!

I’ve just finished integrating the changes from my Beta Readers and I’ve sent it off to editing. At this point, I’m estimating about six weeks. So with the book complete now, I’ve drafted a teaser and wanted to share it with you. Please note this is unedited!

The Light Who Binds: Teaser

The Prophecy

Inspector Bluebell Kildare has waited months for her sexy Vampire boss, Jack Tanner to divulge the secrets he knows about her. She couldn’t be more shocked when he finally reveals her birth was prophesied over two thousand years go and she’s expected to save the Vampire souls so they can escape their fate of eternal damnation and burning on the Plane of Fire.

The Case

A savior she is not. Blue and her wolf Varg are busy battling several factions attempting to abduct her. Plus, she’s chasing a vicious serial arsonist who’s setting houses on fire and burning victims alive. Is it random or Genocide?

The Wolf

The furor accelerates when Varg displays new powerful abilities and a complaint is filed against him. But when the sorceress who sent him shows up, Blue fears she’ll lose him forever.
 

The Romance

Jack is the final straw. His eyes and sometimes his hands vow yes to her, but his delicious mouth murmurs no, until she puts her foot down and demands he makes a decision about them. What will he choose? And can she handle the answer?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well, did that tease you enough to want it? This will become my Amazon description and the back of book blurb so I’d love to hear your opinions on it. Please comment below.

Want more?
You can read an excerpt of Chapter 1 here.

You can sign up here to be notified right before The Light Who Binds is released.

Best,

Lilo

April 27th, 2015|Fan News, Odds and Ends|542 Comments

Swear Words in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Books?

 

31398539_sI just checked my reviews today and saw a new one came in addressing swear words. The reader writes,

“I like that you told a great story and you didn’t have to use curse words. Thank you for that.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve received a comment like this and I love that readers are communicating their thoughts on this issue. However, it wasn’t really a goal of mine when I wrote the book to produce a curse word clean story. I’m not pro or con swear words. I’m fine with them when they fit the story. Interestingly, my book actually does contain swear words, but they are rather mild and infrequent.

The Light Who Shines is a cross-genre book that spans Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Mystery. The first two genres are known to be proliferated with swear words. When I first drafted my main character profile for Bluebell Kildare, I decided that she only said soft swear words, as this fit her personality. She says things like, “Holy cow!” “Holy smokes!” and “cripes!” That is just her way. She grew up in an orphanage associated with a Catholic church so hard swears are not comfortable for her.

One of the detectives she works with is Catholic and his expletives are things like, “Jesus Christ!” and “Jesus, Mother Mary, and Joseph!” He doesn’t swear a lot because his image is important to him and he likes to be seen as cultured. One of my editors felt that the religious cusses would actually be disliked more than the non-religious hard swear words, but I haven’t received any negative feedback on it. I should clarify that this is not in anyway a religious book, even though the various religions of the characters shape their actions and thinking.

The other main character, Jack Tanner, does say more common swear words, but not often and usually not in the presence of ladies. He’s a five hundred year old Vampire and a bit old fashioned that way. He has been known to say, “Crap!” “Shit!” and may even say, “Fuck!” in future books, though he hasn’t yet.

So, while I didn’t set out to create a book purged of swear words, it ended up being fairly clean based on the personality of the main characters. I was pleasantly surprised with all the comments I’ve gotten from readers who have been hungry for a great action book in these genres that has cleaner language.

How do I feel about swearing in books that I read?

Naturally, I’ve read a considerable amount of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance to be able to write in those genres. I recall being turned off by a few where the main character cussed all the time and it seemed unnecessarily ugly. But other times characters will belt out the harder curse words during times of danger, pain, or when emotions run high and I’m fine with that. I’m also fine with no swear words.

When I first released my book, one of the negative comments I received was that I had too many exclamation marks. I took this to heart and removed almost all of them during my revision. I left them at only the highest points of emotion in the story. I think all those exclamation marks tired people out.

Similarly, I think hard swear words do the same thing. In my opinion, too many is too many. You risk losing potency.

Still, even though I know that many of my readers don’t care for the hard swear words, I think others would be fine with them in any quantity. I think some people feel that if the book doesn’t have sufficient hard language it’s more of a young adult book, even though the official definition of young adult has nothing to do with swear words.

So, in light of all of these questions, I’d created a poll. The results of the poll are available here:

http://svy.mk/1Pe2ljF

I’d love to hear your comments!

Lilo

Excerpt: THE LIGHT WHO SHINES

 

Dear Readers,

It occurs to me that since so many people loved the excerpt of book 2, I should probably post an excerpt of book 1, THE LIGHT WHO SHINES. (smile)

I do have to give you a bit of warning. This excerpt contains graphic violence and a torturous death. So turn back now if you can’t handle a taste of dark fantasy. The book in its entirety contains some very steamy sex scenes, though this excerpt does not. The dark scenes of the book are well balanced by magic, whimsy, love, and humor.

This excerpt is the entire Prologue which takes place 2000 years before the rest of the story. It begins in Year 1 of the Red Ages. The age was named thus because it’s the year that Vampires were first created and the time that followed was so bloody, it’s said the rivers ran crimson and the ground was cloaked in scarlet. This Prologue is the story of Shaina, the wife of the first Vampire.

So here goes!

firetree

The Light Who Shines
Book 1 of the Bluebell Kildare Series

Prologue

Shaina
Winter, Year 1, Red Ages

I wake to the sound of pounding on the door and Mor’s voice yelling, “Shaina. Shaina.”

Sorcha wakes up crying as I rush to open the door. A bloodcurdling scream tears through the night, destroying any illusions of a peaceful return to slumber. I swing open the door with trembling hands and see anguish in Mor’s eyes. The words that tumble from her mouth bring to the fore all the fears I’d been trying to suppress this winter.

“Shaina, Conor was found dead, killed by the bloodsuckers. Grainne and Aongus are calling you a Witch and gathering the town folks to burn you as one. Quick! We must run.”
I start gathering my things together, but Mor yells, “There is no time. Grab the bairn. We must go now!”
Sorcha is wailing now. Tears streak her little cheeks as she grips her blanket tightly in tiny fists. I grab my plaid and wrap it around us both as I follow Mor outside.
“You must quiet her,” Mor whispers.
I try to comfort Sorcha in a hushed voice. “Shh, Sorcha, you must be quiet. Shhhh.”
Sorcha pays no heed and cries all the louder as she clutches me with her little fingers.
I hear the voices of the villagers coming now, yelling and screaming, “Burn the Witch. It was her husband who brought this upon us.”
Aongus’ voice rises above the rest. “Let her die too. Why should she be spared?”
Mor leads me past the blacksmith’s shop, behind Fergus’ cottage, toward the forest. I see their torches at my cottage now. A voice yells, “They’re gone,” and the villagers continue to chant, “Burn the Witch. Burn the Witch.”
I cast through my mind wildly now, seeking a remembrance of a place to hide. My mind comes up empty, just as it did all winter when I feared a night such as this would come. I should have braved the cold and gone to the sea caves where the dragon tribe dwells despite the perilous winter journey.
Just then, Sorcha lets out a loud bawl, and I hear Grainne yell, “She’s over there.”
Mor and I run around Fergus’ cottage and make for the tree line. The throng is following us quickly with the younger men in the lead. The woods are just up ahead—if only we could lose them in the deep of the trees. If only Sorcha would stop crying.
We reach heavy brush, and I hear the thunder of feet behind me. Just at the edge of the woods, my foot catches on a tree root and I tumble to the ground. As I land on the hard dirt, I twist to protect Sorcha from being crushed by my weight, and pain shoots up my leg. Fear strikes my heart as I realize I’ve a choice to make.
“Mor,” I yell.
Mor glances over her shoulder and sees me on the ground. I try to stand, but my knee gives way. I see the torches through the dark coming swiftly closer.
“Mor, take Sorcha. It is too late. Run. Keep her safe.”
Mor stands there, petrified. She looks at me, she looks at the woods in front of her, and she looks at the torches that are almost upon us. I thrust Sorcha out while warm, wet tears stream down my cheeks and fall unheeded onto the snow. “Take the bairn! It’s me they want.”
Mor grabs Sorcha and my arms, bereft of their lovely burden, fall uselessly at my sides. I stare hungrily after Sorcha for one last moment, and just as Mor and Sorcha disappear in the dark of the woods, the torches are upon me. First the young men arrive, their faces ugly with rage. I know each of them, grew up with them, broke bread with them, bartered with them, sang with them, but it matters not. It’s fear that drives them this night, and no proclamations of innocence or fond memories will help me now.
Niall grabs my arms and drags me into the throng. I try to gain footing, but my right leg will bear no weight. Tadgh holds my other arm, and together they pull me to the center of town. The mob crowds around, cursing me, throwing sticks at me as I’m roughly tied to a large ash tree. The faces of my friends and neighbors swirl around me in angry confusion with rays of moonlight shining on a gaunt cheek here and a slashing brow there. The bindings are pulled tight, cutting into my wrists and ankles as I struggle, but I know it’s useless. It’s been useless since Torloch made his pact with the devil’s handmaiden, Lilith. It’s been useless since Torloch took my wee baby boy and returned home with his blood on his hands. It’s been useless since Torloch became a bloodsucking monster and spread his disease through the village.
I look out at the faces of the crowd, and I see anger and fear. I see despair. It’s a mercy they’ve let me live this long. I curse myself again for not leaving earlier despite the biting cold of winter. I hear one voice among the bloodthirsty yell, “Give her a Witch’s Trial.”
Another voice responds, “We’ll give her a trial of fire. If she’s innocent, let her be saved.”
Bundles of dry oak twigs and sticks are piled at my feet. Oak, the tree of strength. I wonder if the oak will give me strength in my last moments of life. I think of Sorcha, the twin of my poor baby boy. I hope only that Mor got her away safely and at least one of our family will be spared.
Grainne walks right up to me and spits in my face. “You filthy Witch,” she snarls. “Your monster husband and his kind killed my son. Shredded his neck.” Tears run down her dirt-smudged face. “We are going to watch you burn for what you’ve done.”
Una, who lost her husband to Torloch, grabs a torch and sets the wood at my feet on fire. The firelight reflects off her savage face, and I see months of grief and seething anger in the depths of her wild eyes. There is no mercy here.
I feel the heat rising, and it burns. I look at their faces, and even through my fear, I feel their sorrow and rage. I feel it in me as well. That has always been my curse: to feel others as myself. Their rage now feeds mine. The flames lick my ankles, and smoke fills my eyes.
I look up at the night sky and my fury overflows. Months of rage at Torloch, who took the life of our son to try to save himself. But most of all I rage at Lilith, who made him an empty promise and turned him into a monster for the price of our child. Tears stream down my face as I recall my own black pit of grief at losing my lovely little boy. I feel the grief and pain of everyone on this dark night.
I smell the smoke from the ash tree I am tied to mingling with the oak kindling about my body. My childhood learnings flit through my mind even in my last hour. While oak gives strength, ash is the bridge between Earth and other worlds. Good. Let it make a bridge to the Plane of Fire for me so that I might reach Lilith and pay her back in kind.
I shout to the blackness of the sky above. I call to the dark with all the rage of my soul. “Lilith, I call on you to hear me. By my blood, you will be destroyed. A light will come. A light that shines through your evil. A light that calls you to answer for your deeds. A light that binds you as I am bound and burns you as I burn. A light that rips you asunder and destroys your darkness.”
The pain is so great. The flames sear my legs. I can’t help but scream and convulse, though I know there is no escape. I writhe, trying to get away from the fire, but it just grows and grows as my calves blister and melt. A part of my mind wishes the fire were higher so this pain would end more quickly. The only escape now is death, and it fast approaches. The smoke is so heavy I cough as I scream. The fire has reached my waist now, and it envelops me in its excruciating embrace. I see the horrific faces of the mob, distorted and cast in red from the fire that consumes me.
I scream with all the strength I have, willing my voice to carry through the between spaces. “Lilith, hear me. I call to you. By my blood, you will pay for what you have done.” I cough and hack, unable to get a breath of air. I thrash my head as the tongues of fire lick ever higher, melting my flesh, binding me to the holy ash tree as though we are one. The pain is so great now that I know nothing but the feel of it engulfing me. It seems to be all that was before me and all that will ever come after. I’m being eaten alive by the ravenous fire. The agony and the rage are the whole of who I am now.

I think one last thought, unable to even catch enough breath to scream it, unable even to work my mouth to speak it as the flames lick my chin. My dying thought sears into my soul and lifts with me to the Plane of Light. “Lilith, by my blood you will be destroyed!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Available Now!

If you enjoyed that excerpt, you can get entire book, The Light Who Shines on Kindle here: amzn.to/1zdMqub  It’s also available on Audible and in print either on Amazon or through your local book stores.

Coming Soon!

Be sure to sign up here to get notified when book 2 of the Bluebell Kildare Series, The Light Who Binds is released.  https://sites.google.com/site/lilojabernathy/home

Please do comment and let me know how you liked it.

Lilo

April 17th, 2015|Fan News, Odds and Ends|490 Comments

Book Review: THE SUMMER SOLSTICE ENCHANTED (Fantasy, Magic, Greek Mythology, Romance, Fun)

 

summersolstice1The Summer Solstice Enchanted 
The Summer Solstice Series: Book 1
By Author K.K. Allen
Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1bgapkq
#Fantasy #Magic #Greek Mythology #Romance #YA #Fun

Well, I’ve been in love with this cover for the longest time. Now that my second book is with my beta readers, I finally had a chance to read it. And let me just say that the cover exactly portrays the story. This was such a light fun read, I loved it.

Kat, recently orphaned, moves in with her estranged Grandmother and weird things start happening. Her sight and hearing senses become impossibly accurate. Disturbing and dangerous dreams haunt her sleep. She’s confused about what’s happening and her Grandmother isn’t giving her much. Plus, she’s lonely, and nervous about being the new kid in school. Then along comes the handsome neighbor boy. He gives her some confidence, but the two girls who feel she’s infringing on their territory give her equal measures of trouble.

Author K.K. Allen has filled this story with all the drama of a young girl in this situation. There’s suspense woven in through the enigmatic Grandmother, the unfolding of the family history, and the magic capabilities Kat is learning to control. Unbeknownst to her, danger is creeping up as she comes to the attention of evil forces. But, Allen keeps it light with the beach town setting and the threads of romance.

I recommend this lovely story for YA readers or anyone who enjoys YA and magic. It was quite an enjoyable read.

Let’s give a collective sigh for young love. Sighhhh . . .

Lilo Abernathy

Author and Book Lover

April 11th, 2015|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|498 Comments

Update: Book Two of the Bluebell Kildare Series: THE LIGHT WHO BINDS

 

girl-785310_640Dear Friends and Readers,

I just wanted to give you an update on where I stand with The Light Who Binds. The book has been written and I’m in the process of getting it into shape to send to beta readers within a week.

My process will be:

  • Beta Readers
  • Revision
  • Full Edit
  • Revision
  • Light Edit / Cutting / Tightening
  • Revision
  • Proofing
  • Publishing

I have to tell you that I’m so excited about this book I can hardly keep quiet. And if someone were to beg me for info, I would have a hard time not divulging. With that said, it really gave me some trouble there for a while, but after coaxing and cajoling, it is now behaving like a stellar student.

There are three major plot lines in this book. So, the last 20 chapters are practically non-stop thrills and emotional chaos as each plot line has a climax of its own.

Minor Spoilers
We definitely learn who the heroine, Bluebell Kildare is and what Illustrissima means. Maud and Harry’s (Blue’s mother figure and her neighbor) relationship progresses, in what direction I won’t say. Alexis (Blue’s friend) may have a love interest. And Varg (the ever loyal wolf) gets a mini plot of his own. All of this is in addition to the three major plot lines. And yes, we get to dig deeper into the hero, Jack, as well. He’s featured a lot in this book.
End Minor Spoilers

Ohh, so many mysteries revealed and so many more mysteries yet to unravel. Yes, I’m a big fat tease. If you can imagine a woman sitting by her desk reviewing her work while waving her pointy fingernails in the air and cackling with glee over the angst she is creating, that would be about right.

If you are familiar with my work you know I write each separate scene as an individual chapter, so that means some are long, but some are short. I don’t try to artificially tie chapters together or make them longer to be some predefined “typical length.” Every scene serves a purpose in the plot, and when the purpose is achieved, I move to the next. Right now it’s at 81 chapters and about 105,000 words as it stands. And let me tell you, it is packed so much, I can hardly believe all that stuff can fit in one book.

The entire series will be:

  • The Light Who Shines
  • The Light Who Binds
  • The Light Who Burns
  • The Light Who Destroys

Ohh, one more thing . . . As we’re getting closer and closer to release, please be sure to sign up for my news so you get notified of its release right away. https://sites.google.com/site/lilojabernathy/home

Best,

Lilo

March 30th, 2015|Fan News, Odds and Ends|505 Comments

So, What Stage of Social Tolerance and Acceptance Have You Achieved?

 

bookstairsWell, this blog is called Lilo Illuminates and I figure it is high time I do some illuminating. First off, let me say, I am not a licensed psychologist, counselor, or anything relevant for that matter. Like all authors, I’m simply an observer of life, perhaps too observant. Be that as it may, this is my interpretation of the stages of development people go through on their way to tolerance and acceptance. If it is not illuminating, hopefully it will be, at least, thought-provoking.

Undefined Values

You understand what values society holds in high esteem, but you don’t understand what your personal values are. (For instance, people say “Don’t steal” but you aren’t entirely sure if all stealing is wrong. What if I’m broke and I really need to snack on these restaurant crackers later or perhaps the buffet cookies would be a perfect midnight snack?)

Neglected Values

You understand what values society holds in high esteem and you understand how your personal values differ from society, but you act in a way that goes against your personal values. (I cheated on my boyfriend. I feel really bad.) Acting this way is self-harming and you will never feel good after acting outside of your personal values. (I insulted a gay person, even though I’m secretly gay, but my church hates gay people.) In this case you adhered to your micro-societies values but you didn’t adhere to your own. This also feels terrible and will never make you happy.

Adhered To Values

You have learned that not listening to your values sucks and causes you pain, so you have finally decided to live up to your values even when they diverge from other people’s values. You try this on for a while and it takes a bit of practice. (I went to third base with my boyfriend on the first date. I’m 23, but still, my mom would kill me, but personally, I’m fine with it.) In this case you adhered to your values even when they diverged from societies values (your Mom’s). Hey, what Mom doesn’t know, won’t hurt her.

Anger and Rejection of Differing Values

You have now fully owned your own personal values and you are good at keeping to them, but you believe your values are the best and other people with different values suck. You are pissed that they do stupid things that go against your personal values. (I can’t believe those people eat meat, that man is homophobic, that woman is pro-life, that man fired someone who has cancer.) In this case you adhere to your own values but your mad at other people who don’t adhere to your values.

Acceptance of the Inferiority of Other People’s Values

After a while of being pissed, you eventually begin to understand that not everyone can be as great as you and have the perfect set of values. Most people are pretty good and only suck in small ways, but no one has the perfect set of values you do. (He cheated on his wife who is at home with their disabled child all the time, so that makes him a snake, but it was only once and he treats them well and provides for them.) In this case you sadly wish other people’s values could be as perfect as yours, but you aren’t angry about it anymore.

Acceptance That Your Values are Not Perfect

Eventually, after you accept weaknesses in others, you will look at yourself more closely and realize that your values are not exactly squeaky clean all the time. (I believe we should annihilate every group who practices genocide. Wait, isn’t that genocide too? Maybe we should just kill all the leaders. I’ll sit at home and let the guys in the army do it so my conscious is clear. Wait, that kinda sucks too, doesn’t it?) This stage can be a bit twisty, but don’t worry, you will come out okay.

Tolerance Toward All Values

At this point you understand that all people’s value systems have some weaknesses, yours included, and you understand that everyone is at a certain point of growth in the development of their value system. In fact, whole groups of society are at different points of growth and are developing slowly together. (The pope now acknowledges that child abuse does occur in the church and says it isn’t okay. The United States is slowly developing the value of accepting the LGBT community and they are beginning to gain rights. African Americans are still struggling for equal treatment. Women’s equality in the workplace is still out of whack.) You may wholly reject certain values, but you have empathy for limited thinking of the person who believes that value system and you try to see how they might have arrived there. (If I walked a mile in their shoes . . . ) At this stage you try to gently guide the people you can toward a more developed value system while at the same time knowing that you have some growing to do yourself. You are also able to honestly evaluate if other value systems have merit over your own. You may switch values at this point. I believe that to achieve this stage, you must have acquired some humility along the way. You understand at some level that you are progressing along with everyone else.

Stages I have not Arrived at or Glimpsed Yet

Anyone want to fill me in?
Most of the time you toggle two or more stages at a time. Sometimes people actually go backwards, like an alcoholic might have a fully developed set of values and suddenly may stop adhering to them. Some people will never get far because of various personality, intelligence or social factors, but I believe most people move steadily forward.The great news is that reading helps you move along these steps as you get to see into the minds of so many characters and try on their value system for the space of a story.So what stage are you at in your personal development?

Lilo

Author Spotlight and Giveaway of THE LIGHT WHO SHINES

 

loveofbooksOver the holidays while everyone was busy with their new toys, I was working diligently on Book Two of the Bluebell Kildare Series, The Light Who Binds, and going back and forth with Author Jane Bled, on an in-depth interview.

The interview is done and done quite well, in my humble opinion. I love Jane’s style. She asked one question at a time and waited for my response before moving on to the next. This process took several weeks and was accomplished over a massive family holiday and through a bout of the flu. I hope you are feeling better Jane!

About Jane Bled

If you don’t know Jane, I’d best describe her as someone extremely artsy with an exquisite sense of detail. She describes herself as “a fiction writer with the soul of a poet.” I have a feeling that everything she completes is done for the joy of the beauty she creates. She only completes one Author Spotlight a month, so I’m extremely honored she chose to spend her time with me.

What the Interview Covers

The interview itself covers a great span of topics, from my marketing methods, my philosophy on labeling people, insights into my characters and what drives them, my own secret mark, my reading habits, and two short excerpts from The Light Who Shines.

If you are interested in reading the interview, you can do so here: http://wp.me/p4P6Db-dh

Giveaway of The Light Who Shines

If you comment on the interview (link above) before the deadline on January 21, 2015, you will automatically be entered to win a copy of The Light Who Shines. Scroll all the way down the page to the very end to comment.

Warm regards and good luck!

Lilo

January 17th, 2015|Fan News, Hot Deals|509 Comments

THE LIGHT WHO SHINES: Holiday Sale! $1.99

 

dandelion-597695_640Friends!

If you are like me, the holiday season is a time of giving, but it strains the pocketbook. It also often gives you a lot of time off. Time to read that is!

But what to do when you want to read, but you spent so much money on others? As an Amazon Kindle Select member, I can only do a sale every so often. So, I saved my sale for the week between Christmas and New Years just for this situation. I’ve been broke after Christmas myself often enough that I know exactly how it is.

The Light Who Shines

On Sale: Only $1.99
When: Now through 12/31, Midnight
Regular Low Price: $4.99
Amazon Suggest Retail Price: $5.99!
Link: http://amzn.to/1wM9fGw

I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season.

Best,

Lilo

P.S. If you have already read The Light Who Shines don’t forget, you have until December 28th to enter the Audio Giveaway! See this blog post for rules and how to enter: http://bit.ly/13EYtoU

December 26th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|538 Comments

Happy Holidays! 10 Free Audible Versions of THE LIGHT WHO SHINES for Current Fans!

 

Audible CoverAs you may have heard, I’ve just released the audio version of The Light Who Shines. Today, I got a great gift from Audible; coupons for free Audible books of The Light Who Shines! So, I’m passing the gift on to current fans of the book who have already reviewed it. I’ll do a drawing and select 10 people out of those interested.

The audio book regularly retails for $24.95 and is 14 hours and 25 minutes long.

Here are the rules:

  • You must have already read The Light Who Shines. This is a gift to current fans as a thank you for your support.
  • You must have already reviewed The Light Who Shines on Amazon (regardless of the rating, so long as it was honest). This is because I want assurance that you really will leave a review of the Audible version on Audible.com. If you’ve read it, but you haven’t reviewed it yet on Amazon, it isn’t too late. Go review it on Amazon!
  • You must agree to listen to and leave the review of the audio version on Audible.com within 2 weeks of receiving the coupon (but sooner is better!)
  • You must enter the drawing by leaving a comment on this blog post with a link to the review of the book that you already left on Amazon. (Click on the title of your review. Then click on “Permalink”. Then copy and paste the URL into the comments.) Entries without the link won’t be accepted.

I’ll randomly select 10 people from the comments section (assuming I have that many interested parties.)

I’ll accept entries until Sunday, December 28th at 8:00 p.m. EST. I’ll announce the winners then.

The purpose of this is naturally to get reviews on the Audible version, so I’d really like your review to contain some focus on the narration as opposed to just a copy/paste of your book review. That way future Audible listeners will know what to expect.

And for all my dear readers who already bought the Audible version, I am so sorry! I didn’t know these coupons were coming. Big bummer.

To learn more about the Audible Version, see this blog post.

Listen to the sample here.

Happy Holidays and Best of Luck!

Lilo

The Giveaway is now closed! Thank you to all who participated. I’ll contact each of you individually with you coupon for the free Audio. Happy Holidays!

December 24th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|508 Comments

Big News: The audio version of THE LIGHT WHO SHINES is released!

 

Audible CoverI hope you are as excited about this release as I am. But I’m going to tell you why I’m so excited, just in case you’re not there yet. The Light Who Shines is narrated by Elizabeth Klett.

So who is Elizabeth Klett?

Her resume says: “Elizabeth has a B.A. in Theatre from Drew University (one of the top theatre programs in the U.S.), and has recorded a variety of dramatic projects, performing roles ranging from Lady Macbeth to Antigone to Juliet. She also holds M.A. and doctoral degrees in English literature from the University of Illinois and teaches at a university in Houston, TX.”

I say: “She is a master of accents and voices.” Truly she is. I literally hunted through hundreds of narrator voices before choosing her. Just wait till you hear it.

Main Characters

First of all, I asked Elizabeth to read Blue and Jack in a straight voice (no accent). I felt that since so much of the book was them speaking that it would be difficult to listen if they had a strong accent. Jack comes across as a somewhat formal rich man with confidence and power, which I think is appropriate for a vampire who lived 500 years ago in more formal times. Blue sounds like a 23 year old woman in modern times. Their voices do come across as very clear and easy to listen to.

Side Characters

In contrast to the main characters, I wanted the side characters to have accents to give flavor and style to the story. These are some of the voices you can expect:

Shaina: Sounds like a middle-aged Irish woman. It is so dramatic.

Maud: Sounds like an older southern Caucasian lady with spunk.

Alexis: Sounds like a young adult southern African American lady with a lot of sass.

Ernesto: Sounds like a middle-aged Spanish gentleman, full of respect and dignity.

Rubalia: Sounds like a middle-aged adult southern African American lady who is straight-laced and formal.

Father O’Brennen: Sounds like an older affable Scottish immigrant with a great brogue.

Dragomira: Sounds like a middle-aged Middle Eastern lady, with a very rich and exotic accent. We could not make her sound like 10 people speaking at once without introducing technology into it and most people would hate that. But her voice is fantastic. Trust me.

Chief Mack: Sounds like a slow talking southern African American older gentleman. The voice is very deep and very slow.

Yes! She does all those voices and accents brilliantly. It seems like I had a whole production company involved, but really it was all Elizabeth. It is amazing how she flips from one voice to the next in conversation. This is why I’m so excited. I’m sure you will be in awe of her skills like I am if you listen to it.

My favorite voices are Dragomira, Chief Mack, and Shaina, in that order. To me, their voices are amazing. I want to know who your favorite voices are!

Are you excited now?

Reviews

Right now I have zero reviews on Audible and could really use your support. If you have already reviewed it on Amazon and you decide to get the Audible version, you can copy your review from Amazon to Audible when you are done, or you can review it separately as an audio, considering the narration as well.

Availability and Pricing

It is now Whispersync enabled. Yay! It is only $3.47 for those who have purchased the ebook version. This is now the cheapest way to go after free (with a trial membership).

  • Audible Link: Different prices are offered for members and non-members. You can get it free with a 30 day trial membership.
  • Amazon Link: Offers a discount on the Audible price.

So in order of price, lowest to highest:

  • Audible (Free with Trial Membership)
  • Audible (with credit considering your monthly membership cost if less than 3 months old)
  • Amazon Whispersync (with purchased ebook)
  • Audible (with credit considering your monthly membership cost if greater than 3 months old)
  • Amazon (full price with the Amazon discount)
  • Audible (without credits/full price)

But I’d really love reviews on both Amazon and Audible regardless of which version you purchase, if it isn’t too much trouble.

Happy holidays to you (and to me now!) This is definitely my Christmas present to myself.

Lilo

December 21st, 2014|Release Alerts|488 Comments

Chills and Thrills Giveaway!

 

10177222_1504862956463311_5431181779501316576_nHappy Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Festivus, Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, New Year, and National Fruitcake Day! Or any other holiday that you celebrate this time of year. If you know me, even causally through my Facebook account or other social media, you will know that respect for diversity is important to me.

Personally, the holidays mean family time, great food, and a chance to buy my family what I think they need. Sometimes, I even pay attention to what they want. Sometimes, not so much. (wink) But giving is always more fun for me than receiving. I’m notoriously bad at remembering birthdays, so I try to make up for it this time of year.

This year we are doing casual Mexican fare for Christmas. Though I’m not religious, I consider religious holidays to be a cultural event, and wherever there is good food and fun, I’m happy to show up!

In the spirit of giving, I, along with 11 other authors have joined together to do a Holiday Giveaway. Each author is giving away a book and a side gift. There are some really great books and fun gifts here. It is open to international and if any gifts are out of stock at the time the winners are selected, comparable gifts will be given.

Please share this giveaway with others you think might be interested. The winners will be announced on December 23, 2014.

Happy Holidays!

Lilo

(Update: Giveaway currently closed.)

December 20th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|469 Comments

Curiosity Killed The Cat: The Kindle Daily Deal Selection Process

 

siamese-468814_1280I’ve been asked several times, “How did you get selected for the Kindle Daily Deal?” So, I thought a blog post would be the most efficient way to share the answer.

The short answer is easy. “I don’t know.” I must have won a lottery of some sort. I do have some speculation, which I’ll share later, but here’s how it went down.

The Initial Notification

In September, I received a letter from Amazon asking me to agree to participate in a special they would run sometime before the end of the year. I had to agree to allow them to mark my book down up to 85%. They didn’t say exactly what the promotion was, or when it would happen, or even if it would happen for sure. They also warned me that I couldn’t place my book on sale a certain number of days before, or after. So naturally, without a date from them, that meant I couldn’t put my book on sale at all. 

The Agonizing Wait

And naturally, being completely at the mercy of their massive promotional machinery, I said, “YES!!!!!!” Then I checked my email, and checked my email, check, check, check . . . You get the point. I was on verge of despair as it had been well over 90 days since my last Kindle Countdown Promotion and my numbers were dropping. Alright, it wasn’t really despair, but I was less than pleased about the whole “submit and don’t ask questions” thing.

And then, glory of glories, I got the response! It’s really a blur at this point. I was, perhaps, in a bit of shock that it actually happened. I’m going to copy the dry content of their messages below for authors who are really interested.

So how did I get picked?

I didn’t sign up and they didn’t tell me why they picked me. But here are a few key factors that I suspect were involved.

  • For the previous two months, my rank had been floating between 2500 – 5000 on its own, without promotion. If I were Amazon, I wouldn’t give this coveted spot out unless there was proof the book was well performing to start with. After all, why promote a book that won’t sell?
  • My rating is 4.7 stars and most of my 153 reviews contain explicit requests for the next book. If I were Amazon I wouldn’t want to promote a book that was getting bad reviews. So the better the rating the better the chance, I’d think.
  • My book cover looks fabulous! Thank you Ravven for the gorgeous art! And, my heroine is fully clothed. I am certainly no prude, but if I were Amazon I would want great book art on my site and I wouldn’t want to send mass emails out with half-clothed people on the cover, out of respect for the variety of tastes of customers.
  • My price is $4.99. I don’t think they list lower priced books in Kindle Daily Deal often. This makes sense to me because people wouldn’t feel they were getting a great deal otherwise. Plus, they wouldn’t make much profit.

I call this intelligent speculation, but it is just speculation.

What do you think?

Lilo

(See dry emails below at your own risk.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The First Contact

Hello!

I work with the Kindle Direct Publishing team and from time to time we reach out to our authors and publishers about participating in certain types of promotions.

We are considering including your books

The Light Who Shines (Bluebell Kildare Series Book 1) (B00HYH3ZU4)

in an upcoming promotion in some or all of the WW Amazon Kindle Book Stores. We would offer the books at a discount we determine off of your book’s list price for a period of up to approximately one month. Your list price won’t change, so that customers see your list price and the discount.

If your books are included, your royalty will be calculated based on our discounted price (not your list price), up to a discount of 85% off of your book’s list price. For example, if we sell your book at $1.99, where the 70% royalty option applies, your royalty will be calculated as 70% x ($1.99 – delivery costs and taxes). To be included in this promotion, your book must have a list price between $2.99 and $9.99.

The promotion will begin on a date we determine, which we anticipate to be at some point between October 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014.

Here are some other terms:

Not all books made available will be included, so we can’t guarantee yours will be, and we may discontinue the promotion at any time.

You must keep your book in the Kindle Store for at least 90 days after the promotion ends; you can’t un-publish it or terminate your participation in KDP during that period.

Due to system latencies, the exact start and end times of promotions are approximate and can take from a few minutes to several hours, but in some cases this period may be longer.

If you agree to participate, this email and the KDP Terms and Conditions will be the entire binding agreement between you and Amazon Digital Services, Inc. with regard to the promotion.

Except as provided in this email, the KDP Terms and Conditions apply to your book and this promotion.

If you represent a Publisher other than yourself, by agreeing to participate you also confirm that you are authorized to agree on behalf of the Publisher.

The list price you provide us with for titles submitted for this promotion must remain the same for the 30 days preceding the start of the promotion, during the promotion and for at least 7 days following the promotion. This means that titles included in Kindle Countdown Deals or Free Promotions in the 30 days preceding the start of the promotion will be ineligible for inclusion. Please also note that you will not be able to schedule a new Kindle Countdown Deal until at least 30 days after the end of the promotion. Any Kindle Countdown Deals scheduled during the promotion or during the 30 days following the end of the promotion will be cancelled and you may not be notified.

If you would like to participate in this promotion and agree to the terms above, please respond to this email stating: “I would like to participate and I agree to these terms.” 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Second Contact (You must really be a dedicated author if you are still reading!)

Hello!

I’m reaching out to let you know that, barring any unforeseen changes, The Light Who Shines is scheduled to run as a Kindle Daily Deal on Amazon.com on 11/20.

It will be discounted to 1.99 for that day.

Thanks! 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And now you know as much as I do! You have been “Illuminated!”

November 22nd, 2014|Author World, Publishing|593 Comments

My Thanks To The Wonderful Book Community For Your Support

 

balloons-891793_1280Did I make my goal of hitting #1 on Amazon?  Well, I’m not sure yet. Rank usually hits the lowest point (best rank) around 6:00 – 7:00 a.m. EST. Right now I’m sitting at a beautiful #48. Yes, I made it into the Top 100 Best Seller List! I have the following ranks to be proud of as well.

#01 Paranormal Romance > Psychic
#02 Paranormal Romance > Witches and Wizards
#02 Paranormal Romance > Devils and Demons
#02 Paranormal Romance > Vampires
#02 Paranormal Romance > Werewolves and Shifters
#02 Science Fiction/ Fantasy > Paranormal and Urban

There is what I like to call “The Evil Box Set” of 20 books on sale for only 99 cents that is conspiring to keep me out of the #01 slot of all of those categories.

I am definitely a winner because I had such wonderful outpouring of support. It was awe-inspiring to see so many friends and complete strangers saying, “I’ll do everything I can!” And all of this on short notice!

(See my final update in the comments section.)

Now I want to do something for you.

I’ll be posting a few blogs in the next week to cover some of the most commonly asked questions.

  • What is the Daily Deal selection process?
  • What did you do to prepare?
  • Lessons learned? (This is my own ask!)

Check in on my blog in a week or so to get answers to these questions.

If you do use Facebook and you supported me during the event, please go here on Friday/early Saturday. The “Help Me Get to Amazon #1” event will be transformed into a networking event where supporters will share information that will be helpful to each other. I’ll have posts where you can drop your information and others can pick it up.

The rest of this post is aimed specifically at people who don’t use Facebook but who supported me during this endeavor. It is my way of reaching out to non-Facebook users.

I’d like to collect the following information from you.
You can send it to my email at [email protected]. But I must receive it sometime on Friday/early Saturday for it to be useful. Saturday/Sunday will be an information sharing days.

Twitter

Do you follow back or reciprocal retweet? (Reciprocal retweeting means you retweet people who retweet you on a consistent basis.)

If ‘yes’, then:

  1. Please provide your Twitter profile link. This is not your Twitter handle. This is the url at the top of the page when you are sitting on your profile.
  2. Please indicate if you follow back or reciprocal retweet or both.

Example
https://twitter.com/Lilo_Abernathy
Reciprocal Retweeter and Follows Back
What I’ll Do With This Info

  • I’ll assemble a list of all Reciprocal Retweeters and share it with all reciprocal retweeters.
  • Likewise with a list of those who follow back.

Blogs/Website Posts

Did you blog The Light Who Shines during this promotion or post about it on your web site?

If ‘yes’, then,

  1. Please provide the following information.
    • your name:
    • blog/website name:
    • blog/website link:
    • direct link to post:
  2. Please select the role that best describes you: author / blogger / book lover (Please select only one.)

What I’ll Do With This Info

  • I’ll assemble a list of the website links for all bloggers and give them to all the authors and book lovers on Saturday.
  • I’ll do a reciprocal link back from my site to all authors / bloggers / book lovers who created a blog post or a website post during this event. I’ll do this as soon as possible.

Authors

Are you an Author who did a blog or website post for The Light Who Shines?
If ‘yes’, then,

  1. In addition to the details above, please send me the following information for one book of your choice.
    • book cover
    • book blurb
    • buy link

What I’ll Do With This Info

  • I will share this with the book lovers in the event on Saturday
  • I’ll post them to my site with your links as soon as possible.

Thank you all so much for your support.

Be sure to check for further updated on how low my rank goes!

Lilo

November 21st, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|578 Comments

The Light Who Shines: Amazon Special Price – One Day Only $1.99

 

91ncfldZDZL._SL1500_Amazon has awarded The Light Who Shines a super special Kindle Daily Deal. The price has been marked down to $1.99 for one day only. Be sure to grab a copy while you can!

The Light Who Shines

by Lilo Abernathy
4.7 ★
$4.99  $1.99  – One day only!
Thursday, November 20th, 2014Genre: Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance / Mystery (Solid Blend)

Amazon Link: amzn.to/11sqD5Y

When Supernatural Investigation Bureau agent Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue) arrives at the scene of the crime, it’s obvious the grotesquely damaged body of the deceased teenage boy was caused by far more than a simple hit and run; and she vows to catch the killer. Using her innate sixth sense, Blue uncovers a powerful magical artifact nearby. She soon discovers it acts as a key to an ancient Grimoire that was instrumental in the creation of the Vampire breed and still holds the power to unravel the boundaries between Earth and the Plane of Fire.

Blue and her clever wolf Varg follow a trail that starts at the Cock and Bull Tap and leads all through the town of Crimson Hollow. Between being sidelined by a stalker who sticks to the shadows and chasing a suspect who vanishes in thin air, the case is getting complicated. If that isn’t enough, Dark Vampire activity hits a record high, and hate crimes are increasing. However, it’s Blue’s growing feelings for Jack Tanner, her sexy Daylight Vampire boss, that just might undo her.

While Blue searches for clues to nail the perpetrator, it seems someone else is conducting a search of their own. Who will find whom first?

Danger lurks in every corner, and Blue needs all her focus in this increasingly dangerous game or she risks ending up the next victim.

Character Profiles

Bluebell Kildare: Blue is a Supernatural Homicide Detective and a gifted empath who has a pure spirit and a will of steel. She was orphaned at a young age and has had a tough life so far. Yet, she continually picks herself up by the boot straps and fights to do what is right, regardless of the cost. Just how high will the cost be?

Jack Tanner: He’s Blue’s sexy boss, the head of the Supernatural Homicide Unit in Crimson Hollow. Jack is very old and powerful Daylight Vampire with many layers. He is driven a little crazy by his desire to protect Blue in the face of her independence. Can he keep his cool when Blue needs him most?

Varg: He is a great grey wolf who comes out of nowhere and decides to be Blue’s companion. He seems to have some mysterious magical abilities and uses them to guard Blue’s life. Can he keep her safe?

Maud: She is Blue’s dear friend and mother figure. Maud used to visit Blue in the orphanage and read to her as a child. She can’t cook but she makes awesome Southern beverages. What color is her hair today? Is it blue, fuchsia, scarlet, or peach sherbet?

Alexis: She is Blue’s comrade and neighbor, as well as the sassy owner of a store called Herbal Enchantments. She is gifted in earth magic and if she isn’t busy feeding her friends, she’s telling them what to do. Does she have her hands on her hips right now, or is she waving her finger at Blue?

The Villain: Can he get any more evil? No. He is about as evil as they come . . .

One of My Favorite Amazon Reviews

stars
Brilliant story
By jazz
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I can’t praise this book highly enough.It was absolutely riveting. I have read thousands of books in my life and this one is one of the best.The only negative comment I can make is that I now have to wait for the next one in what I hope will be a very long series.I wish I could gobble up the whole story immediately.If you like urban fantasy (or even if you don’t usually) this is a must read. Blue is up there with Mercy, Kate, and Harry. D. as a wonderful character already along with the rest of the cast in this delightful book.If you are looking for the next big thing in urban fantasy you have just found it.

Review Link

Author Bio

Lilo Abernathy - Photo - WebLilo Abernathy is a somewhat eccentric, deep-thinking, warm-hearted young woman of at least 43 years. She started out as a restaurant chain hostess and worked her way up to the exciting world of global mergers and acquisitions. She has enjoyed an on again/off again relationship with formal education and has been affectionately referred to as information hound. In the evenings, she fills her writing breaks by scanning the internet for answers to provocative questions, such as: “What causes diamonds to be formed in different colors?”

One thing that never changes is Lilo’s ongoing love affair with books. A born bibliophile, by age ten she finished all the children’s books in the house and started devouring the adult section. By age 15, she was working her way through grocery store book aisles and libraries. Just as Picasso had his blue period, Lilo had her own periods of readership–urban fantasy, paranormal romance, Gothic novels, etc. Now she’s planning on creating a bookshelf for you to enjoy.

Social Networks

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lilojabernathy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lilo_Abernathy

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7789942.Lilo_Abernathy

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/liloabernathy/

Site and Blog

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/lilojabernathy/home

Blog: http://lilojabernathy.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

Lilo

November 20th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|504 Comments

You’re Invited to an Event to Help The Light Who Shines Get to Amazon #1

 

Facebook Bookcover Ad Click-thru LightAuthors, book lovers, and book promoters, you are invited to join others of your ilk, in a Facebook event to help The Light Who Shines get to Amazon #1.

Amazon has given me an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by granting The Light Who Shines a Kindle Daily Deal on Thursday, November 20th. I’m using this fantastic opportunity to try to make it all the way to Amazon #1. And I’d love to have you join in on the fun.

Yes, it is a stretch goal, but I already have about 100 authors/bloggers who have thrown in their post/blog support. Plus, I have about 150 retweeters so far who are raring to go for the Daily Deal. On top of the Kindle Daily Deal, this is doable, and I just might make it!

Already this event has had a huge response and is filled with authors, book bloggers, and other book loving supporters. After the event, as a thank you to supporters, I’m turning the event into a networking party. I hope you will join the fun.

  • Authors will get a chance to promote a book of their choice, copy book blogger details, and woo my fantastic fans. These are the kind of reader fans you want, because they are also huge supporters.
  • Book Bloggers will get a chance to share their details to gain new audiences and network with other book bloggers.
  • Readers / Book Lovers will get a chance to see the Author’s book and be wooed by them. Plus they will find great new book blogs to follow.

Facebook Event Link

The Light Who Shines  $1.99 Thursday, November 20th Only!

I hope to see you there!

Lilo

 

November 18th, 2014|Fan News, Where's Lilo|3,818 Comments

HUGE NEWS! Amazon selects The Light Who Shines for a Kindle Daily Deal!

 

bookcover2In September Amazon emailed me and asked my agreement to do a potential special Kindle promotion any time before the end of the year. The caveat: I couldn’t reduce my price until they did. So, no promotions for The Light Who Shines for a while.

Naturally, I’ve been checking my email three times a day, waiting for their confirmation. Checking, checking, checking . . .

And it came!

They said that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, The Light Who Shines is going to be on a Kindle Daily Deal on Thursday, November 20th, 2014. It will be marked down to $1.99 for one day only.

Another author friend of mine was offered a one day Kindle Daily Deal and he sold like 3000 copies in one day!

HOLY COW!

I read up on this and sometimes a book can get to the Amazon #1 spot with 3500 buys in 1 day. So, I’m going to take advantage of this situation and see how high I can get in rank. Wouldn’t it be awesome if The Light Who Shines made it to the #1 spot on Amazon, even if for one day only? I thought about this, and I’m committed to try.

If you want to help me try to get to #1, please mark your calendar and help me promote it on November 20th. I’ll do a separate post that day you can share if you like. Some of my author friends and fans have already volunteered to do this and that is what gave me the idea. But any additional help is really appreciated.

Any way you want to share the news will help: Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, GooglePlus, telling your work comrades about it . . . I’ve already signed up for every advertising option I can find that will take me on such short notice.

This is a huge stretch goal, but I’m going to work every free minute between now and Thursday to try to make this happen.

Now, for a little additional news. I’ve done a small make-over of the cover. The art is the same, but I’ve revamped the typography a bit and I think it makes it look that much sharper. What do you think?

And finally, I think that it is safe to say that The Light Who Binds, Book Two, will move into the revision phase by December 1, 2014.

Lilo

Amazon Link: amzn.to/11nuVM5

November 15th, 2014|Bragging Rights, Fan News|929 Comments

Ghoulishly Good Giveaway: Announcing Winners!

 

And-the-winner-is. shortI know everyone wanted the awesome lollipops, but in the end, there could be only one. So, without further ado, I’ll announce the winners!

Prize 1

Goes to: Stephanie Brumber
Located in: United States

Book Cover - Twitter

Prize 2

Goes to: Arriane Alter
Located in: Argentina

eyeballs
Congrats Arriane and Stephanie! I hope your prizes bring you hours of enjoyment.

I still haven’t decided if I’m going to buy myself some of those lollipops. I’ve included the links to the prizes incase any of you are feeling so bereft you must indulge yourself (wink). Wouldn’t it be great to suck on an eyeball lollipop while reading The Light Who Shines? You know it would.

I hope you took the chance to check out some of the great books that were included. There are a lot of talented authors out there waiting for you to discover them.
Large Picture

Thank you all so much for participating. Be sure to follow my blog. There will be plenty more giveaways to come!

Lilo

November 4th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|618 Comments

Surprised by the Mysterious and Magical Ferocious Wolf

 

a href=”https://liloabernathy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Varg-BW.jpg”>Varg B&WI was so surprised to discover that Varg, the mysterious wolf, would end up being the most loved side character in The Light Who Shines. It’s quite a feat for a character with absolutely no dialogue. But, when I first published, the comments came pouring in.

  • Varg can come live at our house.
  • Can’t wait to find out more about the wolf Varg!
  • Varg is awesome – always showing up when needed.
  • Varg needs to be explained more and I would like to order 2 more wolves for my two grandsons!
  • I of course LOVE Varg.
  • There is something about Varg . . . Who/what is he really?

It goes on and on . . . I wasn’t lying when I said he was popular! This really made me question, “Why does everyone love Varg so much?” It certainly isn’t his witty discourse. But what Varg misses in conversational skill he makes up for in personality.

He makes his first appearance from the shadows when Blue’s life is in imminent danger and he saves the day. This heroism is repeated time and again throughout the story. His number one job is to protect Blue and he does so with a single minded devotion.

Wouldn’t we all love having someone in our lives who has our back no matter what?

And Varg is no dummy; let’s just say that. He seems to follow discussion and understand direction as though he’s on the same level of intellect as we are. He emits growls when the villain is mentioned in casual conversation; he executes on complex instruction; and, he clearly has all the advanced senses a wolf has. This is a wolf who is on top of things.

Who wouldn’t love to be able to communicate with their animal companion?

Varg 4But something is up with Varg. Things aren’t quite normal. He seems to have magic powers that I won’t elucidate for fear of giving the plot away. But that is the crux of the matter. I think the number one reason everyone loves Varg so much is they can’t quite figure him out. How does he do his magic tricks? What is he? Where did he come from? Why did he appear?

So I have to ask, does mystery inspire us more than answers?

Varg has become such a loved character in this story that I felt it necessary to include him with the main character Blue when planning the redesign of the cover. But before I did, I asked my Varg fans what he should look like. They said:

  • Ferocious and Fangy
  • Intelligent
  • Fluffy and Cuddly

That description may be most telling of all. Everyone sees him as a dangerous and perfectly loveable brainy animal. What a dichotomy!

Book Cover KindleOn the cover you see Varg walking next to Blue and that is exactly the way the story goes. Varg and Blue go everywhere together. I used to think my girlish fantasies of walking around my neighborhood with a big vicious pet animal next to me was unique. Now, I highly doubt that. Perhaps we all want someone who will comfort us with their presence and keep us safe.

When I started writing Varg into the story, I doubted him. I wondered if it was self-indulgent to include my girlish fantasy. But now, when I imagine the story without him, it seems a dim shell compared to its current vibrancy.

Varg adds intrigue, danger, and fun, and somehow he catches our heart.

In case you are wondering where I came up with his name, Varg is Norse for wolf and wolves play a part in ancient Norse mythology.

Lilo

October 24th, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|478 Comments

Ghoulishly Good Giveaway! (and eyeball lollipops)

 

You may not know this, but Halloween is my favorite holiday. It isn’t expensive, it involves copious amounts of chocolate, and people dress up funny. Plus, I have fond memories of getting caught drunk on Halloween by my parents, at a way too young age. (Don’t try that at home kids.) Anyway, what’s not to love?

Then there are those horrid one-liner jokes . . .

  • What do you call a ghost with a broken leg? A hoblin goblin of course!
  • What does a skeleton order at a restaurant? Spare ribs, rare.

To prevent me from turning your brain into a spongy mush, without further ado, I’d like to share a Ghoulishly Good Giveaway.

Large Picture

12 authors are giving away two prizes each. One prize is a supernatural / paranormal read and the other is a Halloween themed gift. That means there will be 24 winners! I picked a half-dozen gourmet eyeball lollipops as my gift. I soooo want them myself, but I guess I’ll give them to a winner. Aren’t you just itching to suck on an eyeball?

My prizes are Global. The rest are US, Canada, and UK

Scroll through the pictures at the top of the Rafflecopter to scope out the goods.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rafflecopter ends at Midnight on Halloween.

Happy Best Holiday Ever!

Lilo

October 24th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|516 Comments

Bibliophiles Rejoice! Ancient Book That Opens Six Ways

 

openbook1Ohhh, my dear Bibliophiles, have I got a treat for you. I present you with a book that opens SIX WAYS! It can be read SIX WAYS too! Yes, it is true. And there is more. Ohh, so much more . . .

I read the article on this book and saw a link to Erik Kwakkel’s blog. I clicked on it and struck gold. GOLD my friends. Erik is a book historian and his blog covers ancient books, naturally.

He has posts on the biggest books in the world, books with feet, books with ivory carvings, books made of fish skin, books with ancient bookmarks, and hand drawn initial capital letters at the beginning of chapters. If I have not sucked you in by now, you probably don’t belong on my feed. That is all I can say.

I’m not going to torture you any longer. Here is the link to his blog. Go forth and devour. Don’t miss the GORGEOUS library. http://erikkwakkel.tumblr.com/

I normally don’t like to blog this close together, but really, how could I not share this? Thanks to my author friend Lesley Donaldson for sharing the six way book with me which drew me into Erik’s blog.

Lilo

October 19th, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|473 Comments

THE LIGHT WHO SHINES on Audio (Woot! Happy Dance!)

 

giphySo, I submitted The Light Who Shines to ACX, which is a company that acts like a market for authors to find Audible approved narrators for their book. Getting it on audio has been one of my goals for this year.

Then, ACX gave The Light Who Shines a special “stipend” which they only give to books they feel will do really well. (Oh yeah!) It is essentially a bonus that goes from ACX directly to the narrator to try to attract the best talent. Not only did I find a great narrator (Elizabeth Klett), but the offer is now signed, sealed, and delivered!

So The Light Who Shines should be in audio by Christmas! Woot! Woot! Doing the Happy Dance!

P.S. Elizabeth did the Prologue in her audition, and I got chills. Serious chills, up and down my arms. It was exquisite. The drama was restrained, but the tension in her voice was breath-taking. My Mom got the chills too. And my sister who is a harsh audio book critic (she listens to audio day-in and day-out) 100% approves of Elizabeth’s narration as well. So this is going to be really good. I am so excited.

Ohh, P.P.S. The Elizabeth does a fantastic Irish accent for the Prologue too. (Happy Dance!)

Lilo

October 18th, 2014|Release Alerts|515 Comments

RESPONSE TO ANNE MARVIN’S BLOG POST: PAYING IT FORWARD

 

Please check out her awesome blog post here: http://www.truthinfantasy.com/blog/paying-it-forward
Anne,

You are a genius. I’m so amazed that you have discerned major portions of my personal life philosophy from a few subtle passages in The Light Who Shines.

Normally, I try not to comment on blog posts about my work. But, in this case I couldn’t help myself. The topic is important.


Treasure1I believe in a collective pot of community. Sometimes we feed into it, sometimes we take from it. 

This is a bit like managing a collective budget. Clearly we (the US) are in a hole now, but we are less in the hole than we were 6 years ago. Why? Because more people are putting in the pot, then are taking out. So we are gaining on our debts.

We can look at this pot collectively, or we can look at our individual pots. When I was a young single parent I didn’t pay much into the pot (taxes) and I received some from the pot (child care credits, education assistance, etc.). But now I’m a very successful corporate employee and on my way to becoming a successful writer, so I’m paying into the pot a lot more than I take out. I’ve more than paid back my “loan” so to speak. However, that isn’t quite enough, as I know that eventually I’ll be retired, and need to take from the pot again. So I’m still “paying it forward,” as you say.

In the end, I’ll pay in more than I take out. Hey, that isn’t fair! But frankly, I don’t care. Some people have the capacity and opportunity to be successful financially and pay more into the pot than they take out, and some people don’t. I’m glad I’m one of the people who can. It is important that we all do what we can.

Of course this happens socially as well. We have a collective pot of “Good Will” and the size of that collective pot, more than anything, determines the general happiness of our society. I try to forgive people and give people grace, knowing that one day I’ll need to be forgiven and I’ll want grace. I have in the past, and I’m sure I will again. Jack Tanner understands this truth.

Now, let’s look at Blue. She has had a raw deal. Her parents were killed by Dark Vampires, many of the Norms hate her simply because she is Gifted, and she deals with breedism (a form of discrimination and prejudice) every day. Yet, she still gives to society by fighting for interbreed peace, often risking her life. She helps even those who hate her. She is paying it forward in hopes of a better future for all. Blue’s deal gets more and more raw as the book continues and as bad as her deal is at the end of the book, her deal is even worse in the future books. But, every day, she holds her spine straight and says, “I’m going to make this world better, if it kills me.” And it almost does.

This fighting for what is right is why people have called her a “True Heroine” you can look up to. But, I’d just like to point out that Blue is modeled after the good that I see in every day people who trudge to work, take care of their kids, pay their taxes, and volunteer in their community. That is why people respond to her so well. She is our heart. She is the best of all of us common folks struggling to add to the community pot of good will. Some of us common folks have the opportunity to be a celebrated hero and some of us don’t. I mean, if we know how to swim and we saw a kid drowning, which of us would not jump in to save them? This heart is in all of us. Reading The Light Who Shines reminds us of those people and reminds us that we are those people.

So when you read The Light Who shines and your heart shines with joy at Blue’s purity of spirit, strength of will, and determination, it is because you are recognizing in her what we all strive to be. I hope everyone reading this will take a moment to pat yourself on the back. Kudos to us all for doing what is right, even when it is hard, and especially when it is mundane everyday life. We are making a richer pot of Good Will for all to enjoy.

Lilo

THE LIGHT WHO SHINES: New Book Trailer!

 

I know this is perhaps a TAD bit backwards, but one of my readers from Twitter recommended that I do a book trailer. Originally I didn’t do one because I wasn’t convinced they sold books. But I polled my readers on Twitter and they almost unanimously told me I should do one. And, being a slave to my fans as I am, I complied. 

I must say that the project was quite a bit of fun, though challenging. Luckily, I have Photoshop Premier Edition so the tools were available to me. However, I found myself wishing I had purchased the additional RAM on my computer before long. Nevertheless, after hours of agonizing over clips and music, I have produced a book trailer.

Now, before you watch it, I’d like to go back to my earlier comment. It was almost unanimous. One person didn’t want a book trailer because she didn’t like to have her image of a character spoiled. So I promised I wouldn’t show a picture of Blue in the trailer. And I have not. I do show a picture of another girl who is just an anonymous person.

However, when I released the trailer on Facebook, I did get some interesting comments on my voice. Some people love it. Some people said the video gave them the chills (which “Yay!” is exactly what I was going for). A few didn’t like my voice narrating it at all. They said it sounded too old for Blue. I suspect that those who had already read the book had Blue’s voice in their head and my voice didn’t match that. I am not 22, I am 43.

So, if you have read the book, watch at your own risk. If you enjoy it, please pass it along.

I am rather proud of it. I really hope you like it too.

Now, enough with re-edits and new book covers and trailers . . . Book 2 is full steam ahead.

Lilo

August 18th, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|470 Comments

COVER REVEAL: The Light Who Shines gets updated!

 

Friends, I am so excited to reveal the updated cover. The previous cover is beautiful and I consider it fine photographic art. But I felt it needed a splash of color to stand out on the Amazon page and a bit of a fantasy feel. I also felt it was missing a crucial element, namely the wolf Varg.
 
Varg, with absolutely zero script, is the most loved side character of all. I had no idea he would create such magic and even held doubts about having him in the book. I felt it was a bit of personal self-indulgence because I would love a huge wolf with mysterious magic powers as a guardian! But my readers seem to want him too. So much so, they have not only offered him a home in their abodes, but they have actually created a hashtag demanding I create Varg T-shirts. I shit you not. (Who came up with the saying anyway? And why? Err . . . Let’s not digress.) The hashtag is #VargTshirt should you feel the urge to use it.
 
Without further ado, here it is!

Book Cover Kindle

Isn’t it lovely?

As much as I love the cover, there is something else I’m possibly even more excited about. Only a true bookworm would understand this adoration. Along with the new book cover, I also reformatted the interior file. The title and chapter headings are in the same Gothic Celtic fonts you see on the book cover, and each chapter has a dropped initial cap block! What is that you ask? Let me show you!
 

10524326_1443701722579435_3884122271004459552_n2
 

How can you not appreciate those initial cap blocks?!!! I had an insane desire to color them deep blue or red, but I restrained myself. (Barely!) That will have to wait until I’m traditionally published and, well, famous, and able to produce an “Anniversary Edition” of some sort. Besides it would have added to the cost and I didn’t want to do that.
 
Is that it? Nope! This update also includes a round of tightening. The book went from 136K to 130K. The changes were made to reduce some repetition and unnecessary adverbs. No major parts were removed. Finally, it was proofed by an English professor so I expect it to be in tip top shape.
 
With all of these excellent updates, you might be wondering how it has impacted price. Well, the Kindle price stayed the same and the print price actually went down by 3 dollars. This is because I lost 6K and my new fonts take up less page width. As a result, my page count went from 470 to 370 so the print costs were reduced. Win, win!
 
I have one more piece of exciting news. I know, it is so exciting already you probably can hardly handle it. (Smile!) But, with my new cover on the book, this happened!
 

Best_Seller_2014-08-04_2054

 
And that is the last of the happy news.
 
It is my greatest desire to produce a product that is high quality and enjoyable across many levels. I do hope you love the new changes as much as I do.
 
The Kindle version is out now! The revised print version may not be available for a day or two yet as Amazon is still processing it. But it has been approved so it is just a matter of time. 
 
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1eL48yy
 
Lilo 

Update! The print version is now live on Amazon.

August 4th, 2014|Release Alerts|1,227 Comments

Author Tip: Pin Your Promo Tweet Daily! Here’s Why…

 

Suspense - 1Here’s my promo tweet for the day. The rest of the pictures in this article are ugly, so I’m just sticking this in for effect. (wink) Now on to business . . .

 

Why Should You Pin a Promo Tweet Daily?

Let’s say I retweet you . . . I might. I retweet a lot of authors, particularly in the Urban Fantasy and similar genres, because my readers like that. Anyway, curious person that you are, you go to my Twitter profile to check me out. The very first thing you see is my pinned promo tweet. There is it, in full color, pinned right to the top of my Twitter profile page. You don’t have to scroll through pages and pages of retweets. You can easily thank me for retweeting you by retweeting me back. I love that by-the-way.

Pinned_Promo_TweetNow let’s say you retweet me. I, reciprocal retweeter that I am, go to your Twitter profile page. I scroll through pages and pages of retweets and can’t find your promo tweet. I leave dissatisfied and you just lost a retweet. Missed business opportunity…

Don’t do that!  Pin a new promo tweet daily to your Twitter profile! Why daily? Because once I retweet it, I can’t retweet it again, unless I unretweet it first.

How to Pin Your Tweet

How_to
1) Tweet it. Clearly it has to exist before it can be pinned.
2) Find it. Look in your Tweet feed.
3) Click on the “…” link or the “More” link (depending on if you opened the tweet or not.
4) Select “Pin to your profile page.”

Devices

The only bad news about this is that you can’t do it from many phones. I hear that you can do it on I-phones, but I’m not too technical, so I can’t guarantee anything. Check it out.

This will make it so much easier for authors who want to reciprocate and for your fans to retweet you. Including me!

If you found this article helpful, feel free to go to my profile and retweet my current promo. It will be easy to find, I promise you that. (Smile)

https://twitter.com/Lilo_Abernathy

Lilo

July 12th, 2014|Author World, Publishing|5,881 Comments

Great News: The Light Who Shines Hits 4.9 Stars!

 

book cover2My news is short and sweet. So short it is hardly deserving of a blog post, but I must mark the moment.

Today, The Light Who Shines hit 4.9 stars on Amazon! 

I am so excited; naturally I’m doing the HAPPY DANCE! However, I’m writing this post with some trepidation. I worry that sharing this great news will inspire a troll to leave a bad review. Even knowing the risk, I’m braving it because I think, I hope, that most of those who read this will just be happy for me, and with me.

Part of what amazes me about this is I know my book isn’t perfect. I know of at least two editing errors remaining, and I just paid for another round of proofing and editing to tighten it. I have the changes, but I haven’t reviewed and pushed them yet. Still, the book seems to make people happy, as is.

I’m also a realist and can’t expect the rating to stay this high as it continues to expand it’s reach. Right now I’ve sold 871 copies and I’ve received 61 reviews. I attribute some of that rating to the fact that I’ve marketed it to the correct genre audience. Eventually, people outside of my target audience will read it and I can’t expect such good reviews from the expanded crowd.

For now, I’m going to try to bask in the glory. I’m not really a basking kind of person, so we will see how that goes. 

Best,

Lilo

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/VGJHL3
4.9#UrbanFantasy #Paranormal #Mystery #Romance #Vampires #ebook #Kindle

Note: I’ve corrected this post. Previously, I stated that I’d sold between 300 – 500 copies. I just did an actual count and it is much higher than I had thought. I’ve corrected it to 871 based on my sales reports.

July 2nd, 2014|Bragging Rights, Fan News|1,305 Comments

Book Review: THE GIRL (Urban Fantasy, Action, Romance)

 

The Girl

The Sanctum Trilogy: Book 1

by Madhuri Blaylock

Link: http://amzn.to/1EEmlIB

#UrbanFantasy #Action #Romance #Warriors

unnamedThis is ABSOLUTELY a most Kick-ass Book!

We have The Sanctum, an organization put in place by the Gods to rule and protect. However, where power exists, so often does corruption. The leadership of The Sanctum is sick and twisted.

We have The Sanctum warriors. They are honorable and highly trained warriors. Unfortunately, they follow orders blindly. The exception are three of our four main characters, Wyatt, Ryker, and Jools who see with clear eyes the corruption in The Sanctum. Yet, they feel honor-bound to defend it, for what it was in it’s better days and with the hope that it will shine again.

Finally, we have Dev, The Girl. She is a hybrid of demon and angel and she is being hunted by The Sanctum. Her crime? Being born.

When Dev and Wyatt meet, the two mortal enemies feel an instant connection, and Wyatt does the unthinkable. He defies The Sanctum for the very first time.

This book is filled with thrilling action and kick-ass scenes. There are battles, torture, healing, despair, triumph, love, but most of all, friendship. The story is a coming of age for these four main characters as they step into leadership roles and act as the catalyst for the righting of decades of wrongs. The story leaves you on the edge of your seat and you will love it. I promise. By the end of it, you will come to care for the characters.

I want to take a moment to speak about Ms. Blaylock’s writing style. She is a skilled writer who carries a rhythm in her written words. It’s not a lyrical style, but rather you can hear the ups and downs of tone and the quickening and slowing of pacing as though she were reading it to you.  With grace and style, she will sweep you along the journey with her.

Lilo Abernathy

Author and Book Lover

 

June 29th, 2014|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|490 Comments

Dreams, Fantasies, Nightmares and Visions Event!

 

Banner
Join author Lilo Abernathy
Games, Prizes, and Giveaways
The party has already started and there will be over a dozen authors in all. Each author will have a different events planned, though most will have giveaways as part of their event. You can stop in any time to visit any author’s time slot.
Lilo’s event will feature games and giveaways, as follows: 

Amazon Gift Cards

Free eBooks

Book 1 Memorabilia

Maud’s Southern Beverage Recipe Cards
Raspberry Lemonade Ice Tea (with Blackberry Kicker)
Mint Julep (with Bad Day option)
Sparkling Lemonade (with Extra Sparkle)
Keepsake Image of Character Letter from Blue to Jack
Book 2 Sneak Peak
Win a chance at an exclusive draft of the Prophecy of Illustrissima!
“The DARK ONE spreads her plague across the land…”
(This is a beautiful scroll image, with the prophecy written on it,
and celtic knot font accents.)
When and Where
Join our Facebook event to be part of the fun: 
   
Lilo’s events will be:
Friday, June 20, 8:00 p.m. EST
Saturday, June 21, 7:00 p.m. EST
Sunday, June 22, 6:00 p.m. EST
Each event lasts for 1 hour
   
Massive Rafflecopter Giveaway
Win a 6 x 9 print copy of The Light Who Shines 
HUGE MASSIVE LIST OF GIVEAWAYS
June 16th, 2014|Fan News, Where's Lilo|488 Comments

Character Letter From Blue to Jack (in The Light Who Shines)

 

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 funJune 1, 2022, Red Ages 

Dearest Jack,

I am writing because I find myself a tad bewildered about our personal relationship. But first I feel compelled to address your professional attitude toward me at work in my role as an experienced Supernatural Homicide Detective.

I may not be a Light Vampire skilled in the art of swordplay and able to move faster than the human eye can observe, but I can dispense Holy Water and snuff out Dark Vampires with the best of them. I confess, I am not a strapping specimen of male strength with magical skills that lend themselves to blending in the dark. However, I have my wolf, Varg, who lends me his strength, ears, eyes, and nose. Although I am female with the seemingly benign gift of being a sensitive, you may find it somewhat relevant that I can SENSE SOULS, and therefore am unlikely to be surprised by any perpetrator I track.

In addition, I believe my exemplary record of caseload success proves that I should not have to report to you every five minutes. Somehow, I find this to be a smidgen overprotective. Since, you don’t require my colleagues to report to you on such a frequent basis, I think we should reflect on why you single me out. Is it because I am a female?

Please loosen up! I expect to be treated as the competent, intelligent, successful agent that I am.

Now on to personal matters…

Perhaps it has occurred to you that when you stand well within my personal body space and do such gentle things as tuck my hair behind my ear, that it might have an affect on a healthy female libido? Alternatively, it may strike you as a tad outside of normal professional behavior to get me in a state of half-undress on the belfry? I don’t recall a course on interoffice undressing during my initial training seminars. Did I miss that?

So, in reflection, you might understand my confusion when you make powerful statements like: 

“Don’t even think of me. I am nothing but a boss keeping an eye on an employee who is working on a dangerous case.” 

I don’t think it is too much of a stretch for me to conclude that at least some element of our relationship has passed the bounds of the normal boss and employee relationship. Do you?

I’m sorry, I have to run. Varg senses someone on my balcony and I need to investigate!

In haste and confusion, 

 

Blue

Bluebell Kildare
Inspector, Homicide Unit
Supernatural Investigation Bureau
June 13th, 2014|Story Extras|472 Comments

Meet My Main Character Blog Tour

 

Imagine my surprise as I plug away at a well debated third chapter of the night, when Madhuri Blaylock tags me in the “Meet My Main Character Blog Tour.”

One quarter of the way through reading her post, I had to laugh out loud at her use of this line to describe herself: “Blunt as shit. There is no shame in my game.”

Three quarters in I said to myself, “Damn. I can’t believe I haven’t read this book. MUST READ!” I don’t usually swear. It is all Madhuri’s fault.

I dare you to read her post and try to walk away without wanting it: The Sanctum Trilogy: Meet My Main Character Blog Tour

At the end of the post I realized that I was up next and she was already linking to my blog. It also occurred to me that my current blog post was decorated with a pink and purple third grade clip art bat with the words “spoiler alert” across the front of his shirt. This was, perhaps, not ideal and it naturally follows that my next thought was “Holy Shit!” (That swear word is Madhuri’s fault too, in case you’re wondering.)

However, I’m thrilled to talk about Blue. In fact, I could talk about Blue until I’m, well, (you know it’s coming), blue in the face! I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist.

Let’er rip…

The Light Who Shines

thelightwhoshinescover1. What is the name of your main character? Is she fictional or a historic person?

Supernatural Inspector Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue) is a purely fictional character, but I like to think she embodies a little of the best of us. While physically vulnerable, she makes up for it in spades with her intelligence, assertiveness, and will of steel. Her standout features are the blue streak in her hair, her abnormally blue eyes, and a bright glowing aura. These are all natural traits that mark Blue as one of the magically Gifted, whether she wants to be marked or not.

2. When and where is the story set?

This story is set in the Smoky Mountains in contemporary times, but with an alternate history. Technology is sometimes on par with ours, but sometimes it’s a bit behind. The world relies a lot on magic for everyday things. Firefly lanterns are lamps filled with magically lit flakes of quarts that swirl around, lending a soft ambiance to any room. Chimerators are rings that flip open to project the image and voice of the person you’re speaking with. Charms and potions are used for most everyday illnesses, with standard medicine reserved for surgeries and such. It’s an exciting world with many possibilities. The scenery is quite beautiful and eerie at times.

3. What should we know about her?

Blue is a sensitive and gifted empath. While these traits seem benign, they are actually quite useful. Her empathy skills allow her to detect feelings to such an extent she is practically a walking lie detector. Her sensitive skills can detect the presence or lingering vibrations of magic. These skills are extremely well fitted with her role as an Inspector.

She can also sense souls…

And she has the hots for her sexy Vampire boss, Jack Tanner.

4. What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?

The story starts out at the scene of the crime where a teenage boy was found horrifically tortured and murdered. The plot follows the investigation of that crime and unfolds from the alternating first person perspectives of Blue and Jack.

At the crime scene Blue uncovers a powerful magical artifact. She soon discovers it acts as a key to an ancient grimiore that was instrumental in the creation of the vampire breed and still holds the power to unravel the boundaries between Earth and the Plane of Fire. Other parties seem very interested in the key and Blue becomes the hunted as much as the hunter.

The main societal conflict present in this world is prejudice and hate. While the typical prejudices we see in our reality don’t exist in this world, the story flips the lens of prejudice to focus on the three different breeds of humans: Norms who are regular humans as you and I know them, magically Gifted humans, and Vampires (Dark and Light). The culture is strife with tension as these three breeds deal with a bloody history and lingering hate.

5. What is her personal goal?

Orphaned by the death of her parents at the hands of Dark Vampires, rejected by her grandparents because of her magical heritage, Blue is accustomed to going it alone. After all, she survived bullying, hate, fear, and ostracism in the orphanage, yet still managed to maintain her moral compass.

As an Inspector in the Homicide Unit of the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, Blue fights for interbreed peace and justice every day. She believes in this job with all her soul, despite the ungrateful Norms who harass her at every turn.

Did I mention she has the hots for her sexy Vampire boss, Jack Tanner? (Wink)

6. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

Yes! It’s called The Light Who Shines.

You can read more about it on my website.

The first ten chapters are available as a free excerpt. It’s currently getting a 4.8 star rating on Amazon and has been positively reviewed by Kirkus.

7. When can we expect the book to be published?

It’s published already and is available at Amazon: (click here)

The three books that finish out the series have already been outlined and the draft of book two is in progress. The entire series will be:

  • The Light Who Shines
  • The Light Who Binds
  • The Light Who Burns
  • The Light Who Destroys

And now it’s my turn to pass on the favor!

I’d like to invite some of my favorite writers to take part in this blog tour. I would have invited others as well, but my good friend Joy was also tagged and she called them first.

Lee Miller: She’s currently blogging the process of writing. We have future plans to write simultaneous blog posts on the weird shit we Google. (You guessed it. That swear word was Madhuri’s fault too.)

Louise White: She’s the author of The Calling, a story that features a feral magical girl, no less. Don’t you love it? I’m so mad I didn’t think of the idea first.

Keith Fritz: Author of Man Hunt, which recently hit best seller status across several Amazon categories. I know this because I saw it and reported it to him while he was driving home one day. He was very responsibly not texting and driving.

Todd Thiede: Author of Time Killer and Lies to Die For. He’s a #1 best selling Amazon thriller author and has been a friend since childhood.

Lee, Louise, Keith, Todd, tag, your it!

Lilo

June 10th, 2014|Fan News, Where's Lilo|637 Comments

The Light Who Binds: Spoiler Alert!

 

30412506_sMy Dear Readers,

Since I hear on a daily basis how eager you are for book two, The Light Who Binds, I thought to keep you updated via this blog post.

Right now the outline for the entire series is complete, and I’m turning the book two outline into the first rough draft. As I complete chapters, I’ll list them here. Chapter names will change and order will switch around. When it’s complete, I still have many revisions and refinements to go.

Lately, I’ve been writing one chapter a night, but it will vary. With that said, here is where I stand.

Last updated: 6/13/2014  1:34 a.m.
Total words written: 23,690
Goal word count – 1st draft: 80,000
Goal word count – final: 100,000

Chapters in order:

  1. Dark Rays of Sunshine 
  2. Three Deaths 
  3. Seeking Wisdom 
  4. Foreboding News 
  5. Mystery Beneath Mystery 
  6. Circle of Fire 
  7. In The Dog House 
  8. Synchronous Burning
  9. A Diseased Tree
  10. Difficult Explanations
  11. Double Trouble 
  12. Immigration Issues 
  13. Interception

I’m not entirely sure if this will ease or tease your curiosity, but I hope you enjoy it either way!

Bookmark this blog and check for updates. I’ll try to update it nightly.

Outline (check!)
It is a rough plan of what happens to whom and where. Each day of the story has many scenes and each scene is a chapter. In my outline, each chapter only gets one bullet (paragraph) describing it. It allows me to think of the plot at a high level.

Rough Draft (in progress)
A rough draft is really the bones of the story. These are full chapters and expound on everything in the outline. Sometimes I have to stray from the outline when a chapter contains too much and needs to be broken down. Every chapter should have a logical focus and end point. But I don’t spend time on intricate descriptions or characterizations. My focus is on flushing out the plot.

P.S. If you stumbled on this blog post without having read book one of the Bluebell Kildare series, The Light Who Shines, you can check it out here: http://amzn.to/1eL48yy

Lilo

June 7th, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|493 Comments

BookCase Big Giveaway: Books, Books, Books!

 

biggiveaway

Win ebooks, print books, even autographed copies.

Free to enter: http://tinyurl.com/qcofsaf

 

Try your luck!

These are the books involved:

deadmediumDead Medium
by Peter John
Dark Comedy, Ghosts & Haunted Houses
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Medium-Peter-John-ebook/dp/B00B000O8C

 

 

 

 

thelightwhoshinesThe Light Who Shines
by Lilo Abernathy
Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal Romance
http://www.amazon.com/Light-Who-Shines-Bluebell-Kildare-ebook/dp/B00HYH3ZU4

 

 

 

 

deadshamblesDead Shambles
by Chris Raven
Comedy, Horror
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Shambles-Stage-Amateur-Vile-Horrors-ebook/dp/B00HX4LQJK

 

 

 

 

coasttocoastCoast to Coast Paranormal Investigations: The Journey Underneath
by Carolyn Bennett
Contemporary, Mystery
http://www.amazon.com/COAST-PARANORMAL-INVESTIGATION-JOURNEY-UNDERNEATH-ebook/dp/B00D82BNLC

 

 

 

 

manhuntMan Hunt
by K. Edwin Fritz
Thriller, Suspense, Science Fiction, Dystopian
http://www.amazon.com/Man-Hunt-K-Edwin-Fritz-ebook/dp/B00BFC657O

 

 

 

 

womanscornedWoman Scored
by K. Edwin Fritz
Thriller, Suspense, Science Fiction, Dystopian
http://www.amazon.com/Woman-Scorned-Hunt-Edwin-Fritz-ebook/dp/B00JQN7II4/

 

 

 

 

taintedliesTainted Lies
by Shemeka Mitchell
Romance, Urban
http://www.amazon.com/Tainted-Lies-Love-Loyalty-ebook/dp/B00EGIT6BQ

 

 

 

 

everlastingloveEverlasting Love
by Shemeka Mitchell
Romance, Urban
http://www.amazon.com/Everlasting-Love-Lies-Loyalty-ebook/dp/B00DOVTENG

 

 

 

 

blindtrustBlind Trust
by Shemeka Mitchell
Romance, Urban
http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Trust-Love-Lies-Loyalty-ebook/dp/B00FNS5UL8

 

 

 

 

vindictiveVindictive
by Shemeka Mitchell
Romance, Erotica
http://www.amazon.com/Vindictive-Shemeka-Mitchell-ebook/dp/B00J5HUXRE

 

May 25th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|1,166 Comments

The Light Who Shines: Leukemia and Lymphoma Fundraiser – Numbers Are In!

 

fantasy-579810_640We sold 33 books this weekend with the fundraiser!

Total royalty donation = $104 USD!

Right now the Leukemia and Lymphoma research is on the cusp of many great therapies that will save lives. Sometimes the society also helps with things like taxi’s to the hospital for treatment for those who have no transportation or paying co-pays for medicine for those below the poverty line.

Every bit helps.

I want to thank you all for helping me in this effort. I met a lot of wonderful new people and got to hang with some of my friends.

You all got to know a little more about me and my daughter. Plus, there are 33 more people out there now with The Light Who Shines in their hands, hopefully reading as I type!

This was my first internet fundraiser and I also had some lessons learned. Next time I do this, I’ll fill the event with fun, like quizzes and games and giveaways to build excitement that way. I’ll also make the duration shorter so we can keep the excitement high.

Thanks so much for joining me on this journey.

Lilo

May 19th, 2014|Fan News, Where's Lilo|478 Comments

THE LIGHT WHO SHINES (Urban Fantasy) 4.8 Stars!

 

Teaser

magic • murder • mystery • mayhem  • vampire • wolf • romance

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1eL48yy

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 for Websites

When Supernatural Investigation Bureau agent Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue) arrives at the scene of the crime, it’s obvious the grotesquely damaged body of the deceased teenage boy was caused by far more than a simple hit and run. Using her innate sixth sense, Blue uncovers a powerful magical artifact nearby. She soon discovers it acts as a key to an ancient Grimiore that was instrumental in the creation of the Vampire breed and still holds the power to unravel the boundaries between Earth and the Plane of Fire.

Blue and her clever wolf Varg follow a trail that starts at the Cock and Bull Tap and leads all through the town of Crimson Hollow. Between being sidelined by a stalker who sticks to the shadows and chasing a suspect who vanishes in thin air, the case is getting complicated. If that isn’t enough, Dark Vampire activity hits a record high, and hate crimes are increasing. However, it’s Blue’s growing feelings for Jack Tanner, her magnetic Daylight Vampire boss, that just might undo her.

While Blue searches for clues to nail the perpetrator, it seems someone else is conducting a search of their own. Who will find whom first?

Danger lurks in every corner, and Blue needs all her focus in this increasingly dangerous game or she risks ending up the next victim.

 

Meet the Characters

  • Agent Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue): She’s a smart and gritty detective, determined to catch her perp., regardless of the price. But, when the stakes are raised to protecting the boundaries between Earth and the Plane of Fire, how high of a price will she pay
  • Jack Tanner (Blue’s boss): He’s a lethal day-walking vampire who tries to keep Blue out of trouble. But with his broad shoulders, burnished gold curls, and predatory green-eyed stare, is he creating a different sort of danger altogether?
  • Varg (Wolf): Blue is joined on her hunt by her faithful companion and oh-so-clever wolf Varg. Wait! Is Varg really just cunning or does he have mysterious powers?
  • Maud (Eccentric Friend): Don’t forget Maud! She may be retired, but she is feisty with her kaleidoscope hair. Is it fuchsia, peach, blue, or scarlet today?

 

Adult Content

Due to a few scenes that have explicit sex and violence, this book is intended for adult readers.

 

Great News

If you purchase any print or ebook version before midnight on 5/18, EST the author will donate 90% of the royalties to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Lilo

May 18th, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|522 Comments

Fundraiser! 90% of Royalties Go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

 

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 for WebsitesNews: I’ve upped the donation to 90%, buy before midnight!

The Light Who Shines

Friday, May 16 – Sunday, May 18 

Please Share if You Care

Amazon Link: (click here) 

I’m the author and I pledge 50% of the total royalties earned on my novel, The Light Who Shines, from the start of Friday, May 16th, 2014, to the end of Sunday, May 18th, 2014, on any versions (print or ebook) in any country or webstore that Amazon distributes it. The donation will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

What kind of book is this?

The genre is Urban Fantasy, which is a mix between:

  • Fantasy
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
  • Romance

It is genre-crossing and will also be enjoyed by lovers of:

  • Action
  • Crime Thrillers
  • Detective Stories
  • Paranormal
  • Animals

Due to a few scenes with explicit violence and sex, this book is intended for adult readers.

 

How good is this book anyway?

So far the reviews have been fantastic. It’s holding the following ratings:

Amazon: 4.8 stars (click here to see: http://amzn.to/1eL48yy)

Goodreads: 4.3 stars (click here to see: http://bit.ly/1juCRf4)

 

What is this book about?

When Supernatural Investigation Bureau agent Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue) arrives at the scene of the crime, it’s obvious the grotesquely damaged body of the deceased teenage boy was caused by far more than a simple hit and run. Using her innate sixth sense, Blue uncovers a powerful magical artifact nearby. She soon discovers it acts as a key to an ancient Grimiore that was instrumental in the creation of the Vampire breed and still holds the power to unravel the boundaries between Earth and the Plane of Fire.

Blue and her clever wolf Varg follow a trail that starts at the Cock and Bull Tap and leads all through the town of Crimson Hollow. Between being sidelined by a stalker who sticks to the shadows and chasing a suspect who vanishes in thin air, the case is getting complicated. If that isn’t enough, Dark Vampire activity hits a record high, and hate crimes are increasing. However, it’s Blue’s growing feelings for Jack Tanner, her magnetic Daylight Vampire boss, that just might undo her.

While Blue searches for clues to nail the perpetrator, it seems someone else is conducting a search of their own. Who will find whom first?

Danger lurks in every corner, and Blue needs all her focus in this increasingly dangerous game or she risks ending up the next victim.

For more details, click here:

https://sites.google.com/site/lilojabernathy/books

 

What you may not know about Leukemia and Lymphoma.

They are blood cancers and often target children, even infants, even babies in the womb! Blood cancers are the most common type of cancer children face.

My daughter was one of them.

Cancer Camp 400
Here she is at Cancer Camp. Yes, I’m both happy and sad to report there is actually a camp for kids with cancer. Happy because it exists, sad because there is a need.
368_34156433041_1770_n - Copy
Here she is as bald as the day she was born, ready to go to a highschool dance. I was very worried she would fall as she had collapsed recently in a video store. One of the chemotherapies attacks muscle. But she made it through okay.

 

Homecoming Game 400

Here she is at the homecoming game. She was probably in need of a blood transfusion at this point, her skin was so pale. She couldn’t walk across the whole field.

16th Birthday Party 400

Here she is at her sweet 16th birthday party. Her hair was just growing in. Little did we know a massive bloodclot was growing in her brain, due to the chemotherapy.

Restaurant 400

Here she is with me at a restaurant. She wore these little tees so that the nurses could access a port that was embedded in her chest to inject the chemotherapy directly to a main blood vessel.

Survivor Now 400

Here she is now. You see that tattoo?

It covers the scar from where her port was embedded and it reads:

Survivor!

Not all of her friends from cancer camp were as lucky as she was. Let’s Stop Blood Cancers!

Lilo

May 15th, 2014|Fan News, Where's Lilo|539 Comments

2 days until my Leukemia and Lymphoma Society book fundraiser: 4 easy ways you can help for FREE

 

50% of the Total Royalties Earned On My Novel

Go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

The Light Who Shines

From: Friday, May 16 – Sunday, May 18

You can help even if you don’t read urban fantasy; chances are some of your friends do.

Here’s How to Help Now

Follow me on social media so that when I post the fundraiser, you can help spread the word to your circles. It’s that simple.

  1. Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lilo_Abernathy
  2. Like my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lilojabernathy
  3. Friend me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7789942.Lilo_Abernathy
  4. Add me to your Google Plus circles: google.com/+LiloAbernathy

I’ll give you all the info you need to share on Friday. When the time comes for the fundraiser, I’d like as many people to know about it as possible.

What is urban fantasy?

It’s a mix between:

  • Fantasy
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
  • Romance (sometimes)

Urban Fantasy, due to the content, is intended for adult readers. The Light Who Shines is high on action, mystery, and suspense. It is also designed to provoke thought on the social injustices of prejudice and hate. For more details, click here: https://sites.google.com/site/lilojabernathy/books

How good is this book anyway?

Currently the reviews are fantastic. It’s holding the following ratings:

  • Amazon: 4.8 stars
  • Goodreads: 4.3 stars

What you may not know about Leukemia and Lymphoma.

368_34156433041_1770_n - CopyThey are blood cancers and often target children, even infants, even babies in the womb! Blood cancers are the most common type of cancer children face.

My daughter was one of them.

After three grueling years of chemotherapy, all through high school, she is now a Lymphoma survivor. Yep, that is her above. She was on her way to her first highschool dance after getting cancer and her head was as bald as the day she was born. Normally, I wouldn’t want her to wear a dress that low cut at only 16. But we didn’t know if she would be well enough to go until last minute and that was the only dress we could find at the store. We couldn’t go to more stores because she couldn’t walk that far without tiring. One time she fell inside of the video store, because her legs gave out and she just couldn’t stand again. Someone had to help me carry her to the car. I wasn’t going to risk that again. Needless to say, she didn’t dance much, but I’m sure you understand it was very important that she go to that dance.

Let’s Stop Blood Cancers!

Lilo

May 9th, 2014|Fan News, Where's Lilo|484 Comments

News: Fun, Fun, and More Fun!

 

Yes, that’s three different funs. I’m serious . . .

20140307_001159Fun 1

Out of the blue (pun intended), my photographer, Ivan Phillips, sent me a bonus photo from the model shoot. (exhibit right) The model shoot for The Light Who Shines occurred almost a year ago and as much as I love the book cover, looking at the same photo for a year can drag on you. So this is a lovely surprise.

The model, Darlene Nuccio plays the part of Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue) on the book cover. Isn’t she beautiful? I say that with unearned pride, as though I were in some way responsible for how delightful she is. I am not. Nonetheless, it is a fun photo. I have no idea what effect he used to make it look like an old time tinted photo. I love it. Thank you Ivan!

 

Fun 2

One of my readers sent me a photo of their copy of The Light Who Shines when it arrived in the mail. She was so excited to get it, but I’m afraid she wasn’t nearly as excited as I was to see a photo of my book in someone else’s possession. Trust me; I was flipping somersaults in my mind. I would have flipped them in person, but I’m 43 years old and I’m not stupid.

BlTHSp-IAAAochdI posted her picture on my website and my Facebook page and thus the Shining Lights Wall of Fame was born. Readers have been sending me photos of themselves with their copy of The Light Who Shines and I’m tweeting them and plastering them wherever I can.

Don’t believe me? I can prove it.

Visit the Shining Lights Wall of Fame

Visit my Facebook Page

I have to say that as a writer, nothing is more satisfying than seeing these photos of people who so obviously are enjoying my work.

 

Fun 3

This book of mine seems to inspire questions. Well, first it inspires yelling and screaming fits, usually accompanied by the words “When will book 2 be done?!!!” so I try not to take it too hard. Yes, I am serious. I get yelled at a lot.
Kathy BurnhamSo, I had this brilliant and unique idea to start a book discussion group on Facebook for people who had just finished The Light Who Shines. Okay, I’m lying. I actually read about another author doing this and stole the idea. However, it was a perfect decision to implement because of the sheer numbers of questions that immediately follow the screaming!

  • What is Varg?
  • What the heck is going on with the Belladonna Necklace?
  • Will Jack and Blue bump the fur, bury the bone, do the nasty?
  • Who is Dragomira really?

If you’re interested in checking out reader speculation on these important topics, or seeing a few more exclusive photos from the model shoot, search for this group on Facebook:

Bluebell Kildare, Book 1: The Light Who Shines

It is an open group and anyone is welcome to join. However, there are spoilers, so I hope you finish the book first.

 

Fun 4?

There actually is a fourth bit of fun, but I’m not going to share that today. You’re going to have to follow my blog to be sure you catch it later.

Have a fun day!

Lilo

May 1st, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|732 Comments

What’s the Secret Underlying Theme of THE LIGHT WHO SHINES?

 

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 for WebsitesIf you have been following along with my excerpts, tweets, or Facebook page you know The Light Who Shines is a very cool urban fantasy novel about a supernatural investigator named Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue). The world includes paranormal characters like Vampires and magically Gifted people, and if you have read it you know there is a wolf named Varg with mysterious powers.

All of that is the fun and excitement wrapped around the underlying theme of prejudice and hate. The Light Who Shines is an anti-prejudice and anti-hate novel written in a way to be easily accessible and enjoyable to those who don’t like reading non-fiction, or who occasionally just like to take breaks with an entertaining read.

“What prejudice?” and “What hate?” you might ask. There is no racial prejudice and no homophobia in this book. Not a drop. I’ve completely removed it and instead have flipped the lens of hate to be between the different breeds of humans. Here the hate runs rampant.

Why? So that people can read it from a non-defensive stance and from a non-offended position and see it separated from the places where we normally see prejudice and hate. I want readers to feel a touch of what it is to be a minority demographic through their experience as Blue, the heroine. I hope you see the pain it causes the characters and the destruction it causes the society with unobscured eyes. I want it to feel personal, but be about non-personal subjects.

Yet, I wanted it to be a pleasure to read and not resemble a lecture in the slightest. It should simply be thought provoking.

So far the novel is getting excellent reviews and has a 4.8 star rating on Amazon, so I hope that means I’ve begun to achieved my goal.

Please share this post with anyone you think would be interested in an urban fantasy novel with deeper underlying meaning.

Lilo


The Light Who Shines

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1eL48yy

THE LIGHT WHO SHINES – Big Sale Today! (Urban/Dark Fantasy)

 

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 for WebsitesReg: $4.99  Today: 99 cents!

4.8 Stars  | Urban/Dark Fantasy

magic | murder | mystery | mayhem | vampires | wolf

Meet Bluebell Kildare (a.k.a. Blue) and her cast of friends for an 80% discount.

  • Blue, the heroine, is a smart and gritty detective, determined to catch her perp. regardless of the price.
  • Her counterpart, the lethal day-walking vampire Jack Tanner, has broad shoulders, burnished gold curls, and a predatory green-eyed stare. Does he want Blue or not?
  • Blue is joined on her hunt by her faithful companion and oh-so-clever wolf Varg! Does Varg have some mysterious powers?
  • Don’t forget Maud with her kaleidoscope hair! Is it fuchsia, peach, blue, or scarlet today?

Adult Content: Recommended for ages 17+ for sex and violence. Not for the faint of heart. This is no cozy mystery folks! It is Urban Fantasy that crosses into mystery, romance, and has a dark side.

Readers keep saying they want more. Check out the reviews. Don’t miss this deal!

Amazon US link: click here

Amazon UK link: click here

Lilo

April 9th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|1,139 Comments

THE LIGHT WHO SHINES: 5 Star Book Review at the Brainy Bookshelf

 

MASTER-BANNER-COPY-

Blue gets blogged on the Brainy Bookshelf by Alisha Howard!

In Alisha’s review of The Light Who Shines, she says, “Bluebell is a bad ass. No questions asked, no further explanation really needed. She may be only human, but she makes up for it with true grit. And the writing is fantastic.”

Alisha has been blogging reviews on The Brainy Bookshelf since May of 2013.

The Light who Shines is currently holding a 4.8 star average rating on Amazon.

To purchase The Light Who Shines on Amazon, click here.

Lilo

March 25th, 2014|Fan News, Where's Lilo|1,110 Comments

Events: Fantasy Book Lane

 

Fantasy Book LaneI visited Fantasy Book Lane today and gave Erica the scoop on what a rebel I am.

“I’m a rebel. No seriously, I am a rebel.” – Lilo

She asked me why I went Indie with my debut novel, The Light Who Shines, and I gave her exclusive insights into the highly complex algorithms I used to make that decision.

Yeah. I’m kidding again! To learn the real reason, click here.

Lilo

March 18th, 2014|Fan News, Where's Lilo|528 Comments

Book Review: THE FURY (Horror, Crime, Mystery)

 

The FuryThe Fury

By John Reinhard Dizon

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1JCbcva

#Horror #Occult #Crime #Mystery

Holy Freaking Voodoo Mojo… that was scary!

I’m pretty sure I read most of this book from between the fingers of the hand covering my eyes. It is not gruesome due to explicit detail, but there is plenty of ‘WTF! Did That Just Happen?’ violence and the suspense is amazing. It will have you clutching a comforter and will freak you the shit out! Seriously.

The plot is anchored around private investigator, Bridge (short for Bridgette), who is hired by a New York Mob Boss to run surveillance on his daughter, Annabell. Annabell gets mixed in with a fortune telling Voodoo crowd and is closeted in a building where horrific murders keep happening. Bridge is a strong female heroine, and I love her. I especially love when she retorts back to an insult by grabbing her breast and saying “Suck on this.” She is hard-ass all the way.

The evil Voodoo queen is soooo EVIL! You will quake in your boots. And The Fury, what can I say? It simply destroys.

The intertwining relationships in this story are amazing, both current, and in snippets from generations past. This author did his research well, and you can tell. A lot of this story takes place in New York, between cops and the ‘hood. The lingo is believable, the situations, authentic.

If you like New York rough neighborhoods, private detectives, cop investigations, thrillers, horrors, suspense, paranormal, strong heroines, possessions, and voodoo magic scariness, then you will totally love this book.

Lilo Abernathy
Author and Book Lover

March 9th, 2014|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|512 Comments

Book Review: Bombardier (Vampire / Short Story)

 

31hMnsGrD8LBombardier

by K. Edwin Fritz

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/1HSLgsT

#Vampire #ShortStory #Emotional #Awesome

A Strikingly Emotional Non-traditional Vampire Short Story

This story grabs your guts and won’t let go. It is a HUMAN story of a man recently bitten and facing the life-long curse of Vampirism.

The story doesn’t reveal that he is a vampire until the very end. It is a sweet and tantalizing unfolding of the truth. I LOVED the mystery and the slow revealing.

The story is about a man, struggling with the pain and addiction of the vampire infection, seeking solace in the company of others in similar situations. He searches for, and finds it in a bar named Bombardier, where others of his kind gather.

Once there he sees glimpses of what he could be if he held out against the addiction, and what he will be when he eventually gives in. But most of all, he finds human empathy for his struggle against the inevitability of his final human death.

If you want something fresh and unusual, this is it! I highly recommend it.

Lilo Abernathy

Author and Book Lover

March 7th, 2014|Fan News, Reviews by Lilo|473 Comments

Character Letter from Blue to Jack (old)

 

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 funFrom the book: The Light Who Shines

June 1, 2022, Red Ages

 

Dearest Jack,

I am writing because I find myself a tad bewildered about our personal relationship. However, I first feel compelled to address your professional attitude toward me at work in my role as an experienced Supernatural Homicide Detective.

I may not be a Light Vampire skilled in the art of swordplay and able to move faster then the human eye can observe, but I can dispense Holy Water and snuff out Dark Vampires with the best of them. I confess, I am not a strapping specimen of male strength with magical skills that lend themselves to blending in the dark. However, I have my wolf, Varg, who lends me his strength, ears, and eyes. Although I am female and have the seemingly benign gift of being a sensitive, you may find it somewhat relevant that I can SENSE SOULS, and therefore am unlikely to be surprised by any perpetrator I track.

In addition to all of the above, I believe my exemplary record of success in my caseload proves that I should not have to report to you every five minutes. Somehow, I find this to be a smidgen overprotective. Since, you do not require my colleagues to report to you on such a frequent basis, I think we should reflect on why you single me out. Is it because I am a female? Please loosen up! I expect to be treated as the competent, intelligent, successful agent that I am.

Now on to personal matters . . .

Perhaps it has occurred to you that when you stand well within my personal body space and do such gentle things as tuck my hair behind my ear, that it might have an affect on a healthy female libido? Alternatively, it may strike you as a tad out of the norm of professional behavior to get me in a state of half-undress on the belfry? I don’t recall a course on interoffice undressing during my initial training seminars. Did I miss that?

So, in reflection, you might understand my confusion when you make powerful statements like:

“Don’t even think of me. I am nothing but a boss keeping an eye on an employee who is working on a dangerous case.”

I don’t think it is too much of a stretch for me to conclude that at least some element of our relationship has passed the bounds of the normal boss and employee relationship. Do you?

I’m sorry, I have to run. Varg senses someone on my balcony and I need to investigate!

In haste and confusion,

 

Blue

Bluebell Kildare

Inspector, Homicide Unit

Supernatural Investigation Bureau

Get this book on Amazon

March 5th, 2014|Uncategorized|521 Comments

Tidbits and Bragging Rights

 

10442769_sA little over a month ago I published my debut novel, The Light Who Shines

I’m proud to say it has achieved the following ratings:

  • Amazon: 4.8 stars
  • Goodreads: 4.36 stars
  • Barnes and Noble: 5.0 stars
  • Smashwords:  4.4 stars

So far, it appears that it will be a solid 4.0 average rating. Since this is my first book ever, and my first creative writing endeavor since a college composition class over 20 years ago, I hope you understand why I’m ecstatic with this great start!

Wait! There is more.

It has been listed in two giveaways:

  • Goodreads Giveaway: three autographed print copies offered: 1079 requests
  • LibraryThing Giveaway: ebook copies offered: 32 requests

It has been reviewed by the following blogs:

When I first published it, I had no social media set-up to speak of. Since then I’ve achieved the following stats:

  • Facebook Page Likes: 180
  • Twitter Followers: 680
  • Goodreads Friends: 134
  • Goodreads Fans: 10
  • Goodreads To Be Read Shelves: 539

Thank you all for your support!

In just under two weeks I’ll be diving into writing Books 2 and 3 of the Bluebell Kildare series. Meanwhile, I hope you will follow along with upcoming happenings available on my website events page. There’s more fun to come!

Lilo

March 3rd, 2014|Bragging Rights, Fan News|631 Comments

My Blog is All Dressed Up in New Duds. Check it out!

 

32790514_sI’ve been preparing my website and blog for my eventual press release. The truth is, I’m procrastinating working on my bio, because I hate my bio and I feel it needs to be done before the press release goes out. It is, after all, a key part of the media kit.

I’ve heard you need a very short professional bio, a fun bio, and a longer bio. No one has explained if the longer bio needs to be fun or not. Do I really need three bios?

So! Now that my website and blog are all bright and spiffy, I need to return to work on my bio. Just kidding! It really means I need to find some NEW way to procrastinate.

But GOOD NEWS! I have something else that requires being done. Something I’m very glad to do in fact. I am heading out to an office center to package up and send three books to three lucky Goodread Giveaway winners! It is very exciting.

I’ve got to run now, but please, while I’m out, take your time to examine my spiffy new duds. Both the website and blog are linked to each other now. Isn’t it grand?

Lilo

February 27th, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|506 Comments

An Empty Fridge

 

empty-fridgeSo, my Dad looks in my fridge this morning and says, “Man, you’re not getting nuttin out of here but a cool breeze!” (My parents drove three hours yesterday to visit with me and spent the night.)

The photo is not my fridge, but the contents in mine are somewhat similar. Apparently, the freezer contents were even worse… I won’t repeat what he said about that.

Thankfully, my fridge isn’t empty because I’m broke. It could be worse. It’s empty because I am unbelievably busy. Or perhaps it’s empty because it’s lower on the priority list.

This week I’ve listed my book for a Goodreads giveaway, and LibraryThing giveaway, did a submittal for Bookbub (yet to be approved), sent my book to a TON of reviewers who all have different submittal requirements, accidentally deleted all my blog photos, reattached all my blog photos, sent numerous twitters, deleted 500 twitter people I was following who hadn’t signed on for 30 days, had a birthday, revamped my book description, wrote up a press release, started on my media kit, and cleaned my house from top to bottom for my parents’ visit.

All of that work was on top of a 40 plus hour day job. This book promoting work takes so much time, yet is so important that I just let other things fall off the list.

Let me just say that if I didn’t have a day job my fridge would look worse than what is above so I must work on promoting the book. Yet, I suppose I should go shopping today.

My response to my father was, “You can choose. You either get a clean house with your visit, or a full fridge. I don’t have time for both.”  But I know what will really happen. Next time he will either bring groceries or his own food! I have to stop blogging right now because I’m laughing too hard.

Lilo

February 16th, 2014|Fan News, Odds and Ends|797 Comments

Book Giveaway! The Light Who Shines ($18.99 value)

 

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 for WebsitesI am currently offering three FREE print copies in a Goodreads Giveaway.

Title: The Light Who Shines
Author: Lilo Abernathy

  • Autographed Copy
  • 447 pages (over 136,000 words)
  • Debut Novel
  • Goodreads rating is 4.56 stars

Deadline: Midnight on February 25.

Requirements: You simply log into your Goodreads account and click to enter. Available to participants in the following countries:

  • United States
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia

Goodreads Entry Link:  click here

The first ten chapters are free on my website: click here

Lilo

February 14th, 2014|Fan News, Hot Deals|505 Comments

News: The Light Who Shines Now Available in Print!

 

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 for WebsitesThings have been pretty hectic lately. I’ve created two print versions of my book on createspace.com, which are now being distributed by Amazon, their parent company.

I’ve learned a few lessons about writing in the process. The biggest is that I wrote too many words! Almost 140,000 words! The consequence is that it costs a lot to print. Therefore, my price is not as low as I wished I could offer. Apparently, most commercial books are preferred to be between 60,000 and 80,000 words. I hope my potential customers will factor this in when they consider purchasing it or will turn to the ebook version. Meanwhile, I’ve resolved to do better for Book 2.

So far, the book is averaging 4.5 stars on Goodreads and readers are asking me for Book 2 already. Considering this is my debut novel, I’m sure you can understand my excitement!

6 x 9 version: This one is formatted very nicely with 12-point easy to read font, a little spacing between paragraphs (.3), and nice size chapter headings. It is my favorite!
Click here for this version.

5 x 8 version: I created this version to offer a cheaper option for those who want print. It is printed in 10 point Times New Roman as that is a bit tighter. It has been tightened as much as possible and relieved of the Author Bio and the Preface.
Click here for this version.

Both are beautiful books with a glossy cover and white pages! I searched forever to find a cool looking unrestricted use font to use as the chapter headings.

Ebook Version: This is obviously the best value (as always). Click here for this version.
It is also available on Barnes and Noble and on Smashwords.

My most cherished details about the book itself (not the story) are the chapter names. I love chapter names! Each name received thoughtful consideration so that it would hint, but not reveal the contents of the chapter. Each chapter is a different scene in the book.

Lilo

February 12th, 2014|Release Alerts|1,210 Comments

Who Else Wants a Mind-blowing Epic Hero?

 

16490732_sNow, don’t get upset men, I am talking about fiction books or film of course, fantasy really.

Physical Attributes

I struggled with what picture to place with this blog because I know everyone’s has his or her own ideal physical attributes. While searching, I found men of every race, height and size, all with their own appeal. So I opted for some male eyes. And they are quite male! I think we can all agree there are many men who would fit our requirements, so let’s just generally say we want our heroes to light our fires!

Heroic Actions

The heroes in our novels are often mildly heroic. Maybe they save the heroine from a bad guy or two or fight in a few small battles. But we aren’t talking your standard run-of-the-mill hero here. We are talking about a staggeringly mind-blowing epic hero. I want a hero who staggers across an entire continent, escaping capture from villains and overcoming obstacles to drop the ring into the Mount Doom. (The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. By the way, thank you Frodo for doing that!) When, an alien mother ship and its daughter ships hovers over the earth with plans to destroy the human species, I want a hero who will fly into the ship in a kamikaze attack to annihilate it, saving the world from imminent destruction. (Independence Day film script co-written by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin). In short, saving the world is essential.

Personality

I am really tired of heroes who are jerks. A hero who starts out sleeping with every woman in eyesight is no hero at all. A hero who treats the heroine with disrespect sucks as well. Heroes should be at least slightly discerning in their tastes and basically decent chaps, okay? At least the epic hero we are talking about here should be. Do what you want with small time heroes. This hero doesn’t lie, doesn’t get mad for idiotic reasons, and doesn’t change his personality as the story moves through. He is kind, works hard, cares about people, is hopefully brilliant, and we like him from start to end. My mind-blowing epic hero usually starts out as a common man who stands up to do great things when great things need to be accomplished. I’m sure that many of you men would be that hero if the necessity arose.What is your hero like?

Lilo

February 6th, 2014|Author World, Storytelling|470 Comments

Disparaging of Indie Authors is Dead Wrong

 

19547595_sAuthor is a fancy word for storyteller and storytellers have been around since before the written word. In no time in our history as a species have we ever before claimed that storytellers can only be those of the most educated and perfect at their craft. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Stories have been carved into trees, painted on cave walls, printed on bone and bamboo, etched into clay tablets, inked onto skins, and finally written on paper. Even while all this was happening stories were still being told orally in the market, around campfires, around the dinner tables and the family hearths, and in small gatherings after church. In fact, storytellers have been so intrinsically woven into our culture we have developed a multitude of words to describe them; bards, gossips, teachers, historians, singers, preachers, writers, poets, wise men, and even liars.

It is true that until recent modern times, and even now in developing countries, only the most educated were able to write at all, let alone to write proficiently enough to produce novels. Even as publishing came into own in the early 21st century, most people in developed countries were only educated to an eighth grade level. Now almost all people in developed countries are skilled enough to write, or type as you will. Among those who are, there is an entire gambit of skill levels with both the weaving of tales and the elegant usage of grammar and punctuation.

At what point did someone decree that only those most proficient at both the weaving of a tale and the editing of their work should be allowed to tell stories in book form? Is there a new law written that I was unaware of in existence? Did the Angels come down from heaven and sing this truth into human hearts? Perhaps it is simply that some publishers and their contracted authors are upset that their bookstore and internet ranking is being cluttered by independent authors telling their own tales?

Storytellers have never been restricted to the most educated. Even my Great Grandmother with her broken English told stories worth hearing while she crocheted on her back porch. I assure you those stories were worth more than $4.99 and I would have paid that, had she asked. She wasn’t polished, but that doesn’t mean her stories didn’t have flavor and value. It doesn’t mean her stories didn’t entertain and enrich my life.

library-425730_640The only real problem I see with indie authors telling their stories is when a reader expects polish and doesn’t get it. They expect polish because in recent history published books have been screened, revised, and shined up to gleam like gold perfection. But if a reader is only paying 99 cents, should they really expect polish? Logic tells you that a person can’t spend thousands of dollars on editing and break even if they sell their book for only 99 cents. So, how are they to pay for editing? They can’t. So, the reader should beware of a full length novel at such a low price. However, it can be confusing for the reader, because often a well editing, full length novel is put on temporary sale for 99 cents and in that case you can expect good quality.

I see a way to solve this problem and I honestly believe it will happen. We need independent rating agencies that will rate an author’s work (Indies and Traditional Pub.) against a couple of different aspects; such as plot, character development, voice, grammar and punctuation, formatting, etc. The author would be required to submit their work to one of a number of different agencies prior to publishing and they would be responsible for the fee. If they don’t care for the rating, they could revise their work to improve it prior to publishing. The author could resubmit their book again for a new rating based on the new version. The most current rating would be displayed on the work when it is published.

In this way, the indie author would have the opportunity to share their story and the reader would understand exactly what they are getting for their money. This would also be an excellent way for the indie author to get an unbiased opinion of their work prior to the market place without being penalized, so they can decide if they are ready to publish or if another revision is necessary.

Just remember, we are all storytellers in our own way and there is room for all of us.

Lilo

The Gorgeous Crazy Hat Lady (and why you want her in your book.)

 

8421083_s Fiction is primarily an escape from the mundane reality of our normal existence. We are trained to behave as robots, pushed by societal consequences into walking a narrow and predestined path. Often for many, for at least some small space of time, an abhorrence of our monotonous existence begins to fester. Or at the very least, we tire of always meeting expectations and obligations. Let’s face it, life can be boring. However, our books don’t have to be!

Not all stories, but many stories would benefit from the Gorgeous Crazy Hat Lady. This eccentricity isn’t typically a ploy for attention; instead, the character simply dances to their own tune. The rules of society seem to have little impact on them. When an idea pops in their mind, they just do it without inhibition. They exhibit the kind of freedom we sometimes wish we had.

This character is usually colorful in dress or personality, which creates wonderful visuals. However, the truly fun part is that their behavior is unpredictable and electrifying to the story. Sensational scenes or circumstances can be written around the Gorgeous Crazy Hat Lady because she is the most malleable character of all

6099582_sOf course, the character doesn’t have to be gorgeous or crazy or a lady, the hat is optional as well! Sometimes these extraordinary characters only display their unusual proclivities in one aspect of their personality. Imagine a tough burly man who cuddles with kittens or sings opera. What if the uptight secretary goes home to engage in a threesome? Perhaps the Spock-like brainy computer geek has a secret beanie baby collection. The wonder of creative writing is that the possibilities are endless. Even so, we more often then not see characters whose behaviors are limited to the norm.

In the Bluebell Kildare Series one of the supporting characters is a wiry, feisty older woman with enchanting green eyes. She also happens to change her hair color every other day. And by hair color, I mean fuchsia, ice blue, fire engine red, peach sherbet, and etcetera. She coordinates her hair dye to match her outfits and reads fashion magazines during her leisure. She doesn’t cook, but makes outstanding southern beverages instead. The time she saves by avoiding the stove is used to think of outlandish pranks to play against her would-be suitor.

She is in a word, interesting. Isn’t that what a fiction story should be?

Lilo

February 3rd, 2014|Author World, Storytelling|1,174 Comments

Weak Female Character Rant

 

19339201_sWhy do so many novels feature a weak female Heroine? I DESPISE them! Often the powerless female is paired with an Alpha Male or at least a Studly Hard-ass. I’m not talking about physical strength here. I’m talking about strength of personality, willpower, and circumstances. So many times I have read about the woman who is an abuse victim and the man saves her, or the woman who is poor and a rich man comes to the rescue. Then there is the ever-popular woman who is abducted or pushed around by a man yet ends up in love with him. Let’s not forget the woman who vacillates over her love for the man and stagnates in indecision. Variations on the theme are endless and authors keep writing it into their stories while readers keep buying those stories.

So what is it about people who want to envision a weak woman with a strong man? Is this just the survival of the species instinct where women desire stronger men? Do we women enjoy reading about a woman who is weaker than we are and therefore feel superior? Do we seek validation for our own weaknesses? I really would like to hear your opinions on this!

One of the main reasons I love reading and writing Urban Fantasy is that the heroine often gets to be strong and kick some ass. Give me a woman who knows her mind. Give me a heroine who saves the day. Give me a female character who meets her man on equal footing with comparable strengths. This doesn’t mean that the hero and heroine can’t help each other. They can! Just please stop with the one-way ‘man saves poor weak needy woman’ plots! Uggh! A weak heroine is hardly heroic at all!I believe that reading about strong female heroines helps empower us in our real lives because we get to pretend we are them for a while and eventually we get used to being them.

Lilo

February 2nd, 2014|Author World, Storytelling|510 Comments

The Alpha Male Character

 

27318101_sWho is the Alpha Male? Well, I went hunting for photos of the alpha male and ended up surprised. I expected to land on a photo of a half dressed muscle bound god of a male model that was completely drool worthy and spiked up everyone’s libido. I ran into plenty of them, sure. However, none of them said alpha to me. Why? It was in their face, their boyish quest for approval, their preening for the camera, their seeking of attention. The alpha male doesn’t seek attention. He simply receives it.

So what makes an alpha male? To me it is not physical strength alone, nor is it beauty. It is intelligence, self-possession, confidence, and the ability to accomplish goals. In my estimation, an alpha character is strong internally and doesn’t vacillate between decisions. He doesn’t jump to conclusions. He is admired by other characters and drives the plot.

The image I chose is not a man who is smiling for the camera. It is a man who has is eyes narrowed and appears to be deliberating his next action. He is not waiting to see what you think of him. He is not trying to please you. Instead of troubling himself with the frivolous, he is assessing you instead! In return, you are concerned with what he concludes about you. That is why he has your attention. That is the alpha male.

Lilo

February 1st, 2014|Author World, Storytelling|832 Comments

New Release: The Light Who Shines!

 

DSC_0663PP26PPC1C-yP2B-3000 for WebsitesLast week I finally “popped my literary cherry” as my sister says. I released The Light Who Shines on ebook to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. A very exciting day, let me tell you.

A few things have changed since I last wrote. Most obviously, the book cover is now stunning! Thank you so much Ivan Phillips for all the photo work. I’ll post more on this later. I’ve removed “Illustrissima” from the title, as I determined people would have a hard time spelling it and searching for it. And finally, the book took a lot longer to bring to completion then I originally thought. I started my first draft in March and it is now January. I hope to become more efficient over time, but I do work a 40 – 60 hour a week day job in addition to writing. Ahh, such is life!

I have also learned that when you become a new author, people don’t automatically swarm your book to buy it. In fact, hardly anyone even notices. While it may be the most exciting day of your life, competing only with the birth of your first born child, it doesn’t actually turn into a national holiday. I certainly knew this was the case, but I hadn’t felt it to really understand it. Now I have. However, I did get an excellent five star review on Amazon from one fine person who addressed me as Ms. Abernathy and lauded my book’s enjoyableness and professionalism. After staring at the title a few moments in puzzlement, I realized he was actually referring to me. I guess I have become a “Ms.” (last name) now. Another surprise!

Interesting Note: When I first typed enjoyability, my software program accepted the word. When I typed enjoyableness, it said it was a spelling error. Yet, I find enjoyableness in the dictionary but not enjoyability. It’s a shame because enjoyability has so much funnability to it!

Lilo

January 31st, 2014|Release Alerts|555 Comments