Characters: Getting to Know Liz Baker

Welcome to the first installment of Getting to Know the Characters. I will try to do one character each week, probably on Thursdays, from the Liz Baker series. We'll start it off with...

Meet Liz.  She's our reluctant heroine in my Liz Baker series.  Liz's life was simple; she thought she was content. Lingering thoughts in the back of her head suggested she might enjoy a more eventful life though.  But she knew she didn't want the husband, family, and white picket fence in her small town of Tremmel Crossing, Georgia. The town was too bland, too boring.

That is, before Liz found out the truth...

Born Lizbeth May Baker, she is the offspring of a human woman with Gypsy heritage and a male vampire with a god complex, though previously thought to be the prodigy of her abusive stepfather. Liz has an older sister, Jesika, who lives hours away and held a grudge against her for many years.

Liz owns a bar called Athena's Ambrosia. This is her pride and joy. She designed and decorated it from the ground up. She loves her loyal staff members like family, and they'd do almost anything for her. She has many loyal patrons, as well; people she's known for years, looks out for when they've had too much, and listens to when they tell the stories of their lives. Liz loves Athena's and all who enjoy their time there.

With a love of brightly colored nail polish, tight jeans, corsets, and tall leather boots, Liz commands attention from any she finds worthy of her curvaceous endowments, and doesn't bat an eyelash at a rambunctious romp in a cemetery. That's where she first discovers the dangers and secrets of her true parentage, and thus, her crazy, wild future in life.

To start your trip into Liz's life check out Time for Death (Liz Baker, book 1). It's always only $0.99 on Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, and Smashwords.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask Liz post them below.  :D

My Current Work in Progress

A big thanks to author P. M. Terrell for tagging me into this Author Event. I'm always up for sharing more about what I'm working on. Sometimes I just don't have time to do it. To participate I have to answer 10 questions about my current work in progress, and then invite five more authors to carry the event forward the next week.

So here we go...


10 Questions About My Work in Progress


1. What are you working on now?
I'm currently working on the fourth book in my Liz Baker series, Haunted by Death. This story takes Liz deeper into the paranormal world she was pretty much shoved into kicking and screaming. Being a dhampiresa (half vampire, half human) isn't as fun as you'd think it would be.

2. Can you give us a sneak peek into the story?
At the end of Killer Intentions, Liz is recovering from an abduction by one of her many half-siblings. Her birth father, Gregory, has decreed that Liz will come to him of her own free will, or not at all. Leaving Liz fuming and determined such a thing will NEVER happen. Haunted by Death picks up with the funeral of her attorney-slash-friend, Jim Conrad. After the funeral, Liz comes home to her current roommates, Monty the werewolf and Aimee, another half-sibling who previously tried to murder her.  Yeah, it's a jumble of craziness and extreme stress for our spunky heroine.

3. Why did Liz let Aimee move in with her?
Aimee is another half-vampire, half-human child born of their mutual birth father, and vampire, Gregory. In book 3 we learned that Gregory has fathered several children with human women and he's now attempting to pull his offspring into his dangerous clutches. However, with Liz determined to stay as far away from him as she can, Gregory sent Aimee to "convince" her to come to him. Aimee took it upon herself to use a gun. In the end, Liz, Chad, and Monty decide it's safer for Liz and Aimee if they take her under their wings and protect her, instead of sending her back to Gregory. Thus, Aimee living in Liz's guest room.

4. Why is Liz so reluctant to be taken in by her birth father?
Gregory is evil. Pure evil. Evil with a snide, sneaky side. He seems to want to rule the world, but hasn't really said exactly what he plans to do with all of his children. He wants Liz to come to him, but never tells her why. All of the signs point to some sort of evil world domination, and Liz wants nothing to do with that. Everywhere Gregory goes death seems to follow. Just look at all the death and pain Marcus left behind in book one when Gregory sent him to retrieve Liz. Poor Rick will never forget being strung up and nearly drained to death.

5. Speaking of Rick, will he manage to find happiness now that he's no longer Liz's bed-buddy?
After having a rough time in book 3, Rick seems to have pulled himself out of a slump and moved forward with his life in Haunted by Death. There will be a surprising turn of events for our sweet Rick. He might want to have that tattoo of Liz's astrological sign lasered off soon.  ;)

6. What happens with the "staff" at Adele's estate?
The staff will definitely make an appearance in book 4. Liz's new attorney is trying to convince her it would be best if she moved to the estate and took advantage of all her new found wealth allows her. Liz, however, refuses to leave her home and business. Her bar, Athena's Ambrosia, is her life, her home, and the one thing that centers her back into the normal human world when the paranormal world closes in around her.

7. Can't her bar staff take care of the bar while she's away?
Oh yes, most definitely. Liz has some very trustworthy people on staff who are always ready to help out when she needs it, but Liz is an independent woman who thinks she needs no one. She wants to do it herself, to make herself feel needed and productive.

8. Will we see more monsters in book 4?
Yes! Book four will have the usual vampires, werewolves, and demons we've come to love (or hate) in the previous three books, but this time we'll have a dash of ghosts thrown in. There's nothing like a ghost to disrupt a good time. :)

9. Where will the ghosts be?
A big event will be held at a local historic site in Haunted by Death. An old homeplace-slash-historic hotel full of old furnishings, clothes, and personal items from occupants long gone is the back drop for this event. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you like at like I do), these items also hold their owners' spirits locked in turmoil. **An author's side note: I promised the local historical society that I wouldn't burn down the hotel in my story. So no fires or magical explosions in this book. LOL! **

10. Will there be more books in the Liz Baker series?
The answer is a resounding YES! I have many future books planned for Liz. She has far to many adventures to go on for us to stop now. Besides, she's too darn cocky to let me just ignore her and write something else.  ;)

Look for Haunted by Death (Liz Baker, book 4) in late October.

Blog Tour Schedule

Starting June 1st, I'll be on a 21-day blog tour to promote the Liz Baker series, with main focus on Time for Death (book 1).  There will be several reviews, several interviews, and a few guest posts.  And at the end I'll be giving away a 3-book print set of the series and two e-book copies of Time for Death.

Here's the tour schedule:

1st: Jennifer Malone Wright www.jenniferwrightauthor.com
2nd:  Paranormal Reads http://paranormalreadsreviews.blogspot.com/
3rd:  Mad Sheep Reading http://madsheepno1.blogspot.co.uk/
4th:  Tsk Tsk What To Read www.tsktskwhattoread2.blogspot.com 
5th:  Angel Haze http://www.angelhaze.com/
6th:  Jenn’s Book Review’s http://addicted2bookreviews.blogspot.com/
7th:  All Things Books www.allthingsaboutbooks.com
8th:  Lovetiggi’s Blog http://lovetiggisblog.blogspot.com/
9th:  Ponderings, Politics and Prose http://ponderings.lucindagunnin.com/
10th:  Books, Reviews, Movies, Oh My! http://writesthoughts.blogspot.com/
11th:  Starry Night Book Reviews http://starrynightbookreviews.blogspot.com/
12th:  Book Mews and Tattle Tails http://tattlet.blogspot.com/
13th:  Andie’s Book Reviews http://andisbookreviews.blogspot.com/
14th:  Storytime Book Reviews  http://storytimebookreviews.blogspot.com/
15th:  The Book Hoard http://www.thebookhoard.com/
16th:  Delphina Reads Too Much http://www.delphinareadstoomuch.com/
17th:  The Cover and Everything in Between http://thecoverbybrittany.blogspot.com/
18th:  A Little Bit of R&R http://www.alittlebitofrnrreviews.com/
19th: Robin Renee Ray http://www.robinreneeray.blogspot.com/
20th:  Phenomenal Paranormal Reads http://jennswiger.blogspot.com/
21st:  The Bunny’s Review http://bunnysreview.com/

There will be a RaffleCopter at the bottom of each blog post for you to enter into the book giveaway.  I've never used one, but I hear it's a great way to handle blog giveaways.  :)

I hope to see you there!

Blog Tour coming in June.

Coming June 1st I'll be on a 21-day blog tour.  I don't have all the details yet, but it should be a whole lotta fun for everyone.  I'll post lots more the tour when I have more details.

In the meantime, I'm working on ideas for the upcoming guest blog posts and would love to hear your thoughts.

What would you like to read about from me?  Is there something you've always wanted to know about me but never asked?  About the books?  Characters?  Etc.

If you have an idea for one of my upcoming blog tour posts feel free to post them here, on Facebook, or e-mail me.

Oh, and if you'd like to be one of the blog tour hosts, sign up at http://www.temptingbooktours.com/ .

I hope you're having a lovely Thursday.  We've almost made it to the weekend!  Keep going; you can do it!

Do you have a board on Pinterest?

I'm sure many of you have already heard about the fun that is Pinterest.  For those of you that haven't, OMG!  Why the hell not?! 

Just kidding.  :) 

Pinterest is a really cool site that becomes mildly addictive (you've been warned) the longer you're on it.  First off, you create an account, then build "boards."  You fill (pin) these boards with pictures and videos of things that interest, intrigue, motivate you.  These boards are shared with your friends, who may repin your pictures as things that interest, intrigue, motivate them.

It's a continuous cycle of sharing ideas.  And I love it!

I pin photos of my dogs, our gardening adventures, the follies of raising chickens, backyard ideas, places I've traveled and places I'd like to travel to, and even organizational ideas for around the house.

How does that pertain to author life, you might ask.  Well, aside from pinning my books, I pin books of friends, photos that motive me to write, author inspirational quotes, locations that I might like to use for book settings, etc.

Just yesterday, I created two new boards:  Liz Baker's Crazy Life and Athena's Ambrosia.

Those of you who read my Liz Baker books will definitely enjoy these boards.  Though not very full at this moment, I am hoping to pin dozens upon dozens of pictures that relate to the book series.  I even have plans for a Chad board, ladies!  We both know you wanna see Chad in all his ex-cop hotness.  Mmmm...

If you're already on Pinterest stop by and follow (I like to follow back).  If you're not on Pinterest, what the heck are you waiting for?  :D

Have a lovely Wednesday!

Death Reflected coming soon

After finishing up book 3 in the Liz Baker series, Killer Intentions, I had an idea to throw out a short story about Liz's interesting elderly neighbor, MaryAnne Patterson.  She has been Liz's neighbor for a while now and is always happy to step in to pick up the mail and care for Liz's cat, Tara, when Liz is away.  But there was always something mingling in the back of my mind, something not quite normal about Mrs. Patterson.

Death Reflected is the story of how Liz found out the deep, dark, hidden secret MaryAnne hoped no one would ever figure out.  This story will be a freebie for all my Liz Baker fans.  Once completed, I'll post it free of charge on the website and let you know of it's availability. 

Keep in mind that Death Reflected should be read AFTER Killer Intentions.  The scene actually happens in the middle of Killer Intentions, but is only mentioned ever so slightly during a sleepy-time chat between Liz and Chad.  Just enough to give me the lead in for the short story.

I'll post more about it when the editing is done and the e-cover is ready for viewing.  :)

New review for the Liz Baker series.

Good reviews always make an author happy, but usually they are reviews for single books.  This time I received a review for the entire Liz Baker series, thus far.  Check out what Author Robin Renee Ray has to say about her enjoyment of Liz's life and the people around her.  :)

"I have been a Fan of the Liz Baker series and her walk from being the non-caring bar owner to being the owner of a large estate that she inherited when a dear family friend passed. When she went from a normal state of life where hanging with friends and having flings with the same long time bud with benefits was what completed her existence. Then, of course, he came in the mist of the quake that had fallen on her world, the one who walked the night and sought more than just the blood in her veins.

Liz took the life of the one who allured her into the darkness, and saved a man that later took her heart. In this book, you see where the two have traveled and how much Liz’s journey into the world of the unknown has taken them. The things she finds out are nothing compared to finding out that she herself was half vampire, child of the one who sent the night walker to allure her to the dark side in books one and two. Even her deceased mother, who came to her aid when needed, was not as shocking as what she discovers in, Killer Intentions.

I can’t just recommend this book, without saying read them all. It is a complete tale of intrigue, deceit, paranormal in both the vampire world as well as the mystical, and the pivotal growth of romance is insurmountable. Liz not only develops as a woman, but her powers in the field of magic, that she is only on the very edge of learning, is developing faster than any can explain. Christie Silvers is taking her characters on a rapid running river of excitement in every area. If I could give this series more than a 5Star, I would be the first to do it!"

Killer Intentions available today.

The big day has finally arrived. Killer Intentions (Liz Baker, book 3) is now available for all who want to enjoy the next installment of Liz's wild world. This time you find her trying to take a break on the Georgia island of Tybee, outside of Savannah. Unfortunately, things never seem to go as Liz plans. And this time isn't any different.

Not only has the book released on Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, and Smashwords, but I have a special offer for anyone who purchases a copy.

From today until December 31, 2011 at 11:59PM EST, anyone who purchases Killer Intentions and sends me a copy of their purchase receipt will receive a free copy of both books 1 and 2. Now you don't have to worry about missing out on the first two stories! That's all three books in the Liz Baker series for the price of one. Not a bad way to end the year, and it'll add a few new books to all those new e-readers under the Christmas tree. ;)

Simply forward a copy of your purchase receipt to authorchristiesilvers@gmail.com and I'll reply with the codes to receive your free books. Easy peasy!

Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy Killer Intentions. BTW, the print edition will be available on Amazon in a few weeks. However, it's already available on the website's ORDER page for autographed copies directly from me.

Killer Intentions cover unveiled!

In just a few short weeks the third book in the Liz Baker series will make its debut. However, today is all about the cover. The red and green play beautifully off each other. And even though the book is set in August, it certainly brings in the colors of Christmas. Just in time for its release! :)

Description:

Saddled with the knowledge that she's not only a half-vampire, but also expected to be some kind of supernatural warrior to battle evil, Liz Baker--34 year old small town bar owner--would rather life went back to normal, choosing to ignore her destiny instead.

She survived murdering a vampire lover, being possessed by a spirit of her ancestor in order to destroy a wendigo, and even finding out that her ghostly mother is in love with the attorney in charge of her newly acquired fortune. But will she survive finding out that she has eleven half-vampire brothers and sisters?

Even with Chad at her back, and an ex-military werewolf pilot giving them defensive pointers, Liz simply wants to go back to normal. What ever normal is now. How will she ever find normal again though, what with a demon haunting her waking hours and a vampire trying to pull her into his paranormal army of offspring?

"Chad didn't understand, nor would he. He didn't have this damn inner demon telling him things he shouldn't know, telling him to do things that he desired to do, but knew he should never do. She'd told me at the last second not to kill Gregory. The other children needed him. But was it true? Or just another guise in an attempt to lull me into complacency?

The demon side of me only wanted more evil, more control over my mind, my body, my actions. She had killer intentions, the kinds of intentions that would push me away from all the people I cared about and into the arms of a father I never wanted."

Edits, edits, and even more edits.

Look into my crystal ball... What do you see? Yep, that's me... I'm in the land of Editsville this week. The first draft of Killer Intentions is done, but that only means the real works begins. I'll be running through at least three sessions of edits and rewrites myself:

1. A run through of computer file from beginning to end
2. A printed version with the infamous red ink pen.
3. Then another run through of the computer file with all the changes previously recorded, looking for errors.

After all that, the file will be in the hands of my beloved editor. When her final edits are complete, I'll run through it all one more time to make sure there's nothing else to change or fix.

Whew! It's a lot of work, but it's oh so much fun. :)

All in all, everything is still on schedule for a mid- to late December release for the newest installment from Liz's weirdly captivating life of paranormal monsters. She's still fighting against her destiny, but I believe she'll slowly come to accept it, and possibly embrace it enough to enjoy the ride.

Oh, and I *should* have a new cover to share with everyone very soon. I can't wait to see it!





*Image from: aleheredia*

Black Friday & I have a sale for you.

It's Black Friday! Time to get that holiday shopping under way (if you haven't already) and take advantage of all the sales and discounts businesses are offering. Watch out for the people pushing and shoving over that last $5 Barbie though. They can be blood-thirsty monsters full of vicious intent! You don't wanna get knocked to the floor and trampled on by that granny in search of the best deal on pajamas. Whew! It's dangerous out there!

Instead of battling the warzone known as Wal-mart, or the mall, stay home and take advantage of some online deals. Specifically, my Liz Baker Black Friday sale!

For this weekend only, you can snag both books 1 and 2, in e-book formats, for the low price of only $0.99 each. Not only will these books keep you entertained, but you'll be up to speed for when book 3, Killer Intentions, comes out next month. How's that for a deal? :)

Here are the links to take you directly to your format of choice:

Time for Death (Liz Baker, book 1)

Amazon Kindle: $0.99
B&N Nook: $0.99
Smashwords: $0.99 -- use coupon code VA44F





Kill Me Next Week (Liz Baker, book 2)

Amazon Kindle: $0.99
B&N Nook: $0.99
Smashwords: $0.99 -- use coupon code BZ22X

Happy Black Friday. If you honor your life, stay home and read a book!

Who do I write for?

One of the hardest things for an author to realize is that not everyone will enjoy your writings. Why would anyone not like my stuff, you wonder. I worked so hard on it. It's a great story. I don't understand.

It may take a while, but there comes a point in a writer's life where you finally, ultimately, shrug your shoulders and declare that your story isn't for everyone. Just as most people have a preferred genre they enjoy reading, many people have a preferred author, writing style, age limit, etc. Your story might fit a genre, but not fit the writing style. It's a dice game. You roll the dice and see what happens.

Out of dozens, hundreds, or more positive reviews across the world, there will always be that one who downrates a book/author with rants and nitpicking. You want to shout, comment back about why the rater is ignorant, etc. But what's the best thing to do?

Ignore it!

That's right, ignore the downrater, the hater of your book. If you have numerous people who enjoy your book, and this one person hates it, then ignore them. Your story just isn't for them. You don't like everything you read, and you can't expect everyone in the world to enjoy your story.

I write for the people who enjoy my stories. My time and writing energy is spent hoping to entertain those who like my work. The people who don't like it aren't worth the time I already don't have enough of. I write for the fans who take time out of their own busy schedules to let me know how much they enjoy my books. I write for the readers who don't have time to say hello, but still manage to snag my next new release.

I love my readers and I'm always working to set up the next fun thing, the next new release, the next goodie giveaway. . . anything that will make my fans happy and let them know I appreciate each and every one of them.

If you're reading this, most likely I write for you. :)

With all that being said, I'm still working on Killer Intentions (Liz Baker, book 3) and on the ball for a December release. The cover artist is hard at work on the new cover and we're hoping to release it for all to see on December 1st. Also, my editor is on stand-by as soon as I'm ready for her. I'm thinking (hoping) I'll have the file in her hands by Thanksgiving. There will be several rounds of edits and rewrites, and then the big release day will be here!

In the meantime, be on the look out for a Black Friday sale on the first two Liz Baker books, in preparation for the big release.

Thank you to all who read and enjoy my books. I'll keep writing the just for you. :)





*Image from: nkzs on Sxc.hu*

Win a free copy of Kill Me Next Week (Liz Baker, book 2)

Happy Wednesday, everyone. As you all know, I'm busy at work on getting Killer Intentions (Liz Baker, book 3) finished and ready for its December release. So what better time to give away an autographed copy of book 2?

Stop by and check out my interview with The Hellfire Herald. Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win an autographed copy of Kill Me Next Week (Liz Baker, book 2) straight from lil ole me.

It's really that easy. :) So snap to it!

Back to work I go now. . .

Writing for Liz & Family Projects

Hello, friends. I hope everyone is having a pleasant October so far. I'm still getting it on with Killer Intentions (Liz Baker, book 3). Liz is currently leaving the beach and heading back to Adele's estate. Gregory is hot on her heels & Chad is just plain ole HOT!

I have some big plans for Liz and her cohorts during this book and over the next two or three (at least) books to come. Of course I also have the short stories to dish out as soon as Killer Intentions is finished.

If you've been on my Facebook page you've seen what else has been keeping me busy. We did a bedroom make-over for my little girls' shared room. I got some good deals at yard sales & put some elbow grease into refinishing a dresser for them. Their room got a paint job, turning it from pale purple to bright blue. We added a loft bed & the room turned out lot more spacious than before. There were several pictures of the process, including before, during and afters of the dresser, on my Facebook page.

This week I heard from my Turkish editor at ARVO. The second book in my Alex & Fiona series--A Birth at Dawn--has now been translated & is in edits. It also has a very nice cover, but they misspelled my name . . . again. For the last book they misspelled my last name and this time it's my first name. Sooooooo, when that has been corrected I'll share the new cover with all of you.

Speaking of my Turkish books . . . I now have a few links to Turkish book sellers for Balans (A Midnight Infatuation) to share with you. I'll put them up for anyone interested by the end of the week. :)

An update on my world.

As you may have noticed, the time between my blog postings has stretched. I'm currently in a rush to finish up Killer Intentions (Liz Baker, book 3) in order to get it into editing and production as soon as possible. The book is scheduled for a December release, but will probably be toward the end of December.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet to work that the kids being back in school has afforded me. Not only that, but Tim has been working the day shift every other week here lately. That makes for very nice writing days.

I do all of my housework from the time I drop the kids at school until 9 A.M. After that I write from 9 to 1 P.M. and then a quick lunch before leaving to run errands and pick the kids up from school. I'm home between 3:30 & 4 P.M., when it's time to help with homework for three children, cook dinner, get everyone into showers/baths and then start bedtimes at 7:30 P.M. At which time, Tim makes it home from work (or is just leaving if he's on night shift) and it's time for me to stop for the day to relax. I watch about 2 hours of television--depending on the night--and then bedtime for me so I can do it all over again the next day.

Whew! Makes me tired just typing all that out. And that's just the week days. On the weekends I'm doing home projects (working on the little girls' bedroom right now), tending to my animals, and enjoying the time with my family.

So basically, what I'm trying to say is, you may not see too much of me online for the next few weeks. I'll be around, and will always answer e-mails/messages, but please be patient as I attempt to get Liz where she wants to be and still deal with family obligations. As soon as the story is in the hands of my editor I'll be back around. Until then, e-mail me if you need me. :)