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

Writing a Liz Baker story.

My character, Liz Baker, is currently my favorite character to work with. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't say that out loud. Will it make my other characters jealous? Should I treat all my characters equally? Nah! Liz is my favorite!

That being said, she sure as hell can be a difficult character to work with. She's stubborn, demanding, hates to be set on the sidelines when I just don't have the time to deal with her, and she gloats terribly when I come crawling back apologizing for not finding time to work with her. Yeah, she's difficult, but ultimately that's what makes her fun.

I have a routine when it comes to writing a Liz story. I require quiet, no distractions, and loud music. Sounds contradictory doesn't it? Quiet and loud music. LOL! Well, basically I need other people to be quiet and my music to be loud. It's so difficult to stay in a scene when people are roaming around or trying to talk to me. This is why I work when the children are asleep, not here, or playing outside.

I keep saying that one of these days I'll have an office, with a door that locks. And then once my music is on I won't hear anyone. Then I remember that by the time I have that office my kids will be moved out into the world themselves and there won't be anyone to distract me. LOL. Oh well, you deal with what you have and move on.

Anyway, back to Liz. She's my favorite and I plan to work with her for many more books to come. I'm currently working on book three in her series, and already have plans for two more. I see several adventures in her future.

I hope those of you who enjoy Liz and her world aren't suffering too much with the lack of a new story. I'm *planning* on book 3 being ready or very close to ready for release by the end of the year. Now if I could find the right title for it... Any suggestions?

Animas in stories.

This morning I was doing a little research on my chickens. I do this when I have a specific thought or question regarding their raising and health. I like to know that all is going the way its suppose to be. Yes, I'm a bit OCD about knowing things, but isn't that what makes a writer a writer?

Anyway, this research brought me to the thought of putting a passing mention of chickens into my next story. Maybe someone Liz knows will have chickens, give her a batch of fresh eggs, or have an escaped chick. I don't think there are enough chickens that aren't being sacrificed in urban fantasy. LOL! All this research has to be good for something besides boring articles.

What do you think about animals in stories? Do you think the main character's beloved pet adds to the story? Or do you just skim over mentions of a Liz's bitchy cat, Tara, and get to the good stuff? Do you think caring for pets makes the heros/heroines more realistic?

I think animals add another level to any story. It doesn't matter if the main character is annoyed by morning bird songs or turning into a bird themselves. Animals bring something more primal, natural, into a story.

Anyway, enough animal rambling for today. The day is flying by and I still have more work to do in preparation for the next chapter I'm working on. Have a great one! I hope you've recovered from your Memorial Day

Aliens, Vampires & Conferences

Morning, morning.  This has been an interesting week for me.  There's the new schedule of Tim working nights to start with.  However, more than that, I've been on an "old" tv show kick.

Tuesday night I discovered that Netflix has all three seasons of Farscape in Instant Play.  Woohoo!  I love Farscape!  I used that opportunity to share my favorite aliens with the teenager.  She has such similar taste in tv, movies, and music with me that I knew she'd enjoy it.  And I was right!

Then, Wednesday I found all the Buffy the Vampire Slayer shows in Instant Play too!  Yay!  I had to share those with the teenager too.  She was ecstatic when I showed them to her.  So much so that she was begging to stay up half an hour past her bedtime to watch another episode.  I, of course, agreed.  ;-)

Now that we've covered the aliens and vampires...

This week I'm attending a publishing conference.  Luckily, it's an online conference and I don't have to worry about the cash or time away from the family for it.  One of these days I will find the time and money to go to one of the big New York conferences.  Maybe after the kids are grown...

Oh, have you noticed the new banner over there? ---->

If you're a writer and would like to join in, click on the banner and it'll take you where you need to go to lean all about it and to sign up for yourself.  We should all be proud of our writing no matter what your skill level and chosen topic.  :-)

Here at home this morning I'm ready for a few hours of writing.  There is no laundry to wash, the kitchen is already clean, the living room has been vacuumed, and the 5 year old is being quite cooperative.  Here's hoping I can knock out a few hundred words in Kill Me Next Week before she tires of being cooperative and starts wanting to play cards.  If the day is sunny I may just take the laptop outside and work while she plays with the puppies.

Well, I'm off.  Tim is about to arrive home from work and he may need to be tucked into bed after his shower.  ;-)

A day of freedom.

Thursdays are so close to the end of the week it's like a little bit of the weekend seeps in around the edges.  Today's Tim's last day of work for the week.  He's done well and is starting to settle into his new position.  I don't think it's a bad gig to be able to work three days a week and always have a four-day weekend.  Not bad at all.

I have absolutely no errands planned for today.  Not a single load of laundry needs to be washed either.  I have a full day of freedom to WRITE!  Some people make think I'm crazy considering that writing is my job.  What?  You don't like your job?  I love my job! 

Writing is freedom for me.  Freedom to do my own thing, create a new world, convince characters to do what I want them to do (though sometimes they have other plans).  Writing makes me happy, gleeful, creative, and at the end of a good writing day I'm relaxed and feeling like a new person.  So, today I'm looking forward to ending the day with a smile and feeling of accomplishment.

Now to make it happen!  :-)

Speaking of the end of the day...

I have some families coming this evening to take some lovely, cuddly puppies to their new forever homes.  Yay!  One gentleman is coming for the brown & white male, and the other couple wants the other male with the possibility of taking one of the females too.  If everything works out, 2-3 of our sweet babies will be going home with new owners.

After the kids are home from school we'll be giving all the pups a nice bath and brushing in preparation of meeting their new puppy parents.  It should be a fun moment for the kids and the pups.  I'll take a picture of all the clean, fluffy pups before anyone leaves and post it tomorrow.

That's it this morning. Time for me to go start my work day.  I have my Kill Me Next Week file open and waiting right behind this window.  I hear Liz telling me to get the f**k back to her story.  She's bored with waiting around.  ;-)

Have a great Thursday! Make it the best one you can.

Happy release day!

Amazon -- Kindle edition --  Autographed copies --  Excerpt

Time For Death has been born!  Welcome to the birthday of a brand new book series.  I'm so proud and overjoyed.  :-)  I have a lot to share with you this morning. 

First off, the Release Day Celebration has begun with the first reader review.  I was happy to receive an e-mail late last night from a pre-orderer (is that even a word?) letting me know that she LOVED the book and can't wait for book 2.  I thanked her, and we discussed the ending a bit (no, I won't tell you), before she popped over to the Facebook Fan Page to leave a little note.  I'm thrilled to hear from her, and as a reader who has read all of my books, I hope to hear from her in the future.

I greatly enjoy when readers want to talk about actual events in the books.  It means people are reading and thinking about what I've written.  I especially enjoy the statements of love for the characters.  It's really all about them in the end.  :-)

One other thing that jump started the celebration today was when I checked the Amazon rankings and found that the Kindle edition is already selling.  Yay!  I don't know who ordered, or when, but I hope you enjoy it.
As I've mentioned numerous times, the Author Chat will be tonight at 9pm EST.  I always plan for at least 1 hour, but we tend to still be chatting up a storm when that tie arrives.  The chatroom link has been added to the website, and here it is for the blog.  Release Day Author Chat &Giveaway  I hope to see you there!

Remember, by making an appearance at the chat you'll gain another entry in the goodie bag giveaway.  There is only 1 person who has already collected all 4 of the previous ways to enter and she plans to try to pop in at the chat for her 5th entry.  However, keep in mind that someone with only 1 entry can have their name drawn just as well as someone with 5 entries--though the more entries, the better chance.

Next up, I was surprised the other day with an article by M.J. Joachim.  I didn't even know she was going to write about me.  Stop by and check it out.  :-) "Christie Silvers, Author of Vampire Books"

Now, as a side note, and before I go, today is the last day to receive free shipping on any of the Alex & Fiona books.  Stop by the Contests, Giveaways, Discounts page for details.

I think that's it.  That's enough though, isn't it?  LOL.  I'm off to take care of some domestic responsibilities before tonight.  Have a great day and I hope to see you at the chat. 

Time For Death excerpt

Tomorrow's the big day.  If you haven't already started collecting entries into the goodie bag giveaway, now is definitely the time to do so.  Tomorrow is chat night.  I can't wait and always have a fun time chatting with all of you.  :-)

Since it's excerpt day, I'll just get right into it.

CHAPTER 1

“Come on, Liz. You know it’ll be a blast. We always have fun when we go out to Fosters Cemetery,” Rick begged while straddling a bar stool in front of me as I poured long-time patron and mother-figure, Adele, another shot of Jack Daniels.


Rick’s green eyes sparkled with the thoughts of our previous romps around the county’s supposed haunted graveyard. Not that I blame him, we do always have a good time out there. I resisted the urge to swipe his blonde hair away from his face--it would just provoke him further--and started wiping down the bar counter top instead.


I’ve known Rick ever since high school. He was the small, skinny, geeky guy friend that most girls have. He hung around like a lost puppy, trying to include himself in any activity I was involved in, until I finally had to give in and notice him. He’s been one of my best 6


friends ever since, even though he has wanted more than that ever since.


Two years ago, a drunken, lonely evening turned us into a little more than friends. He’d always had his women, as I’ve had my men, but we also had each other when things went sour in our other relationships, as it always does. I suppose it was just natural that we would finally gravitate toward one another after all these years. Not that we were technically dating, or linked together by any other means, but everyone who knew us referred to us as “Rick and Liz”.


“Not right now, Rick. You can see how busy it is tonight,” waving my hand around to acknowledge the large crowd waiting in line for drinks. “Susan didn’t show up for her shift and Chad has no idea how to mix drinks.”


Susan, my longtime waitress, has trouble remember to come to work sometimes. I often wonder why I keep her around. Chad, well, Chad may be smoking’ hot, but he was only trained as the bar’s bouncer.


“Please, Liz,” Rick pleaded. “Just for a little while?” He batted his eyelashes and stuck out his bottom lip in his favorite pouty expression.


I couldn’t help smiling at his persistence. I knew that I was the only girl who would go romping through the graveyard with him. His eagerness was showing, and the begging was distracting me from my duties behind the bar.


Shouting over the roar of the blender mixing yet another strawberry margarita for the petite red-head in the corner, I conceded, “Okay, go away and I’ll meet you after I close up.”


He flashed his bright smile at me and hopped off the bar stool instantly. “Victory!” he shouted with arms raised in triumph. I rolled my eyes, switching off the blender and pouring the icy mixture into the awaiting glass. “I’ll see you later then,” he smiled, with a quick peck on my lips and a dash for the door.


I knew that I shouldn’t, but I glanced over at Adele. She was grinning like a loon, and even though she hadn’t spoken yet, I knew what she was thinking. “Don’t say it, Adele,” I pleaded.


But she did anyway.


“That boy has the hots for you more than you realize, Liz. When will you put him out of his misery and just marry the guy?” she asked with a sincerity that I imagine my mother would have if she were still alive.


“Ah, Adele. I don’t know about that. Rick enjoys having a willing fuck-buddy, but I doubt he’s the marrying type,” I replied with a wink and a smile, before mixing a Long Island Iced Tea for the next customer in line.

 
 
 

Going red for Liz!

As you can tell, the blog has gone red for the week.  The website has also gone a nice shade of crimson in honor of Time For Death.  The release is only days away.  How exciting!

I noticed yesterday that Amazon already has the book loaded into its system, with its own page and everything.  Woohoo!  It's a few days early, and I don't mind.  :-)  The Kindle version isn't available yet, but it should be all set by Friday as well.  In the meantime, I've updated the ordering links on the website.

As promised, here are some pictures of the bag of goodies I'll be giving away Friday night.  There are still several ways to enter into the giveaway if you haven't already.  I'll recap those after the pictures.

Goodie Bag Goodies
Alex & Fiona bookmark,  ChristieSilvers.com Ink Pen, Wheel of Being key chain from Breath of the Dragon, Autographed collage poster, Time For Death notebook, and lastly, the winner will also receive an e-book copy of Time For Death.

I think this is the most I've given away in a long time, and it's a lot of great stuff.  Hell, I liked the ink pen so much that I got one for myself.  I wanted to have some Time For Death bookmarks by giveaway time also, but they won't arrive in time.  :-(  With the stress and sadness of last week, I'm forced to give up on perfection.

Before I go, here's a recap on how you can gain entries into the goodie bag giveaway.

• 
  
  Be a member of the Facebook Fan Page.
• 
  
  Share the fan page with others on Facebook (be sure to let me know when & where you've done this).
• 
  
  Give me a shout out on Twitter by adding @christiesilvers to any of your posts.
• 
  
  Lastly, there will be a chat April 30th at 9pm EST. Join in and you'll receive a bonus entry.

The chat link will be posted Friday morning here on the blog, both Facebook pages, Twitter, and the website.

Okay, that's it for today.  Tim has left for orientation at his new job and I'm hoping to get a good bit of writing done before he comes home.  I'm looking forward to getting back into a normal work routine, even if it has to be at night starting next week.  :-)

Have a good day!

Life returns to normal.

I'm back!  After the stress, sadness, exhaustion of last week, I'm finally back in motion this week.  Here's a quick recap for those who aren't connected with me through Facebook (cause I post everything on Facebook).

-- Tuesday morning:  Tim had his second interview.
-- Tuesday night:  Ambulance was called to the in-laws' house.  MIL passed away.
-- Wednesday: Tim is sick as a dog... vomiting, fever, chills, didn't get out of bed all day.
-- Wednesday: I went with FIL to make sure all the funeral arrangements were made.
-- Thursday: Spent most of the day at the funeral home.  Tim feeling better (thank goodness).  We're working on very little sleep for the week.  Oh, and Tim got the call we'd been waiting on...  HE GOT THE JOB!
-- Friday:  Took the kids to Mom's for the night.  Tim & I were at the funeral home until 10pm.
-- Saturday morning: Woke up to rain.  MIL's burial will not be graveside due to it.  Was at the funeral home for almost 6 hours before picking the kids up and spending another 4 hours at FIL's house.
-- Sunday: Visited with and had lunch with FIL before taking the girls to the cemetery.

After all that, we finally made it home.  Exhaustion took over and we all crashed.

Here we are on Monday.  Whew!

We'll be getting back to normal this week.  I have a lot of work to catch up on after a week of no work.  Especially considering that Time For Death releases at the end of the week!  Yay!!  Tim starts his new job on Tuesday.  This week he just has orientation and paperwork and all that jazz.  Next week he starts the actual job.

Tim's new job will be Tues, Wed, Thurs at 12 hours a day.  He'll be working nights (again, boo, hiss!) from 7pm to 7am, but at least it's only three days a week, and he gets a 4-day weekend every week.  Not too bad for someone who hasn't worked in almost 9 months.

Okay, I just wanted to let everyone know we survived a week of hell and came out the other side into a new week.  Hopefully this week will be much better.  Tomorrow I'll be posting pictures of all the release day goodie bag stuff and we'll get into all those details for Friday.  I'm excited that the world is about to meet Liz Baker.  She's a lot of fun!  :)

Have a happy Monday.

Time For Death celebration details.

Good morning everyone.  We're now at two weeks away from Time For Death's release day, and I decided that today would be the perfect day to share all the details of the big day.

First off, the giveaway goodie bag is currently stuffed with the following (with the possibility of more stuff added before the drawing):

• Autographed collage poster of all my urban fantasy books - Time For Death, A Midnight Infatuation, A Birth at Dawn, A Twilight Abduction
• Ink pen personalized with my actual business card
• Notebook with the cover of Time For Death on the front
• Bookmarks
• Wheel of Being keychain (this symbol has big meaning for Liz in book 2)

As you can probably guess, I'm big on both reading and writing.  That's why I added a notebook and ink pen.  I have always felt that everyone should write down their thoughts on a daily basis (or near-daily, at least).  You may not blog, write, or even leave notes behind, but I hope whoever wins the goodie bag will enjoy using them, and think of me when you do.  :)

Anyway, here are the details on entering to win the goodies.  There are multiple ways to gain entries into the giveaway.  You can only do each item once for 1 entry, for a grand total of 5 entries per person.

• Be a member of the Facebook Fan Page.
• Share the fan page with others on Facebook (be sure to let me know when & where you've done this).
• Give me a shout out on Twitter by adding @christiesilvers to any of your posts.
• Readers who pre-ordered* their copy of Time For Death have already received a surprise entry!  Didn't know about that one?  Duh, that's why it's a surprise entry. ;)
• Lastly, there will be a chat April 30th at 9pm EST. Join in and you'll receive a bonus entry.

Keep in mind that a name with one entry can be drawn, but if you have five entries you'll have a better shot.  This is all for fun and I hope everyone will enjoy it as such.  I'm looking forward to giving these goodies away and hope who ever wins them will enjoy them.  I may be adding more to the list of stuff, so you never know what'll arrive.

All right, that's it for today.  You may now commence collecting entries  You have until the April 30th chat ends at 10pm EST to get your entries in.  I'll draw a name and announce the winner the morning of May 1st.  Have fun!



*Pre-orders will stop being taken on April 23, 2010.  You still have time to get your order in for an extra entry.

Happy Saturday.

Saturdays are full of fun, laziness, sunshine, warm temperatures, and just an all-around good time.  Or at least that's how they're suppose to be. 

Luckily, for me, today is just that!  Well, minus the warm temperatures since I woke up to a very chilly house.  The sun is shining, the house is spotless, peace and quiet is abound, and I'm spending the day with my one and only.

Yesterday the kids ran off to have a weekend of fun with my sister and mom.  This gave Tim and I a weekend of fun all alone for our anniversary.  So far it has been lots of fun.  Of course we would've liked to be out of town like we planned, but this is good too.  :)

The anniversary sale went out without a hitch yesterday.  I'm thoroughly pleased with the number of e-books that found their way to new homes.  I hope everyone that took advantage of the sale will enjoy their new purchases.  I even heard from a few last night that had already dove into the stories and had nothing but good things to say.  Nothing makes me happier than to hear that.

Due to the sale yesterday, someone asked if they could get all three Alex & Fiona paperback books at one time, or if they'd have to order them individually.  Because of that question, the 3-book Alex & Fiona set can now be purchase from the webstore on ChristieSilvers.com!  Nothing like catering to my beloved readers. *Smooches*

The next big thing will be when Time For Death (Liz Baker, book 1) releases on April 30th. I'm still planning a celebration, and goodies for the giveaway keep arriving in the mail.  I'll be posting a picture of the goodies and sharing all the celebration details when we get a bit closer to the date.  I love a good party! 

Well, I'm out for today.  Tim's playing the Xbox and I have nothing to do in the house.  Thinking I'll go outside and enjoy the sunshine with a good book.  Have a good one!

Good news when you least expect it.

Morning, morning!  Time for another new week.  Can you believe it'll be April in a few days?  Spring really is here to stay.

The weekend was a busy one and definitely went by far too quickly because of it.  But now it's time for a new week, new work, new plans, new exhaustions.  However, the kids only have four days of school this week and then they're out for Spring Break.  Ten day of not having to hear the alarm clock, not waking up before the sun rises, and spending time with the kiddos without having to rush around to and from school.

I'm thinking we'll take them to the aquarium (since we have a family membership) and if the weather permits we'll go for a mountain drive and picnic.  And I'll use that time to take our spring pictures.  Here's our family shot from last year:

It was a nice day in the mountains last year.  Hopefully this year will be just as nice.

Oh yeah, the good news part!  I received some great news yesterday about my second Liz Baker book (Kill Me Next Week).  You never know when something happy and exciting will come your way when you least expect it.  Kill Me Next Week is aiming for an end of the year release, so it looks like I better get on the ball with finishing it up.

Of course, in the meantime we gotta get Time For Death released and out to the masses.  Only a few more weeks before Liz is introduced.  I hope my Alex & Fiona fans will enjoy Liz and her sassy attitude.  She's quite spunky when she wants to be.

Another event coming up in April would have to be the celebration of my marriage to the man who rocks my world, and who makes a great research partner for certain book scenes. ;-)  Our 16th anniversary will be rolling around on April 9th.  I haven't decided how we'll celebrate yet, but my mother will have the kids that night...  Hmmmm...

Okay, I'm off to get some work done. Have a wonderful Monday and week ahead!

How will I celebrate Time For Death?

I'll celebrate Time For Death by giving YOU something!

On April 30, 2010 my new series will debut with book 1, Time For Death.  This book has been a longtime coming and I want to celebrate it's arrival into the Book World.  In order to do that, I'll be holding one of my online chats and giving away some goodies to one luck attendant.

I'm sure you've seen other giveaways that require an exorbitant amount of your time to enter:  Post this on your Twitter for an entry, bring five other people for an entry, sign off the rights to your firstborn for an entry.....  And while I'd love for you to do those (well, not the children. I have plenty of my own, lol), it's not necessary to be entered into the giveaway.  You simply have to show up for the chat!

The last time I did a chat was for Christmas.  It was a lot of fun and many people showed up.  I'm hoping this time will be just as fun with even more people showing up.

Okay, okay.  You're probably wondering what I'm giving away this time.  It took me a few days to figure that out myself, but it has finally hit me. As a writer I like to promote other people getting into the spirit of writing down their own words, thoughts, ideas.  Not only that, but I want to share the love I have for all of my books and their lovely covers.  Sooooo....

I'm giving away:

1 - personalized ink pen (I even ordered one for myself because I loved the way it looked)
1 - notebook with Time For Death on the cover
1 - autographed 11x14 collage poster of all my book covers

I thought about a coffee mug too--you could drink your coffee while writing--but after receiving a broken mug from AC, I changed my mine about that.  I'll stick with stuff that won't break in the mail.  LOL.

When it gets closer to time for the chat I'll post pictures of everything.

When:  April 30, 2010

Time:  8pm - 9pm EST

Where: Christie's Chatroom (link will be posted at a later date)

Why: To celebrate & give away goodies!

I hope you'll make note of the event and stop by to celebrate with me and for your chance to win.  I'll be sending event invites on Facebook and numerous other social networking sites.  :-)

The washing machine just buzzed; I suppose that's my signal to get off here and get some housework done.  Have a wonderful day!

After the death.

Good morning everyone.  It's nearly the weekend... finally!  I don't know about you, but this has been a long week for me.

Aside from all of my normal weekly stuff, I've had all the book release information to handle and dish out and the oldest had a Quiz Bowl meet last night.  This was their last one and we left the younger girls with the in-laws so we coul watch the meet in peace.  Unfortunately, our school didn't win, but the kids looked like they were having a lot of fun.  That's all that really matters in the end.

When the sun finally comes up this morning I have to head out to Lowe's with Tim and pick up two new rolls of field fencing and posts.  I'm hoping this job will keep him busy for about three days.  I'd love to have some quiet time to work.

Speaking of work, how did everyone like the cover for Time For Death?  I've heard good things from the few who saw it before the debut.

I know that this is Time For Death week, and it's still a month from releasing (unless you're lucky enough to pe-order), but I want to talk a little about book two.  This is the Liz Baker series, after all. 

In book 1 we meet Liz, her friends, and some of her eccentric ways.  She learns about her true parentage, secrets that had been kept from her all her life.  Not to mention, the truth about vampires... They exist!

In book 2, Kill Me Next Week, Liz finds that she really doesn't know as much about her world as she thought.  More secrets from the past are thrown her way.  More supernatural creatures reveal.  And don't forget about the smokin' hot men and healthy love life. 

Ah yes, Liz has a lot to learn about the world outside her small town and the walls of her bar when she travels to the gates of hell...  ATLANTA!  Someone who seemingly needs her help turns out to be a master of disguise, and a murderer out to use Liz's powers against her.

Kill Me Next Week is the second book in this series and I have plans for at least three more.  Liz will meet new people, monsters, creatures, and all of them residing right here in the south.  You never know what you'll find around the next corner!  Evil truly exists, and Liz will have to fight it in ways she never imagine.

Okay, that's it for today.  I need to have a little breakfast before getting changed and heading out.  The 5yr old is still sleeping and I'm taking full advantage of it.  Have a wonderful day!

The first look at Time For Death.

Click to see a larger version of the cover.
Good morning everyone!  Happy St. Patrick's Day.  Are you wearing your green?  It's the middle of the week and I have a goodie to show you.

<--------------  Isn't it lovely?!  Click on cover to see it larger.

I think it realy symbolizes the turmoil Liz is going through during the story.  The monstrous, swirling storm clouds as red as blood, along with the darkened cabin make 100% sense when you read the story.

I received my proof copy of Time For Death yesterday.  I've been expecting it, and even though I have the computer file of the cover, I wanted to wait until I saw it in print, in my hands, to make sure it looked as good in reality as it does on the computer screen.  That's why I planned this blog entry for today instead of Monday.
With this approval of the cover, Time For Death is just one step closer to its April 30th release date.  The biggest excitement to come will be when the book gets its listing page on Amazon.  That tends to take several weeks because Amazon only updates book information once or twice a month.  Now we just wait.

I have added a Pre-Order option to the website.  All pre-ordered books will be shipped before the April 30th release date.  How's that for an incentive to pre-order?  LOL.

Now, before I go for today I want to introduce you to the newest members of our family.  Our outside dog, who we adopted as a stray when she was a teeny little puppy over 3yrs ago, just surprised us with four little rats.....

There are three dark brown ones and a single white with brown patches.  Fudge (our girl dog) is quite protective of her new babies and we've respected her privacy... other than a once a day check on them all with praise, petting and treats for the mommy.

And here's the mommy when we brought her home.

Awww, that was so long ago.  She's a big dog now.  :-)

Okay, that's it from me today.  Be sure to come back tomorrow when I discuss Kill Me Next Week.  What'll happen with Liz in book 2?

Liz Baker revealed.

Today's blog entry is all about the heroine in my new Liz Baker series.  Before I start a new book I like to do a character interview.  It helps to decide how the main character should act, feel, their likes, dislikes, interests, etc.  Here are a few of the questions and answers from my interview with Liz.  She's quite the rambunctious one!

Name: Lizabeth May Baker (but my friends call me Liz) And yes, my mother left the E off on purpose.
Age: 32
Friends: Old best friend from school (is married/divorced with kids), fuck buddy, current best friend (too busy with her internet business), employees are friends, but still employees.
Family: Mom deceased, Father a drunken pot smoker, sister lives in Savannah, GA with her hubby and three sons.
Job: Owner and bartender of a bar in a small Georgia town. Use to be a partner in successful internet company.
Location: Tremmel Crossing, Georgia
What foods do you like? I use to really enjoy chocolate fudge. It was smooth, sweet, and just so good. But with fudge, you can't really eat a lot of it: it's just too sweet. I also love a nice shot of coconut rum. It's great when you need to get through those last few hours of working with drunks and lunatics.
Listen to Music? Music! Ah, I love music! I listen to it all the time. I have a jukebox in the bar and it's always on. If no one is feeding quarters into it, then I'm over there turning it on myself. Music is a must-have in a world as crazy as this one.
Dislikes: Nosy people, Cigarettes, Drunks, tomatoes, bad breath
What Kind of Man She Likes: Strong, flirty, easy to talk to, can make her laugh, at least one tattoo is a must (shows that they can take some pain), doesn't mind spending money on her, doesn't smoke--at least not around Liz or in her house.
What Kind of Man She Dislikes: prejudices of any kind, straight as an arrow, thinks women are possessions, thinks he's in charge, clingy, too much facial hair (that stuff is so uncomfortable to kiss), drunks, drug users.
How deadly are you? Liz knows how to fight. She has a hefty attitude that usually prevents her from actually having to land any blows. But if the need arises, Liz is right there busting heads and bruising egos.
Do you have any artistic skills to speak of? Art? No. But she makes the best pina coloda in the county!

These are just a small portion of the interview that Liz participated in.  She gets bored very quickly, so it was like pulling teeth just to get what information I did get out of her.  Maybe I'll eventually get her to agree to another one... just to see how the changes in her life after Time For Death have affected her thoughts on such things.  Even fictional characters must evolve when life gets hectic.

Here's a little something that I posted a few months back about Liz...

What Liz Would Do

• Liz would tell someone to get out of her damn bar just for sitting on her expensive pool table.
• Liz would have sex in a graveyard in the middle of the night.
• Liz would wear a sexy Halloween costume out in public without caring what others thought.
• Liz would be able to pull off that sexy Halloween costume because she doesn't give a damn what other people think.
• Liz would tell someone to fuck off if they looked at her with even a hint of disrespect.
• Liz would sacrifice her entire world for the people she loves.
• Liz would happily stare at a sexy, shirtless man, letting her mind wander to naughtier things, even in the most inappropriate of moments.
• Liz would call her cat a spoiled brat while still rubbing its tummy & enjoying its purring.
• Liz would buy everyone in her a bar a round of drinks just because she's having a good day.
• Liz would happily rule the world with a gentle touch, but an iron attitude when needed.

That's it for today.  I hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit about Liz.  She's definitely a fun character to work with.  She can be quite stubborn at times, but in the end she's just being herself.

Remember to pop back in tomorrow for your first glimpse at the Time For Death book cover.

Time For Death releases.

Good morning everyone!  This is going to be one busy week.  Not only that, but  have some exciting news to share with you this week.  Every day I will be sharing something new.  Here's your news for today.

My new series will debut with book one, Time For Death, on April 30, 2010!  Woohoo!  I'm very excited and happy that Liz Baker will finally be sent out into the world.  I even have some beta readers who are excited about the release, and they've already read the book.  LOL!

Here is the description from the back of the book:

Liz Baker, a 32 year old small town bar owner, thought it would be a normal evening of sex in a cemetery with her longtime beau, until she spotted someone in the distance, and all normality in her world ceased to exist.


After several murders in her small town of Tremmel Crossing, Georgia, Liz comes to the realization that the murderer is coming after her, and he’s more dangerous than any human could possibly be.


With the help of her dead mother, bar bouncer, and cemetery lover, Liz learns that the murdering vampire was sent by her biological father to claim her as his own. Only then does she discover her real parentage and underlying special powers.


However, the vampire sent to claim her has powers of his own, most importantly the power to control her mind, emotions and desires. She wants him, needs him, her entire body aches for him, but she soon finds out that she must fight back to save the lives of her friends and loved ones. Only death will release her from Marcus’s powerful hold, but who will die first?

Every day this week I will be sharing something about this new series, ending on Friday with some special Release Day details.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for "Liz Baker revealed!"  You'll get to learn a little bit about Liz, her likes, dislikes, quirkiness, and much more.  Then Wednesday I'll be sharing the first glimpse at what Time For Death looks like.  Thursday will be "After the death."  And Friday is all about celebrating!

I hope to see you back here tomorrow, and every day this week.  Now I'm off to get today's work started & planning for the big day.

Thursday morning around here.

Good morning all you lovely people.  It's nearly the weekend, again.  The week has been a busy one, yet going by very quickly.

This week my time has been occupied with book work, discussions about book cover designs, formatting, and numerous other tasks that involve a book's release.  Plans are moving along slowly, but steadily.  It takes time, and persistence, but hopefully in the next few months I'll have another story for you to enjoy!  *Fingers Crossed*

This new series of books is a bit different from my Alex & Fiona books.  Sure, there are the supernatural aspects of the story (i.e. vampires), yet this time our main character is a sullen, smart ass, southern girl while won't take shit off no one.  She knows what she likes, knows what she doesn't, and even the best, most mind-blowing sex she's ever had can't relinquish her hold on her senses.  She'll ultimately do what's right--what's expected of her--even if she hates every minute of it.

Within the next few weeks I'm hoping to share a cover design with everyone.  From there, it's just a matter of time 'til the release.  :-)

In the meantime, those of you who received my newsletter yesterday morning already know about this...  The rest of you, here's the fun announcement I promised.  Just for those of you who haven't yet found your way into Alex & Fiona's life together.  :-)

Anniversary Celebration in April

Next month Tim and I will be celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary. To commemorate our special day, I will be holding a special e-book sale on April 9th. My e-book prices will be cut in half for 12 hours.


You'll be able to pick up A Midnight Infatuation, A Birth at Dawn & A Twilight Abduction for only $2.50 each. You'll be able to get all three for a grand total of $7.50!

This sale will only be through the e-book links on my website and will only be for 12 hours... April 9, 2010, 9am-9pm.

I will, of course, post about this on my blog and send out a reminder in my April newsletter so no one will miss the big day. I wanted you wonderful newsletter subscribers to know about it first.
I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to own all three Alex & Fiona books.

Well, that's it from me today.  I have to go out for groceries, and then back home to make some phone calls.  After that it'll be more book work until pick-up time at school.  My other "worlds" must be interrupted and put on hold when the children need me.  That's the suffering of a mommy who just happens to be a writer.

As much as I'd like to lock myself away and write all day, I'll happily wait until the youngest has gone to school to enjoy that privilege.  They're only small for so long, you know.  :-)