Sale!!!

The holiday prep getting to you? Need a little something to relax that doesn't involve pot or alcohol?

I've some end of the year sales!

First of all, Blood Magick (Bloodlines #1) is free on ALL retail platforms. If it ain't free, you're looking at a pirate site.

Amazon, all countries
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Kobo
Smashwords

Second, I'm participating in Smashword's End of the Year Sale! All novels and novellas are half-price. All short stories are free. If there's something you wanted to try, you can do it cheap!

Lastly, I've been updating links. If I get one wrong, PLEASE let me know. I admit despite my usual perfectionism, I'm a little frazzled between holiday prep, yet another funeral, and finish writing a bunch of stories.

I hope everyone is staying warm and safe, and that you have a great whichever- holiday(s)-you-celebrate!

Another Roadtrip Photo

On the road trip from Boise to Rockaway Beach, Oregon, we stopped to fill up the gas tank and grab some cold drinks. (We'd gone through all the caffeinated beverages in the Suburban's mini-fridge. It was going to be a 100+ degree day in Boise when we left.)

This was my best shot of Mt. Hood. The smaller mountain to the right is the remnants of Mt. St. Helens.

I'd studied the eruption of St. Helens while writing Resurrected. That's the book where I blew up Mt. Rainier and turned it into a crater lake due to a god fight.

However, seeing St. Helens in person was a little unnerving. I asked my companions how they felt living so close to an active volcano. It didn't seem to bother them, but then, they hadn't written a novel about the effects of a major eruption and the desperate attempts of the supernaturals to save the Normals who weren't able to evacuate. Not to mention, my main character's moral dilemma from her involvement in the natural disaster.

And as I snapped several shots, I could see in my mind's eye the initial column of smoke and dust rising into the air from the 1980 eruption. Both Idaho and Oregon have beautiful scenery, but I'd probably think twice before I moved there in real life.

F***ing Amazon!

While DH and I were on the Grandson Tour, I had a couple of promos scheduled. One of them was for the Bloodlines series, and the centerpiece was a free Blood Magick at all the retailers.

Sometime between Monday, July 12th, and Thursday, July 15th, Amazon raised the price to Blood Magick's regular price with no warning.

AARRGGHH!

I've got it fixed, but if you got caught in the middle and paid full-price, either return the book if you can, or contact me through the tab above. I'll do my best to make it right.

I'm so sorry this happened, and I'm more than a little irritated with Amazon's actions.

I Need the Internet's Help!

I'm trying to put together some sales for the summer. That means lowering the prices at all the retailers. No problem, right?

Heck, I even emailed Amazon last Tuesday to ask them to price match Blood Magick at $0.00.

Which they did on all the stores.

For three days.

On Friday, the U.S. store raised the price. The weird part is if you are not in the U.S., and you log into the US Amazon store, you'll see the price set as free. But if you're in the U.S., you've got to pay.

So I'm asking you to please contact Amazon's customer service and complain. You can send them this link to show that Blood Magick is free on Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-magick-suzan-harden/1102680302?ean=2940012615336

 Dang. I was hoping to make a big announcement on Wednesday, but I've got a wayward duck to wrangle.

Bloodlines Books Discounted!

As part of the Resurrected promotion, the first and second books of the Bloodlines series are available for $0.99. Yep, that's right. Both Blood Magick and Zombie Love are $0.99 each from now until Halloween (October 31th) at most major e-book retailers.

If you haven't checked out this series, now's the time to get started!

BLOOD MAGICK
Amazon, all countries
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Kobo
Smashwords

ZOMBIE LOVE
Amazon, all countries
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Kobo
Smashwords

Resurrected hits the virtual shelves on October 25th!

Weird How the World Works

I don't think I've said anything here yet, but my first book signing is next week. After the whole MIL dying/getting sick hoopla, I had to scramble a little to get my ducks in a row for the event.

The last thing I was waiting on were the bookmarks I ordered. The package arrived yesterday. I gleefully ripped it open and...

...they were definitely NOT my bookmarks. Mine were black with the cover of Blood Magick on the front and a list of the Bloodlines series on the back.

The ones in my hand were beautiful pink swirls with a prayer and the name of a pastor on them.

Definitely NOT mine.

So I call the printing company. At first, the young lady who took my call thought I was complaining about my bookmarks because apparently I'd messed up the upload, and the bleed was really screwed up.

Me: "No,  no, no. That's not the problem. I didn't even get my BLACK ones. These are PINK!"

Print Company Lady: "Oh. OHHHH! First, I'm going to fix yours so they print correctly."

Me: "Wait! Will you be able to get them to me before my book signing on the 20th?"

Print Company Lady: "I'm going to send it expedited shipping. You'll have them by Tuesday, the 18th."

It took the poor gal nearly a half-hour and a fresh upload from me to get the file to where she was satisfied. While she was working, she put me on hold for a moment. When she came back on, she was giggling.

PCL: "My co-worker saw your book cover. She says it looks like something she would read. Is it on Kindle?"

Me (totally flabbergasted): "Uhhhh, yes."

After another few minutes, she had me look at the new version to make sure it was acceptable. (She did a fabulous job!) After she confirmed my order would be reprinted at no cost and sent via expedited shipping, she asked again whether my books were on Kindle. I affirmed that they were indeed.

Then I thanked her profusely for her help, and we ended the call.

Very bizarre end to the situation. I don't know if the co-worker will download Blood Magick, but hopefully I made a good impression by not acting like a shrieking harpy over the mistake.


P.S.

I will be at the Author Fair at the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library on Thursday, July 20th, from 6-8 p.m.

Cycling While Writing

No, not the kind on a bicycle.

Cycling is the term Dean Wesley Smith uses for reviewing previous words in a wip for typos, consistency, etc. before continuing to work on the story in today's writing session. I know a lot of long-term professional writers who cycle through their story.

Heck, I did it for years without knowing what it was, mainly because when I'm in the zone, my fingers are flying so fast words are left out, switched, or a homonym is accidentally used.

Cycling doesn't catch everything, or it may not catch everything right away. I took a break from writing for a few days two weeks ago to work on taxes. When I opened the file for Ravaged again, I discovered that I'd stopped writing on a major subplot that started in Blood Magick and has a lot to do with the climax in Resurrected.

Let's just say I could've put both Sam and Tiffany's potty mouths to shame when I was cycling through and realized what I'd done.

So, I'm going back to the beginning and layering in the subplot. Want to know why it's important? I'll give you a couple of hints. It has to do with the witch whose soul Bebe witnessed being eaten back way back in Blood Magick. And it's related to how chicks  breath while they are still inside their egg shells. 😁

Consequences

This picture in the form of a magnet rests on my refrigerator door. There's two reasons for it.

Reason #1: In any career, a person must continue to learn new things. Sometimes though, the lessons become so embedded in the subconscious that you don't realize you've learned it until you use it.

Reason #2: I love the TV show Supernatural. I didn't watch it for the first four seasons because I was afraid I'd jinx it.

On a side note: Every frickin' time I fall in love with a show in it's first season, it gets canceled. Misfits of Science. Cancelled. Quark. Cancelled. Almost Human. Cancelled. Hell, I didn't watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer until the John Ritter episode late in the second season because I didn't want it to get cancelled.

Anyway, back to Supernatural. Once the producers and writers got past creator Eric Kripke's original five-season story arc of stopping the Christian apocalypse, the following season dealt with the ramifications of Sam's last episode of Season 5 decision.  Subsequent seasons create a gigantic pile of decision/consequence until the stack tumbles with the twelfth (current) season back to the variation of the original problem, stopping Lucifer.

Consequences of past decisions has been an occurring theme over the last two seasons of The Walking Dead and in the last several books of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series as well.

As I'm working on the last three books of the Bloodlines series, I already knew they dealt with the consequences of Sam's creation. But I started wondering how to work in the consequences of the other characters' decisions into the last volumes.

And when I was re-reading a section of Ravaged the other night, I realized I had already done so. Specifically, the consequences of Bebe's decision in Blood Magick and Alex's in Blood Sacrifice. I knew these two characters need to be in Ravaged, but I didn't know why until I watched the mid-season finales of both The Walking Dead and Supernatural. And in separate conversations, Logan (who made a very brief appearance in Zombie Love) and Alyson (a new to readers character) come right out and say, "Yeah, it's your fault because of what you did/failed to do, but now, we need to figure out how to clean up the mess."

Wow! Talk about an epiphany.

So, keep studying the things you like, understand why you like them, and it'll improve your writing.

Blood Magick Is Free!

In a special one-time deal, I'm offering Blood Magick free on Amazon from now until December 10th.

Blood Magick at Amazon

In the meantime, Zombie Goddess is still $0.99 until Saturday, too.

On Sunday, they both go back to their regular price of $4.99.

Scaly Cannibalistic Llamas

I've been in what DH calls "In The Zone" for the last week. It means I can't put down the writing. As in, I wrote in the car on my phone while we made a coffee and gasoline run Tuesday.

Normally, "In The Zone" means one book at a time, but in this case, I'm essentially writing the last three books of the Bloodlines series at the same time. Sort of.

Resurrected has taken over my attention. While it's unusual for me to write a large chunk in the guys' point of view, it's primarily Tiffany's story. She does some bad things for the right reasons though her motives are pretty bad as well.

It all comes down to her anger and self-esteem issues, things that have been on display since Blood Magick, but don't really come to a head until the last book in the series. Ironically, some of the themes of motherhood and enforcer crystalized when I read an essay by Kameron Hurley last night.

I crossed the 20K mark on Resurrected yesterday. I have a feeling the writing will go even faster after consuming Ms. Hurley's wise words.

P.S. I've been posting my weekly word counts on the current WIPs at my main website if you're curious.

Working on the Weekend

I didn't release Justice: The Beginning yesterday as I'd hoped since it isn't quite ready. No worries though. The revision file is with my formatter, and the cover's ready. It just will take a few extra days with the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

So what am I doing in the meantime?

- Trying to finish an Alter Ego short story.

- Reviewing the paperback proofs for A Question of Balance and Blood Magick in order to get them up of retailer websites.

- Working on the edits for Zombie Goddess.

- Attending Camp NaNoWriMo for the month of July in an effort to complete the first draft of Ravaged.

It's so good to be productive again!

And Then There Were Paperbacks

On Sunday, October 11, I started uploading the new versions of Blood Magick to the various online retailers, and yes, this includes the brand spanking new trade paperback version.

Nothing's been changed on the pages except typo clean up. The big difference as you can see is the lovely new covers for the Bloodlines series by the lovely Elaina at For the Muse Designs.

(TM) Angry Sheep Publishing

Also, Angry Sheep Publishing's logo is on the spine of the trade paperback version. That pissed little sheep makes the enterprise feel business-like.

Official.

Real.

The whole thing is incredibly scary and absolutely thrilling all at once.

I'm taking my time on this, uploading a new book every two weeks. This gives me plenty of time to make sure things are right and in the places they are supposed to be.

I've taken a good, hard look from a business viewpoint, which means investing resources in this company and raising prices. And I think it will all be worth it.

Soundtrack for Blood Magick

I'm one of those people who listens to music while writing. Sometimes, I simply need sound to create a particular mood. Mozart for emotion and introspection. Madonna or Prince for a really hot sex scene. G'n'R or Aerosmith for action.

Over the last eight years, I've put together a specific playlist for each novel I've written. Here's the soundtrack I put together for Blood Magick (Bloodlines #1):

Man, I Feel Like a Woman by Shania Twain
Who Do You Think You Are by Spice Girls
Angel by Sarah McLachlan
How Soon Is Now? by Love Spit Love
Defying Gravity by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowyth
Transylvanian Concubine by Rasputina
Sooner or Later by Madonna
The Continental by Prince & the New Power Generation
Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones
Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen
Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick
7 by Prince & the New Power Generation
Love Song for a Vampire by Annie Lennox
Say You'll Be There by Spice Girls

Ta-Da! Blood Magick is here!

After a bad week, I seriously doubted if Blood Magick would be up by my target date of June 1.

But thanks to DH and some elbow grease, Blood Magick is not only officially uploaded, it's uploaded early!  Blood Magick is on sale at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords for $2.99.  It's also available at XinXii for $3.12 (the VAT is included).

I had a blast writing this book, and I hope you'll check it out.  Drop by on Wednesday, June 1, for a fabulous new contest!

Blurb
It’s not the family you’re born to. It’s the Family you join.

Blood

Caesar Augustine has survived on it for millennia, but his friend Natasha believed she was close to a cure for vampirism. When she dies and her lab notes disappear, Caesar’s only chance to walk in sunlight again is finding her granddaughter Bebe, the one witch Natasha would trust with her research. But getting Bebe to trust him is another matter altogether.


Magick

Dr. Bebe Zachary has feared and mistrusted vampires for seventeen years, since the night she witnessed two of the bloodsuckers brutally murder her parents. When Caesar Augustine comes to her with an insane story that her grandmother’s death was no accident, the last thing she wants to do is believe him. Except her cousins have challenged Bebe for leadership of their coven, somebody definitely wants her dead too, and Caesar is the only the person standing between her and the grave.

Blood Magick ARC

As I promised, I'm giving out the Blood Magick Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) today.

Here's what you need to do:
-Send me an e-mail to soharden at swbell dot net.  (There's a reason that does not involve me spamming you.)  If you leave your request in comments, you will not be eligible for any of the prizes below.

-I currently have Blood Magick available in .MOBI (Kindle), .ePUB (Nook and Sony), and .LIT (MS Reader).  Please note that if you don't have a handheld reader, all three readers are available in PC versions and Kindle is available in Mac.  In your e-mail, let me know what format you prefer your copy of the ARC.

- I must receive your e-mail by MIDNIGHT tonight (i.e. Sunday, April 17th, at 0:00 AM) to receive the ARC.  Requests will be filled in the order that they are received.


Here's what I'm asking you to do:
- Read Blood Magick.

- Write a review of Blood Magick, mention it on your blog, or tweet about it.

- E-mail  me the link to your review or blog or send me your Twitter handle.

I hereby solemnly swear I will not act like a total psychotic moron if you don't care for Blood Magick.


Here's what I'll do for the fabulous readers who send me their links/Twitter handles!!  (The best part):
- When the official version of Blood Magick comes out (currently schedule for June 1st), I will send you the offical copy in the format you requested the ARC unless you tell me otherwise.  (See?  I told you there was a good reason for your e-mail.)

- I will also send you the official copy of the next Bloodlines book, Zombie Love, when it debuts in July.

- AND I will put everyone's name in the infamous Captain Rex helmet and draw one.  The winner will receive a $25 e-certificate to Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  I'll announce the winner on the May 1st post (unless I get a tsunami of requests and I'm still e-mailing out ARCs, in which case a snorkel mask will appear).

I just want to say thank you to you guys for reading Wild, Wicked & Wacky for last year and a half, and I hope you love Blood Magick!