The Novel Approach gives Sacrificed 5 Stars

Lisa at TNA writes:

"Unlike anything I’ve ever read before, Sacrificed packs emotion, sensuality, adventure, fantasy, and danger into every one of its chapters. Knowing that Captain Baltsaros was a more complex character than was introduced in Caged (and, trust me, he was already plenty enigmatic), Sacrificed takes the reader on a perilous journey to a place ruled by a twisted Emperor who preys on the psyches of Erem’ia Balor’s people. There are truths Baltsaros needs to discover and secrets he and Tom have kept from Jon, and these truths and secrets will either set him free or spell his ruin. You can cut the tension with a knife at times in this installment of the series, while at other times these three men could make the hardest of hearts melt as they attempt to navigate their feelings for one another."

Read the rest of the review at The Novel Approach

 

Little update

So!

Been busy.

With what, you say? Well...

The first? Sacrificed is coming out in just a few days. I've been dotting i's and crossing t's and making sure the launch will go smooth. Have you preordered your copy? :)

And I um... wrote another book in the interim. To get my mind off the fact that I sent out ARCs of Sacrificed. It's a novelette... The continuation to Sarge. It'll come out later this month.

 

Want the First Three Chapters of Sacrificed?

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

To celebrate, here are the first three chapters of Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires, the sequel to Caged

whole three chapters, you ask? Yes... these three chapters belong together, woven like a three-sided tapestry.

Choose yer format, me hearties:

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More Fun?
Did ye catch the interview I did with Tom? Are ye lookin' for a pirate glossary? What about the soundtrack to Sacrificed?

Interviewing Tom

I had the pleasure of running into Tom, first mate on the pirate ship Baal’s Heart last time I was down south. When I asked him if he wanted to answer a few questions, he smiled this incredibly cheeky grin and winked, replying that if there was a beer in it for him, he’d be “bloody game” to talk with me. Here’s what came of it.

 

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Pammy’s Tavernhouse, somewhere in the southern isles, late summer

Tom walks up to the bar, slaps down a few bits of silver, and bellows for two mugs of the “darkest beer ye got”. I protest and say that I was the one who was going to buy, but he just gives me this quick shrug and says the next round is on me. I have a funny feeling that I’ll be the one buying all the next rounds, but I accept the beer he hands me and follow him to the open patio at the back of the tavern. The view from where we’re sitting is beautiful: clear blue water, whispering, swaying palm trees, and sand that’s so white it looks like snow. I glance at Tom and see that he’s already downed about half his beer and is peering curiously at a two-masted ship that just left port.

Tom’s a big guy, but not as big as you’d think. For one, he’s not as tall as I was expecting, but what he lacks in height he makes up for in muscle; there doesn’t seem to be a lick of fat on him, and I’m sort of mesmerized for a moment just watching the way his arm bulges as he lifts the mug to his lips. He’s tanned to the colour of dark honey, and his dirty-blond hair is short and sticking up in places; there are strange tattoos that swirl and meander down his left side, and I can see more peeping above the waistband of his faded green shorts. All I can think for a moment is just how unbelievably sexy he is.

The way he’s lounging against the wood suggests a man without a care in the world—totally at ease in his environment. But, when he swivels to look at me, I get the unmistakable impression that Tom’s fully aware that he’s got an effect on me, and he’d been purposefully giving me time to look him over.

I pick up my mug, take a long swallow, and try to shake off the self-consciousness caused by the amused look in his bright, blue-green eyes.

Yes, this is a man who knows exactly how attractive he is.

After a few minutes of awkward chit-chat about tattoos (I have a few too) and another trip to the bar for more beer, I finally get around to the questions I wanted to ask.

 

So, Tom, there are rumours that you found a way through the Devil’s Isles and that you went beyond.

Err. Aye, mate.

(Tom frowns at me. Suddenly he’s no longer the affable, cheeky ruffian who’s going to drink me out of pocket, and I feel a little nervous. Great start to my interview)

 

Bad question? We can talk about something else.

(Here Tom lets out a small sigh and waves at the air before taking another swallow of beer)

Naw, lovey. It’s just that it weighs a little heavy on the mind, savvy? Weren’t meant to be crossed is what I’m thinkin’… the shite that happened. (Tom shakes his head) I don’t like thinkin’ about it. Actually. Yeah. Ask somethin’ else, mate.

(I’m a little disappointed. I wanted to ask him about what they found on the other side but I’m not going to push my luck)

 

Ok. No problem. How’s this one for nice and simple? You’re well known for kicking ass. What was your most memorable fight?

(Tom’s face lights up and I have to laugh. The tension’s gone again. He takes another gulp of beer and pulls the skinny cigar out from behind his ear. I wait a good five minutes while he lights it and rubs his jaw as he looks out over the water. The smoke from the cheroot is pungent—there’s more than just tobacco in it, that’s for sure. Just when I think he’s forgotten my question entirely, he turns to me with a toothy smile)

It was when I was a wee nipper. A lad o’ nine or so. I worked in the mines and, since I was a might bit skinnier back then, they had me crawlin’ into these bloody cracks deep in the fuckin’ rock. Well, one of them days, I was in a squeeze—as they call ‘em, see— and I can’t see the bloody end of my nose. I’m almost stranglin’ with rock dust, and the walls are pressin’ in on me like they wanna crush me… and I’m thinkin' fuck this shit! So I pull meself out o’ there, wrigglin’ and scrapin’ my skin to get loose, and the big prick who was responsible for puttin’ me in the black hells to begin with gives me this look and says some shit like “Git back in there, boy!” (Tom chuckles) Well… I bloody lost it. ‘Twas the first time I’d ever really rebelled, other than…

(Tom’s forehead creases then and I get a glimpse of something that looks like pain on his expressive face, but he shakes it off and moves on with his story).

…so, I clocked the fucker in the jaw with my little fist, but surprise of bloody surprises, I hit him square and he falls back all shocked like. Problem is, this arse had these twin sons who were as big, ugly, and mean as their da, and they were comin’ up the tunnel just as I hit their old man. Well, they pounced on me like a pair o’ hellcats. I didn’t know how to punch yet, but I knew that if I kept swingin’, I’d be sure to hit somethin’, aye? Because I was little, I wasn't no match. I didn’t think for a second that I’d win, ye know? But I had to do it. Well eventually, I got my hand around this big ol' rock as they were punchin’ and kickin’ me over n’ over. I put all of it into that last hit and got one of ‘em boys straight in the side o’ the head. Went down like a tree.

 

That was your most memorable fight?

Aye, lovey. Was the first time I’d ever downed a mate. The fucker lost an eye because of me.

(Tom chuckles and takes a drag off his cigar)

 

Did you get away? What happened?

Nah. They beat me bloody unconscious. I was eatin’ mush for a month on account o’ the broken jaw.

(I sit silent for a second, aghast that he’s talking so nonchalantly about being so severely beaten. He sees my expression and gives me another of his little one-shouldered shrugs. He smiles)

What’s done is done, aye?

(I nod and drink down the rest of my beer. I can’t shake the image of nine-year-old Tom in the mines. I’m surprised when he reaches for my mug and goes off to get another round. I can’t take my eyes off the scars on his back. The interview’s definitely not going the way I expected. He comes back, gives me another one of his cheeky grins and manages to graze my fingers as he hands me back the mug. Suddenly I’m off-balanced again)

 

Um. Tell me about being a pirate?

 Bloody fun. Lot’s o’ work, but bloody fun.

 

That’s all you’re going to tell me?

Well, I can’t speak for bein’ a regular pirate, ye see? Ain’t the same on board the Heart. We got our own way of doin’ things. It’s prey for pay, aye, but we ain’t got the same sort o’ code o’ conduct as them other mates.

 

Is the plunder good?

Matey, ye wouldn’t believe what’s restin’ in the hold of the ol’ tub as we speak.

(Tom gives me a broad smile, but he’s frustratingly short on details)

 

Ok, well how about telling me about some places you’ve been?

Alrighty.

(Tom leans his forearms against the wide railing and rubs his scarred hands together. Deep wrinkles appear in his brow as he thinks)

I been everywhere from north t’ south. East... not so much. (I notice he purposefully doesn’t mention west across the black mountain range) Dunno, maybe some day. For now there’s plenty to be had in the midlands and around here.

Somewhere interestin' I been? Hmm, well, two years ago, we were on the run—navy after us like ticks after a dog—and we find ourselves in a lick o’ trouble when the wind up and changes. We turn around and go through the passage just south o’ here. Ye know where those two little islands are?

(He points off to one side, but I’m really not that knowledgeable about the native geography. I’m just going to have to take his word for it)

Well instead of findin’ a bare stretch o’ sea beyond, there was this small spit o’ land. All shrouded n’ misty and shite. We manage to find a little dip in the shore where the Heart wouldn’t stick out so bad, and we dropped anchor… and waited. Hours went by and there was no sign of the scurvy bastards chasin’ us, so the captain says why dont’cha go ashore and see if ye can find us some grub to eat while we’re waitin’. I says sure, and picked three o’ my best men and rowed us out. Well… couldn’t believe my bloody eyes when we got to the shore and saw it was made o’ this hard, green rock. Slippery as all hells. We managed to crawl out and tie the dinghy up, but as far as the fuckin’ eye could see, there wasn’t nothin’ but this dark-green rock. No trees, no grass. Nothin’. So, me and the boys start walkin’. We walked and walked an’ bloody walked, but still nothin’.

(Tom takes a deep, slow swallow of beer and smiles at me. He’s got at least a half-week’s stubble on his face, and it shines golden in the bright sun)

 

So, it was just a rock island?

That’s what we thought! Ain’t never seen rock like it. Every few paces there were lines in it, straight n’ true. Was the weirdest fuckin’ thing. So I pull my knife out and tap it against the stone… sounded hollow so I tried pushin’ the point in and bloody hells, it sunk in a bit. So I jammed it harder n’ harder, ye know, to try to cut a piece out to bring back to Da…

(I’d heard rumours of Tom calling the captain “Da”. Were they actually father and son? And if so… what of the other things I’d heard?)

… and suddenly, the ground gives a shake and a shimmy and we’re fallin’ all over ourselves trying to stay on our feet. Then, out of the mists comes this sound

(Tom makes a noise halfway between a growl and a sigh)

Two o’ the lads shit themselves in fear, and the third goes as white as a bloody ghost! So we’re crawlin’ on our hands and knees, trying to make our way to the shore. And I see it! Risin’ out of the mists is this thing… higher and higher it goes 'til it’s as tall as a godsdamned mountain. And then it turned… and it bloody blinked at me!

We ran, oh fuck did we run… like the bloody wind itself. Back to the bloody ship, mate. We had to tell the captain!

(I realise I’m holding my mug too tight when the old break in my hand starts to throb. I force myself to relax)

 

But… what was it? What did you see?

Ducky, it wasn’t a bloody island at all! We’d climbed up onto the fuckin’ back of a gigantic bloody tortoise!

(At this point I realise that Tom is taking the piss out of me, and I start to laugh)

 

I’m calling bullshit.

Naw, lovey. Biggest fuckin’ tortoise in the godsdamned world. Swear to the fuckin’ gods. Swear on me ma’s bones, gods rest her bloody soul.

(But Tom is laughing to himself now, his eyes narrowed in mischief. I shake my head at him and finish my beer, then I grab his mug and make another trip to the bar. When I get back, he accepts the beer with a grin and nods his head in thanks)

 

So… what’s it like being the first mate to Captain Baltsaros?

(Right away I can see that this is the wrong question to ask and my heart sinks. Just a minute ago we were laughing like old friends, but now Tom’s eyes have gone flat like he’s been through hell, and he looks away from me. When a few minutes go by, I realise he’s not going to answer me. Desperate to lighten the mood I ask a dumb question.)

 

Uh. What about… Um. I’ve heard that you’re very popular with the brothel ladies?

(I want to add “and men” but I’m not sure if I really believe the rumours. Seems too good to be true. And I’ll be damned if I bring it up—there’s this air of poised violence that lurks just beneath his bluff charm. I have no way of knowing how he’d take the question. However, when he turns to me again, the mischievous glint is back and that’s enough to make me take a quick sip of beer just to have something to do with my hands.)

Ye heard that, aye lovey? Who you been talkin’ to about me puttin’ a crack in Jenny’s cup?

(Tom grins wide and leans towards me, and all I can think about is how the hell I’m going to keep going with this interview. I've had a lot to drink and turning the conversation to sex was a bad idea. I break eye contact and concentrate on the drip of sweat that’s making its way down his chest and watch it get caught in his dark-blond chest hair)

 

I’ve just… heard things. Nothing specifically. I don’t know why I brought it up.

Ye don’t, aye? Was it because ye wanted to know whether I fancy someone wearin’ trousers instead? Hm? Do ye have a personal interest in my answer?

(Tom can obviously tell that I’m embarrassingly rattled by him, and he lets out this bark of laughter and sits back, just smiling at me. Right then, there's a sharp double-whistle and Tom’s head swivels quickly.)

That’s the Heart. I gotta skedaddle, lovey. Thanks for the beer.

 

The words were spoken brusquely, but they were accompanied with a wink. Before I had a chance to respond or ask anything else, Tom clapped a warm hand on my shoulder and stood. With a spring in his step, he whistled a jaunty tune as he made his way through the bar and back to his ship.

I sat there for at least a quarter hour, just nursing my beer, waiting for my pulse to slow.

 

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Want to meet Tom and the rest of the crew? Join them in Caged and Sacrificed, the sequel due out October 15th, 2014.

Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires

Seven months ago, I sat exactly where I'm sitting now, on my old brown couch, and pressed submit (or... publish? or... whatever it says in Smashwords and KDP) and sent Caged into the world.

Then I walked away.

There was no cover reveal. No excerpt. No ARC reviews. Just a book published on a winter afternoon. It's only that evening that it occurred to me that I might actually want to tell people that I published a book. Maybe get some reviews. Create a site... Total newbie.

This time around, I'm a little more versed in the how-to. I couldn't have done it without the help of my fans and friends.

A big thank you to the bloggers who have supported me and helped me out! You guys are fantastic.

 

openstar Coming October 2014 openstar

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Available now for preorder at Amazon

 

 

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Blurb

Reunited once more, the crew of Baal’s Heart must make the long and treacherous journey south to the towering spires of the Devil’s Isles. The path through the mountain range is fraught with peril; mayhem and tragedy plague the pirate ship, but what the men find beyond the spires is the most shocking of all.

In this sequel to the acclaimed Caged, the pirates are dragged into a dangerous new world by Captain Baltsaros’s all-consuming obsession. In the midst of terror and chaos, Jon learns that the captain and first mate have been keeping secrets from him. But will the truth tear them apart?

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Excerpt

“How are your ribs?” asked Baltsaros, watching Polas descend the stairs.

Jon put a hand to his side.

“Sore as hell. But I’ll live,” he said with a small smile. “Why are you still awake?”

The captain’s brows pinched together, and he looked down at his hands, his lips parted in a slow exhale.

“I could not sleep, Jon,” said Baltsaros softly. “I tried, briefly. But I find my mind unable to rest. Polas woke up, and we came up here not to disturb you.” He raised his head, and Jon was alarmed to see that Baltsaros wore an expression he had never seen on the man before. The captain looked lost. “What have I done by bringing us here, Jon?”

Jon felt a sliver of fear pierce his heart at the captain’s uncertainty; it was disturbing to see the man’s confidence shaken. However, before he could answer Baltsaros, the moment had passed, and the crack in the captain’s mask closed.

“Ah… listen to me. Tonight is a dark night, isn’t it?” chuckled Baltsaros, reaching for Jon. “Come here, I have to take off that silk. You need to breathe deep for a while or else you’ll wind up with congested lungs.”

Jon held up his shirt while the captain swiftly unwound the silk from his ribs. His side hurt when he breathed, but the painkillers in his system dulled the ache. The breeze was cooler up on the quarterdeck, and he could hear it rustling the leaves of the trees on shore. Turning to watch the dark jungle, he wondered what dangers lay beyond for them on the morrow.

When Baltsaros’s hands glided softly up his back, Jon let out a startled gasp. The captain moved close behind him, his chest pressed to Jon’s back, arms wrapped gently around him.

I’m honestly not sure how far it would have gone otherwise.

Baltsaros’s words had hurt, but not as much as he had feared. Jon’s own weakness was that he forgave the man, again and again. He ran his fingers along the captain’s strong forearm as Baltsaros pressed his lips to Jon’s neck. There was a question he wanted to ask.

…only ask me questions you want to know the answers to.

Jon closed his eyes. He would ask it one day, but he feared that he already knew the answer. The captain was fond of him… but love?
Baltsaros murmured something against his skin.

“Min haeken,” whispered the older man, sliding his hands down to the waistband of Jon’s pants and pulling apart the knot on his belt. “I don’t want to hurt you when I take you, but take you I shall.”

My Head

People always want to get inside my head. Women more than men, but they both say the same sorts of things:
"What's going on in your head?"
"I want to see what you see."
"Can I take a look inside your brain."
"Give me a look into your mind..."

Went out the other night with friends to pub quiz. Got asked a variation of the above by a slightly-drunken S.
B: Why does everyone want to see inside my head?
S: Because! I need to know...
M: Ohhh that's not a great idea. First off there are far too many walls in there. Then, if you do manage to get in, you'll never make it out alive. You'll stay trapped in there. Forever.

I like my friends.

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My head is in a slightly weird place these days. I was planning on continuing with Sword but Stripped, the third book of the Baal's Heart trilogy, wouldn't let me go so I started writing that instead. I'm about a chapter in and so far so good.  However, the weather's been fucking with my sinuses again so I've got a headache half the time which sucks.

It took me 82 days to write Caged. Sacrificed took me 173 days to write. I wonder how long Stripped will take me? When I wrote Caged, it was the only thing I was working on. I had two other projects on the go during the time I was writing Sacrificed. This time around... oh I have too many projects competing in my head. I should really focus on one thing at a time.

 

 

Spires complete!

Just finished writing the sequel to Caged last night. I'll wait a few days to clear my head and start the first reread. Hopefully it will be published in a few months.

Phew.

Still not sure about the name.

Can't wait to work on the cover. :)

Mid June already?

Where does the time go?

New things!

1 - Caged is being edited.  Professionally. Nothing of the story changes... just tightening up the text a little and fixing the niggling little typos/errors. I'm also adding a map at the beginning - might help the immediate assumption that it's historical fiction rather than historical fantasy.

2 - Spires is at 70%. I'm pretty sure that the final title will be Heart: Beyond the Spires.  I like long titles. But we'll see.

3 - It's fucking gorgeous out these days. Between the beautiful weather and The Sopranos, my productivity is taking a hit; but, you know what? I'm my own boss, I make my own schedule.

4 - Sword is not officially on hold just yet. I may still want to continue while I'm working on Spires. Might be nice to jump tracks every once in a while.

5 - Murphy got a little surgery to remove some growths on his leg. He would like everyone to know just how miserable he is.

conedog

Arr matey!

piratebuddy

People find it hi-lar-ious that I wrote a book about gay pirates. I am getting bombarded by pirate-themed messages, including cute gifts like this little fella. My friends think they're funny.

Writing is going well. I'm at a part in the book where it's basically been fully written in my brain for months so putting it to 'paper' is going smooth. Three chapters in three days... about 10k words.

Every once in a while when I sit down to write a scene, my characters rebel. I'm glad that they do... They know themselves and keep me on the right path.

Tom: "Listen mate, do ye really think I'd be as daft as that? Come now... be a dove and change it, aye?"

Baltsaros: "I hope you're planning on rectifying this in the next few chapters. I can't see this working in the long run. You've done much better in the past. If I were you, I would redo it."

Jon: "Do I really sound like that? Really? I thought we were over that..."

Unfortunately I think I have to put one of my projects on hold. I might wait to continue Sentenced to the Sword in the fall - I just have too much to do these days, and my writing is paying the price.

This time around, for Beyond the Spires, I'm thinking of hiring an editor. Maybe. I'm just really bad at letting others touch my stuff. Juvenile, I know. All my report cards growing up said approximately the same thing: Gifted. Does not play well with others.

I'll think about it more. Weigh my options.

Today is a gorgeous day... I think I may actually go read outside and catch up with all the books that are going unread on my Kindle.

 

So Many Words, So Little Time

Slowly creeping up to 50% on Beyond the Spires. I keep thinking that I should put up a teaser chapter somewhere, but unless you've read Caged, there's at least one big spoilers.

And I personally hate spoilers.

Another chapter done of Spires. Next is a chapter for a different writing project. After that, there will be another chapter for my gladiator book - Sentenced to the Sword (I'm still looking for beta readers)

So many words.

I'm waiting for my first really bad review to see how I feel about it. I have been reading through bad reviews of other books on both Goodreads and Amazon, and I'm amazed at the range of complaints and the sheer vitriol of some of these reviews.

Can't lie... makes me a little nervous.

 

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Wondering which retailer pays me the most?

#1 is Payhip. Not a retailer, but an online shop that I've set up myself. This is where I make the most return on my books.

Then after that it gets a little complicated, but these are the three best choices:

At Eden Books*, I make 70% royalties for all titles.

At Smashwords, I make 60% royalties for all titles.

At Amazon, for books OVER $2.99 (USD) I make 70% royalties and for books UNDER $2.99 I make 35%

So... if the book is under $2.99, buy from Eden Books or Smashwords.

If the books is over $2.99, buy from Eden Books or Amazon.

But best of all, buy from my Payhip store :)

Questions? Contact Me!

*Not all my titles are available at Eden yet as of 25/09/23 - I'm working on it.

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