Q&A and A Strange Hymn Teaser
Hey readers!
Sorry for being so MIA. I've been in the middle of both buying and selling a house, as well being pregnant, so between packing, house showings, and doctor's appointments--not to mention actually writing--I've neglected this little corner of my universe. :)
Sorry for being so MIA. I've been in the middle of both buying and selling a house, as well being pregnant, so between packing, house showings, and doctor's appointments--not to mention actually writing--I've neglected this little corner of my universe. :)
When does A Strange Hymn come out? I haven’t seen a publishing date!!!
It's true, I haven't given A Strange Hymn (The Bargainer #2) a release date. This is what's going on: I'm eight months pregnant, and I'm in the middle of selling my house and moving. So, between doctor's appointments, house showings, and packing, my writing time has gotten truncated. Had this not all been going on, this book probably would've already released.
Add to that, that babies often don't like to come as scheduled, I'm afraid of giving you all a concrete release date only to go into labor early and totally fudge the release. What I can tell you is that A Strange Hymn will almost certainly come out in May, and that future releases will have more concrete release dates!
When will A Strange Hymn be up for pre-order?
This answer sort of goes along with the answer to my previous question, and that is that getting the pre-order page set up really depends on when I have a completed finished draft of A Strange Hymn.
To get a little technical, authors like myself can upload their manuscripts to Amazon whenever they like and in whatever condition they like in order to get a book up for pre-order. That means I could hypothetically upload the first twenty pages of A Strange Hymn or the manuscript as it currently is and get a pre-order page for it up on Amazon.
So, why don't I? I know of two big name authors who did exactly this, and on release day, once they'd replaced the 20 page preview with the actual manuscript ... Amazon sent readers the 20 page preview instead of the book.
Needless to say, there were lots of unhappy readers who had to spend lots of time deleting the book and re-uploading the correct version. This is a glitch that sometimes happens with Amazon, and frankly, I'm not really interested in taking a chance that Amazon could screw you all over just so that I can have the book up for a few extra days.
That all being said, once I have a finished product, I *might* set a pre-order up for it while ARCs are out. Otherwise, it'll go straight to release!
How do I get an ARC of A Strange Hymn?
So, for those of you who don't know, ARCs are Advanced Review Copies of books. Essentially, you get to read the book before it's released. All that's asked of you is that you leave an honest review on release day in return. (It can be a negative review; I don't cherry pick my readers based on how high a review they'll give me. :)
Now, getting an ARC from me is a two step process. (1) You join my street team here. (2) You fill out the sign up form I post on the group.
I do first come first serve (because this is really the only way I can think of to make this fair), but I do require that readers who sign up can prove that they've left a review for me in the past. I do this as a way to better guarantee that they'll leave one for me in the future (and that way, if you are someone who avidly leaves reviews, you won't get passed over for someone who won't).
I'll probably post the sign up forms for A Strange Hymn in the next week or two, so keep a lookout on my page if you're interested in being an ARC reviewer.
How many books are in the Bargainer series?
Three books, plus perhaps a little something-something extra. I’ll have more on this in the coming months.
Will you ever write the final Vanishing Girl book?
No. Just kidding. Yes, absolutely. Sorry to give any of you heart palpitations. I'll be starting work on this book right after I release A Strange Hymn. I don't have a release date set, but yes, this book will be in the works, and soon!
When will the sequel to Blood and Sin come out?
Later this year! Dan Rix and I are currently outlining the book, and we should get started writing it early this summer.
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If you made it this far, here's a little reward for your tenacity:
A Strange Hymn Teaser
“Des!” I feel myself instantly relax.
I begin heading to him, first walking, and then, when he doesn’t come any closer, I begin to run. “Des!”
Before I can get to him, he disappears.
That stops me in my tracks.
He’s coming for you … the trees whisper.
“Des?”
I feel the press of metal against my throat, and from the edge of my vision I can just make out Des’s white-blond hair.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
If this is his idea of training …
But it’s not training. It’s not. I can sense the malicious intent in the rough grip he has on me and the way the blade digs into my flesh, like it wants my skin to split.
The Bargainer’s supple lips skim over my cheekbone. “Fear me, mortal,” he whispers, “for I will be your death.”
Des brushes a kiss against my skin, and then drags his knife across my neck.
