Sapphire Blue Closes its doors...

For almost three years, I have been excited to see this logo across the top of covers emblazoned with my name.

Now, in an instant, everything changed.

"For those of you who haven't heard, the official announcement happened this morning at 6:30am. Sapphire Blue Publishing is closing its doors."

This is a sad day. Sapphire Blue was the first one to give my writing a home. Through them, I met many amazing authors, editors and contacts in the publishing world that I wouldn't have been sure how to even deal with correctly if not for the wisdom and support that they were more than willing to offer.

I have branched out since then. I have other places I like to hang out as well. But it was always with the knowledge that I had my safe and cozy home at SBP and that if I had a question, there were a ton of people I could ask who wouldn't judge or think badly of me for asking.

Lucky for me... those people are still around.

But the ending of a company like this is sort of like a family breaking up. Having been a child of divorce, the feelings are quite similar. You can't control it. You can't stop it. It is scary.

I think that I will keep in touch with quite a few of my 'siblings' from the SBP family. That is the great thing that this company did. They united authors.

And with the usual class and grace that I have come to expect from all dealings with SBP, they reverted the rights to our work within an hour of notifying us that they were closing. There was no battle to get them back, no question of whether we would have to pay to get them back- Here. These are your books.

On top of that, SBP has granted us the use of our cover art. All in all, classy.

If I had it to do all over again, would I have chosen a house that was going to close this far into my career? Would I have risked it if I had known that they wouldn't be around as long as I plan to be?

YES. Because the experience was awesome. The people were amazing. The support was off the charts. This company did some really awesome things in its run. I was really lucky to have gotten to come along for the ride.

And to all of my 'siblings' from SBP who are feeling a little lost today and grieving...

Chin up! SBP picked you because they saw something awesome. Others will see it, too. For those of you who were newer, those of us who have been around a minute are still here for ya.

New Release by an author friend...

Lila Anderson’s is having visions of murdered women in the back alleys of San Francisco through the eyes of a man. She’s supposed to be a dominatrix, not a psychic! The man is Drake Bennett. Drake leads a solitary life as a vampire and when Lila invades his mind he wants her out.

Then a known murderer kidnaps Lila, and uses her life experience in bondage and domination to break her and turn her against Drake. Will the deep feelings of desire she has for Drake and their psychic link be enough to save Lila before it’s too late?


Buy your copy here.


And the author, Buffy Christopher, is holding a contest to celebrate the new release!!

Head on over to her blog, www.buffychristopher.com for a free copy of one of her Midnight books. All you have to do is leave a comment about the cover!

Good luck and happy reading!!

New Release from an author friend...

Hell House : Vampires Don't Dance
Christle Gray
$3.50
ISBN #9781934657836
Buy your copy here.

Blurb:

Teenage fairy, Sora Starwind, is finally making her way in the mortal world. The guy of her dreams, Liam Crawford, has asked her to his school’s Spring dance, and she finally feels, well, normal. Trouble is,Liam has a secret of his own that brings with it a whole new set of complications. Not only does Sora have to worry about Liam’s friends liking her, she also has to guard his secret, and deal with the school harlot that wants Liam for her own. Add a pair of obsessed paranormals that intend to unleash more chaos than just ruining her evening and Sora finds her newfound control stretched to the brink. Can she find more answers than questions this time, so that this first dance won’t also be her last?

Three awesome author friends, One amazing new release!!!

Spells, Slots & Sirens: Stories of the Arcana Royale
Heather Long, Lisa Pietsch, K.F. Zuzulo

Las Vegas, baby at the casino of all Casinos — the Arcana Royale. Arcana Royale is a high-end supernatural casino. Some characters are immortal and some are not. The Royale itself has a very distinct personality and some even believe it may be “alive” in its own right.

Anything can happen at the Arcana Royale and anything goes, but don’t piss off the Overseers or you may find yourself serving up your soul to the showgirls. Discover tales of forbidden romance, sexy heroes and dark mysteries.

You can pick up your copy today here!!

New Release by an author friend...

My pal, Laurie Sorensen, has a new release!!

"Duty, love and passion take flight on the wings of destiny. Compelled by honor and duty, Night Ravenwood leaves his life on the sea to return home after his brother’s death. As the new heir to Ravenwood Manor, he finds himself in an arranged marriage he doesn't want. When tragedy strikes the newlywed couple, Nights realizes he’s in love with the beautiful and serene Satine. She vows to make Night understand his destiny is with her, meanwhile someone is willing to commit murder to keep them apart. Will love or murder shape the destiny of this union?"

Pick up your copy today here! :)

Seven Souls...

A new anthology from some of my favorite authors released today! Check it out!

Seven Souls A Leaping

Seven Souls A Leaping is an anthology of three interconnected tales of love, danger and a war against evil written by Lisa Pietsch, K.F. Zuzulo and Heather Long.

74K words

At the New England New Age (NENA) Investigations, no case is too weird. The paranormal detective agency relies on the familial talents of siblings Duncan and Samantha MacDougal and their cousin Tara Conroy. While Duncan and Samantha tend to the field work, Tara mans the office tapping sources in both the physical and spirit world. Fate takes a hand when a killer named Jeffrey Wiles begins a death-dealing spree that puts the lives and loves of these investigators on the line.

Frozen Hell:

Danyelle Roy is a private investigator feeling the pinch of the economy. When she begs her friend Murphy, a bail bondsman, to give her some work, he does so reluctantly. Jeffrey Wiles isn't the kind of criminal you want to send a cute redhead after. He slaughtered a 13-year-old girl while her parents slept and then used her blood to paint Satanic graffiti on the walls. Duncan MacDougal is a specialist in paranormal investigations and he's never seen anything like the Satanic spellcasting done by Jeffrey Wiles. When Duncan and Dani team up to capture Wiles, the magic is overpowering.

Star Light, Blood Bright

Samantha MacDougal can see auras. Her gift usually helps her pursue rascals and wraiths for her family’s business, New England New Age Investigations. But when she begins to track Satanic serial murderer Jeffrey Wiles along icy Boston streets, her own life’s light is in danger of being extinguished. She is alone in her struggle until handsome Boston detective Ike Marshall mysteriously provides a supernatural shield of light that warms her as never before.

13^th Night:

Since the day she learned to put her ABCs together, Tara Conroy has been sharing a ghostly correspondence with the spirit world. One spirit, in particular, Darian, has been talking to her since she was twelve years old. His letters take a darker turn as she and her cousins hunt down killer Jeffrey Wiles.

Darian Barnes ran afoul of a witch in 1929 as the stock market crashed. She cursed him, and for nearly a century Darian has existed as a spirit, always seeing, never touching or experiencing, until one day he encountered Tara. For the first time in eighty years, someone could hear him. He watched over her, guiding, protecting and advising—always there when she needed a friend.

Now Darian and Tara must find a way to bring their love into the physical world and destroy Jeffrey Wiles once and for all…

Find it here.

More Contests and Releases!!

I am not the only Sapphire Blue Author with a new release... My friend Ann has a new release and she is also having a contest. Check out the details and support a fantastic author:

Help me celebrate my latest release from Sapphire Blue Publishing...

DESTRUCTION OF THE GREAT WALL by R. Ann Siracusa
Book 5 in the Tour Director Extraordinaire Series
Genre: Humorous Romantic Suspense
Buy Link: http://www.sapphirebluepublishing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=92&osCsid=251224fd11b8c58c9e678a8be7104d50

To enter a drawing for an eBookWise-1150 book reader, come to my website at http://www.rannsiracusa.com. Go to "Contact" and send me an e-mail with your name and e-mail address and you'll be entered for the drawing. [Or if you prefer not to send the e-mail address, please give me another way to contact you if you win.] Drawing on September 20. Winner will be contacted and the name will be posted on my website and FaceBook page . Check out the reader at http://www.ebookwise.com/ebookwise/ebookwise1150.htm

Excerpt
"Get down!" Will yelled over his shoulder. He fired off a six-shot burst as he dropped prone into the tall grass and out of sight. There was no other cover here-nowhere else to go.

Oo-kay, Harriet Ruby, this is no time to lose your cool. I dove onto my stomach after him, but not before I took a heavy painful blow to the chest.

"Aii!" My body slammed into the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me. The soft wet earth sent splatters of mud across my goggles.

With all the air whooshed out of my lungs, I couldn't breathe and lay there gasping for oxygen. I couldn't think.

Three projectiles whizzed past my head in rapid succession.

Ohmigod! Time to get out of here. Vision impaired, I scrambled in the direction I thought Will had gone. My elbows and knees dug into the ground, dragging my body on my stomach through the wet grass, my automatic weapon clutched in both hands in front of me.

Zing.

This was no fun at all. Where was he?

My heart pounded against my ribcage. Sharp pain stabbed through me with each breath. My aching hands knotted around my rifle. Black dots cavorted in front of my eyes and everything had fuzzy edges. I sucked in a big gulp of air­¾along with it a small bug.

"Aah-ugh!" I tried to spit it out but already the critter fluttered its wings in my throat.

Coughing, I buried my face against my arm to muffle the sound. Before I could stop hacking, a hand grasped my ankle and pulled me into a pit behind a bunker.

"Eek!" I smashed down on top of a warm body. A nice hard, well-muscled body. One I recognized by feel and scent. "You did that on purpose."

"Shh." Will waited long enough for both of us to relish our position, then rolled me off onto my rear end.

I pulled away and sat up, then collapsed with my back against the dirt wall of the ditch. He studied me for a long moment¾although I couldn't see his expression through the protective gear¾then pulled some sort of spy instrument out of his backpack and fiddled.

Damn these grim-faced, efficient, military types. At least today, he didn't have a razor-sharp crease in his camos. Shaking my head, I reached up to wipe the grime off my face with my sleeve. "Ow!"

Will crouched behind the bunker, peering into the tool, which now looked like a small periscope. He whipped around.

"You've been hit." His tight voice conveyed alarm.

Jeez, did he need to lighten up, or what?

I threw down my automatic Spyder MR2, pulled off my facemask and helmet, and sent them rattling to the ground beside the weapon.

"Right. And it hurts like the devil." I stared down at the damp red stain on the front of my shirt.

So check it out because her books are awesome. Wow, releases abound :)

A clubbed catfish

Okay... I was watching a movie that used the line, "Don't just stand there like a clubbed catfish."

I love that line. Stupification was never so prettily said as that. I picture a fish, flopping, desperatly trying to get air that then is clubbed.

PETA don't come after me. The only catfish I eat is from restaurants. Generally it involves breading. No clubs. But still, that is a very graphic line.

And a cowboy said it. They have some of the better euphemisms anyway.

That was not what I came to blog about. I sort of went off track. Realigning.

Okay, I posted a blog today of far more merit and class at the Sapphire Blue Publishing blogger.

Link here: http://sapphirebluepublishing.blogspot.com

That blog was about why we need romance. Aside from it making us have an excuse to eat chocolate. It has occurred to me that romance of the real variety is a great chocolate enterprise.

Get ready to follow my logic:

You fall in love. The other person buys you chocolate. For Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day, when they make you mad... it is a chocolate haven.

But then things go bad. You break up. You console yourself. With what?

That is right, my love. Chocolate.

So, things are fine and you are single for awhile. No longer do you need comfort food. But then those same holidays come creeping around.

Not only are they a bit of a bummer if you are single because there is no one to buy you chocolate (okay, and take you out on dates and what not, but we are talking about chocolate here. Stay on my Godiva chain of thinking here. Lindor. Lindt... mmm) but they are a bummer because everyone feels the need to point out to you that you should be bummed.

On the upside, there are post holiday clearance sales... on what? Chocolate. So you buy yourself some. Because you can. The logic you use? You would have eaten it in a relationship so you can rationalize away some truffles in a wave of cocoa bliss.

It is a vicious dark velvety sweet chain of events.

I think I will have some chocolate.

I have a big chocolate ganache covered peanut butter cheesecake. I will share.

Want some?

Hope you all eat a piece of lovely, melt on your tongue chocolate. And when you start to feel guilty about it... blame it on my blog. It is not your fault. I so totally planted the thought in your mind.

:)

*I won't tell that you wanted it anyway*

Oh, by the way... this blog has no calories. Totally fat free.
Unlike my butt.

:)