Holy Crap It's Finally Done!

The manuscript for the first Riders novel, Dangerously Charming, is DONE! Finally. And I really mean finally. (I'll put up a longer blog about this later, but I'll just say that this book Did Not Want to Be Written.)

To say that I am happy and relieved would be a huge understatement. Of course, now that Mikhail Day's story is done, I have to jump right into writing Gregori Sun's novel.

You know, after the third Baba Yaga book comes out next Tuesday and I leave for Coastal Magic Convention on Wednesday.

In the meanwhile, though, this is me, twirling around shouting DONE! DONE! DONE!

Wickedly Powerful Kindle Giveaway Celebration

A week! WICKEDLY POWERFUL is out in a week!

*insert author happy dance here*

Obviously, we have to celebrate. Right? So how about one more giveaway to keep us occupied while we wait for release day?

You know what would be the perfect giveaway? One of those new Kindle Fires that Amazon just came out with. Plus a $10 gift card so that the winner can buy both Wickedly Powerful and Wickedly Ever After, the novella that came out on the 19th. (I'm assuming that one or two of you haven't actually bought it yet, as shocking as that concept might be.)

I think Magic approves.

Everyone who thinks that's a great idea, raise your hand. Or, you know, just enter the contest.

Don't forget to spread the word (pretty please) and to review any of the books once you've read them (pretty, pretty please--you have no idea how helpful this is to an author...you know, unless you hate the book, in which case, you don't have to bother).

And I will probably be doing flash giveaways here and on Facebook, and maybe even on Twitter, so be sure to keep checking back. Don't worry, once this novel is out, it is going to be ages before the next one comes out, so we'll go back to boring blog posts about my life and cute pictures of cats. Just in case you were getting tired of giveaways...

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So tell me, are you excited that release day is almost upon us?

Wickedly Ever After Release Day & Giveaway!

The long wait is finally over! All you lovely folks who have been waiting patiently since last December (2014, not 2015) when Wickedly Wonderful came out now have not just one but two new installments in the Baba Yaga series!

The third novel, Wickedly Powerful, will be out in two weeks, on February 2nd. But in the meanwhile, look what's out TODAY!

It's here!

Wickedly Ever After is a novella that picks up after the end of Wickedly Powerful and shows us what happened to the first Baba Yaga, Barbara, after the ending of her own book, Wickedly Dangerous. Did I mention it is only $1.99?! That's cheaper than a cup of coffee.

Blurb:

Known as the wicked witch of Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga is not one woman, but rather a title carried by a chosen few. They keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world, but don’t make the mistake of crossing one…

 Having triumphed over a powerful enemy and ended up with both a wonderful guy—Sheriff Liam McClellan—and an adorable adopted daughter to raise as a Baba Yaga, Barbara Yager is ready to welcome her happily ever after. But first she must bring Liam to the Otherworld and get the Queen’s permission to marry him. The Queen, however, is not so easily persuaded. She gives them three impossible tasks to complete in two weeks’ time—and if they fail Barbara will have to watch Liam slowly age and die like all humans, and kiss her happily ever after good-bye forever.

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble |Amazon |Penguin

Naturally, we have to celebrate with a giveaway, right? Use the Rafflecopter form to enter. As always, no purchase is necessary, although you get extra points for buying a book (or leaving a review, which is a huge help). Don't forget to leave a comment, too.

This one is open to everyone, everywhere! Check out this cool prize pack!

Cute little fire dragon, a huge tote with Wickedly Powerful on one side and the other two novels on the reverse, a Wickedly Powerful notebook, a cool "Be Wicked" broom all the way from France, and some nifty swag!

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There will be plenty of other giveaways coming up, too, both here and on blogs where I am guesting to promote the book, so be sure to check back often. Happy novella release day! Tell me, have you read any of the previous books? If so, which book (or which Baba Yaga) is your favorite?

Minerva

You might have noticed that I haven't put up a new post since last Monday's celebration of Magic the Cat and her brother Mystic's birthday, even though I have a novella coming out Tuesday 19th and a novel February 2nd. Normally I would have been doing all sorts of promo and giveaways, as anyone who is here on a regular basis knows.

Instead, my week pretty much got swallowed up by an unexpected cat crisis.

Last Sunday, Magic and Mystic's mom, Minerva, stopped eating. If you have cats, you know this is a Bad Sign. She nibbled on breakfast, threw up a couple of times, and refused dinner altogether. At around 15 (we don't know her exact age because her previous owners dumped her at the shelter when she got pregnant, but since the kittens just turned 14, we can guess she is either 14 or 15 herself, depending on how old she was when she got knocked up), she is the oldest of my cats, and while 15 isn't elderly for an indoor cat, it ain't young either.

Minerva curled up with her kittens in happier times. She's on the right.

So Monday we went to the vet's and hung around until her vet, the lovely Doctor Baker, could see her. Blood tests and temp were fine, but an X-ray showed a severe constipation blockage. They gave her fluids and some stool softener and we went home. But the next day she still wasn't eating, so we went back and she had to have a kitty enema, fluids, and other fun stuff. (Ugh. Sorry. TMI) Plus more tests, of course. I picked her up after work and we went home again. But by Wednesday morning, she still wasn't eating or drinking, so we had to go back, and this time she was hospitalized so they could put her on an IV and give her appetite stimulants and run MORE tests. Older kitties just don't bounce back from things as well as young ones do, and her system was shutting down. It was pretty scary.

I don't feel well. Lemme alone.

 I stopped by after work on Thursday and they unhooked her from the IV so we could visit. She'd eaten a little in the morning, and then ate more for me. She also purred a lot (I'm pretty sure she was happy to see me).

By Friday afternoon, she was finally well enough to come home, with even more medicine (and a bill the size of the national debt). She spent most of the rest of the day following me around and sitting on my lap. Definitely happy to be home. Thankfully, she's been eating well ever since. Whew.

So that's what happened to MY week. I'm just happy she's home and doing okay, and I promise I'll be back to yelling about the new books as of tomorrow. (And I'm already doing it on Facebook and Twitter, at least a little bit.) I've got all sorts of fun stuff planned, so be sure to pop in and see. There are going to be giveaways here and on other blogs, and all sorts of good stuff.

In the meanwhile I'm going to do a quickie cat calendar themed giveaway to celebrate starting a new year, and throw in a copy of the new Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook (which I have some fun contributions in) just for the heck of it. Hopefully the rest of the year will be a LOT better than the last week was. Nothing but good times ahead.

To be entered, leave a comment here and I will pick a random winner Monday at midnight.

And a big thanks to all who sent their good wishes and healing energy on Facebook during this difficult time. It meant a lot to me.

Magic the Cat's Birthday Giveaway!

I can't believe it, but my "kittens" are turning 14! Yes, it is Magic the Cat (Queen of the Universe) and her brother Mystic's birthday on Monday the 11th. How could we not celebrate?

Weren't they adorable when they were babies?

Mystic thinks maybe you should all give him flowers. Or, you know, treats.

Magic is hard at work being my co-author and supervisor, even on her birthday.

That's mom Minerva in the background, probably also thinking, "How can they be 14?!"

I got Magic, Mystic, and their mom Minerva from a local shelter (14 years ago this coming March, since the kittens were about 8 weeks old when I brought them and mom home). Best thing I ever did.

Do you have rescue kitties? (Or dogs?) Do you celebrate your animals' birthdays, if you know which day they are? Feel free to wish Magic and Mystic a happy birthday. If you read the Llewellyn books, you can also tell Magic which one of the ones she co-wrote (all the A-Z books) you liked best.

Here's the giveaway prize! This one only runs for a couple of days, since we have to get back to talking about the upcoming Baba Yaga novella and book. (Snort.)

Tote bag, stuffed black kitty, Magic the Cat magnet!

Happy birthday, babies!

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Two Weeks!

I can't believe the next Baba Yaga novella, Wickedly Ever After, is out two weeks from today!

Are you excited? I'm excited!

Blurb:

Known as the wicked witch of Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga is not one woman, but rather a title carried by a chosen few. They keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world, but don’t make the mistake of crossing one…

 Having triumphed over a powerful enemy and ended up with both a wonderful guy—Sheriff Liam McClellan—and an adorable adopted daughter to raise as a Baba Yaga, Barbara Yager is ready to welcome her happily ever after. But first she must bring Liam to the Otherworld and get the Queen’s permission to marry him. The Queen, however, is not so easily persuaded. She gives them three impossible tasks to complete in two weeks’ time—and if they fail Barbara will have to watch Liam slowly age and die like all humans, and kiss her happily ever after good-bye forever.

Buy Links

Barnes & Noble |Amazon |Penguin

New Year, New Giveaway!

Well, folks, it's 2016. Holy crap.

Any big plans?

I've got all sorts of things planned for at least the first part of the new year, although I'm not as sure what's happening later on. Let's see...

I've got the next Baba Yaga novella, WICKEDLY EVER AFTER coming out on January 19th (you can keep track by checking the release tracker at the top of the blog). I have to admit I am really excited about this story, since it shows us what happens to Barbara and Liam and little Babs after the end of Wickedly Dangerous. Plus, Berkley is only pricing it at $1.99, which is great, don't you think?

Then just a couple of weeks later, the next Baba Yaga novel will be out! WICKEDLY POWERFUL is the story of Bella, the third of the Baba Yagas, and I can't wait until you meet her on February 2nd!

I'm not planning to travel as much in 2016 as I did in 2015, but I will be in Daytona Beach in early February for Coastal Magic. I hope I get to see a few of you there, since I hear from my friends who have gone in previous years that it is a lot of fun. Plus, you know, beach in Florida in February :-) I'll also be at Albacon in Albany, March 4th through 6th.

Mostly though, I'll be working on the first two Rider books for the next trilogy in the Baba Yaga series (it will be called The Broken Rider series, but it is still a continuation of the ongoing story, and the Babas will make appearances in each Rider book). And hopefully finding some time for fun and rest and you know, going to the gym because of all the holiday cookies...

What do you plan to do in 2016? Anything fun or interesting?

I thought I'd kick us off with the first giveaway of the year. It's a two-parter, in fact. There is a main prize pack, featuring a calendar with pictures of my cats and my books, plus signed copies of Wickedly Dangerous and Wickedly Wonderful, a fun stuffed dragon, and some of the usual swag (bookmarks, postcards, etc.) And then there will be a second, smaller prize, with a smaller version of the calendar, a signed copy of Everyday Witchcraft, and some more swag.

Main prize pack!

Big calendar and small calendar

Magic is approving the book giveaway for the 2nd prize

 As usual, no purchase is necessary (although you score extra points if you preorder the novella or the new novel, and you get extra points and my eternal gratitude if you post a NEW FOR 2016 review of any of the books). Commenting here will also get you extra points, so don't forget to tell me what you plan or hope to do in the coming year. And yes, this one is open to everyone, everywhere, just because I love you all so!

Happy New Year, and may 2016 bring you everything you desire and more than you could ever have dreamed of...

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