Big News Announcement and Holiday Greetings

I know I have been a little scarce lately, but things have been crazy this year. Crazier, I should say. And December is always something of a wild ride, between running The Artisans’ Guild (50 artists, retail in December, ‘nuff said), making jewelry, and all the regular holiday stuff. Plus upstate NY winter and sick cats. But I’m going to try and catch up on all the news, starting with the big announcement I’ve been sitting on for a few weeks.

NEW BOOK CONTRACT!

In Friday’s Publishers Marketplace, there will be this announcement:

Non-fiction: Religion/Spirituality

Deborah Blake's A MODERN WITCHCRAFT PRIMER: GODDESS EMPOWERMENT FOR THE KICK-ASS WOMAN, a comprehensive guidebook to witchcraft as a female-focused religion, including detailed instructions on how to practice self-care in today's society through goddess worship and magic, to Daniela Rapp at St Martin's Essentials, in a nice deal, by Elaine Spencer at The Knight Agency.

That’s right; I signed a contract for my first mainstream nonfiction book, with St. Martin’s Press. This is really exciting for a couple of reasons. It will allow me to reach an entirely new audience, and hopefully help a lot of women who are trying to find ways to feel more empowered in an increasingly overwhelming world. Don’t worry, though—this doesn’t mean there will never be another Llewellyn book. This is simply a fork in the road, not an entirely new path. Still, it is VERY cool, and of course, I’ll be celebrating with a giveaway! 

Celebration Giveaway!

 Check it out: A Fire tablet, a signed copy of The Little Book of Cat Magic, a broom pen, a regular pen, a stuffed dragon, a black cat bookmark, and an assortment of other bookmarks!

We’re also shopping a contemporary women’s fiction book, and I’m working on the next book in the Baba Yaga series, which I hope to self-publish in the new year, other contracts allowing.

For those of you who are still holiday shopping for Yule and/or Christmas, I’ve got a bunch of fun things up on my (mostly moribund for the last few years) Etsy shop. There’s some jewelry (Pagan and otherwise), some signed books and tarot decks (usually with other goodies), and due to numerous requests, I’ve also created some spell kits for Opening to Love, Protection and Strength, Healing and Peace, and Prosperity. The kits are available in either lovely carved wood boxes or pretty organza bags, with or without signed books. You can check it out here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/deborahblake

Keep in mind that we’re getting close to the holidays, and even with priority mail, I’ll need a few days to get things to you. So if there is something that strikes your fancy, order it soon.

 

 What the spell kits look like.

I’ll be doing an end-of-year wrap-up in a couple of weeks, but in the meanwhile, I wish you all a Blessed Yule, a Merry Christmas (a belated Happy Hanukkah) and all the joy in the world.

And now to the giveaway! As usual, all you have to do to enter is fill in the Rafflecopter form. No purchase necessary. Maybe you'll end up with an extra gift for yourself this holiday season.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Release Day for Dangerously Driven!

It’s finally here! As promised, I’ve written a Broken Riders reunion novella featuring all three brothers. (And the Baba Yagas too.) It takes place after the events of Alexei’s book, DANGEROUSLY FIERCE, which came out earlier this year. The brothers have all finally found new lives, but there is still something missing—each other.

 Here is the back cover copy:

The Riders…three legendary brothers who were born to aid the Baba Yagas, until tragedy changed everything. Separated by guilt and circumstance, they will finally have a chance to come back together. But what will happen when they do?

Neither Mikhail, Alexei, nor Gregori are enthusiastic about the invitation to join the three Baba Yagas at Bella’s home in the Wyoming woods. But Bella and her apprentice Jazz have just spent a year in the Otherworld after Jazz’s disastrous attempt to cure the Riders’ loss of their immortality, so it isn’t really a summons any of them can refuse. As much as they might wish they could.

Each brother has his own reason to feel guilty, and they all mourn what they have lost despite having built themselves rewarding new lives. None of them is quite ready for a reunion. But they no longer have all the time in the world. So they get on their enchanted steeds (now a black Harley, a red Ducati, and a white Yamaha) and head out across the country, never expecting the adventures that lie ahead.

The brothers travel different roads to get to Wyoming, but they all end up on the same path. A surprise visit from an old friend might just show them that the journey is more important than the destination…especially when you travel it with those you love.

 Here are some buy links. It will be out in paperback too, hopefully within a few days. For now, you can find the ebook at most places. 
ETA: The print version is out now! Amazon--PRINT VERSION

 Amazon

 Barnes and Noble

 iBooks

Did I mention that the eBook version is only $2.99?

I think the ending might come as a surprise… I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it. Up next, maybe another Baba Yaga book? I have some ideas. Bwahahaha.

Of course, since it is a book release day, there will be a celebration giveaway! Pretty please help me to spread the word and also, if you read the novella and like it, don’t forget to take a minute to leave a quick review at Amazon, B&N, and/or Goodreads. Thanks so much!

Look what I'm giving away!

Harry Dresden thought I should give away a Fire HD Tablet, since most people will be reading this as an ebook.

Koshka, on the other paw, thought I should give away a signed copy of Dangerously Fierce, along with a bookmark and a magnet.

Then the photo shoot descended into chaos.

So I decided I'd pick two winners, and give away both!

I figured y'all would be okay with that.

As usual, all you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form. If you're already doing something (like following the blog or following me on Twitter) you definitely get to count that. No purchase necessary, although of course I'd love it if you'd buy a copy of the book! I can only keep putting them out if they do well enough to justify it. *smooches*

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Huge Giveaway for Dangerously Divine Release Day

It's almost here! Those of you who read Dangerously Charming back when it came out in October of 2016 have been waiting patiently for the second book in the Broken Riders series, and your patience is finally going to be rewarded! Dangerously Divine, Gregori's story, is coming out on November 28th, and I don't know about you all, but I am a little excited!

So naturally, I'm doing a big ol' giveaway. There are three prizes: a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card, a signed copy of the book, and the grand prize of a Kindle Fire 7 Tablet. Woot! I think Magic the Cat approves.

 I'm also going to be all over the interwebs in the next week and a half, doing guest blogs, and answering questions, and posting excerpts, and giving away Amazon gift cards, so be sure to check in at the following sites:

Fresh Fiction (November 21-Dec 15) $25 Amazon card Giveaway!
Literary Escapism (November 24th) Short short story about Gregori & $25 Amazon card Giveaway!
The Qwillery (November 25th) Excerpt and  $10 Amazon card Giveaway!
I Smell Sheep (November 26th) Spotlight and $25 Amazon card Giveaway! 
Bookalicious Babes Blog  (November 27th 5PM) Taking part in Tawna Fenske's release day event on Facebook. I'll be on the page giving things away and chatting for a half an hour at 5PM EST (2PM PST)
FangTastic Books  (November 28th--Release day!) Guest blog post and FIRE 7 TABLET Giveaway
Harlequin Junkie (November 29th) Q & A

There will probably be a few other things too, but my wonderful publisher is also doing a giveaway on both Rider books through November 24th. Enter HERE
 As well as a Goodreads giveaway of BOTH Riders books (through Nov 26th) HERE

 But in the meanwhile, be sure to enter my giveaway here too. As always, no purchase is necessary, and all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form. Yes, you get credit for things you have already done, like following me on Twitter (you do, don't you?). Counting down the days until Dangerously Divine is out in the world!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reinventing Ruby Celebration Giveaway

My new novel, REINVENTING RUBY went live on Monday, and I'm really excited about the positive reception it's getting. (Some of you have asked if it will be out in print, and the answer is "Yes, we're working on it. Soon.")

So I asked Magic the Cat how we should celebrate and this was her answer:

Kindle Fire!!!! (Ignore the messy desk.)

Yes, it's giveaway time again! I'll have another one soon with some themed items relating to the book, but I want to give people a little time to read first.

Read me!

As always, just use the Rafflecopter form below. (Yes, you get to take credit for things like following the blog if you've already done it.) No purchase is necessary, although of course I'll love you forever if you actually buy the book. It's also REALLY important to get those first few reviews out there, so if you did read it and liked it, I'd be seriously grateful if you'd put up a review at places like Amazon, Goodreads, and B&N. Just spreading the word is helpful too. Have I mentioned recently how much I love my readers?

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Fire HD Tablet Giveaway to Celebrate Book Release!

THIS IS IT, PEOPLE! This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill! VEILED MENACE is out this week on Tuesday, April 18th. Whoo hooo! The second in the Veiled Magic series, the book is filled with magic and romance and well, menace. I really hope you like it.

I'll be showing up at a few different other blogs this week, usually with fun giveaways there too, plus extras like exclusive excerpts, in case you'd like to get a peek at the book before laying out your hard earned $4.99

Check out the first chapter and a contest at Literary Escapism to get you started.

But the big giveaway is right here. I know that some people are disappointed that VEILED MENACE is only available as an eBook, so I am giving away a FIRE HD TABLET plus a $10 Amazon gift card so one lucky winner can run right out and get the book (or, you know, any book, really).

As always, cat not included.

The giveaway at Literary Escapism!

I hope you'll join me this week in celebrating the release of my seventh novel (not counting novellas).

Can I get a WOOT!!!?

Here's the Rafflecopter contest form. Just fill it out (and yes, you get credit for things like joining the blog or following me on Twitter if you've already done them). *No purchase necessary, ever.

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Gratitude Giveaway and Year's End Summary

Well...this has been a year, hasn't it? Lots of good things, and lots of bad, alas. But in the end, I am still so grateful for all I have. And especially grateful for YOU, my friends, readers, and fans. So I'm doing one last giveaway this year for no reason other than to say thank you for taking this journey with me. Thank you for buying my books, and for putting up reviews (really, THANK YOU), and for generally spreading the word and being supportive. Y'all make the hard work worth it. So I'm doing this:

Carried away? Moi? Never.

So, here's this year in review--briefly, because otherwise we'll be here all day.
Good stuff:
Well, I had two books out, which is great. WICKEDLY POWERFUL was the third Baba Yaga novel, which was then followed by DANGEROUSLY CHARMING the first Rider novel.

BOOKS!

Got to go visit my friends in Connecticut, got visits from pal Bethany and her charming hubby Jarrod, and my stepdaughter Jenn, and FINALLY met long-time author pal Alex Bledsoe in person at Robercon (where I also got to hang out with the fabulous Tamora Pierce, which is always a joy).

Terry and Glenn in Connecticut

Jarrod, Bethany, and me

My kid and her two moms (no, not THAT kind of two moms)

Alex, me, and the fab Tammy

Plus, of course, the tarot deck is coming out any minute, so that might end up counting toward this year too.

Mind you, there was a lot of not great stuff too. I lost Mystic and Magic's mother Minerva in March (wow, that's a lot of M's). Had to rehome little Luna, because she couldn't adjust to the other cats (although she IS blissfully happy at her new house and I get to visit often). Angus was sick for months with an eye infection, then Mystic got seriously ill and almost died. (They both got better. That definitely counts toward the "good" column.) I seriously hurt my knee on the first of April, and it is still taking it's slow time recovering, and then I got shingles (which are brought on by stress, so I blame the election, plus all that other stuff...). Plus, you know, life.

Overall, I'd have to say it was a pretty tough year, where the not-so-great stuff often overwhelmed the great. But I survived and have hopes that next year will be better. And in the meanwhile, I still have a lot to be grateful for, including all of you. So thanks! And now, I'm going to do one last giveaway for the year, just because I can. Maybe it will finish off a few other people's years right.

Here's what we've got! A Fire tablet, a set of ALL FOUR BOOKS (signed, of course), winner's choice of one of three book cover notebooks, and a Deborah Blake calendar for 2017 plus a broom pen to write in it with. Four prizes, four winners. Woot!

No, Magic the Cat doesn't come with the prizes.

Winner gets his or her pick!

No, Angus doesn't come with the prize either. But his picture is in the calendar.

As always, all you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. You get credit for anything you've already done, like following the blog, or signing up for my newsletter. And because it is my big end-of-year giveaway, I'm opening it up internationally. There is no purchase required, although of course, if you want to give ME a year's end present and buy one of my books, or put up a review for one you read, I won't tell you not to!

Good luck, thanks for everything, and happy holidays, whichever one you happen to celebrate.

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Fire HD Tablet Giveaway! One Week Until Dangerously Charming

I can't believe after all the waiting, Dangerously Charming is finally going to be out in ONE WEEK, on Tuesday October 4th. *bounce* bounce* bounce*

Obviously, this means I have to pull out the biggest giveaway celebration of them all! I mean, if you guys don't mind. [Waits to hear protests...] Okay then. So here we go.

I'm giving away one big prize and two smaller ones:

Magic is very excited to give away a Fire HD Tablet. No, you don't get the cat.

Want a tablet? Of course you do!

But just in case you don't win the big prize, I am also giving away one of the cool Dangerously Charming key chains I had made up, plus one of the few remaining ARCs (advanced reader copies) of the books.

Look at the little motorcycle!

Collector's item!

Plus I'll be showing up at guest blogs with giveaways, and doing flash giveaways on Facebook and Twitter (and maybe here) over the next couple of weeks, so be sure to check in often.

I hope you'll help me out by spreading the word about the book, buying a copy or asking your local library to get one, reviewing it ASAP if you do read it, or reviewing any of the earlier books if you've read them. All those things are SO helpful, and I really, really appreciate each and every one.

Don't forget that my publisher has put up a GOODREADS GIVEAWAY of 15 copies, that ends on Thursday the 30th, PLUS, I am giving away another Fire Tablet over on Flash Fiction, also ending at the end of the month. You can enter that one HERE.

I'm getting really excited about having this book finally come out into the world. I hope you'll celebrate with me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Goodies, Good News, and Giveaways

As of Tuesday September 20th, we're two weeks away from the release of the first Rider book, DANGEROUSLY CHARMING! (And not to get you excited or anything, but the print version is on sale right now at Amazon. Click the link to see.) What does that mean? Well, sadly, it means that for the next two weeks you are going to get a whole lot of me saying, "OMG, did you see this giveaway?" On the up side, GIVEAWAYS! But feel free to just wander away for the next few weeks and come back after, if you get bored. I promise I won't take it personally.

The truth is, for those of you who don't know much about the business end of publishing, the advance pre-orders and the sales in the first week that the book is available tend to pretty much make-or-break the success of the book. (Which doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it later, if that's what works for you!) For those of you who have been asking me if Berkley is going to buy the third book in the Riders series (they've already bought the second one, DANGEROUSLY DIVINE, out in November 2017), that first week may well decide it. But that's only part of why I'm doing so much promotional work on DANGEROUSLY CHARMING. I love this book, and I hope you'll love it too, and it is just possible I got a little carried away buying swag and goodies. I'm not quite sure how I'll give them all away. But I'm going to give it my best shot!

So, here is a sneak peak at a few of the goodies I'm going to be giving away both here on my blog and elsewhere :-)

Tote bags and notebooks and magnets OH MY

Specially made Dangerously Charming key chains with little motorcycles

Amazon gift cards

Advanced Reader Copies

All of these are in limited supply, so I'm going to have to pick and chose where I give them away, but I also have two of these:

Not the cat. There is only one Magic the Cat, Queen of the Universe

Yes, those are Kindle Fire HD Tablets!

I'm giving the first one away at Fresh Fiction, in a contest going on all month HERE. The other one will be given away here on my blog at a giveaway that runs the last week, starting Tuesday, September 27th, so be sure to check back.

My lovely publisher Berkley is giving away FIFTEEN COPIES of the book on Goodreads, in a giveaway that ends on the 30th. (USA only, alas.) Check it out HERE

I'm also going to be bopping around the Interwebs, showing up at various places in the next few weeks, almost all of which will also include giveaways. I'll try and remember to keep you posted. But you definitely will want to check out LITERARY ESCAPISM on September 28th, since I've written a short-short story featuring Mikhail Day, just for them. (And you.)

Tune in tomorrow to see what I'm giving away here on the blog next. You know, unless you're bored already with this...

OMG, he's PERTY

 Oh, and the good news part. I can't remember if I shared this here yet or not (between the writing and the promo, I'm kind of fuzzy). RT Reviews gave DANGEROUSLY CHARMING a 4 1/2 star review and named it a Top Pick for October. This is a really big deal, and made me uber-happy. It might have also caused me to get a bit carried away with the goodies... So blame them.

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?