One Week 'Til Veiled Menace Giveaway!

Holy crap--how did it get to be a week before the release day for Veiled Menace already? First winter was lasting forever, then spring finally showed up, and now we're almost to release day, April 18th!

I hope you're as excited as I am. In case you haven't seen the blurb for VEILED MENACE, here's a quick glimpse into the second book in the Veiled Magic series:

Since Witches came out of the broom closet in the early twenty-first century, they have worked alongside humans as police officers, healers, stock traders, and more. But they aren’t the only paranormal entities in our world…

Witch and police officer Donata Santori is no stranger to magical mayhem, but lately her life has been unexpectedly charmed. Her job as a Ghost Yanker now includes the occasional paranormal investigation, and she’s advancing her magical abilities with the help of an ancestor’s treasured spell book. And while both of her former love interests—reclusive half-Dragon art forger Peter Casaventi and disgraced Shapechanger Magnus Torvald—are nowhere to be found, she’s not averse to being wined and dined by wealthy businessman Anton Eastman.

But Eastman isn’t what he seems, and what he wants from Donata is far more than she’s willing to give. When a mysterious relic, the Pentacle Pentimento, resurfaces, along with Peter’s Dragon father and a shocking Santori family secret, Donata must fight to save herself, her friends, and just maybe the fate of the world from a magic as old as it is dangerous…

 I love this cover sooooo much!

If you've been hanging around this blog for any time at all, you know what a book release means--GIVEAWAY!!!! Check out this cool bunch of goodies I've put together for you this time.

Goodies!

There's a notebook, postcards, and a magnet with the cover on them, a cute stuffed dragon (I just love these little guys), a broom pen, chocolate, and a $10 Amazon gift card so you can buy yourself a copy of the book to read. In fact, since it is only $4.99, if you haven't bought VEILED MAGIC yet, you can get them both!

As always, all you have to do is fill out this simple Rafflecopter form. And yes, you get to take credit for things if you've already done them in the past, like following the blog or following me on Twitter. Have fun, and be sure to come back the day before the book comes out for the BIG giveaway!

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Be sure to spread the word. *smooches*

Updates on Mystic, the Knee, and Other Stuff

So, it's April.

No, not this April. (Yes, I'm one of the people obsessively watching a pregnant giraffe. She lives in a park 45 minutes from me, for one thing. Also, this is my happy place right now. Don't judge.)

April, as in one year from the date when I twisted my knee really badly coming down the stairs and screwed it up beyond belief. (It turned out to be a bad bone contusion, which is a bunch of microfractures, plus I sprained every muscle, ligament, and tendon in the knee.) One year on, it is a lot better. I got to go back to the gym--carefully--in March, and I can actually kneel--carefully and on a soft surface. But I am not even close to "all better," which I expected to be by now. Knees. Argh. I'm still using ice and heat on it twice a day, doing PT exercises at home and going for ultrasound treatments at physical therapy, although that's about done with. Still, better this...

 Than this...

(Okay, I know they look pretty  much the same, but I haven't used the cane in ages, and if you look carefully, you can see that the knee in the second picture is about twice the size of the knee now.)

Many of you know that Mystic, the brother of Magic (and son of Minerva, who I lost March first a year ago) hasn't been doing well. As far as my vet can tell, it is a flare up of his continuing digestive issues (he has the kitty version of irritable bowel syndrome, poor boy). He's lost a lot of weight--although he's still a large cat--and doesn't have much appetite, which is unusual for him, to say the least. He's on prednisone and special food, but he clearly still doesn't feel well, and I'm spending a lot of time trying to get him to eat more. Still, he mostly acts like a healthy cat, and we haven't found anything dire (although it is always possible we're missing something), so I'm trying to stay positive.

Mystic last April

Mystic now. Yes, he's standing next to a box of tarot decks!

So mostly, we're doing the best we can and hanging in there. I'm working on Veiled Magic #3 and getting ready for Veiled Magic #2 (Veiled Menace) to come out in a little over two weeks!

And waiting for that silly giraffe to have her baby.

How are things with all of you?

One Month To Veiled Menace Giveaway Celebration

I can't believe it--Veiled Menace is coming out in less than one month! The book releases on April 18th, which is suddenly closer than I thought it was. Look out for various giveaways and other promos, including an exclusive excerpt, on a few different blogs, as well as here. In the meanwhile, let's start with this fun giveaway!

Veiled Menace notebook, postcard, magnet, a $10 Amazon gift card, a witch broom, and chocolate!

I put the gift card in there so the winner could buy a copy of the book if he or she wants to, although of course you could use it for anything you want. Since VEILED MAGIC (the first book in the series) and VEILED MENACE are each only $4.99, you could actually get them both! (If you haven't bought the first one yet.)

Entering is simple--just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. You can still click on things like "Follow the blog" for credit if you've already done it. And there is a special "fill in the blank" extra credit option where you can choose to do something nice for me, whether it is spreading the word so others will learn about the books, posting a review, or buying a book. (You don't need to do any of these options to be entered.)

The book is only out in eBook form, but if you don't have an eReader, you can always read it for free on your computer using the Kindle app. And I'll be giving away a Kindle Fire HD Tablet in my last giveaway here, as well as one on Fresh Fiction, so who knows, maybe you'll have one soon!

One last note: Berkley, my publisher, still hasn't decided whether or not to give me a contract for additional Rider or Baba Yaga books. If the pre-orders for this book are really good, it might help to give them a push in the right direction. Just sayin'.

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Good News Giveaway Post!

It seems like I'm spending a lot of time these days dealing with bad news, and trying not to spend too much time ranting on Facebook and Twitter :-) So I'm happy to have a bunch of good things to talk about. So happy, I'm doing a giveaway to celebrate. Some of you may have seen some of this stuff on Facebook, but I'm rounding it all up here today.

I have not one but TWO book cover reveals! One from Berkley for VEILED MENACE, the second book in the Veiled Magic series, coming out on April 18th (less than two  months away!) and up for preorder now.

I love it, don't you? Here's the blurb about the book:

Since Witches came out of the broom closet in the early twenty-first century, they have worked alongside humans as police officers, healers, stock traders, and more. But they aren’t the only paranormal entities in our world…

Witch and police officer Donata Santori is no stranger to magical mayhem, but lately her life has been unexpectedly charmed. Her job as a Ghost Yanker now includes the occasional paranormal investigation, and she’s advancing her magical abilities with the help of an ancestor’s treasured spell book. And while both of her former love interests—reclusive half-Dragon art forger Peter Casaventi and disgraced Shapechanger Magnus Torvald—are nowhere to be found, she’s not averse to being wined and dined by wealthy businessman Anton Eastman.

But Eastman isn’t what he seems, and what he wants from Donata is far more than she’s willing to give. When a mysterious relic, the Pentacle Pentimento, resurfaces, along with Peter’s Dragon father and a shocking Santori family secret, Donata must fight to save herself, her friends, and just maybe the fate of the world from a magic as old as it is dangerous…

 
The second cover reveal is for my next Llewellyn book, coming out October 8th. A Year and a Day of Everyday Witchcraft is part devotional, part book of shadows, and all fun.

Here's the blurb for that one (also available for preorder...just sayin').

Connect with your witchy self every day using small, easy, and fun practices. This book features quick and meaningful ways to integrate witchcraft into your daily life, inspiring you to take your magick to a new level whether you’re a beginning or experienced practitioner.
Deborah Blake guides you on a journey through the Wheel of the Year, providing witchy wisdom, affirmations, spells, questions to ponder, and much more. From connecting with nature to connecting with deities, A Year and a Day of Everyday Witchcraft explores a variety of modern Pagan practices to help you get more in touch with your personal path of witchcraft.

That cat looks to me like he is about ready to get into some trouble...there's something a little dangerous in his eyes.

Speaking of dangerous, DANGEROUSLY CHARMING is up for a couple of awards! How cool is that? The first Rider book is in the finals for "Favorite SF/Fantasy/Futuristic Romance at the Australian Romance Readers Awards (I love my Aussie readers!) and also as "Best Paranormal Romance of 2016" at RT Book Reviews (formerly Romantic Times). That second one is HUGE in the field of romance writing, and I am thrilled just to be nominated.

I've also decided that I'm going to go to the RWA National Convention in Orlando this July, and found out I'll be rooming with the fabulous Maria V. Snyder. So that's one more thing to look forward to. I hope I'll see a few of you there. Be sure to tell me if you're going.

With VEILED MENACE out in less than two months, it is obviously time to start celebrating! Are you with me? I have a few VEILED MAGIC goodies left over, including a totebag, a notebook, and a couple of small things, like one of my favorite witch broom pens. As usual, all you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. And yes, you get credit for things you have already done, like following the blog or following me on Twitter.

Of course, what I'd really love is for people to preorder the books, and put up reviews, and such. But I'm way too dignified to beg. WAY too dignified. *snort* So go ahead, just enter the contest and have fun. (Although if you want to do those other things too...)

Magic the Cat approves of this giveaway.

Good news for everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Birthday Not-Celebration Giveaway!

So, today, April 28th, is my birthday, and I'm not really celebrating.

Don't get me wrong--I have nothing against birthdays. Birthdays are cool. Turning 56 is a little yawnnnnnn... but mostly, I'm just not doing anything in particular, because, well, me.

For instance, my friend John is coming over tonight for a BBQ and to help me out in the garden because my twisted knee is still, you know, twisted. We'll hang out, eat yummy food, and watch a movie. But it doesn't have anything to do with my birthday. We would have done it anyway.

And the closest I came to getting myself a present was to spend money redoing my driveway. Yes, it is distinctly possible I suck at this. (pictures of driveway to follow)

Which is why the closest I am going to come to an actual celebration of my birthday is by giving away stuff to y'all. Just because that's the way I roll. I asked on Facebook if I should do a giveaway with a VEILED MAGIC theme, or a WICKEDLY POWERFUL theme, or one focused on the upcoming first Rider book, DANGEROUSLY CHARMING
and it was a tie between Veiled Magic and Dangerously Charming. (Thanks. Jeez.)

So here is the prize pack:

Birthday giveaway!

 The first few pieces of Dangerously Charming swag, including a notebook and a postcard magnet, plus another notebook and a tote bag for Veiled Magic, and a broom pen just because.

In case you were wondering what I wanted for my birthday (I know you were), I'd really love to get a few more reviews for Veiled Magic and Wickedly Powerful. So if you've read them, pretty please? Let everyone else know that you liked them?

And now, happy my birthday to you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Veiled Magic Update and Giveaway!

So it has been about two weeks since Veiled Magic came out, and people seem to like it. YAY!

I'm so happy, I decided to do another giveaway, just because I can. And to say thank you to all of you, for helping to make the book a success.

Look what I've got:

Veiled Magic prize pack!

There's a Veiled Magic tote bag and notebook, plus a postcard, and a broom pen, plus a cute stuffed dragon because, seriously, who doesn't need more cute? I might toss another couple of fun things in there too, you never know.

Here's a couple of cool screen grabs I took off of Amazon while I was (coff) NOT obsessively checking to see how the book was doing.

This was on the Tuesday a week after the book came out:

Rankings after a week

Good company!

The second one is Amazon's "Customers who bought this item also bought" list--OMG! I'm listed with Patricia Briggs, Jennifer Estep, and Ilona Andrews...now that's some good company to be in.

So tell me, did you get a copy? And if you did, have you read it yet? Did you like it? (Not that authors care about such things...just curious.) Or, you know, just comment on something.

Oh, here's some links...

Buying links:

Barnes & Noble |Amazon |Penguin

 

Next up, I'll be talking about the first book in the Riders series (a continuation of the Baba Yaga books, starring the Riders). And how the book tried to kill me.

Thanks so much to everyone who bought Veiled Magic, talked about it to their friends, or just cheered me on. You guys rock.

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Veiled Magic is Out!

Happy release day to me! (And to all of you who plan to read the book, of course.) I'm so pleased to welcome VEILED MAGIC to the world! Now I just have to keep myself from obsessively checking the Amazon rankings... Book release days are both fun and nerve wracking!

 Magic the Cat says, "I read it and really liked it. Well, I kind of liked it. At least there's a cat in this one."

Mystic wants to know if you're going to read it. He's curious that way.

Don't forget that you can read the prequel short story, originally published in The Pagan Anthology of Short Fiction, for free at my website! Dead and (Mostly) Gone

Here are a few handy Buy Links if you feel overcome by the sudden urge to go get yourself a copy.
AMAZON
B&N
IBOOKS

It's only available as an ebook, but you can download a free Kindle app on Amazon (right on the book's page) and read it on your computer if you don't have and eReader. (No, it won't be out in print any time soon, as far as I know, unless it sells like crazy.)

I hope that people love this one, because I sure do!

So tell me, what should I do to celebrate? And if you read it and like it, be sure to let me (and, you know, the rest of the world) know!

OMG! The book is out! Happy dance time!

One Week to Veiled Magic! Flash Giveaway!

I can't believe that VEILED MAGIC is out in a week! I have been waiting a long time for this book to make its way out into the world. (It was the book that got me my agent four years ago, but we didn't sell it until this year.) I'm a little excited. *dance dance dance* Ahem.

Have you preordered your copy yet? She asked, as if she didn't care what the answer was...

Barnes & Noble |Amazon |Penguin

Barnes & Noble |Amazon |Penguin

Barnes & Noble |Amazon |Penguin

Veiled Magic will only be out as an ebook, but if you don't have a reader, and don't happen to win one at my KINDLE FIRE HD GIVEAWAY (which ends on Friday, October 13th), you can still download it onto your computer using the free Kindle app. Just sayin'.

I know I already have a giveaway going on, but I can't let the one week mark go by without doing *something* now, can I? So I'm going to do a flash giveaway! This one is going to run until the end of the day (midnight EST) on Wednesday the 11th. The winner will get this:

A cool Veiled Magic mug!

As always, no purchase is necessary. This one is open to USA only, because of the shipping, but no worries, there will be plenty more giveaways coming up soon.

All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment on the blog. And since we're not using Rafflecopter for this one, be sure to leave an email or facebook name or some other way to get in touch with you if you win.

ONE WEEK!!!!!!! Who is excited?