Strange Allies takes a bow (for now) #ItsNotGoodbye #ItsUntilLater #authorlife #urbanfantasy #contemporaryfantasy #paladins #vampires

The Strange Allies series is taking a break

Sunday, March 13, 2022 is the last day these titles will be at stores.

Since I was originally writing the published versions of the Strange Allies series in 2017/2018, my publisher would like a refresh/rebranding. 

A few original paperbacks will remain because it's not as easy to remove them as ebooks, and the series set will still be for sale - in case anyone read one or two books and wants the rest - but the individual titles will disappear. For how long?

I don't know. 

You may not have seen before, but I live with chronic pain and fatigue, so I can't do the 8-12 hour days some writers do. Please be patient with me.

The STRANGE ALLIES Collection - all 5 books $9.99  

Apple | Amazon | BN | Scribd | Kobo | GP | SW | Goodreads | 

Set aside the entire weekend before starting this collection because you are not going to want to put it down. This series has action, intrigue, and revelations keeping you glued to the page wanting more. 

This box set contains I, Paladin, Never Trust A Vampire, Cycle of Rebirths, Vampire Sacrifice, and A Paladin’s Secrets.

This series is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

#ThrowbackThursday - here's an interview from 2016

Dug up some old interviews and...

This one was hosted by author Tracey Clark back on January 1, 2016.

1. Do you have a favorite book baby?
A future Agent Seven book that hasn’t been released, yet. Writing it got me through some tough times. When nothing else was coming to me, I could work on that.

2. Which series flows so much easier that you find yourself telling the voices that they must give the other series some air time?
Well, the first drafts of several Children of Ossiria stories have been written a long time and publishing them in 2016 is my priority.

3.Do you have any writing quirks that you are willing to share? (like I have a tendency to write long hand then move to the computer, just something that frees your mind to think and connect the dots)
I need quiet to write. The quiet hum of my computer or the AC is fine, but anything else is totally distracting, which means much of my writing has happened in the middle of the night. I’ve lived more vampire hours as a writer than not!

4. Do you enjoy creating anything other than your word babies?
I recently took up drawing/sketching. I post finished projects on Facebook. I’ve tried out most any craft over the years. I can crochet and cross stitch. I don’t have a sewing machine anymore, but I used to sew. I’ve painted simple projects in the past. Just about anything you can pick up from a Michael’s store, I’ve probably tried it. I like working with my hands.

5. Where does your love of supernatural/paranormal/fantasy come from? Or is it something that has always been with you?
Always, as far back as I can remember. Sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes, all that stuff. My parents were geeks.

6. You have been drafted to compete in a triathlon, with the option to ask one of your characters to take your place. Which of them would step up, and who would run screaming? Which one would you ask first, and why?
Agent Seven, Della, would probably do it if I asked nicely. The vampires can’t because of that whole pesky sunlight issue. Carys, from PROTECTOR, would say no way. She’s not into marathon exercise.

7. What would you suggest to other writers when it comes to participating in a writing community? What are your hard and fast rules?
Communities all vary, so if you join up, observe for a while before jumping in. Helps prevent stepping on any toes. Follow the rules set by the group. Contribute help where you can.

8. Do you have any co-authors? Human or of the four legged variety?
No. And my cat isn’t allowed on my desk. Otherwise, my keyboard would’ve stopped working a long time ago!

9. How do you deal with writer’s doubt?
Talk (whine) to my closest peeps. Give myself a break. Know it’s normal and everyone has it. Distract myself with something fun. Someone with zero doubts is delusional. The best books of all time still get low reviews, so….

Family - What I Really Write About #fiction #writing #meaning

Family

I write in a paranormal setting with vampires and witches and shapeshifters (oh my!), but the heart of my work is family - and all that can mean and entail. It's human nature to bond, so if we don't have blood family, we gather people around us.

Blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood.

In the Strange Allies series, Della has a higher calling, but making sure her mother is taken care of always comes first, and she feels horrible every time she has to lie to her mother about her job. It's been the two of them since she was five years old, so leaving home is painful. Because Della isn't a normal girl, there will be no college graduation ceremony, no wedding to a nice man, and no grandbabies for her mother to spoil, but she'll let her mother hold on to those dreams as long as possible.

In the Children of Ossiria series, Carys starts out fiercely independent. She's able to do anything she wants when she decides to do it, so accepting increased burdens and letting people in is something she struggles with since it brings the risk of loss. Making friends is easy, but falling in love is the last thing she wanted to do for a while. Enter William.

In Outcast, Michael becomes a young father, but he's also a paladin, and the supernatural world is no place for an infant. His daughter it sent to live with her grandparents, but despite still technically in his teens at the start of the book, he's committed to knowing her and making sure she grows up with the best they can do.


How do you keep your family safe in a world of monsters?
Is having a family - blood or otherwise - a blessing or a liability?
What if your children have greater destinies that cannot be avoided?


These and more questions are the issues my characters face in all of my books.

Background: I have no close family. My parents and grandparents are gone. I've never married and never had children. My closest friends all live outside California, so it's me and Scrapper, the cat that sheds enough to make more cats. At 39, I'm okay with a quiet life, but it was a lot harder to deal with in my twenties, so my characters get to explore questions and avenues I never got to do.

#Caturday #6 - Flirt!

Caturday #6

Scrapper has a 'man cave', a box he scratches up inside, sleeps in, and often stows toys inside:

One of his gray fur toys is behind his tail.

But this happened after the flash went off:

Such a ham! He'll flirt endlessly as long as someone's paying attention to him.

#Caturday #5 - Hamming It Up

Caturday #5

Since it's summer, Scrapper is sleeping on the tile at the front door to cool off. He's so cute when he sleeps:

This is what he did after the flash went off:

Such a ham! He stayed in this pose until I was done taking the photo.

#Caturday #4 - Pleasantly Plump

Caturday #4

This is probably Scrapper at his chubbiest. Food is his favorite thing ever and when I had two cats, I couldn't ration Scrapper without slighting the skinny one. But Scrapper also got chubby, like, overnight when he was 18 months old and filled out. He looked like a scrawny runt, then bam - big cat! He's twice the size of the 7lb average.

He's been an only cat for a couple years now, though, and I switched his food to a leaner high-quality variety.

#Caturday #3 - Belly Rubs

Caturday #3

This is probably Scrapper's most common position. He's very warm, even for a cat, so he's usually spread-Eagle - and begging for a belly rub. You could pet him until he was bald and he'd still want more!

#Caturday #2 - Happy 4th of July!

Caturday #2

Happy Independence Day!

Scrapper is a big ball of cat and the opposite of independent. Sleeping is one of his favorite things, behind food and getting his belly rubbed.

He only hides his face like this when his nose is cold or he's really trying to sleep undisturbed.

#Caturday #1 - Meet Scrapper

 Meet Scrapper

This was taken years ago, but he still looks the same. He's 12 as of May 22, very talkative, and an Olympic-level shedder.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Have fun, be safe, and stay dry. I've heard a lot of places are expecting rain tonight.

What was your favorite costume? I've been a hobo, a cowgirl, a Goth...I'm sure I was a princess at least once as a little girl.

Writing...

982 words writing out of sequence on a book I won't get to for a long time. Heh. But if it's in my head, it's in my head. At least I did something!

I struggle with drafting books at times. Words can come as feast or famine. My first year of writing stories, I put down a LOT of words. A couple hundred thousand. And my fastest, longest continuous writing binge was 27,000 words in 24 hours. I don't recommend that, though, as at least in my case, I was out of words for the next month. Like I could hardly communicate with people after that, heh. Makes one feel pretty stupid at the time - "Sorry, I broke my brain."

So, in 2014, years and books later, I sometimes fear I've run out of words, or at least ideas. I haven't had that wondrous flow of creativity for a long time, and I'm not sure how to find it again. If I had room for crafting in the house, I might tap into it in an alternate way, but that's not currently possible. So, I continue to struggle and try my best. 

And be thankful for the words when they come.

TV Shows I Watch

So, my bio says I like TV. Here are the shows I currently keep up with:


Saturdays: 1st Look, Open House, and Open House NYC

Sundays: Southern At Heart, Resurrection, Crisis

Mondays: The Voice, Beauty and the Beast, Dallas, Castle, and The Blacklist. Sleepy Hollow already finished season 1.

Tuesdays: SHIELD, The Originals, Supernatural, The Voice, About A Boy, Growing Up Fisher, and New Girl

Wednesdays: Arrow, Revolution, and Nashville

Thursdays: The Vampire Diaries, The Big Bang Theory, Reign, Parenthood, Elementary, and Vikings

Friday: Last Man Standing, Grimm, Hart of Dixie, and Sons of Guns


I'm behind on Hollywood Game Night. I also watch HGTV and Food Network when I'm bored. In summer, I watch America's Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance. I wish I could still watch Saving Hope, but as it's a Canadian show without US distribution, I have to wait for the DVDs. We're hoping Dracula gets a 2nd season. Year-round, me and the mister like UFC.