I’ve been radio silent for awhile, but I’m back in the game now.
I’ve made some progress on the book. I was wanting to release it by Halloween, but I got distracted by some stuff and had to take some time off. Now it looks like the release date of this book will be February 2010. (By release date I’m hoping to have theriantype.com redesigned, as well as have my site itself redesigned. They may not be the “final” designs, but I’m hoping to upgrade my look a little.) And SAVE MY SOUL, the first full length novel should be out by next halloween. So that should get me back on track, because I want to make Halloween my normal release date if I put out a book a year. And SMS is pretty far along in being ready itself.
Though I “say” Halloween is going to be a normal release date, but I will delay a release to get it “right.” Deadlines are just a mental marker for me so I can keep stuff in my head and pace myself right. I’m not going to be a slave to a deadline. I’m just working til it’s ready, but it helps to map things out some tentatively at least.
I also named the book. I’m dividing the book into three “parts” Part One: Kept, Part Two: Claimed, Part Three: Mated. So each novella is it’s own “part.” It’ll make it feel more like “one thing” instead of “three separate things.”
I found the link, the MAJOR link in all the novellas, blood. Which helped me to tie them all together for the back cover copy, which I’m going to post under a cut here in a minute. The book is going to be called: Blood Lust and it’s the first in a series, though all future books will likely be full length novels instead of groupings of novellas.
I’ve also named the series itself. “The Preternaturals.” So on the spine it will say: “The Preternaturals – Book One” I really like when a series is labeled by book number for reader convenience. The books, since they all stand alone as full stories, can be read out of order, but people who read in order are more likely to catch the easter eggs.
I’ve also given all my info to my cover artist, and gotten a page count. I should have a cover to show everybody by the end of the month. Whoo hoo. And I have a GREAT cover artist. I’m really excited about her and am a big fan of her work. She’s done a lot of really great covers for Samhain Publishing, as well as covers for others, including some traditional print publishers I believe.
I have a pretty cool idea for my covers but I’m not going to tell it. I want readers/fans to figure it out on their own. But it’s cool, and people should figure it out by about book 5 if not a bit sooner. But, if you see it and raise an eyebrow and go hmmmmm. I just want to say… yes, it was intentional. And that’s all I’m saying right now. The cat will be out of the bag on it soon enough. 
This is the great thing about publishing my own work, when I get an idea like this, I can put it into motion and make it happen. I think if I told this idea to a traditional publisher, they would laugh and say “hell, no. That’s crazy.” But I’m allowed to do crazy things.
I am getting my enthusiasm back for this as it’s starting to feel like a real book. I’ve even got an ISBN number earmarked for it. I’m not sure what I would do if I ever got a really “good” offer from a publisher, but for now, I LOVE being in total control of the complete process and knowing that EVERYTHING was what I wanted. Cover, interior layout decisions, fonts, front and back matter, every single edit, EVERYTHING I approved and is what I wanted. I am both A. A complete control freak where my work is concerned and B. A Publishing Geek. And I’m more sure than ever that I’ve made the right publishing decision for myself. I no longer second guess it. And wonder if I’m on the right path, cause I know I am.
I’ve also devised a rating system so people have an idea of what they’re getting sexually from a story. People get very persnickety about this issue but I refuse to write sex in any way different from what a story NEEDS. I’m not writing graphic sex just to titillate you. And I’m not going to write sex at all in a story where it doesn’t make sense. Example: While Claimed oozes sexuality in some ways, there isn’t a single sex act in the story. Because it would be ludicrous to fit into the timeline and I’m NOT writing epilogue sex. That’s just nutty.
Okay… onward for the back cover copy:
It’s all about the blood…
Kept:
As a cat therian (shifter), Greta’s blood is magical, but due to a quirk of her birth, her blood is potent enough to kill for. For centuries cat therians have sought shelter with magic users, giving rise to tales of the cat as the witch’s familiar. When her tribe plans to sacrifice her, Greta must ally herself with Dayne, the dangerous local sorcerer who is the only person strong enough to protect her.
Heat Level: NG = Not Graphic. Sexual content, but not a how-to.
Claimed:
For a vampire, Anthony isn’t a picky eater, but he’s drawn to Charlee’s blood more than any other. Like a fine wine saved for a special occasion, he’s denied himself this pleasure. But one night, high from the potent magical blood of another, he claims his prize and loses control. Ashamed of almost killing the one woman who means anything to him, he wipes her memory of the event. When Charlee awakens with complete amnesia, Anthony is the only one who can undo the mess he’s made.
Heat Level: FI = Fairly Innocent. You could read it with your mother.
Mated:
Because of the vampiric blood that has run through her veins since birth, Jane has been a target of abuse for vampires who resent a human being “kindred.” She’s forced to disguise herself as a vampire groupie to appease them and safeguard her life. When she’s abruptly given to Cole, the leader of the werewolf pack, to satisfy a gambling debt, she discovers that the blood running through her veins has a far greater impact on her destiny than she’d ever imagined.
Heat Level: RS = Romantic Sexual Content
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