**CONTEST CLOSED – WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON**
We’re having a contest to celebrate the launch of the Young Immortals Series!
All you have to do to be entered in the draw is visit the Young Immortals Blog and leave a comment there.
Enter to win a $25 Amazon voucher and a copy of Reluctance by Cindy C. Bennett.
** Be sure to leave your e-mail address in your comment so we can get in contact in case you win.
** contest runs until Saturday 7 April
Good Luck!!
Submissions are now open for this exciting new YA series created by Barbara Sheridan/Kit Forbes.
ORDER OF THE DRAGON
A shared world series created by Kit Forbes and debuting in 2012 from Noble Young Adult that might be described as the love child of Forever Knight and Dark Shadows who had Buffy the Vampire Slayer (earlier seasons) as a babysitter during its formative years. This series will have crossover appeal and be of interest to fans of The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, and of course the Twilight saga.
The series takes its name from the historic Order of the Dragon created in 1408 of members of the nobility by the King of Hungary, Sigismund. Similar to the military orders of the crusades, the members swore to defend their lands against the enemies of Christianity, particularly the Turks of the Ottoman Empire.
One of the members was the Prince of Wallachia, Vlad II or Vlad Dracul, father of Bram Stoker’s iconic vampire Dracula.
There can be romantic vampires and storylines but we also love the ones who revel in being the badass immortal creatures they used to be. Even hardcore thrill-kill vamps can find love – it just takes a special, certain someone to both touch that dark little vampy heart and enjoy the rush of being a mean mother-expletive when the spirit moves them.
While a lot of readers these days may see Edward Cullen as the iconic vampire, we can’t get enough of our man from Transylvania, Dracula; of course known to history as Prince of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes. While the Gary Oldman portrayal in Bram Stoker’s Dracula was pretty cool, I personally adore Rudolf Martin’s version in Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula a role he played again as a full on, traditional vamp in the Season 5 opener of Buffy “Buffy Vs Dracula” (available on Netflix)
Ideally, the series would blend fact and fiction and draw on the many vampire legends spanning the globe. For example a cross might very well repel a vampire who lived their human life when the Orthodox or Roman Catholic Churches wielded a lot of power whereas a Japanese or Chinese vampire could scoff at that but be controlled by Buddhist prayer beads or a paper charm hammered into their flesh with an iron nail.
Old political conflicts or rivalries could carry over as well. A contemporary of Vlad’s might hate any and all who remind him of the battles with the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. Or inspiration could be drawn from an epic family feud like the USA’s Hatfields & McCoys.
Submission Guidelines:
We’re looking for novellas and novels from 10,000 words up.
This would be older YA /”New Adult”. You can read The Young Dragon , a short prequel introducing the world.
FAQ:
Q: Does the series tie together?
A: It does, in that it’s a shared world series like the various novelizations of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Star Trek franchises. However, the books need not strictly follow one another chronologically the way the Harry Potter or Twilight books do.
Q: Is each book from whichever author supposed to play off another or stand alone?
A: As noted above, it’s not required for authors to follow a specific continuing plot. Stories can take place in any time from 1456 to the present. Time travel scenarios are possible although no changing of previous plot history can take place. Example: you can’t have your character go back a hundred years and kill a character from someone else’s book.
Q: Can characters be shared amongst authors’ works?
A: Original characters will be the property of their creating authors and can’t be used as POV characters unless permission is obtained from their creating authors.
Since it is a shared world series you should be willing to have your characters referred to by other authors they could have fought a common enemy, had a friend or relative in common, traveled together, heard of one another through the supernatural grapevine or have an acquaintance in common. Scenarios like these cannot contradict what the originating author has established or wishes to establish in a subsequent story.
When in doubt about having another author’s character appear in a small role in your story, ask the originating author or series editor Bryl Tyne. bryl (at) nobleromance (dot) com
NOTE: There are a few core characters featured/mentioned in the debut book of the series Kit Forbes’ Echoes of the Pastwho might be used further.
You can get a glimpse into the world of Order of the Dragon with the free read here.
Q: Is there a specific world?
A: If you mean a world with many specific rules then no. It’s “our” world much like Buffy, Being Human, and the Vampire Diaries, with supernatural creatures who remain hidden to the population at large.
Q: What if I have an awesome vamp story but there’s not one lick of romance in it?
A: Awesome stories are what we’re after! If it fits the OotD universe we want to see it. Romance is not a requirement although emotionally satisfying endings tend to be reader favorites.
Q: What if NRP rejects my story, can I send it elsewhere?
A: Yes, but only if you remove any Order of the Dragon specific characters or events.
For a copy of the Order of the Dragon overview or to ask any questions please contact Kit Forbes: Kitforbeswrites (at) gmail (dot) com
When you are ready please send your submissions to bryl (at) nobleromance (dot) com
Reluctance by Cindy C. Bennett the first in the Young Immortals series.
Blurb:
Twenty-year-old Dahlia hates the life that she is forced to lead. But the time is quickly coming when she must make a decision that will shape the rest of her life. She’s set her sights on Jace. He is someone her family will approve of, someone that will finally gain her acceptance among her people. Then Cam comes into her life, making her question what she assumed was her inevitable destiny, giving her hope that she might be able to lead the normal existence that she longs for. But fate has its own plan for Dahlia. Now she has to find courage she didn’t know she possessed to fight for her own future.
Excerpt:
Cam Taylor watched, amused, as Dahlia stumbled and nearly launched her lunch tray into a table full of brainiacs. She was new—she had only been working at Grave’s Community Center Hospital for a couple weeks. Cam had noticed her right away. She had a headful of curly, brown hair that fell to her waist in the back, pinned up on top with an unfashionable barrette. The barrette was studded with sparkling rhinestones, excepting the large center stone, which was missing. She wore no makeup; her pale face was clear and blemish-free. An unfortunate, brown floral pattern as outdated as a rotary-dial phone covered her lumpy, brocade dress which was at least two sizes too big for her. She was tall, gangly, awkward—the biggest klutz Cam could remember seeing—and he was smitten.
He watched as Dahlia finally slid to safety on a bench, once again nearly dropping her lunch as it clunked to the table. She laughed at herself, but the other women at the table, mostly nursing assistants, met her laughter with sneers. They exchanged meaningful glances, then stood as one, leaving without speaking a single word. Cam felt a moment’s anger at the unfeeling women as he saw Dahlia’s face fall. He decided to go sit with her himself, no matter how much crap he might get for it.
As Cam moved toward Dahlia’s table, she turned her attention from her tray toward Jace McMahon, who sat across the lunchroom. With a wistful sigh and dreamy eyes, she propped her chin in her hands, a smile curving the corners of her mouth upward. Cam stopped in his tracks.
Jace was an orderly like Cam. He was athletic, muscular, and better looking than most of the stars in Hollywood. The most popular guy at GCC, Jace was arrogant and cruel and loved by all the women anyway. Cam suspected most of the other guys really hated him, as Cam did, but they wanted to be near him anyway, hoping his charm and luck with the women would rub off on them. If nothing else, being Jace’s buddy got them girls who would do anything to get closer to Jace, even if it meant dating one of his lesser friends.
Cam and Jace had attended the same high school. At that time, they’d been best friends. Back then, no one could touch the popularity of the two tall, good-looking, enigmatic boys. Then Cam found out exactly what Jace was.
Cam had distanced himself from Jace after that, making him something of an outcast his senior year. He didn’t care. Being on his own was better than being part of Jace’s world. He’d hoped GCC would be different, even with Jace there, but work turned out to be nothing more than an extension of high school. Jace was still the star. Cam sometimes wondered why no one thought it strange that Jace, with his athletic prowess, was working at GCC to pay his way through school instead of attending a prestigious college on a fantastic scholarship. But Jace knew. Not only poor grades, but also the thing that created the rift between Cam and Jace had caused colleges to run the other way when it came to Jace McMahon.
Cam glanced over at Jace, jealousy and anger burning within his chest. Tabitha Heron, who now went by the ridiculous nickname of Tabby, had draped herself across Jace. Tabby was absolutely beautiful, the perfect counterpoint to Jace’s good looks. Until Cam’s falling out with Jace three years earlier, Tabby had been Cam’s girlfriend. Then Jace pursued her relentlessly, just to prove he could take her if he wanted. And prove it he did. Jace even talked her out of accepting an admission offer from Harvard to join him at Grave’s University. Even now, when Jace treated her with nothing but disdain and kept her dangling at his whim, Tabby refused to admit Cam was right about him. She hardly needed to work to pay her way, not with her wealthy family, and yet she’d even followed him here, to work a crappy job as a receptionist for crap pay.
They deserved one another.
And, now, the newest object of Cam’s attention was drooling over his nemesis. Dahlia didn’t have a shot with him; anyone could see that. Unless Cam managed to hook up with her—then he’d bet Jace would turn his sights on the strange, new girl. Cam would see Jace burn before he allowed him to hurt the fascinating Dahlia.
* * * * *
Dahlia stood in the freezing wind, watching as Jace McMahon climbed into his fancy, red Mustang. He turned the key, the engine growling fiercely as he peeled out of his parking spot, cutting off an old, rusty beater and nearly running over a group of interns. She knew well enough Jace was not exactly a kind, caring person, but she also knew what he could do for her. He was perfect—beautiful, graceful, popular. In other words, everything she was not.
“Hey.”
Dahlia turned to see Cam Taylor standing next to her, smiling at her. She glanced behind her to double check, but as no one else was there, she supposed he must be speaking to her.
“Hey,” she said back, wondering why someone like Cam would speak to her on purpose. Cam was every bit as good-looking as Jace. But where Jace was dark—dark hair, dark eyes, olive skin—Cam was light. His blond hair was practically white, his eyes translucent blue, his skin nearly as pale as Dahlia’s. He, too, was graceful and beautiful, and popular among many of the nurses, aides, and volunteers. But he did not have the power Jace had to transform her.
“Need a ride home?” Cam asked.
“Uh . . .” Dahlia hesitated. She didn’t really want anyone to know where she lived. The wind chose that moment to blow its icy fingers across her exposed legs. She shivered at the sensation, and Cam laughed.
“Come on. I can’t have you freeze to death on my watch.” When she still hesitated, he held his hand out toward her. “It’s just a ride, Dahlia.”
She looked at his extended hand, wondering vaguely how he knew her name. This was one of those socially awkward situations she had no idea how to handle. Should she take his hand?
“Okay,” she said, turning toward the parking lot. As she took the first step, she managed to put her foot onto one of the few spots with a disc of ice clinging to the cement, and squealed as she felt her foot slide away. She prepared for the pain that would come with the fall.
But then Cam grabbed her by the elbow, halting her descent.
“Whoa, there,” he said, steadying her. “Gotta be careful of these slippery steps.”
Humiliated, Dahlia looked up at him. “Thanks,” she mumbled.
“Yup,” Cam answered. He kept hold of her elbow all the way to the car. Once inside the vehicle, she fastened the seat belt—one of the few devices that could guarantee her safety and that she had full control over, so used always—he turned the heat on high, directing all the vents her way. She wondered idly whether Jace would have done the same if she were seated in his Mustang rather than in Cam’s Honda.
“So . . . how do you like working at GCC?” Cam asked when the silence began to stretch out uncomfortably.
“It’s the same as any other job, I guess,” Dahlia said.
Cam couldn’t argue that point. “Oh, yeah? Is that a bad thing, or good?”
Dahlia shot him a look as if to say You’re kidding, right? and Cam smiled.
“I understand,” he said,but somehow Dahlia doubted he truly did understand. She doubted that Cam, with his golden looks and infectious smile, had ever been shunned, that he had ever sat at a table only to have others leave just to avoid being seen with him, that he had ever been called doggy, beastly, or nerdy. She doubted he’d ever looked around a room and known the only people who would accept him as a friend were those who completely understood all those things.
“Turn here,” she said, directing him up Draper Avenue. He lifted his brows a little at the turn, but didn’t say anything. When they reached the end of the street, she said, “You can stop here.”
He looked out the window. With surprise in his voice, he said, “This is where you live?”
Dahlia knew how it looked. The house was the largest in the neighborhood—ostentatious, overbearing, shouting wealth at the tops of its lungs. She really wished her family knew how to blend in.
“Yeah.”
She waited for the sarcasm, the cutting remarks, but, instead, he simply said, “Nice place.”
“Um, okay . . . thanks for the ride, I guess,” she said, pulling on the door handle—to no avail.
“Oh, here, let me get that. It sticks sometimes.” He leaned across her to grab the handle, and Dahlia flattened herself against the seat. She’d never been this close to a boy she wasn’t related to . . . and definitely never this close to one who smelled so delicious. For one crazy second, she had the urge to reach up and—
“There you go,” Cam said as the door swung open and a wintery blast of air drew her attention from her fantasy.
Dahlia climbed out, then looked back. “Thanks again.”
He gave her a charming smile in answer. “See you tomorrow,” he said as she slammed the door. With a wave, he turned his car in a wide U and drove away. Dahlia watched him go, and then, with dread, turned back toward her house—or as she’d come to think of it, the “monstrous mausoleum.”
An Asian Hero? And the Release of SWEET BYTES!
By
Kimber An
Good morning, Blog Buds! I’m extremely busy these days, wrangling my massive herd of offspring and bracing for the release of Sweet Bytes, the third book in my Ophelia Dawson series, on Monday, October 17th.
From the start, I’ve struggled about what to call Tristan Li. The Hero? Well, not exactly. Ophelia is the Heroine and this entire series is her story. And her soul-mate is Adrian, a ‘Non,’ a non-addicted Newblood (vampire-like alien/human hybrids.) Early in Sweet Bytes, a Malevolent Oldblood ( bad vampire) informs Ophelia that he’s destroyed Adrian. Even though she’s an empath, she believes the lie in her terrible grief. To protect herself from forced turning and mating, Ophelia chooses Tristan, a Benevolent Oldblood (good vampire,) as her Claimant. This means all other suitors must stay away from her, until she decides to accept or reject him as her mate.
It’s like the ‘marriage of convenience’ trope in the Romance Genre.
The thing is Tristan’s kind of sweet on Ophelia. You can go back and read the first book in the series, the novella (only about fifty pages) Crushed Sugar to find out what I mean. Isn’t this always how the trope goes? Either the couple starts out hating each other or one secretly has the hots for the other, but doesn’t dare tell.
Anyway, besides being Ophelia’s bodyguard and Claimant, Tristan is also the most highly advanced *telepath* of the Benevolent Oldbloods. This leads into some dynamics that were interesting for me to write. An Empath and a Telepath, how would they get along? What sort of communication problems might they have in their relationship? Of course, a romance ensues as Ophelia works through her grief over Adrian’s ‘death.’
And that brings us back to the title, ‘An Asian Hero?’ You don’t see many of them outside martial arts movies and Star Trek, do you? I’ve seen a handful, like in Kit Forbes’ Falling Through Glass.
That book was one of the things that drew me to Noble YA in the first place. I figured, hey, if they like Kit’s heroine accidentally kidnapping the future emperor of Japan, they might like Tristan too! My Asian Hero is Chinese American, by the way. Being a Trekkie (the new Mr. Sulu is so cute) and loving movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and being fascinated by ancient and medieval Asian history and mythology, I just had to have an Asian hero at some point in my stories.
And now I do, Tristan Li. His first name means ‘sadness’ by the way. If you read the story, you’ll learn why and it’s not just because Ophelia’s still hung up on Adrian.
So, technically, Tristan is not the hero. I guess in the strictest sense he’s the next most prominent protagonist.
Nevertheless, to me, he’s the Hero of this book.
FYI, Osric Chau was the visual inspiration for Tristan Li.
Okay, deep breath and exhale, my daughter, a professional teenager, will be posting the first review of Sweet Bytes, tomorrow, Sunday, October 17th at Fabulously Young ePubs. The celebration launches at that point. Pop over, read the review, and comment to win the Grand Prize, a plush toy Alaskan moose, a wooden Alaskan bear keychain, some AK postcards, and a free eBook of Sweet Bytes. My other guest posts and reviews are also giving away free Sweet Bytes. Visit my main site’s Calendar to see where I’ll be, so you can enter those drawings.
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Finally, here is the Sweet Bytes blurb-
*
Ophelia’s escape from Martin, an Addicted Newblood, came at a terrible sacrifice. Adrian, the boy she loves, is now infected and hunted like vermin.
As her new Protector, Tristan Li represents the Oldblood determination to destroy Adrian, along with all the Newbloods, addicted or not.
In her grief, Ophelia hates everything about Tristan, until his subtle strength empowers her to resist being turned into a vampire by the High Prefect.
As Tristan helps Ophelia harness her empathic ability, his need for redemption rings in her heart. Her own strength grows, along with her passion for freedom.
The veil of mourning lifts.
The evil of Martin returns.
Ophelia seizes ownership of her destiny.
*
Please, pop over to Fab ePubs to read up on the schedule for Sweet Bytes’ release festivities and then over to my main site to learn more about the Ophelia Dawson series. Thank you!
Kimber An Being Wooed By Husband
Good morning, Blog Buds!
I’m one of the new girls on the block. I just signed with Noble YA for Sweet
Bytes, a Romantic Paranormal set in my home state of Alaska. The weird part about it is Sweet Bytes is the third book in the series. You can learn all about the
first two by popping over to my main site- www.kimberan.com But, please, hang on until you finish reading this.
This post is for authors, technically, and aspiring authors, just in case they need help in this area. Readers and Reviewers will probably find it amusing though, because, hey, we’re talking about you!
During my time moderating the Enduring Romance book review blog, I found that Readers find Reviewers with similar tastes and hang out with them in cyberspace. The Readers and
Reviewers are online and they talk to each other. If they like you and your book, they tell
each other and you’ll get more requests for reviews and more readers. If you whine about a negative review, they tell each other and your email will probably go into the Spam dump. If you throw a hissy-fit, well, you can kiss a lot of sales good-bye ‘cause you probably won’t get reviewed at all.
Remember, even a negative review gets your story out there. A reader can’t buy a book if she
doesn’t know it exists. So, you’d better play nice, no matter what.
First thing I do is go Scouting! If you’re brand new, find a popular book that’s similar to yours. In my case, that was Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. Then, Google ‘book blog Young Adult’ or you can just pop over to your author buddies’ blogs and see who has reviewed for them. I have a list and so do most of the YA authors I know. Just ask us for it. Since blogging book reviewers hang out together, pop over to one of their blogs and scroll down to the links. They also post each other’s banners. That’s your starting point.
Visit all the blogs and start your own list. If there’s no obvious indication that a blogger likes the Popular Book, like a banner that screams ‘EDWARD CULLEN EATS TOAD EGGS!’ then do a Search of the blog. Put in the title, Twilight, for example, and you should come up with a list of posts which mentions it, positive or negative. If the blogger likes, loves, or is okay with the popular book, then she might be interested in yours.
If she thinks Edward Cullen eats toad eggs, well, then it’s time to surf on, dude.
So, let’s say you’ve found a blogging book reviewer who thinks Twilight (or whatever your
sample popular book is) is just the bee’s knees. Then, you emit a little ‘squee!’ and you scroll to the top of the page (or sometimes it’s on the sidebar) and click on ‘Review Policies.’ There are variations in the title. ‘Policies,’ ‘Don’t Send Me These Crappy Books,’ and ‘What I’m Dying to Read!’ You’ll figure it out. Click on that and read all about what that blogger wants to read and review. The first thing you should check out is if she accepts eBooks at all. If that’s a ‘go’ then check out her current preferred genres and wish list, if she has one. Don’t bother someone who isn’t interested in your kind of book. You don’t want to come off as an annoying pest.
And always, always, always follow whatever procedure the blogger wants. Always send your book in the format she wants. Obey the Book Review Blogger! Like an agent or editor, she doesn’t need your book, plus she doesn’t get paid money like they do. She’s got plenty of authors begging her to read their awesome books. Show her the respect she is due.
The List! Each time you find a reviewer you think might be interested, add her name, blog address, and email to a running list.
The Form Letter! This is like a query letter for an agent or editor. You customize this form letter for each of the reviewers. Most of them will respond, whether they accept or not. Here is mine for Sweet Bytes at my main site- http://www.kimberan.com/2011/09/sweet-bytes-promo-letter.html
Please don’t go there until you finish reading this post!
You send out this letter to your potential reviewers as soon as you get a Release Date and cover art! Remember, your book isn’t the only one begging for their attention. You’ve got to give the blogging book reviewers as much time as you can to move yours up the line and get it reviewed right around the release date or within the first month or two afterwards. Although, if a reviewer can’t get to your book for several months, that works too. You can pick up new readers and build your momentum that way.
With each new book you release, it’s important to go through this process again. Blogging Book Reviewers are real people who go through life changes. New blogs pop up all the time while others go into retirement, though they usually remain online as ‘read-only.’ Reviewers’ tastes change too. When I was pregnant the last time, for example, I only wanted Romance novels with an absolute Happily Ever After. Once I gave birth, I went straight back to my
multi-genre self. A blogger who previously rejected eBooks might get an Amazon Kindle for her birthday and suddenly be voracious for them. You just never know, so do your homework each time.
One last thing, always, always, ALWAYS, thank the book reviewer, even if she said your book was the crappiest she’d ever read. I knew one Reviewer on a popular site who always gave horrible reviews to all books which involved babies or children. Yet, she read them all the
time! Huh? As a Reader, I quickly learned I would love whatever book she claimed to hate. So, at the very least, post a comment saying, “Thank you for taking the time to read and review my book!” And leave it at that.
Okay, so that’s the first thing on my promo to-do list. Since I just sent my pre-edited Sweet Bytes to my editor, I’d better get on it.
According to some groovy Vamp lore, wanna-be Van Helsing’s had their preferences.
Supposedly, the cross of Christ was made from Aspen. So back in the day, when all was pretty much the Age of Folklore–after one scarfed down some pheasant or roasted venison along with their favorite pint–they would then stagger out into the world of night (or day) with their Aspen–made–crosses, which in their minds, would ensure their way home.
Now, if you happened to be a so- called Vampire Hunter, you would carefully make sure that all of your stakes (not steaks) were carved from this protective and blessed wood.
According to lore, Aspen did not just work on Vamps. Anything of Evil roamed in total fear of it. In fact, it was said that if you lay some of these twigs by a Vampire’s or Witch’s grave then d they wouldn’t be able to rise again by moon-time.
With that being said, who’s game for harvesting some Aspen?
Until next time darklings,
C.H. Scarlett
