Skyla Dawn Cameron

My characters kill people so I don't have to.

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Evil Rises

It’s here! It’s here!

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The fundraiser for Julie has started!

 

Where: Writer Edition is here, Reader Edition is here.

When: April 1 – 30

What: Raising money for Julie Butcher’s family.

Want a copy of Jim Butcher’s Skin Game before anyone else? How would you like to name a character in Charlaine Harris’ next Midnight novel? Or can you attend the Morganville Vampires web-series launch party? Do you have something you’d like to pitch to an agent? How about a critique from a professional editor? All this and more!

If you miss out on a big ticket item, don’t despair. More will be added throughout the month (we can only have twenty active perks at one time). And for donations as little as $10, you’ll get a thank you postcard and a short story by Andrew Jack. For $15, you’ll get both of those AND my Whiskey Sour short story collection. For $25, you’ll get all of those plus Elaine Corvidae’s fantasy novel Tyrant Moon.

Why:  On Sunday March 23, Julie Butcher’s husband had an accident around the home involving a chainsaw and his leg a grizzly bear that he fought off with his bare hands*.

Mr. Julie is, thankfully, fine. But this is a family with six kids now facing skyrocketing medical costs. Costs WE can help with. If everyone gives a little, it can add up to a lot. This, obviously, seems like a job for the Evil League of Evil Writers to do some fundraising.

*It was a chainsaw but apparently fighting grizzly bears sounds less embarrassing.

Want to help spread the word? Share the following on Facebook and Twitter!

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Calling on Evil…2014 Edition

ETA March 28: Okay, folks, this has gotten crazy big and unwieldy like a chainsaw I mentioned below. Despite shifting our plans around a bit with the fundraiser to accommodate, this is still massively huge (thank you!), and we do have certain limitations with how many perks we can list during the campaign at once. As such, a lot of items are on a wait list and might be combined into larger packages. There is a chance not everything from the past twenty-four hours might make it to the campaigns. We will do our best to use everything offered but well over a hundred donations of goods and services is staggering.

We don’t know how things are going to go when we kick off next Tuesday. We might fly through the perks, add more, fly through those, and keep going. Or we might not. So please do not be offended if the fundraiser goes live and you don’t see your item yet. It doesn’t mean we don’t want it or it’s not good enough, but it just might pop up in the second (or third) round. If you’d still like to offer something knowing this, please feel free to do so.

Thank you again for the support. ~ Skyla & Dina

————-

EvilforJulieJust over a year ago this happened.

And lo, after the mighty success, the super villains known as the Evil League of Evil Writers grew silent, dormant, evilly plotting doom in the privacy of their lair until such a time as evil was needed in the world again.

That time is now.

The Sitch: Last Sunday (it’s always on a Sunday…), the husband of Julie Butcher–ELEW sister and beloved member of the writing community–valiantly fought off a grizzly bear. And by “grizzly bear” I mean “chainsaw”, and by “valiantly fought off” I mean “had an accident with”.

Julie and Mr. Julie, the parents of six kids, now have staggering medical costs coming in.

Who Is Julie: Julie Butcher lives with her husband and six children on the fringes of Utter Chaos. The sister of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher, who she adores, she writes because her sister-in-law said it was time to learn, and Julie doesn’t argue with women who own guns. Her super-powers involve sugar and ninjas and will be revealed on a need-to-know basis.

She is a contributor to BuzzyMag.com and huge supporter of the writing community. When not writing, she’s inspiring others by volunteering at a local food pantry.

How You Can Help: First of all, we’re going to want your money. If you have some of that to give, HOLD ONTO IT, I PROMISE WE ARE COMING FOR IT. APRIL 1. MARK YOUR CALENDARS.

In the meantime, we’re preparing for the new fundraiser. Like the auction from last year, we’re asking for writer-type folks (and others with cool stuff!) to donate items. Unlike the auction, these items will not be used in an AUCTION because that was a horror unlike all other horrors to never be repeated again. No, this will be run through a crowdfunding site, the items used as perks. If you’re interested and you can offer things like signed books, or critiques/edits, or drinks at a convention, or art prints, or WHATEVER, please fill in the form below.

We are going to do our best to include everything/everyone, unless this gets massive and unwieldy (LIKE A CHAINSAW) and then we’ll figure out a new plan. And yes, we can add new perks as things go along, but please, the sooner the better. The fundraiser is going live next week. Either I or Dina James (possibly Dina as I have a full work week ahead of me) will be in touch after you’ve filled in the form.

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Last Week for 25% Off

9Crimes_The sale for buying direct from the shop is only on for another week. All the books, novellas, and collections in the series are available–plus my site is the only place you’ll find 9 Crimes–and you get a zipped folder with four different ebook formats, so there’s something for ever ereader.

To get 25% off, use the coupon code read when you checkout.

I don’t foresee sales being that frequent of a thing, so this may be it for a while.

I also rarely update here now but for those who might’ve forgotten, we’re over halfway through Soulless. There are ten weeks’ worth of chapters to go. I’m still deciding what (if anything) I’ll serialize after it; it’s reminded me what I used to like about eserials but also the things I do not miss at all. We’ll see!

 

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Why You Need to Buy SELENE

Selene Lilith Saintcrow’s Selene releases in ebook today–for the next several weeks, it’s exclusive to her online bookstore.  This contains the prequel, Brother’s Keeper, and the sequel short, Just Ask, as well as the previously serialized novel.

I often write up quickie reviews of things I work on but not full reviews because, well, conflict of interest and all that, even if I worked primarily as a graphic designer, but the truth is that I end up working on fabulous books and I want to tell people about them. Selene is no exception, so here are a few quick words on something I loved about it.

It’s set in the same world as Lili’s Dante Valentine books, though it takes place prior to them and stands alone just fine. This is a post-war world, a dark future version of ours; the worldbuilding is detailed while still being easy to follow, and glimpses of it will be familiar to Danny Valentine readers. Selene is a sexwitch, a slave to her body’s requirement to use sex to recharge her magical batteries, so to speak. She’s tied to Nikolai, a bloodsucking Nichtvren, who is the city’s Prime Power; using him to recharge said batteries keeps her off the streets, true, but she’s essentially indentured.

The Dante Valentine books give a very realistic portrayal of what it would be like to actually be in a relationship with a demon–a creature so foreign, so alien, that it simply doesn’t think like we do, and even when well-meaning it functions on a logic entirely different from a human’s (a contrast to most PNR). A similar attention is given to Nikolai; Saintcrow is one of the few paranormal authors I’ve ever read who actually seems to have considered what an ancient vampire would be like. There’s never a doubt that he cares for Selene, but it’s love from his point of view. And that’s not entirely compatible with what you, I, or Selene would see as “love”.  This is never forgotten for a moment in the text: he is not some dangerous but cuddly alpha male she needs to just shut up and submit to. He isn’t human, and as fascinating as this makes him, it’s means they aren’t on equal footing and this is never something romanticized.

Likewise, Selene is an unflinching depiction of what it would actually be like to be “owned” by a monster. How you can be attracted to one and care for one on some level, but know its an unhealthy situation you need to be free of before it kills you. To be trapped, literally enslaved, by forces out of your control, and having the constant tug of needing freedom even if it means your life. There is no swooning, I-will-bow-to-your-will here. Selene is her own person and desperately needs to be free.  Saintcrow never takes the easy way out with any of her characters, but especially not Selene, who never loses her desire to be in control of her own life. Her arc from controlled to in control is wonderful to follow.

Though Selene–the novel–ends the only way it could have, the sequel short at the end, Just Ask, provides a satisfying conclusion to Selene and Nikolai’s story. This isn’t a happily-ever-after, tied up in a bow sort of world, but it’s a REAL one full of hope…which, for me, is a perfect ending.

You can currently get Selene for just $5.99–a steal for what’s technically a three-for-one–exclusively at Lili’s site in HTML, MOBI, PDF, or EPUB. It releases elsewhere for $6.99 on May 1, and later will be available in print.

And a small reminder: thank you to those who buy books. Because it matters. Series get cancelled. The numbers have to be there for writers to continue to publish, and midlisters need the support. And I want writers like Lili, who put so much time and attention into their craft, to always be able to publish their work. Thank you to those of you who help them do so.

About Selene:

Life isn’t easy for a sexwitch. Even your own body betrays you. It’s bad enough that Selene is part slave to Nikolai, the Prime Power of Saint City, but she’s got her brother Danny and she’s got her job at the college. In the postwar wreckage of an uncertain world, it’s pretty much all she’s ever allowed herself to want.

Then Danny ends up murdered, and Selene finds herself a pawn in a dangerous game. Indentured to a bloodsucking Nichtvren and helpless, told to stop trying to uncover the identity of her brother’s killer, Selene has nowhere to turn. If she’s a good girl, Nikolai will leave her a little bit of freedom. He’ll take care of her, and she’ll be safe–if she obeys.

But Selene hasn’t survived this long by being obedient to her cursed powers, or to the men who buy her time. Her brother was all she had, and now she’s ready to borrow, beg, lie, steal or kill–whatever it takes to avenge him.

And if Nikolai gets in the way, Selene will use every tool in her arsenal to make him regret it…

This special edition also contains the prequel short story Brother’s Keeper and the sequel short story Just Ask.

Speaking of excellent books to read, I have Wayfarer here awaiting my attention this fine Friday afternoon. I haven’t slept in a week and I think lounging with the cats and reading is exactly what my brain needs…

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Getting to the Bottom of Guys on Top with Darien Cox

CriminalPleasures_ARESeducingProfessorCoyle-lgDarien Cox popped my cherry.

My m/m cherry, that is. Yes, prior to his work, I’d never m/m romance, but having worked with Cox his wonderful SF hetero erom debut, Fluid Motion (for reals, go read, because it’s delicious and fun with characters I adored), I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work on future books that were all m/m. And since then I’ve worked with Darien as an artist and an editor for nearly two years, and it was a thrill to see his work pay off when Seducing Professor Coyle took off last September. The streak continued when his sixth book, Criminal Pleasures, exploded on the m/m scene in November, and now we have Guys on Top.

It’s a non-traditional romance, a character-driven piece that defies reader expectations, and a must read for anyone looking for a well-written m/m that’s definitely out of the box. Below the blurb you’ll find a Q&A with Darien about his new release as well as a chance to win an eBook from his backlist.

GuysOnTop-KindleDoug Crandall’s perfect suburban life imploded after his boyfriend’s betrayal and a subsequent lawsuit left him personally and financially devastated. A year later, with a new place in the city and a fresh outlook, he’s back on his feet and ready to start over. Eager to lose his cynicism and heal his battered heart, he immerses himself in the local social scene, which includes a pair of charismatic men engaged in an open relationship. As Doug finds himself becoming emotionally and sexually entangled in their lives, he’s forced to reevaluate his views on fidelity, betrayal, love, and the often calamitous price of happiness.

Guys On Top is very different from your previous novels. What inspired you to write about the somewhat risky topic of open relationships?

I knew I was taking a chance covering this topic because of the subject matter. But I’ve known many people who’ve been in similar situations, and decided it was something worth exploring. I have a very close friend whose been in a committed relationship with his boyfriend for years, but when they first met, his boyfriend was in an open relationship with two other men. I found this fascinating, and one nosy afternoon I asked if he’d share his feelings on those early days when they met, how it went down, how he felt about it at the time. He was kind enough to share details regarding his insecurities initially – the jealousy that lingered for a while after they got together, wondering if his new love would eventually decide one man wasn’t enough, since he’d come from such a completely different, non-monogamous situation. That conversation and others I had with friends gave me the fodder I needed to start the story. I wanted to make it a fun experience, but I also wanted to treat the subject matter with respect. I tried very hard to keep an unbiased balance and show both sides of the coin. I didn’t want to present either monogamy or open relationships as ‘the right’ choice. Because in the end the only right choice is what’s right for the individuals involved.

Doug is very conflicted internally as a character, going back and forth regarding his decision to accept Stewart’s attentions and his feeling that it’s wrong somehow. How did you determine his motivation for the decisions he makes?

Edges-lgDoug’s at a place in his life where he’s learning to accept change, and that the life we have in mind for ourselves isn’t always what we get. After his ideas of what his life is ‘supposed’ to be like are shattered, he’s forced to open his mind to new things, and that’s one of the reason he tries to accept Stewart and Corey’s situation, though part of him rejects it completely. But he’s ultimately motivated by his feelings for Stewart. Falling in love is one of the most out of control experiences we can have as human beings. We’re wired for it, all those lusty chemicals clouding our brains, often a battle between what the body wants, what the heart wants, and what the logical mind tells you is the right thing to do. It’s easy to stand on the outside of that and decide ‘Dude, you’re playing with fire, stop now.’ But when you’re in it, being carried away by that hurricane of feelings, it’s a gamble which side is gonna win out, and sometimes the call of the heart is too strong to fight.

Corey’s character is described as ‘larger than life’. He provides a lot of comic relief. How did you come up with Corey’s character and what purpose do you think he serves in the story?

Corey is actually based on someone I know – and that someone knows I exploited his personality in this book- but I won’t out him! I think we’ve all had that friend who possesses that certain glow, a magnetic power that makes them stand out in a crowd, and makes people want to be near them, to have a little piece of it for themselves. Of course with Corey I took it to the next level, making him a self-proclaimed healer, accentuating his ‘magical’ qualities. But when someone has that otherworldly vibe, it’s easy to forget that they’re real, and have their own emotions and personal pain. With Corey, Doug is forced to look beyond his prejudices and learn there’s often more to what we see on the surface. Corey is also the obstacle wedged between Doug and his desire for Stewart. Not only because Corey is Stewart’s boyfriend, but because he’s everything Doug is not, and therefore makes him question himself, and if he alone will ever be enough.

Without giving away spoilers, all of the characters in the story end up in a very different place than they started out. But despite all the chaos and upending of lives, there’s a sense of hopefulness in the end. Was there a message there or were you just aiming for happily ever after for the sake of the story?

Cameraman-lgI guess one message is that life can really screw with you, and things are going to happen that make you feel like you’ve lost everything, that you simply don’t have the strength to start over, much less be hopeful about the future. But short of crawling into a hole until you die, there’s really no other choice but to dust yourself off and try again – but it can take WORK. The other message is that no one is immune to falling in love, no matter what their situation. It’ll sneak up and grab you by the balls when you’re not looking. Despite this being the key to all romance stories—the fantasy of love coming along and knocking you on your ass—how the character handles it is what makes it interesting. There’s a reality to it that everyone can relate to, no matter how different we all are.

Do you think some readers will be unsettled by the subject matter of Guys On Top, since it steps outside the lines of a conventional romance story? Do you read your reviews?

I certainly considered that before publishing it, which is why I included the open relationship aspect in the cover blurb. I wanted people to know what they were getting into if they picked up this book. That might have backfired on me in a few cases, as some feedback I’ve gotten is that people expected it to be more of a straight on ménage story. But so far the response has been incredibly positive. I try not to spend too much time reading reviews because it keeps me locked in the mindset of this book rather than what I should be doing, which is write the next one! But people send me review links a lot, and I always read those. I have wonderful, intelligent readers, and am grateful they’ve been willing to trust me to take them off the beaten path with Guys On Top.

Can you give us any hints of what you have in store for your next book?

BodySurf-lgMy plan is to take it down to the beach for the next one, since summer is coming and I’m in that kind of mood. But I’ve been having so much fun doing the city settings as in Criminal Pleasures and Guys On Top, it’s been a tough call! But none of my books ever turn out exactly the way I plan initially, so I’m banking on the hope that the new characters will come to life and let me know what they want. And that’s all another way to say I have no clue yet! But I hope to gain one soon.

Thank you for dropping by, Darien!

Now, for the giveaway. You have a week to enter, and lots of ways to get entries. Leave a comment, ask Darien a question, follow on Twitter, Tweet the giveaway. Have at it! Winner will be randomly drawn to win their choice of ANY eBook from Darien’s backlist (I believe the format choices are MOBI, PDF, EPUB, so there’s something for every ereader). That includes Fluid Motion, Body Surf, Cameraman, Edges, Seducing Professor Coyle, or Criminal Pleasures.

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Darien Cox lives in New England, bouncing back and forth between the mountain and the ocean states, anywhere there’s a wave or a ski slope. A nature lover and thrill seeker, he enjoys exploring the intensity, insanity, humor and chaos that accompanies cupid’s arrow, whether it’s love at first sight or just the overwhelming power of lust. Mystery, thriller, and paranormal elements are occasionally tossed in to further spice up the mix, because let’s face it—sometimes the world is not enough.

On the Web: http://dariencox.com/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarienCox
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darien.cox.98 

MEET SKYLA DAWN

Urban fantasy writer. Fifth-generation crazy cat lady. Bitchy feminist. Cranky designer.

My characters kill people so I don’t have to.

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