Skyla Dawn Cameron

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

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At Last We Visit OBLIVION

Oblivion-kindleSome of you have been waiting since Exhumed first released in 2012, and I know it was originally scheduled for 2013…but here is the final book in the series at last. I just hope everyone remembers everything that came before it, because I wrote it with the assumption you do.

Oblivion is now available wherever ebooks are sold, including Kindle US, Kindle UK, Kindle Canada, Kindle Australia, Kobo, Nook, iBookstore, OmniLit, GooglePlay, Smashwords, Direct, Payhip… See, everywhere. It’s even out in print now too.

The ebook also contains a five chapter preview of Solomon’s Seal, due out September 20 (the ARC, uncorrected galley proof version).

One quick request–I greatly appreciate reviews, I really do. You have no idea how much they help–the more reviews a book has somewhere like Amazon, the higher it pops up in search results, and the more copies sell. I think it’s something like only 2% of readers leave a review, so it’s tremendously helpful.

Just please, please…please try not to spoil the end of the book for others. It was really upsetting when Exhumed came out and the big plot twists I’d kept a wrap on for several years were revealed the week of release. I’m always careful to not reveal much ahead of time and ask others consider doing so as well–one-star it, send me hate mail, but please try to let others discover what’s coming just as you did.

If you want to discuss the book with other readers when you’ve read it, you can join in at Alchemy Red on Facebook.

ICYMI, the Oblivion soundtrack is here.

I’m also at Mel’s today, talking about the end of a series (she has a review up too!).

The series sale is on for a couple more days.

Oblivion-sale

Now I’ve had a really rough couple of days and I’m going to stay offline and try to get some work done. Happy reading.

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Soundtrack Sunday – OBLIVION Edition

Oblivion-kindleThis is a trickier one as the book has two different narrating protagonists, each with their own soundtrack, and both settings (our world and that of Oblivion) have their own as well.

For Peri’s parts of the books, there’s a fair amount of crossover with her Lineage soundtrack, obviously. Here’s a sampling of what I listened to with this book.

 

Mourning Ritual – “Bad Moon Rising“
Heard this cover, instantly found it fit perfectly with the dark apocalyptic tone of this book; I wish I could transfer the images in my head so you could see the Oblivion music video I see to it.

Amy Lee – “With or Without You“
The Utada Hikaru cover of this was on the Lineage soundtrack, as it was one of my Peri/Nic themes. Given the dark tone of this book, I like this darker version of it.

Disturbed – “The Sound of Silence“
There’s an important chapter later in the book with this same title.

Thirty Seconds to Mars – “This Is War“
Although this is the last book, I’ve said repeatedly there are more carrying on another arc (of about five books), and it’s more during those final books, in addition to Oblivion, that This Is War becomes the theme song. If you want to leave guesses in the comments to where the characters fit (the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim, the prophet, the liar, the honest, the leader, the pariah, the victor, the messiah), have at it.

Smashing Pumpkins – “The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning“
This is very much my theme for the Oblivion dimension scenes, as well as Mishka’s POV.

Lana Del Rey – “Once Upon a Dream“
Another Oblivion dimension song, given the creepy etherealness to it.

Janel Drewis – “In the Pines”
I had to write some really difficult Peri scenes during the the beginning of her last section, and I had this on repeat. (h/t to Amanda for the suggestion!)

Gemma Hayes – “Wicked Game“
“The world is on fire and no one can save me but you”

Sanders Bohike – “The Weight of Us“
“there’s a cold heart buried beneath//and warm blood running deep//and secrets are mine to keep//protected by silent sleep//I’m not ready//for the weight of us”

Alex and Sierra – “Little Do You Know“
Mel suggested this as a Zara/Nate song, and of course it ended up on my playlist. It fits them really well, particularly the alternating voices with Zara echoing Sierra and Nate echoing Alex.
“Little do you know//I’m still haunted by the memory//Little do you know//I’m trying to pick myself up piece by piece//Little do you know//I need a little more time”
“I’ll wait, I’ll wait//I love you like you’ve never felt the pain” and “Little do you know//I love you ’til the sun dies”

John Murphy – “In the House, in a Heartbeat”
A bunch of action scenes were written to this one.

Matthew Perryman Jones – “Canción de la noche“
“Is it your ghost//Keeps hiding under the smoke//It’s getting louder”

Electric President – “Safe and Sound”
“When there’s no way out//I’ll let you build your home with me till the clocks run down//When your looks run out//Call me and I will come and fix you get your feet on the ground//When there’s no way out//Call me and I will come and bury you all safe and sound”

Clarity – “Don’t Panic“
A lot of the more emotional stuff toward the end of the book and apocalyptic stuff was written to this.
“Bones sinking like stones//All that we’ve fought for//Homes, places we’ve grown//All of us are done for”

Peter Gabriel – “Heroes“
The final, pre-epilogue chapter was written to this. (I apologize in advance for that.)
“We can be heroes, if just for one day”

Peter Gabriel – “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today“
This is the epilogue theme, which I knew for years before I wrote the book.
“Broken windows and empty hallways//a pale lit moon in a sky streaked with grey//Human kindness is overflowing//and I think it’s gonna rain today.”

 

Oblivion is out on Tuesday!

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The “When’s That Book Coming?” Summer 2016 Update

Let’s get right to it, shall we?

 

What’s Upcoming

Oblivion-kindleFirst up we have Oblivion, the fifth and (unfortunately?) final Demons of Oblivion novel on August 9.

Earthquakes. Plagues. Rivers of blood. The ever-so-popular rain of toads. When end of the world fare is on the rise, it’s well past business as usual in a city where the veil between dimensions is thin.

Quarter-demon Persephone Takata isn’t so keen on killing herself anymore. This time when death approaches, she’s ready to take a stand and fight to protect the woman she loves, along with everyone around them as the apocalypse swings into full force.

Meanwhile, trapped in her home dimension where her antichrist father’s rule is weakening, Mishka Thiering’s hopes for revenge on the living are put on hold when she stumbles across the truth the Court has kept hidden for centuries. Her death was the last piece of the puzzle, leading to a change in the dimensional landscape, affecting humans and demons alike.

Despite its fractured numbers, the shadowy organization who has kept tabs on Peri and Mishka for years is still very much in the game, ready to set into motion their final plan. For there is something much, much worse waiting in the wings—something old, something powerful, and something far more terrifying than Oblivion or any of the creatures it’s spawned.

Alliances, betrayals, casualties.

This is war. And only one sister can win.

This is what the others have all been leading to, and it absolutely is NOT standalone. You need to read books one through four (Bloodlines, Hunter, Lineage, Exhumed) as each book contains the pieces that come to a head in this one.

It is a very good idea to have read some of the extras, like Damaged: A Zara Lain Novella and 9 Crimes (a Nate collection), particularly the latter because Mishka refers to the events in it a lot. There’s also mention of the events from Prey, so Patrons of Snark will be familiar with some things.

There is a catch up series sale if you’ve missed any of the stories, 50% off from my online store.

So the Oblivion ebook is definitely available on August 9, but the print will be out a little bit later as I have to get it formatted and put together, hopefully about mid-month.

Pre-order now: Kindle US | Kindle UK | Kindle CA | Kobo | Nook | iBookstore

*

1-Solomon'sSeal-KindleJust six weeks after that we have Solomon’s Seal, the start of a new series, on September 20.

The Livi Talbot novels combine urban fantasy and adventure, and I’m really excited readers will finally get to check them out.

EX-DEBUTANTE. SINGLE MOTHER. TREASURE HUNTER.

Disowned and left penniless for getting pregnant at seventeen, former celebutante Olivia Talbot was willing to do whatever it took to provide for her daughter…including become a treasure hunter. Since the Pulse hit, activating relics of legend, there are plenty of artifacts to be had—not to mention wealthy clients willing to pay top dollar for them.

Just as her daughter’s private school tuition cheque bounces, Livi gets an offer that could be the break she needs to return to some semblance of her former life. A potential new client wants her to travel to Ethiopia and retrieve the Seal of Solomon—a mythical ring said to control demons and djinn—and this bounty comes with one hell of a financial pay off.

The deadline: a week. The team: unreliable. The competition: her world-renowned archaeologist older brother. Nothing Livi can’t handle… Except the danger goes beyond a few subterranean serpent-dragons she might encounter or tangling with her employer’s deadly second-in-command. This client isn’t all he seems, and handing him the ring might be worse than what he’ll do to her—and her daughter—if she doesn’t.

Paperback will likely be available a bit before the ebook.

Here’s what really smart people with excellent taste in literature have to say:

“Whip-smart, gritty, and fascinating. Olivia Talbot is a badass, and a mother, I’d want on my side if the world went to hell. Skyla Dawn Cameron’s deft characterization, complex plotting, and brutal action leaves the reader gasping for more.”

–Lilith Saintcrow, New York Times Bestselling Author

“It’s well written with a balanced blend of humor and adventure you can’t deny is spellbinding.”

–My World…in words and pages

Pre-order now: Kindle | Kobo | Nook | iTunes

The Livi Talbot series is ten books. I’ve written the first few, and I’m committed to publishing three. After that, it’ll depend on my stress level. If they’re not selling, I’ll leave it at three. If they’re heavily pirated, I’ll leave it at three. If it makes me unhappy to publish them, I’ll leave it at three. The fourth book ends with a cliffhanger, and I don’t want to reach that point and then leave readers hanging, so three seems safe for now.

That’s it for 2016, unless I write a short story or novella or something.

 

What I’m Working On

The second Livi Talbot book, Odin’s Spear, is complete. I need to do another pass on it to smooth things out. I’m tentatively looking at February for it to release. The third book is in progress. If I have a draft done by the end of the year, I should be able to release it mid-2017. The covers are done for both, the blurb is done for OS, but I’ll reveal that stuff later.

Also on my plate is Wolfe, which still has to be rewritten (I know, I know, I just…y’all, I HATE that book).

Nothing else to report right now, I’m in the midst of a very busy summer.

 

Oblivion-sale

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Oblivion Pre-Order

See? I told you the book would come out eventually!

I don’t think you need a blurb or anything at this point. Mark August 9, 2016 on your calendar.

Kindle US
Kindle UK
Kindle CA
Kobo
Nook
iBookstore

It’ll be elsewhere, like direct, upon release, and in paperback around the same time.

First round of Oblivion revisions are underway in between freelance stuff. Hopefully I survive.

Toward the end of next month, I hope to have Solomon’s Seal up for pre-order as well along with a cover reveal.

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“When’s That Book Coming?” Spring 2016 Edition

State of the Union time, boys and ghouls.

What I’m Working On

Hamlet2I squirreled away my pennies so I could take April off to focus on Oblivion. Of course that’s gone about as well as expected, but I anticipate finishing a very bare bones zero draft by the end of next week. It’s going to need a lot of fleshing out (like, I’m 70% through it and I’ve skipped about 10K worth of scenes), which I hope to do throughout May, and I’ll need to schedule time with my beta and copyeditor, but I’m looking to release it late this summer.

When it’s done, I have to finish a for-pay project, but then I’ll likely be working on Zheng’s Tomb, which I’m about 13K words into. I’m also playing with a fun comedic crime novel called Trix Moody that I’ll tell you about sometime if it ever actually goes anywhere.

 

What’s Upcoming

Oblivion

Obv. More below.

New Series

As I’ve been hinting for a few months now (and previously told Patrons of Snark), September 20 will see the release of the first in a new series: Solomon’s Seal.

For the Livi Talbot books, think Tomb Raider meets Gilmore Girls in a mix of urban fantasy and adventure. SS will be up for pre-order in June. The cover is done but I’m awaiting the review quote for the front before previewing it along with rewriting the jacket copy, so look for that stuff later this summer when I have time to poke at it.

I’ll go into more detail about the series later, as right now I want to keep the focus gearing up for Oblivion, but atm I’ll say the Livi Talbot series is nine to ten books. At this point, I’m going to commit to publishing the first three. Other than something brief in the first one, there are no cliffhangers, so I won’t leave anyone hanging if my stress level gets too high and I decide to stop publishing them. (If sales are poor and piracy is high, I don’t want to quit with a cliffhanger and leave readers frustrated.) So three books to see how they do, each book with a resolution and nothing hanging. Beyond that, we’ll see. The goal is to release them three to six months apart–I have a workable third draft of Odin’s Spear done as a follow up to Solomon’s Seal that just needs a bit more smoothing out.

Wolfe

For Wolfe, it’s moved to next year. It was either work on those rewrites or work on Oblivion, and so I put it off. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Haunted

The novella Haunted is also backburnered. I just have too much on my plate with my books, for-pay writing projects, and re-releasing Aunt Judy’s books. I’ll see if I have time to rewrite it next year.

Heaven’s Choice

I also wanted to finish Heaven’s Choice, the prequel novella, before Oblivion but I’ve had to backburner it too. It was getting really long–Heaven’s quite a talker, probably as punishment for killing her–and I might save it for later when I feel like revisiting the series. If that changes, I’ll let everyone know.

 

Now for the questions…

Everything You Wanted to Know About Oblivion (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Oblivion-ARERelease date? August 2016 (tentatively)

Pre-order? May or June

Availability? Everywhere ebooks are sold: Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks, GooglePlay, ARe/Omnit Lit, direct, Smashwords, etc. Paperback on Amazon.

Length? About 90K words when all is said and done (around the length of Bloodlines).

Narrators? Peri and Mishka primarily. There are brief one-shots between Peri and Mishka’s sections featuring the other characters so most fan favourites get some “screen” time.

Is this the last book?  Yes. No, it wasn’t supposed to be, but I’m done; my heart can’t take having another Zara book pirated given how much she means to me. I am actually looking forward to writing the next arc of books just for me. I might put them out in paperback eventually, I don’t know–the cost of stock and editing might be more than I can invest. For all intents and purposes, though, this is it.

sorry not sorryHappily ever after? Oh AHAHAHA, sweetheart. I am not the writer for you if HEAs are requisite for your reading material. There’s closure to the arc, however it’s a painful book on a lot of levels and I expect it to get some hate.

But Zara and Nate—  No, just don’t even with me. I’m not a romance writer. They are not the focus of the plot.

Additional short story at the end? Nope. I always used those to set up future books in the series. That would just be cruel this time.

Deleted scenes? I had to rewrite so much early on, yes, there’ll likely be some. I’ll post them at www.zaralain.com when the book releases. There were a few Peri scenes cut from the beginning that I loved but couldn’t use anymore.

Can I have a review copy? No. I am not touring or offering books for review or anything else, the stress is not good for me. People who took previous books didn’t bother with the fourth one and hated the third, so I’m certainly not handing out the fifth. It’ll be $4.99 in ebook or $11.49 in print, like the others. Some Patrons of Snark get ARCs. If you read it and enjoy it, and want to leave a review, I thank you. But I don’t have the spoons for pursuing reviews.

Will you have signed copies in your online shop? Yep!

Who dies? Everyone!*

Can I catch previews or excerpts? I’ve posted some for Patrons of Snark (and owe them another this month) and members of Alchemy Red on Facebook can sometimes catch others.

Does it have a soundtrack? Yep! I’ll be resuming Soundtrack Sunday with both Oblivion and Solomon’s Seal later. For now, here are my top four Oblivion tunes on repeat:

 

So that’s it for now. Hopefully some pre-order links next month–I’ll post when it’s all settled. Back to writing this damn book now.

 

*Not everyone. Probably.

MEET SKYLA DAWN

Writer of urban fantasy, thrillers/mysteries, and horror.
Fifth-generation crazy cat lady. Bitchy feminist.
So tired all the goddamn time.

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

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What I’m Working On:

Writing Elis 5. Also kind of sort of writing Waverly 8.