Soul searching: What do I want? #ION

I have been meaning to write this blog post for a couple weeks now, but I wasn't sure where to start. Currently, I have two series that I'm working on wrapping up. 

The Valespian Pact and I.O.N.

In some circles, I.O.N. has been slow to catch on. Ruby Red Booty Shorts and a Louisville Slugger was a story that I wrote by the seat of my pants, and then later extensively revised it. Then it was followed by Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword, which again I pantsed. I knew where I wanted the series plot arc to go, and I knew the day would be won by a group of friends. But how they would get there kept fluctuating. Then my inspiration got derailed. Some of it came from a personal nature, some of it came from the lack of series sales--which is so unlike me. I don't normally track sales because I'm simply grateful someone bought a book. But I felt like I was treading water and not getting anywhere quick, so I put together and spreadsheet and I wished I hadn't.

I thought some changes were in order. I took a look at my world notes (and honestly, they were really slim, which just goes to show how much I pantsed the stories) and reassessed what needed to happen to complete the plot arc. I'd originally planned for I.O.N. to be six books--four to set up the characters and plot, one to wrap up ,and one to give a certain someone a HEA. I moved the last one to be written as a standalone-- if people were interested in that person's HEA. Then I moved puzzle pieces around and shaved off things that didn't deal with the plot arc. (I was going to show Beck and Diego working cases for I.O.N. and such.) Then I.O.N. was only four books and two of them were already published so that left two to write.

Even though I knew the plot arc and pinpointed things that needed to happen in book three, the romance element was... Stephen was flipflopping on who he liked and didn't like. I personally wanted to stab Grant in the eye so I was looking for a different love interest and eventually landed on a solution. I figured that if the idea didn't work out as I wrote the story, then I would let it work itself out organically (pansting, LOL).

Then I put I.O.N. aside to wrap up Sumeria's Sons and get somethings off my desktop that were finished and just needed some expert advice. Then things got messy, depressing, and last year I temporarily shelved everything I attempted to work on because I wanted to set fire to all of it.

October came around and I was a little excited about writing again, bringing out Bespoken and then writing a couple of Valespian Pact flash fictions that turned into the 3rd book of the series, Constant. To replace the flash fictions, I thought I would write a short blog series called Gentleman's Holiday. I took the assassin for Keeping Faith and thought I'd give a cute fluffy romance and retirement in the I.O.N. world. I thought it would be cool to pants a chapter every week and post it. Well the "fluffy" romance took all kinds of fun turns and I retitled it Assassin's Retirement. This "little" fun blog story rekindled my love for the I.O.N. world. It's really strange because it's like I had forgotten everything I loved about I.O.N. I had all these plans for different standalones that explored the different aspects of this paranormal/urban fantasy world and then it was like they fell off the face of the earth for a couple of years. 

The last few weeks,  I've been taking another look at the series and what I wanted to do with it. I am so in love with the characters from Assassin's Retirement that I looked at I.O.N. with new eyes. I dusted off the notes for standalone stories in the I.O.N. world and got excited about them again. I got a story for an I.O.N. profiler, for a man who was accidentally changed into a shifter, and exploring the lore of the Americas... well, you get the point. I had--have--big plans for books that are set in this world and I am chomping at the bit to do some serious world and character building.  

I pulled all my notes together over the last couple of weeks and will be making sure all these books will connect, even though they can be read by themselves (all but those in the main I.O.N. series). I will be plotting the books and planning some crossover characters here and there. I'm at the point where I want to share my notes so badly!! There is no one around except my dogs and they sleep through everything I say.

This is what I wanted to write. Something a little different from the norm but still in the same genres that I love. I'd forgotten my own personal "motto" (I can't think of a different word at the moment) Write what I want to read, write what speaks to me, and everything will fall into line. 

Now. I just need to write faster... LOL!

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

What Am I Up To? #DeathMask #Darksoul #amediting

What am I doing? Writing guest posts for the Death Mask blog tour that will begin November 14th. There will be at least two (2) rather long flash fiction pieces (2k each). I'm thinking about writing one or two more but it depends on time. 

I got lucky. I completely spaced that I should set something up for Death Mask's release. When I asked on Facebook if anyone minded hosting me, I received several replies back. The tour is one week and my hope was for five volunteers. I received eleven (11) which was completely awesome. So there are three interviews, two flash fictions, and five guest posts that I'm going to be putting together. The guest posts are the hardest, in my opinion, because I have to make sure that I don't give away spoilers while talking about elements of the story. 

The flash fiction never stays below 1k or less for me, which shouldn't surprise me because I can't write the short stuff. Flash fiction isn't any different. But while writing the first one, Opium and Lung, I suddenly wanted to drop everything and write another installment of Black Harbingers. The story that came to mind wasn't even one I've been considering writing for the MC. 

This is me throwing a fit because I just can't right now. I have to finish this stuff for the blog tour and then move back to the edits for Darksoul--which are taking forever.

You don't even know how much I want this story off my plate. I'm so tired of looking at it. If I don't hurry up I'll end up commissioning a new cover which would make the money I spent on it earlier this year a waste. I should just quit complaining and get back to work because it will be finished soon. I am considering turning this one into an audiobook... maybe... perhaps... it just all depends on the sales. 

But once I get this off my desk then I can truly start on Bespoken. Freaking finally. With the exception of the flash fictions and I haven't worked on a new story, put down new words since I finished Releasing Chaos in July. That's a freaking long ass time to be doing edits. Since then, I've worked on edits for Werewolf's Tale, Death Mask, Darksoul, Devil's Heart, and organized and wrote materials for two blog tours. (And there was the week-long Birthday Bash.) Here in the next couple of weeks I'm expecting the galley for Death Mask, so there will be a additional round there, too. 

Of those projects listed above, Werewolf's Tale is released. Death Mask will be released soon. I'm hoping Devil's Heart will be good enough to send out to beta readers (I just might torch that ms if I have to do anymore edits on it). And that leaves Darksoul currently on my desk. 

I'm so tired of edits that last night I dreamed of spending the next year writing stories in a house out in the middle of nowhere. All I did was write. If I'm dreaming about it, I'm in agony. Something's gotta give.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Release Day for Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword!

The paranormal world fears them, 

but one man will endeavor to be their champion.

The day has come! Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword released today. It is the 2nd book in the I.O.N. series. While we still follow Beck and Diego as side characters, the heart of the story belongs to Jude Zell, Beck's little brother. 

Kicked out of his parents home, Jude was picked up by Beck and taken across the content to live in San Diego. Jude is struggling to leave behind his first love as well as attempting to trust Beck with secrets he's been harboring for years... then things get crazy. 

Everything Jude, Beck, and Diego thought they knew is being questioned. Beck is dealing with the changes Diego is going through in order to come into his abilities. At the same time, he's worrying himself sick over Jude and his reckless behavior. 

If Beck can't step back and allow Jude to come to him and if Jude doesn't accept who he is, all could be lost... even Hector.

The Blog Tour for Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword starts tomorrow, September 1st. There is exclusive content for each of the blog stops. You can also read exclusive excerpts (nice long ones) at Molly Lolly, BFD Books, and Prism Book Alliance. The giveaway will close on the 17th and you'll be able to enter everyday. Enjoy!

Title: Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword
Series: #2 of I.O.N.
Author: Lexi Ander
Cover Artist: Aisha Akeju
Categories: Gay, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Length: 67,000 words
Release Date: August 31, 2016

Blurb:

After he's kicked out for being gay, still reeling from being abandoned by the man he loves, Jude goes to live with his brother Beck, who thankfully is more than happy to take him in. But Jude has other secrets he's yet to share, for fear that even Beck will reject him, leaving him well and truly alone.

Then he draws the attention of werewolves, and discovers that everything he thought he knew about Levi, the man who abandoned him, is a lie. But one lie leads to another, ending in a vast conspiracy that threatens to destroy everything Jude loves—and that doesn't even begin to include the challenges that Beck is facing.

  Buy Links: LT3 Press | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | All Romance | Bookstrand |

Excerpt:

Jude had never been to a gay dance club before. He wasn’t interested in what went on inside the clubs, but his brother, Beck, had been nagging him to get out of the house. He’d moved to San Diego six months ago, and the only place he went willingly was to his college classes. Any other time, Beck or his partner Diego hauled him out of the house.

He regretted telling his brother about his brief… thing… with Levi Hammond. Beck watched him carefully, and Jude knew why. He should’ve been over the short-term love affair by now, but his heart disagreed. Regardless of what others believed, just because Levi no longer loved Jude didn’t mean Jude could simply turn his feelings off. But in order to get Beck off his back, Jude had said yes when a couple of friends invited him to go dancing.

He imagined he had that tourist look when he stepped inside the club’s doors. The thump of the music actually caused the pant legs of his jeans to tremble in time with the pounding bass. He tried not to gawk, but he’d never seen the likes of what played out before him anywhere. After the shock wore off, his first impression was sex. Men writhed on the floor, emanating sensual appeal. He felt like prey walking into the lion’s den, and all he could do was watch with astonishment at the gyrating bodies.

Jude had been to a couple of high school dances over on the east coast. The comparison between the two scenes was like pitting apples against pineapples. High school dances were, well, high school and not like the movies where all the kids had rhythm and could contort their bodies to do amazing moves. Jude snorted to himself. No, there where hawk-eyed chaperones, and most of the students danced with a jerky stiffness or sat off to the side watching. Here, everybody moved fluidly, as if their bodies were boneless. The air smelled of sweat and sex, half-hard cocks prominently displayed in everything from leather to colorful mesh jockstraps.

Following his friends through the writhing mass, he was petted and groped enough he’d have bruises on his ass. His friends seemed oblivious to his discomfort as they pushed through to the middle of the dance floor, pulling him along behind them. For a split second, he contemplated leaving, swamped with the wrongness of it all. His mind whispered his place was with Levi, not here among grabby strangers.

That internal voice pissed him off. Levi had left—disappeared—and broken his promise, leaving Jude devastated and living like a monk. Twice, Jude had hooked up only to come away carrying enough guilt to make him sick to his stomach for days—over someone who had chosen to no longer be a part of his life. He was tired of being alone. Of sitting in his room wondering what Levi was doing. Of yearning for someone who would never come back for him.

With newfound determination, he quit resisting, raised his hands in the air, and let go. He danced. The movement, the energy, was cathartic. The stress left his body, and for once, he placed the ache in his soul on the back shelf and buried it. He blocked the negative emotions so he could, just for the night, be himself. He didn’t believe he asked for too much. He only wanted a few short hours without the heartbreak, pain, or the memories that continually threatened to drown him.

Jude moved to the beat. He didn’t care how awkward he appeared. He tapped his feet, shook his ass, and cleared his mind. He danced until sweat poured off him, soaking his clothes and hair. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began to feel wonderful—alive. A shirtless Adonis approached him. The man was golden everywhere, his skin, shoulder-length hair; he even had golden-brown eyes. Jude caught his breath because he’d never seen anyone so handsome. Well, handsome was relegated to the rugged attractiveness. No, the man dancing with Jude with the sleek quality of a cat was beautiful. He sucked in his breath as the stranger drew near with an uncertainty that was a contradiction to his appearance, and Jude recognized something of himself in the person approaching him.

Jude found the man’s hesitancy endearing and threw him a bone. Wrapping his arms around wide shoulders, they swayed together with the music. His large, liquid eyes drank Jude in as the Adonis matched him move for move, hands gliding and stroking, hips swaying in counter to Jude’s. For the first time in a very long time, Jude felt sexy and wanted.

“Come home with me,” the Adonis whispered in Jude’s ear between songs.

Because Jude was flying high on a rare night of happiness, he did the one thing he hadn’t done since he’d moved to San Diego.

“Yes.”

Jude envisioned a long night of hot sweaty sex that would sustain his fantasies for weeks to come. The drive took mere minutes. Adonis hadn’t put his shirt on when they left the club, and Jude watched it sway in his back pocket as he climbed the stairs to the apartment. The guy’s hands trembled when attempting to fit the key into the lock. Jude didn’t think, just acted, grabbing the blond by the elbow. The man’s golden gaze raised from the doorknob to Jude’s hand, and something dark rippled over the surface of his eyes.

“Let me help,” Jude offered to break the silence. “My name’s Jude, by the way.”

He reached for the key, and in a quick move, Jude was plastered with his back against the door. A hard body pressed up against him, the hard line of the man’s erection pressing into him.

“Aw, shit,” Adonis moaned, pressing his nose into Jude’s skin. They both were covered in sweat, and Jude could only imagine what he smelled like. It must not have been terrible because a warm broad tongue licked up the line of his neck. “Stephen… Stephen Thornstein,” he said before his fumbling opened the door and they practically fell onto the apartment entryway.

After Stephen had slammed the door closed behind them, Jude repaid the favor and slammed Stephen against it. There wasn’t any finesse to the kiss he laid on Stephen. He ignored the rising whispers in the back of his mind noting how Stephen didn’t taste like Levi or that his lips were too plump. He viciously shoved the comparisons away. Jude was starving, so very hungry for touch, for a connection, and he tried to devour Stephen’s pouty lips. The niggling voice admonished him for his roughness, but the throaty growl Stephen gave him shut those thoughts down completely. Jude was just beginning to get lost in the feel of Stephen’s skin against his own when a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

Giveaway

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1st Place: $20 Amazon Gift Certificate

Runner Up: Signed Hard Copy of Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword

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Author Bio

Lexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Blog Tour Stops

September 1 – MM GoodbookReviews 

September 2 – GGR Reviews

September 2 – BFD Books

September 3 – Prism Book Alliance

September 4 – Love Bytes Reviews

September 5 – The Novel Approach

September 6 – Molly Lolly:Reader, Reviewer, Lover of Words

September 7 – Hearts On Fires Reviews

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Scheduled Releases For August #WerewolfsTale #ION2

With all the hubbub over wrapping up Releasing Chaos, the release of Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword almost sneaked up on me.

August 31st, the 2nd book in the I.O.N. series will be released. The story introduces a new set of characters. Beck's younger brother, Jude, has come to live with them and he's nursing a broken heart. Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword is his story but we also see development with Beck and Diego, this time from Beck's POV.

I'm excited to see what readers think of what happens in this urban fantasy world. The origin story for Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword has been with me for a while. I just didn't have a suitable plot to plug it into until I wrote Ruby Red Booty Shorts and a Louisville Slugger. This short series will have a couple of unusual origins for a couple more characters and I'll be taking a liberty or two with some better known ancient cultures. I really love applying the "what ifs" to things. :)

The blog tour for the release starts September 1st and will run through September 7th. I'll have more details in a couple of days. :)

Oh! I came up with a tag line that really fits.

The paranormal world fears them, 

but one man will endeavor to be their champion.

Release Date: August 31, 2016
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Artist: Aisha Akeju
Pre-Order Links: LT3


Blurb:


After he's kicked out for being gay, still reeling from being abandoned by the man he loves, Jude goes to live with his brother Beck, who thankfully is more than happy to take him in. But Jude has other secrets he's yet to share, for fear that even Beck will reject him, leaving him well and truly alone.

Then he draws the attention of werewolves, and discovers that everything he thought he knew about Levi, the man who abandoned him, is a lie. But one lie leads to another, ending in a vast conspiracy that threatens to destroy everything Jude loves—and that doesn't even begin to include the challenges that Beck is facing.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Cover Reveal: Werewolf's Tale and a Druid's Sword by Lexi Ander #giveaway

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Lexi Ander reveals the beautiful cover art of her next book titled WEREWOLF’S TALE AND A DRUID’S SWORD coming out from Less Than Three Press.

It releases on August 31, 2016.

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BLURB

After he's kicked out for being gay, still reeling from being abandoned by the man he loves, Jude goes to live with his brother Beck, who thankfully is more than happy to take him in. But Jude has other secrets he's yet to share, for fear that even Beck will reject him, leaving him well and truly alone.

Then he draws the attention of werewolves, and discovers that everything he thought he knew about Levi, the man who abandoned him, is a lie. But one lie leads to another, ending in a vast conspiracy that threatens to destroy everything Jude loves—and that doesn't even begin to include the challenges that Beck is facing.

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PRESENTING

Cover Art by Aisha Akeju

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TEASER

If fairytale beings walked the earth and there were humans who had extraordinary abilities, then what he saw could be something along those lines. Perhaps he wasn't such a freak. Could there be a place for him where people believed him, where he could fit in? Even though he was reticent to share that part of himself, Jude did want to tell Beck and Diego, but how did he prove something no one else could see? 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lexi has always been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

||  Website  ||  Blog  ||  Facebook  ||  Twitter  ||  Email  ||  Amazon Author Page  ||

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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

Winner’s Prize: $15 Amazon Gift Card

Runner Up Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card

2^nd Runner Up Prize: $5 Amazon Gift Card

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