Captive by the Fog Released Today!

Yep-- today's the day! Captive's diving off into the unknown. :D It's hard to believe that little over a year ago, I often thought I'd never get any fiction published-- yet here I stand. Or rather, it stands. Looking all pretty and foggy-like. Parts of it really wrote itself, after all. It's all rather amazing.

I know I promised a book trailer, and I'm still working on making one, but it'll be a wee bit late for the launch of Captive, unfortunately. But don't worry! It'll still be awesome. Or so I hope, anyway.

This past week, I've been appearing on some awesome folks' blogs. I blabbed a bit, talked about Captive a bit. It was fun! At Clarissa Johal's blog, I babbled a bit about the stark contrasts often made in speculative and paranormal fiction, why I think they help those genres resonate with us as readers, and what types of contrasts I tossed in Captive by the Fog.

I also took part in my imprint's blog, Erato, and babbled about myself. If you've ever wanted to know some really goofy things about me, take a peak. As a bonus, I also talked about my next project I'm working on! Well, going to work on. Yeah. I've decided to try NaNo again this year. Eek.

Published today, I also babbled on Musa Publishing's blog. I took on the infamous "write what you know" statement that got me into so much trouble in college, and hopefully made some sense with what I came up with.

With all that babbling out of the way, I know you want more, right? Fear not! Captive's awaiting:

Captive by the Fog

That link goes to the buy link on Musa's site. It should be up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble soon-ish, but I strongly encourage folks to check out Musa's site and order it directly that way if it's not too much trouble. Why? My editors, cover artist, and I get paid a teeny bit more that way, due to third-party retailers charging publishing fees. Love to read? Support your writerly team!

Musa also sends you a nifty gift certificate when you sign up for the first time (check your email's spam folder if you can't find it the first time-- mine was hiding there), so it's worthwhile to do so just for that. Technically, you can get Captive for free that way!

If you're having trouble figuring out what ebook format you need to purchase, check out this guide on Musa's site. My non-technical guide may also help:

• If you have a Kindle, you want PRC. Nook? ePUB. You'll need to transfer the file over via USB cable.
• If you're using a smartphone and have a big enough screen to enjoy reading on it, you probably want ePUB, as I'm fairly certain that works for both Android and Apple phones. To view an ebook on a smartphone, you'll need to download a free app. I personally use Nook's, which can be found in both the app center or on Barnes and Noble's site. After which, you'll need to transfer the file over to your phone with either the USB cord or through email or whatever. 
• If you're going to be reading it from a computer, you have three choices-- you can either download the free Nook program (Barnes and Noble's site has it), download the free Kindle program (on Amazon), or use your free Adobe Reader program to view the PDF version. Most PCs come with a PDF reader of some type. Oh, and as a warning, I linked the reader versions for Windows. Both sites have Mac versions as well.
• You'll generally have to place the file in a certain folder in order for the program to register it (except for PDF). This folder is usually pretty obvious, and will read "ebooks" or some such. If you have any questions, you can try checking out the FAQs of whatever program you choose, or if in doubt-- poke me. I'm not expert, but I'll help the best I can! 

 All that said, please enjoy Captive if you do check it out, and remember to leave me feedback in one form or another (even if it's angry!). If you have questions, feel free to ask those, too! I love feedback, and since I do plan on making a serious go of this writer stuff, I need all the feedback I can get. I may be a nub now, but I hope to always improve.

There's a lot of... well, me, in Captive, and I'm sure you'll figure that out as you read along! I'd love some reviews if anyone's willing to share their comments publicly. Leaving a review on Musa's site or at Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes and Noble is a great way to get the word out on my little book. And yes, get the word out if you'd like to. Tell your friends, etc. I won't discourage that in the least!

Happy reading! And... go, Captive, go!

Finalized Blurg, Tagline, and Excerpt!

Sam is caught in a life she can't escape as the caretaker for her terminally ill homophobic father, but what she wants more than anything is to find the courage to escape and live her own life.

One fog-filled evening, Sam, her father, and a group of strangers are captured by beings from another world. Held prisoner by this mysterious race, the band struggles to hold on to the hope of freedom.

As Sam finds herself unexpectedly falling into a leadership role, she also falls for the shy smile of fellow prisoner Kisana. But as freedom continues to slip beyond the reach of their prison, the group must find the strength to carry on, maintain their humanity, and most of all—survive.


Excerpt: 


I needed a better look. I headed into the living room and to the front door. To my surprise, the door was wide open and the couch empty. I sprinted out the door and found my father sprawled out on the ground, half of his body on the sidewalk, the other half on the stairs.

“Dad!” I yelled, “What the hell are you doing? What’d you do, fall off the stairs?” I bent down to help him up, and then realized he wasn’t looking in my direction. He was frozen in place, staring directly at the sky. I followed his gaze, and I too, froze. My heart leapt inside my chest, scrambling to escape.

A huge, metallic, disc-shaped object hovered in the foggy darkness above the grass of a nearby park. Round portholes on the sides emitted silver beams of light that screamed soundlessly into the fog. Three large metal beams extended from the base and onto the ground. Landing pads. I didn’t see a door. Yet.

My breath caught in my throat. My vision almost glazed over, and I had an overwhelming desire to run and escape my body and what I was witnessing. 
“I—it…c-can’t b-be…It’s…It’s a…UFO…” The words tumbled out of my mouth, rolling over themselves like a rock slide.

I averted my eyes from the object, and saw my neighbors all out on their front doorsteps. Their eyes and bodies were rigid as they stared up at the spacecraft. Some were in their robes and pajamas. One woman two doors down lay in the grass after having fainted, her hair in curlers. 

Bruce still hadn’t moved or uttered a word. He swallowed hard and gave me a quick, terrified glance. His mouth gaped open as he attempted to find words. There were none to be found, and his jaw shook with tremors. His frail frame shuddered beneath my hands, and my insides felt just as shaky.

My gaze drifted back toward the spacecraft, almost in slow motion. My mind tried to force my body to look away as if I were watching a horror movie, and the zombie was about to jump out of the shadows. A garage door-sized hull opened on one side of the UFO, and a large, metallic cube floated out. It was about the size of an RV, but had no windows or wheels. Instead, it had discs on the bottom that emitted blue beams of light down toward the ground. It hovered in the air through the power of that light. A single huge, mechanical arm extended from the front, and next to the arm were two mechanical jaws clenched shut. It reminded me of a trash truck—only sterile, alien, glistening, and unquestionably life-threatening. 

The door on the UFO snapped shut, and the smaller craft rotated toward us. It began to whirr, creating the revving noise I had heard. I could see what looked like a spotlight on the very front of the mechanical jaws. It twisted around and sent forward a bright beam of yellow light that cut through the fog like a knife slicing butter. The fog had little choice but to disappear in its path.


In order to survive, a prisoner must confront the darkness or crumble with the world around her.

Captive by the Fog

October 26 2012

And We Have a Winner!

I know-- I'm a bit slow with the news, but I went out of town this past weekend to meet up with a good friend and cause some early Halloween mayhem at Knott's Berry Farm. Much fun was had! And now for the big news: Congratulations to Cia Nordwell for winning Captive by the Fog's Musa anniversary giveaway!

Yep, that was my grand ol' method of choosing a winner. I love dice. I collect dice. So, why not put them to good use?

Cia, I'll be sending you an email! Everyone else who entered, thank you for entering, and for the comments and well wishes about Captive's release. The weeks are counting down, and it's exciting to have friends and fellow readers and writers along for the ride!

Oh, and for the news about the winner of the Kindle (though you probably know already!), check out this page.