Tales of the Underlight series by Jax Garren

This weekend I started reading a terrific series called Tales of the Underlight by Jax Garren. The first book, HOW BEAUTY MET THE BEAST, got me hooked. Book two, HOW BEAUTY SAVED THE BEAST, is waiting for me on my Kindle. And - squee! - book three, HOW BEAUTY LOVED THE BEAST, releases today! Check out this fab series, you won't be disappointed!

Carina Press - Kindle - Nook

The Beast

Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley "Hauk" Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He's starting to lose hope...and then he sees her.

The Beauty

Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn't see. After she's kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?

Carina Press - Kindle - Nook

Jolie Benoit left her old life behind to become an agent of the Underlight. Training under Sergeant Wesley Haukon, she's honing her combat skills, all the while coping with the intense sexual attraction she feels for Hauk. She keeps their friendship casual, but when his high school sweetheart transfers into their division, Jolie finds herself grappling with jealousy.

The Underlight gave Hauk a purpose, but he can't escape his past completely. The physical and emotional scars from the fire that killed seven fellow Army Rangers will mark him forever. Jolie sends his protective instincts into overdrive, but he's convinced he'll never be worthy of her love.

Hauk is determined to keep Jolie from harm. But when the Order of Ananke ambushes them with a new weapon that neutralizes Hauk, making him vulnerable, it's Jolie who must tap into her hidden strengths to rescue him--or risk losing him forever...

Carina Press - Kindle - Nook

It's all been leading to this.

Jolie Benoit has become a skilled agent of the Underlight, relying on her savvy to complete assignments while Sergeant Wesley Haukon was out of commission. But an unexpected clue to the Order of Ananke's diabolical scheme rattles Jolie, and she turns to Hauk for comfort.

It's been years since Hauk took comfort from the touch of another person, though his love for Jolie is deep and powerful. Uncomfortable in his skin, scarred by a terrible fire, he is unable to give in to the pleasures that Jolie so desperately wants to grant him.

Meanwhile, the Order is lurking in the shadows--and when they strike, the blow is swift and terrible. Hauk and Jolie scramble to fight for their community, but with the future of the Underlight threatened, no one is safe. And Hauk will never be the same...

Back In Black

For this month's news I've got the official back cover copy description of TRANCEHACK.

It’s 2065. Those born with magic abilities live in government-run zones, without rights or freedoms. Fear of magic created this segregated world and fear keeps it intact.  

A high-profile murder brings Detective Nathan Perez to Magic Born Zone 13. He’s had little experience with the Magic Born and isn’t sure what to expect during his first encounter with a witch, but he never thought he’d be so drawn to her.  

Trancehacker Calla Vesper uses magic to break into computers and aid the Magic Born underground. She has no interest in helping a cop, even if he is smoking-hot, but money’s tight and Nate offers a tidy amount for help navigating the Zone. Calla’s determined to keep it all business, but sparks start flying before the investigation even gets started.  

When Calla’s trancehacking and Nathan’s investigation uncover a conspiracy, Calla becomes a target. Nate can protect her by keeping her role a secret—but then who will protect Nate?

The final word count comes in at 89,000 words, making it my longest work yet to be published. I should get cover art sometime this summer, with the book being released in the fall.

**

That's all I've got. Since finishing HOODOO WOMAN I've been taking a much needed break from writing every day. There's a couple of things I'm working on a little bit, but I don't want to talk about them since I'm not sure if they'll go anywhere. Mostly I've been hanging out with the baby, teaching her classic rock, one episode of Supernatural at a time.

Bring On The Night

BRING ON THE NIGHT

Bring On The Night was the second book I finished. I'd written a novel - a long, meandering, hundred thousand word unpublishable novel. I knew that first book had too many issues to count and I wanted to see if I could write something with a straightforward plot, plenty of action, and no excess filler. Plus I wanted to write urban fantasy. So I came up with the idea for Bring On The Night and hit my goals with it. At just under thirty thousand words, I didn't know if there was anything I could do with it. Digital small press was new to me but it seemed like a good avenue to pursue, if I could manage to get the manuscript accepted.

Nerine Dorman was still at Lyrical Press at the time and she acquired the novella. Reading it over now, I don't know what she saw in it that made her want it, but I'm eternally grateful she took it (and me) on. I've seen quite a few authors say that writing was just something they thought they'd try their hand at. That's great, especially when it turns into success. But writing has never been that way for me. Writing books, being a published author - this has been my dream since I was thirteen years old. When I got the email from Lyrical Press publisher Renee Rocco in November of 2009 telling me they wanted to publish Bring On The Night, it was a dream come true. There were a lot of happy tears and staring at the screen in shock, wondering if this was real and expecting them to change their minds at any moment. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm a published author.

Bring On The Night changed my life. Since then I've continued to write, and thankfully publish. This is a hard business to be in. Little money, little respect, and lots of stuff I never counted on when I set out to be a writer. (coughohgodsocialmediacough) But the truth is, I love it. I love writing and publishing. I've even grown to love Twitter, even though I don't have as much time for it now that I have a baby.

If you're wondering why I'm getting all nostalgic about BOTN, well, here's the thing. Digital books have a contract, which means they do in fact have a shelf life. For this book, it's three years. I could have renewed the contract but I decided not to for some very specific reasons. This book is an oddball - a standalone urban fantasy novella with no romance. I have no plans to write more in this world, with these characters. If I did, it would be good to keep BOTN out there. But this is it, so I decided to not renew the contract. Retailers Amazon and Barnes and Noble have already removed it. The only place it's still available - I think - is the Lyrical site. As of May 17, the rights will revert to me. I don't know what I'll do with it. Probably nothing for now. Like I said, it's an oddball and I doubt I'll ever return to those characters. I don't have the means to self-publish it right now, or the time and energy to put into that. But who knows, later on when I do have the time I might find a way to put Bring On The Night back out there.

So it's going "out of print" so to speak. I'm a bit verklempt. Thank you to Lyrical Press, Renee Rocco, and Nerine Dorman for giving me the chance of a lifetime. I don't know what the publisher and editor side of this business is like, but ladies, when you find yourself having a bad day, remember you're making people's dreams come true. That's an extraordinary thing to do. Thank you!