Blogging with Kristine Cayne

RG2E - Your destination for the Best in Ereading

2012-02-01T15:30:00Z

Great news everyone! Today, the folks at WG2E (The Writer's Guide to E-Publishing) are launching a new reader-centric destination site for the best in ebooks.

(To make sure you don’t miss any entries, please consider subscribing by RSS feed or email. Sign up for my New Releases mailing list for additional chances to win a free book. The links are right here on the sides <===> ).

The Reader's Guide to E-Publishing (RG2E) will be showcasing some of the Best in Ebooks, the Best in Indie Epub Authors, and the Best in all-things Ereading.

There are already tons of ebook sites. What's so special about this site?

First off, this site is about readers. RG2E will be showcasing 10 Ebooks of the Day in a variety of genres. They will be gifting up to 50 featured e-books a day on all the main ebook platforms. That means this site is not restricted to Kindle, Nook, Kobo or any of the other e-readers.

And for those of you who don't own e-readers, they will be giving some of those away too!

So please, join the WG2E folks on February 1st for the launch of their RG2E sister site. And who knows, you might will some prizes!

If you're an author, check out the submissions tab. Ebook of the Day features will be offered at a bargain rate of $25.

Support independent authors

~Kristine

Deadly Obsession is available at the following retailers: Amazon, Amazon (print), Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, ARe, Kobo

Blog Tour - Indulging in Fantasies

2012-02-01T05:59:14Z

Join me in the final week of the month-long Deadly Obsession virtual book tour, presented by Bewitching Book Tours.

I have guest posts, giveaways, and more reviews!

Indulging in Fantasies

I'm at Erotica for All talking about "Indulging in Fantasies." Lauren James, the heroine of Deadly Obsession, has been a widow for five years. Three years before the start of the book, she and some friends go see a movie starring the sexy Nic Lamoureux. Since then, Nic has been starring in every one of her private fantasies. In this blog post, I discuss the taboos of sexual fantasies, and why they are actually healthy. There's also a long excerpt of one of Lauren's many Nic fantasies. Come check it out!

What's in a Setting?

On Thursday, I'll be stopping by I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read! We're talking about the importance of setting to heighten the suspense and emotions in a pivotal scene.

Other Tour Stops

Friday: The folks at Curling Up by the Fire will be interviewing me. I'll be

talking about how Gerry Butler was the inspiration for Deadly Obsession and why Nic Lamoureux was such a fun character to write.

Saturday: The Wormhole will be doing some promo on Deadly Obsession. I'll answer questions from readers.

Sunday: I'm being interviewed over at Rai29BookReadNReview. Join us!

Monday: I'll be closing out the blog tour with a stop at For the Love of Reading.

Note: some of these stops will have ebook giveaways and a chance to enter the tour-wide signed print book giveaway. I'll have more details on which sites are participating as the events get closer.

Reviews

A few more readers posted reviews on Amazon over the weekend. Here's what they had to say: (see all Amazon reviews here)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You should DEFINITELY read this; It's awesome!, January 28, 2012

Simply Kayla - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Obsession (Deadly Vices) (Kindle Edition)

Deadly Obsession was simply fantastic. My eyes were glued to this book the whole time! The only time I stopped reading it is for bathroom and snack breaks.

Nic, the Lover, Lamoureux is a very popular movie star who has all the women falling at his feet. He is living his dreams making movies and lots of money, but Nic has been receiving messages from a stalker named NicsBitch. The stalker always knows his every location and sends him messages when she thinks he is getting "too out of line".

Nic has always lived his life in regret because of an accident that happened when he was a teenager. One night he was playing video games with his friends when he needed to leave the house. His sister Rachel told him they needed to go and he told her he needed just five more minutes and they would go. While in a hurry driving, he crashed into a tree with his sister in the car. Rachel's legs were pinned between the dashboard and the seat of the car and she was losing a lot of blood. It took the paramedics two hours to get her out. Nic has always felt like as if it was his fault. His father always blamed him and he felt like he deserved it. Nic dropped out of High School to get a job and help out his family, but his dad always told him it wasn't good enough. When Vivian and her husband David came along they made his wildest dream come true, to be an actor.

Lauren James is an aspiring photographer that works at a department store to make ends meet so she can support her son Jason. Lauren suffered a great loss when she lost her husband Todd to war. Ever since then she has lived alone... just Lauren and her son, Jason. After Todd's death, Lauren started feeling resentment towards him because he made the decision to re-up with out talking to her first, and now he was dead. She wore his dog tags every day to remember what they once had.

After winning the contest to shoot Nic, the Lover, Lauren is stoked. Nic shows up with his agent Vivian and agrees to let Lauren shoot him. They both have an instant connection and attraction to each other. When the paparazzi show up Nic kisses Lauren because that's what he does with all his "Paparazzi girls", but Lauren is different. their kiss ends up being full of passion that neither expected. Nic makes another appointment with Lauren because he loves her ideas and he recognizes that she has genuine talent.

The storyline of the stalker had me just as captured as the storyline of Nic and Lauren. I love how their story unfolds. Nic and Lauren both have a past they aren't proud of they have to confront it. While falling in love with each other they reveal and relinquish their pasts to one another.

Deadly Obsession is a "Must Read" book! It absolutely rocked: and I didn't want it to end. It has a great story line, and characters that you will think about way after you've read the book. The progression of the book is just right, it's not too fast or too slow. It will leave you begging for more! Kristine, you are a truly talented writer and it was a pleasure to read your book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Romantic Suspense!, January 25, 2012

Tammy (IN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Obsession (Deadly Vices) (Kindle Edition)

Instead of summarizing this book again, I'll tell you what makes it a great read!
1. Deadly Obsession has an abundance of amazing characters. The main characters Nic and Lauren both have a lot going on in their lives. Lauren lost her husband due to the war, had to work hard to support her son, and she has "body issues" just like the rest of us. Nic seems to be this "playboy" but we learn that he actually is a good man carrying around a lot of unnecessary baggage, as well as dealing with a psycho-stalker. Kaden and Remi are hilarious, Lauren's son-Jason is adorable, and the list goes on.
2. The romance between Lauren and Nic was believable (and hot!). Sometimes in cases of "instant attraction" or when one person is a celebrity I feel the need to say "BS, their relationship would never work or it would never happen that way!" Not the case here!
3. Loved the parts with Nic's stalker, I was so eager to find out who the stalker was!
4. I love when the author provides the reader with enough clues to figure out who the killer is-Ms. Cayne did this!!

If you enjoy romantic suspense, I'd recommend this book. Remi's book will be published soon. But I'm hoping for a book with Rachel, Nic's sister!!

Other Reviews of Deadly Obsession

A five-star review from Cocktails and Books.

A four-star review from Night Owl Reviews.

2 five-star reviews on Amazon.

Hope to see you on the tour!

~Kristine

Blog Tour - Creating a Hero

2012-01-24T20:39:55Z

The month-long virtual book tour, presented by Bewitching Book Tours continues with more chances to win free e-book copies of Deadly Obsession.

I have guest posts, giveaways, and more reviews!

Creating a Hero

I'm at Lisa's World of Books talking about "Creating a Hero." Step-by-step, I explain how Nic Lamoureux, the hero of Deadly Obsession, went from being a figment of my imagination to a fully rounded character. I'm also giving away a free e-copy of my book. Just stop by and leave a message to enter.

Promo and Review

On Wednesday, I'll be stopping by Rage, Sex and Teddy Bears. There should be a review of Deadly Obsession as well as some promo material and an e-copy giveaway.

Reviews

A few more readers posted reviews on Amazon over the weekend. Here's what they had to say: (see all Amazon reviews here)

5.0 out of 5 stars
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!, January 21, 2012

Samantha Adams - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Obsession (Deadly Vices) (Kindle Edition)

Deadly Obsession is the story of Lauren James and Nic Lamoureux, also known as Nic the lover.

Lauren is a single mom, who works as a department store photographer.
Nic is Hollywood's leading man, who hides a dark secret.
Nic and Lauren are instantly attracted to each other, but in the background, a stalker is trying everything she can to keep them apart.

So, what i loved about Deadly Obsession...Everything!
I haven't read romantic suspense, and after reading this novel, i find myself wondering why i hadn't before.

From the first page, i was hooked on this story.
Nic, was an amazing character. Completely gorgeous and sexy as hell but there was more to him than that. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had depth.

Lauren was great. I loved her right away. Although, a few times i wanted to slap her for doing something stupid And her son, Jason was a sweetheart.

I worked out who the stalker was not too far into the book, but the whole way through, i kept thinking maybe it wasn't. The story takes on you so many twists and turns, that you are kept on your toes.

The sex scenes were steamy but not overdone, which is good.

Kristine Cayne, has written a fabulous, engaging, suspenseful and thoroughly enjoyable first novel. I will be keeping my eyes open for anything else she writes.

Another great Indie author find

5.0 out of 5 stars Heat, Suspense, Emotion!, January 21, 2012

Anna (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Deadly Obsession (Deadly Vices) (Kindle Edition)

I just finished Deadly Obsession: Deadly Vices by Kristine Cayne. I loved the book!! There was a great chemistry between the characters... The story line was full of suspense and kept you interested and looking forward to what was coming next. One of those kinds of books you don't want to put down, and can't wait to pick up! Filled with heat, suspense, and emotion. Everything you want in a book and more. ...I look forward to reading more of this author!

Other Reviews of Deadly Obsession

A five-star review from Cocktails and Books.

A four-star review from Night Owl Reviews.

Hope to see you on the tour!

~Kristine

Blog Tour - A review, an Interview, and more Giveaways!

2012-01-20T16:28:18Z

The month-long virtual book tour, presented by Bewitching Book Tours continues with more chances to win free e-book copies of Deadly Obsession.

I have so many things to talk about today--two blog tour stops, more giveaways, and a review!

Interviews

Although this stop is not on my regularly schedule tour, I'm very lucky to be guesting on Get Lost in a Story. Jillian, my host, is interviewing me, and has agreed to let be do a giveaway of an e-copy of Deadly Obsession. Just leave a comment for a chance to win.

And in case you missed it, earlier this week, I was interviewed at JeanzBookReadNReview. They were also nice enough to host a giveaway. The contest is still open until 1/21/2012, so stop by and leave a comment at the giveaway link for a chance to win a free e-copy of Deadly Obsession.

Promo Spot

The Wytch's Mirror blog is hosting a promo of Deadly Obsession. I'll be

answering reader questions and giving away an e-copy of Deadly Obsession. There is also form you can fill out to enter the tour-wide contest for a signed print copy!

For a full list of tour stops, please visit my FB author page. There are opportunities to win a free ebook at almost every stop! (Giveaways are up for one week after the post so there is still time to enter the contests for last week's tour stops.)

Review

And as if all that weren't enough, Deadly Obsession was reviewed by Night Owl Reviews and earned four stars!

Click here to see the full review at Night Owl Reviews.

A NIGHT OWL REVIEWS BOOK REVIEW | Reviewed by: Shnoogiepoo

4 stars

After her husband lost his life fighting in Afghanistan, single mother

Lauren James became an in-store photographer to make ends meet. She’s won a photo contest, and now gets to do a photo shoot with the man she’s been halfway in love with since high school. Nick “The Lover” Lamoureux, the famous movie star.

Nick Lamoureux is trapped in a world of his own making. After a childhood mistake that left his sister a paraplegic, he’s dedicated his life to protecting her and paying for that mistake. Never has he been more tempted to put himself first than when he meets the sexy little photographer who’s nothing like the women he usually dates, and far more like a woman he could fall in love with.

But he can’t give in, especially now, when he has a stalker threatening the lives of any woman who gets too close to him. And yet, how does he fight a losing battle to stay away from the one woman who is everything he’s ever dreamed of?

This was an enjoyable read, the romance was engaging, the suspense held a few twists and turns, but the stalker’s identity seemed clear from early in the book, yet was well executed.

Jan 18, 2012 | B006SP32Q0

Earlier, Deadly Obsession earned a five star review from Cocktails and Books.

Hope to see you on the tour!

~Kristine

Blog Tour - Updates, a Review, and more Giveaways

2012-01-16T02:48:07Z

The month-long virtual book tour, presented by Bewitching Book Tours continues with more chances to win free e-book copies of Deadly Obsession.

This weekend, I have a promo and a spotlight. Stop by and leave a comment for a chance to win!

Cocktails and Books, an earlier stop on the Deadly Obsession Book Tour, gave Deadly Obsession a 5-Cocktail review!

Promo Spot

The Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess were gracious enough to promo Deadly Obsession and my giveaway. Leave a comment for a chance to win an e-book copy. Fill in the form for a chance to win the tour-wide signed print book prize.

Spotlight

Read 2 Review is spotlighting Deadly Obsession today and giving me the opportunity to offer an e-book copy to a lucky commenter. Just leave a comment for a chance to win. Fill the form for a chance to win the tour-wide signed print book prize.

For a full list of tour stops, please visit my FB author page. There are opportunities to win a free ebook at almost every stop! (Giveaways are up for one week after the post so there is still time to enter the contests for last week's tour stops.)

Review

Earlier this week, I had a tour stop at Cocktails and Books. They posted the Deadly Obsession blurb and an extract, and provided me an opportunity to to giveaway more books. Yesterday, they posted a wonderful 5-Cocktail review of Deadly Obsession, saying: "An awesome read that has found it's way on my list of books that I will definitely be rereading!"

Click here to see the full review on Amazon.

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting storyline, January 14, 2012

Cocktails and Books "Shannon" (Rancho Cucamonga, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Obsession (Deadly Vices) (Kindle Edition)

This review is from: Deadly Obsession (Deadly Vices) (Kindle Edition)
Hot Hollywood playboy, Nic Lamoureux works hard to keep up his image as Nic the Lover for his adoring fans. What they don't know is the man is alone and closed off from those that he loves due to his fame, his guilt and shame for acts in his youth and the stalker who threatens harm to any woman that gets close to him. Nic Lamoureux is a complex man who doesn't trust many people and spends the majority of the time being someone he's not. That changes when he meet the photographer who won a contest to conduct a photo shoot with Nic. Suddenly, he finds the one person that makes him feel complete and able to be the true Nic Lamoureux.

Lauren James is hoping the photo shoot with Nic Lamoureux will help open doors for her and advance her photography career. But she has a secret, she's had a crush on her photo subject since they were in high school together in Chicago. She hopes her crush doesn't show, but she can't help but be drawn to the man. Soon Nic is sweeping into her life and Lauren finds herself falling for this adult version of the boy she loved and the object of Nic's stalker who's determined to get her out of the picture.

I loved Nic and Lauren. They were absolutely hot together and clearly the other half of each other. Both of them had emotional baggage they brought into their relationship that, at time, threatened what was developing between them. How either of them reacted to that baggage could have had the story and their likeability as a couple going either way, but Kristine Cayne gave us some emotionally charged scenes as they dealt with each issue.

The stalker storyline was seriously creepy and kept me just as entertained as the romance between Nic and Lauren. I figured out early who the stalker was, but the lengths that she went to was so totally creepy and horrifying that I was riveted.

The secondary cast of characters were great and I'm hoping each one of them will get their own Deadly Vices story.

An awesome read that has found it's way on my list of books that I will definitely be rereading!

See you on the tour!

~Kristine

Obsessive Love - What is it?

2012-01-14T09:08:33Z

People often ask me what inspired me to write my new book Deadly Obsession. I simply have to look around to know the answer—obsessive love. Stalking surrounds us. It’s been made almost “acceptable” in pop culture.

(To make sure you don’t miss any entries, please consider subscribing by RSS feed or email. Sign up for my New Releases mailing list for additional chances to win a free book. The links are right here on the sides <===> )

While we can laugh it off and think it’s part and parcel of being a celebrity, it actually isn’t. Stalking is very hurtful to the victims, even deadly. And it doesn’t only affect celebrities.

According to the National Center for Victims of Crime, 3.4 million people over the age of 18 are stalked each year in the United States. That’s an astounding number. So, in honor of January 2012 being Stalker Awareness Month, let’s look at this a little more closely.

Types of Stalkers

Stalkers generally fall into the following broad categories:

Simple obsessional (70% - 80% of all stalking cases) – the victim and stalker have a previous personal or romantic relationship
Love obsessional (20% - 25% of all stalking cases) – the victim and stalker have no previous relationship or are only casual acquaintances
Erotomania – a extreme sub-classification of love obsessional in which the stalker believes the victim loves him or her

They can also be classified according to their relationship to the victim:

The stalker and the victim have no previous personal relationship. (love obsessional)
The stalker has a need to control the victim. (simple obsessional)
The stalker has a fixation on the victim (erotomania)
The stalker and the victim have a prior relationship. Most likely to lead to a violent outcome. (simple obsessional)

Stalking Progression

The pattern of stalking is as varied as the stalkers themselves. However, the following progression is typical.

Infatuation - The stalker develops feelings for the victim. The victim is idealized as the stalker’s love object.
Contact - The stalker takes steps to become known to the victim. Orchestrating contact can be a lengthy process and the stalker will attempt it by any method within their means: in person, letter, email, phone calls, etc. The stalker’s behavior (usually very persistent and sets off alarm bells) sets him/her up for rejection.
Delusion – The stalker projects his/her feelings onto the victim, believing that their love object feels the same way. For example, “he loves me,” “she wants to be with me,” “he needs me.”
Anger – When the stalker's feelings are not reciprocated, the delusion is shattered. Rage builds up, covering his/her shame. This, in turn, drives the stalker even more, turns his/her desire to control the object into an obsession, and the stalker will use all tools at his disposal including harassment and injury.
Imperative to Restore Fantasy - The stalker strives once again to establish or re-establish the dominant narcisistic fantasy in which they have control over the object of their obsession. There may be a brief period of similar to 2. above during which the stalker attempts to "prove his/her love."
Violence - When the victim continues to spurn the stalker's attempts and deny the stalker's need for dominance, the stalker may resort to violence. If the stalker can not have the object of his or her love obsession, no one will.

National Stalking Awareness Month

Although women suffer a higher likelihood of being stalked, anyone can be the victim of stalking. The odds are that someone you know has been stalked or harassed.

To raise awareness, January has been named National Stalking Awareness Month. Throughout the month, I’m blogging about stalking—types of stalkers and their behaviors, famous cases, and stalking in popular culture. Lets learn more about this crime and how we can all help its victims.

Previous post: What is National Stalking Awareness Month?

My Book

In Deadly Obsession, Nic Lamoureux’s perfect movie star life is shattered by a stalker who threatens any woman close to him.

When he meets photographer Lauren James, the attraction is instant—and mutual. She’s exactly the sort of woman he craves, but the stalker makes deadly clear Lauren is the competition.

And the competition must be eliminated.

Deadly Obsession is available in print and/or e-book format from the following retailers:

Be safe,
Kristine

Interview and Two Giveaways!

2012-01-12T16:45:21Z

The month-long virtual book tour, presented by Bewitching Book Tours continues. Today, there are not one but two chances to win a free e-book copy of Deadly Obsession.

Shhh... the interview contains a sneak preview of Deadly Addiction!

I'm being interviewed by Theresa Stillwagon about Deadly Obsession and all things writing. I'm also on Cocktails and Books.

At both locations, I'm giving away a free e-book copy of the Deadly Obsession. Just leave a comment on the blog and fill out the rafflecopter form for additional chances to win.

And don't forget, there will be one overall tour print-book giveaway, the winner to be selected among all the commentors.

See you on the tour!

~Kristine

The Music of Deadly Obsession & a Giveaway

2012-01-10T15:15:00Z

Deadly Obsession is on tour, presented by Bewitching Book Tours. I'm guest blogging at Fictional Candy about the use of music in writing.

I'm giving away a free e-book copy of the Deadly Obsession to a commentor. Just leave a comment on the Fictional Candy blog to enter. And don't forget, there will be one overall tour print-book giveaway, the winner to be selected among all the commentors.

Come join me as I talk about how I used music to help me write the stalker scenes in Deadly Obsession. We'll also have a look inside, hero, Nic Lamoureux's cell phone to see what ringtones he's assigned to the characters in the book.

Here's a little preview:

Do you have smile on your face? Do you feel like dancing? This song/video works for me every time

Hope to see you at Fictional Candy!

~Kristine

Tour of Grauman's Chinese Theatre & Give-away

2012-01-09T18:25:39Z

Deadly Obsession is on tour! Today, the first day of the tour presented by Bewitching Book Tours, I'm guest blogging with the Reading Between the Wines Book Club.

I'm giving away a free copy of the Deadly Obsession e-book to a commentor. Just leave a comment on the Reading Between the Wines blog to enter. And don't forget, there will be one overall tour print-book giveaway, the winner to be selected among all the commentors.

Come with me and I'll show you around Grauman's Chinese Theatre. We'll tour the famous forecourt and explore the unusual architecture and decor. Here's a sneak preview.

Hope to see you there!

~Kristine

Deadly Obsession - The Book Tour!

2012-01-08T00:14:12Z

Deadly Obsession is going on tour! Hosted by Bewitching Book Tours, the tour will be held between January 9, 2012 and February 6, 2012.

The Prizes

One free e-book will be given away at each stop to a randomly selected commenter. The more comments you leave, the better your chances of winning!

In addition, one print version of the book will be given away to an overall tour winner.

The Stops

Jan 9
Reading Between the Wines

Jan 10
Fictional Candy

Jan 12
Cocktails and Books

Jan 12
Theresa Stillwagon’s Blog

Jan 14
Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess

Jan 16
Obsession with Books

Jan 17
JeanzBookReadNReview

Jan 24
Lisa’s World of Books

Jan 25
Wendy @ Rage,Sex and Teddy Bears

Feb 1
Erotica For All

Feb 2
Kate @ I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!

Feb 3
Curling Up by The Fire

Feb 4
Beverly @ The Wormhole

Feb 5
Rai29BookReadNReview

Feb 6
For The Love of Reading

I'll be visiting at each stop on the tour to answer questions from readers. Remember, one commenter will win a free e-book at each stop.

Additional Guest-Blogging Events

Additional stops not part of the tour are listed below. I'll be giving away an e-book at each of these locations as well.

Jan 20

Get Lost in a Story

Feb 8

Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More

Feb 15

Not Another Romance Blog

If you are a book blogger/reviewer and would like to review my book or have me as a guest on your blog, please contact me via email or leave a comment on this post.

I hope to see you all on the tour!

~Kristine

Deadly Obsession can be found at the following retailers: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble, Smashwords

National Stalking Awareness Month

2012-01-02T22:28:10Z

Stalking is a very serious crime that affects people of all walks of life. You don’t have to be a celebrity to have a stalker. In fact, it’s estimated that 3.4 million Americans are victims of stalking each year. Ask your friends. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to learn that one or more have had a stalker at some point.

(To make sure you don’t miss any entries, please consider subscribing by RSS feed or email. The links are right here on the side ===> )

To heighten awareness of how widespread this crime is, and to educate people about available resources for victims, January 2012 has been declared National Stalking Awareness Month.

The National Center for Victims of Crime have set up a great website, http://www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org, containing fact sheets, quizzes, reports and links to resources.

As I was writing my book, Deadly Obsession, I did a lot of research about stalking—what it is, what triggers it, anti-stalking laws, victim assistance, and victim defense. The National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) proved an invaluable resource.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting about the types of stalkers, the obsessive love behaviors that lead to stalking, as well as actual stalking cases.

Help for Stalking Victims

If you are a victim of this hurtful crime, please visit the NCVC’s Victim Assistance page.

Get involved

If you wish to support the NCVC, please visit www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org/promote to learn how you can help promote National Stalking Awareness Month and help victims.

Get Started

How can you start? Find out how much you know about stalking by taking this quiz.

Please be safe,

Kristine

It's 2012 - Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:30:00Z

Happy New Year, everyone! Have a goals or resolutions for 2012? As usual, I have more than a few.

(To make sure you don’t miss any entries, please consider subscribing by RSS feed or email. The links are right here on the side ===> )

2012 marks the beginning of the next phase of my writing career. I'm launching Deadly Obsession this week.

Beginning January 9th, I'm taking Deadly Obsession on a month-long virtual book tour presented by Bewitching Book Tours. At each stop on the tour, I'll be giving away a free e-version of the book to a commenter. One overall tour winner will get a print version of the book.

Outside of the official book tour, I'll also be visiting a few other blogs in January and February, most will include a free e-book give-away.

You can get the entire schedule Facebook Author page. Check often for updates as new stops are added.

What Else am I Doing in 2012?

Good question! I am writing a short contemporary romance for a fun anthology for the members of the Kindle UK Forums.

In March, I hope to launch Deadly Addiction, the second book in the Deadly Vices series.

I will have another slightly longer short (I know that sounds funny!) that will appear in the Spring Hop Anthology (to be released in April) by the folks at WG2E. I'm really excited about this opportunity to band together with other indie-authors.

As you can see, this winter and spring will be filled with writing, editing, and promoting. I will be very happy to see the end of April, LOL.

After that, I will focus on completing Deadly Betrayal, the third book in the Deadly Vices series. My plan is to release this in the fall of 2012.

Whatever you goals and resolutions, I hope that 2012 brings you much joy, good health, and of course, success.

Happy writing,
Kristine

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Connected Blog Blitz with Jolyn Palliata

2011-12-27T15:02:00Z

Today I'm happy to introduce you to Jolyn Palliata, a fellow author from the Indie Romance Ink group. She has been an inspiration to me for her vibrant online presence and her out-of-the-box approach to reaching readers. She'll be talking about her paranormal romance series 'Twists of Fate,' and the curious way she came to write Connected, the latest in the series.

(To make sure you don’t miss any entries, please consider subscribing by RSS feed or email. The links are right here on the side ===> )

Jolyn says: Did you ever get a song stuck in your head? Or part of one? How did you get it out? Did you avoid the song at all costs in the blind hope it would stop hammering you into submission? Or did you listen to the song over, and over, and over, until you were so obsessed that all you could think about was that delicious, devilish little laugh….er, what was I saying? (Right. Song stuck in my head. Ahh...I mean, your head.) Now, I know this has happened to every person reading this post, so I’m hoping you’ll relate to my little story here.

Let me give you some background. In October, I released Connected (Twists of Fate #1), and here’s a brief description of the story: A rock group’s rhythm guitarist, Rhys Alexander, dies and finds himself bound inside the body of a woman he’s never met. Can she help him move on to the other side, or will he end up finding the love of his life…after his has already ended?

For a time, I had this for free on Wattpad (where I posted as I wrote it). And several readers asked me how in the world I came up with the concept. The short answer was ‘By taking the longest route possible.’ The more involved answer is this…

It all started with a song—Imagine that, huh?—which began with a synthesized-sounding guitar and a sinful, maniacal laugh that made my gut quiver. (Yes, I do realize this may be an issue I need to fully address later.) It was Disturbed’s “Inside The Fire”. Add a little Framing Hanley (with that oh-so-sexy voice), and Tavion, lead singer of the band Persevere, was born. And what kind of woman would knock a strapping rock star to his knees? Why, a best-selling author, of course.

So here I had two people who worked in the entertainment industry, but were worlds apart. What could possibly bring them together? The answer seemed so simple, really: Fate. Then my next though was “What if Fate was a living, sometimes-breathing, entity? What an interesting point-of-view that would be!” And it spiraled from there. I dug deep into the protag, Devan (the name of the girl in Disturbed’s song), and put pieces of me and my personality into the mix. Naturally, then I had to mock myself and my works along the way. (i.e., Suddenly Impending Reprisals became Devan’s masterpiece, and guess what…it made it all the way to the NYT Bestsellers list! Way to go, Devan!!)

Now, the question was ‘What inspired me to write Connected’, and so far, I’m telling you how I started writing Twisted (Book 2). Yeah, well, I’m getting there. (Remember how I said it was the longest route possible?)

So there I was, writing Twisted and having a hell of a time. And then the unthinkable happened (insert suspenseful music here)…I got writer’s block. I’m talking a stint of writer’s block that could only have originated from the deepest, most vile and sulfuric, bowels of Hell. And, man, was it stubborn! Over a year went by before I picked it up again, and even then it wasn’t because I came up with a grand master plan, or that my head was swimming with ideas. No. It was simply because I missed my characters. So I started to reread/revise/edit the 30K words I had written, hoping it would shake something loose. Enter: two new inspirations.

The first was the Demonica series by Larissa Ione. In the series, paired up mates can sense each other’s emotions and I got to wondering “What would that be like?”

The next piece of inspiration came from Avenged Sevenfold (A7X). I was studying up on rock bands for Twisted (and can A7X ever ROCK!!), and checking out the band members (*drool*) and it inspired a new character—Rhys.

From Ione and A7X blossomed Connected (finally!) where Rhys’ spirit was stuck inside Addison (my protag), and they could sense each other’s emotions.

But I had one problem. I absolutely REFUSED to walk away from Twisted again. Soooo…how could I use this? Well, first of all, Rhys couldn’t be a lead singer since that’s what Tavion is. And secondly, I wanted this to be a fast-hitting novella used to compliment Twisted’s story. What I needed was a supporting member of the band... Hello, Rhys, my luscious rhythm guitarist!

But then I had another problem. (Because I needed more, right?) I couldn’t picture Rhys in Tavion’s band, Persevere, which is a more mature, established group. No, he belonged with some just-making-it-big band that wasn’t afraid to play with the formula, to take chances, and was just enjoying the ride and what life had to offer. He belonged with the guys of Black Codex.

Then problem #3: How did Black Codex and Persevere tie in to each other? I mean, if Connected leads into Twisted, they have to know each other somehow, right? Well, as luck would have it, they’re all friends. (Who knew?!) Eh, okay, so actually two members from Black Codex are brothers and they grew up with a guy from Persevere, so, by association, they became friends. (It’s all in the details, right?)

All right. Now what? I didn’t want to introduce Fate (my sassy, capricious entity) in Connected even though he’s definitely hard at work behind the scenes. It would’ve been too distracting from the plot, and I had plenty to maneuver already! (Hello…dead rock star stuck in some chicks head!!) So what I did was plot Connected so it all occurs during the same timeframe as the first half of Twisted. Perfect! Then when people read Twisted, they’ll get all the behind-the-scenes-extras that were going on in Connected that either 1) I didn’t have time for, or 2) I couldn’t smoothly transition in.

At the end of my long-ass journey, not only did I have Connected, but I shook myself loose on Twisted…aaand came up with storylines for the other eight band members. (I’ll spare you the details on those. LOL) Thusly, the Twists of Fate series was born.

So, let me ask you again: Did you ever get a song stuck in your head…?

For more information on the Twists of Fate series: http://jolynpalliata.wordpress.com/romance/twists-of-fate-series/

Twists of Fate series Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Twists-of-Fate-Series/190217514383637

To purchase Connected (Twists of Fate #1): http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&ie=UTF8&field-author=Jolyn Palliata

Kristine says: Thank you, Jolyn, for sharing your story with us. It sounds like the journey to Connected was very exciting! I'm reading Connected right now and enjoying it very much.

Friends, please leave a message for Jolyn and let us know if you've ever had a song stuck in your head and what did you do about it?

Happy writing and reading!

~Kristine

Deadly Obsession - The Book Cover is Here!

2011-12-01T17:08:53Z

I'm extremely excited to share with everyone the wonderful cover Scarlett Rugers designed for Deadly Obsession, the first in my Deadly Vices series.

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The Print Cover

Since I will be releasing Deadly Obsession as a trade paperback (in addition to e-book), Scarlett designed a full front and back cover. How do you like it? Does it say Romantic Suspense to you? Does it say Obsession? To me--with the mix of colors, the camera lens, and the cute guy--it says all of that, but then I'm biased

The E-book Cover

The e-book cover of Deadly Obsession is the one that people will see on Amazon, Barnes and Noble as well as most other online e-book retailers. So, it had to look good in large format as well as thumbnail. And because many e-readers are black and white, it had to look good in grayscale as well. I think Scarlett did a fabulous job on all accounts.

If you like these covers and you're looking for a cover designer, please visit Scarlett (http://scarlettrugers.com). I highly recommend her.

Facebook Author Page

In order to better communicate information about my upcoming releases, give-aways and contests, I've created a Facebook Author Page. The book blurb is posted on the My Books page: www.facebook.com/KristineCayneAuthor

I'd love to see you all there!

~Kristine

Copyright 2011 @ Kristine Cayne

The People I'm Thankful For

2011-11-24T00:09:54Z

It's that time of year again when I look at my life and think about the people that make it special. On a personal note, I'm thankful for my family and friends, for our good health, and relative economic comfort.

From a writing career perspective, this past year has been exceptional.

(To make sure you don’t miss any entries, please consider subscribing by RSS feed or email. The links are right here on the side ===> )

The Critique

First and foremost is my critique partner extraordinaire - Dana Delamar. In going over other's words countless times, we've ironed out tricky passages, streamlined backstory, amped up conflict and suspense, and punched up dialogue. And together, we are embarking on a journey to publication.

The Editing

Dana, who was an editor in her pre-writing days, is finishing up a last copy/line edit for me, and once I get the changes in, she'll do the print layout. Isn't she awesome?

The Cover

Cover designer, Scarlett Rugers has created a fabulous cover for Deadly Obsession, the first book in my Deadly Vices series. I'll be posting it as soon as the final touches are done so you'll see it for yourself. I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks.

The Formats

With any luck, I'll be able to get a proof from CreateSpace sometime in December. I'm excited and nervous to see my book in physical form.

After that, I'll get my word document converted to the necessary formats, upload my book to the distributor sites.

The Launch

The plan is to get this all done by the first week of January.

The Readers

I'd love for you to share this tremendous journey with me

~Kristine

Copyright 2011 @ Kristine Cayne