Tiffany Roberts, Author of Treasure of the Abyss – Guest Post

Tags

fantasy, guest post, paranormal romance, scifi romance, Tiffany Roberts

Today, I have a special treat. Please welcome Tiffany Roberts who has a new book this week, Treasure of the Abyss.  Today, a bit about the creative process of an author….

It’s not easy choosing topics for blog posts (which is why we never keep up on our own blog), so we decided to pull back the curtain and give you a glimpse of our creative process! Don’t worry, it’s probably just a coincidence that this special peek into our world is about our latest book, Treasure of the Abyss.

Firstly, if you’re confused about the ‘we’, Tiffany Roberts is actually two people — a husband and wife duo, Robert and Tiffany. One of the benefits to this arrangement is that we get to refer to ourselves in the third person while also using ‘we’ throughout this post! Bonus points if you don’t get confused.

Moving on, then…

We’d planned to finish our fantasy series — The Isle of the Forgotten — this past fall. Our outline of the final book, Make Me Surrender, was complete, we’d been through our preliminary arguments and creative differences, and had even jumped in to begin writing it. But it was a struggle. The hardest start we’ve had since we began our self-publishing journey two years ago.

Now, this next part may not seem related, but just stick with us…

Around the same time, Tiffany had been experimenting with monster erotica shorts under a penname that shall remain super-secret. She’d work on these stories while Rob was at his day job, and focused on the duo books in the evenings and on the weekends. As we continued to battle Make Me Surrender, Tiffany was a couple of chapters into her latest erotica…featuring an octopus man.

She decided — quite suddenly, Rob would say — that she wanted the story to become a full-length Tiffany Roberts novel.

Picking up her phone, she called Rob at work to propose the idea (which meant it was definitely happening).

“Let’s do lunch!” she said. “Good? Good! We can brainstorm over soup and salad!”

“What about Make Me Surrender?” Rob asked.

“Neither of us is feeling it right now, and the last thing we want to do is rush it.”

So, over lunch at Olive Garden, we collaborated on the setting for Treasure of the Abyss, including the backstory for the kraken, our race of octopus-men (and women). With our last book having come out in July, we wanted to get something out as quickly as we could, so we set a goal to release before February. Our fruitless struggles with Make Me Surrender had left us behind schedule, but National Novel Writing Month — NaNoWriMo to those in the know — was right around the corner. We figured it was a perfect time to push ourselves.

Of all the advice we’ve heard about writing, there’s one tidbit we value over everything — B.I.C., or BUTT IN CHAIR. Over the last two years, we have made B.I.C. our routine. When we’re working on a book, we’re working on it every day. For Tiffany, who is very self-motivated and goal-driven, this makes NaNoWriMo a great incentive. For Rob, who is…not self-motivated or goal-driven, it’s a bit more difficult.

Either way, we knew 50k words in a month was no problem. We’ve done it before. That’s all Treasure was supposed to be — a relatively quick, fun, 50k word read. But, as we reached that 50k mark in our manuscript, we realized there were a lot of bullet points left on the outline…

We pushed hard, putting in five or six hours a night on weekdays (after the aforementioned day job), and twice that each day on the weekends. Four weeks after starting, our finished first draft of Treasure was just under 100k words. Our second longest book to date.

“We’re so writing about Arkon next,” Tiffany said.

“Umm…what? What about Make Me Surrender?” Rob inquired.

“Eventually. For now, I needs mah tentacles!” Tiffany replied with a grin (a grin that still haunts Rob to this day). She gestured to the comments from our readers on Facebook. “And so do they! Much tentacle love!”

(Speaking of tentacles, we had a…disagreement when it came to a *ahem* certain part of our kraken’s anatomy. Ultimately, Tiffany won. She always wins…or at least that’s what Rob lets her think.)

So what was meant to be a relatively short book turned into a planned three-book series, just like that.

You may be wondering where we’re going with all of this. What’s the point? Why did I bother reading? Well, we told you it was just a glimpse into the life of an indie-author duo…but if you want a takeaway, let it be B.I.C.

If there’s something creative you’ve always wanted to do, the most important thing is that you do it. We live in exciting times; anyone can create and share their vision with the world. Whether you want to write, paint, make music, dance, carve wood, produce video content, or whatever, just do it. You’ll feel better for it, and wherever your creation goes, the accomplishment for having done it can’t be obtained anywhere else.

Also, you should totally check out Treasure of the Abyss and all of our other books. *Wink*

About Treasure of the Abyss

HIS TREASURE AND HIS OBSESSION…

Despite her longing for the sea, Macy has clung to the safety of land for half her life, devoting herself to her daily routine — until she agrees to go sailing with a childhood friend. Her fears come to fruition when a sudden storm capsizes their boat, rekindling her old terror. She awakens to a rescuer who is anything but human — and he refuses to let her go. Treated like a curiosity and a possession, she’s desperate to go home. Yet Macy is undeniably drawn to this strange creature. Can she give up her old life, her family and friends, to embrace this adventure…and Jax?

HER SAVIOR AND HER CAPTOR…

Jax the Wanderer is a hunter, an explorer, and an oddity among his kind. While other kraken are content near their dens, Jax is driven by a deep need to journey far and wide, discovering the unknown corners of the sea. Macy challenges everything he’s known; she is the most alluring creature he’s ever seen on his travels. He must possess her, though he knows it can only end in disaster. How much is he willing to forsake for the female he desires?

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Links

Add Treasure of the Abyss to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Treasure of the Abyss:

 

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About the Authors

Tiffany Roberts is the pseudonym for Tiffany and Robert Freund, a husband and wife writing duo. Tiffany was born and bred in Idaho, and Robert was a native of New York City before moving across the country to be with her. The two have always shared a passion for reading and writing, and it is their dream to combine their mighty powers to create the sorts of books they want to read. They live in southwestern Idaho with their three children, where they are now actively pursuing their dream.

Find Tiffany Roberts at:
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTiffanyRoberts/
Goodreads Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14737283.Tiffany_Roberts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authortiffanyroberts/

The Last Wolf by Maria Vale – Feature With Excerpt

Tags

book feature, fantasy, paranormal, shif, werewolves

About The Last Wolf

For three days out of thirty, when the moon is full and her law is iron, the Great North Pack must be wild.

If she returns to her Pack, the stranger will die.
But if she stays…

Silver Nilsdottir is at the bottom of her Pack’s social order, with little chance for a decent mate and a better life. Until the day a stranger stumbles into their territory, wounded and beaten, and Silver decides to risk everything on Tiberius Leveraux. But Tiberius isn’t all he seems, and in the fragile balance of the Pack and wild, he may tip the destiny of all wolves…

Series: The Legend of All Wolves, #1
Publish Date: February 6, 2018

Excerpt from The Last Wolf

In which Silver, in an act of mercy, kills her former shielder.

The circle of wolves in the Clearing tightens around Ronan, and for the first time since my Dæling, I am deeply grateful that I am not Pack. I am just a guest and don’t have to be part of this.

But when I start to lope away, Ti doesn’t move. He doesn’t understand what is happening, so I nip at his pant leg. The Alphas of each echelon are taking up their positions at the front of the circle. Everyone wants this over with quickly.

Opening a passage for Charlie, John nudges Ronan’s father toward his son. In its mercy, Pack law allows First Blood to Ronan’s family, so that when the Pack eviscerates him, Ronan won’t feel anything. I plant my front paws and pull Ti harder, because I really don’t want to watch Charlie rip out his son’s throat.

Ti doesn’t move.

John nudges Charlie again, but Charlie just stares at Ronan, his head cocked, his mouth open. Then his eyes roll around the circle searching for help he won’t find, because to be on Pack land as an exile is bad enough, but the only response to an attack on a pup, is a Slitung, a flesh-tearing, and every wolf shows teeth. Charlie throws himself on the ground in front of John, his feet up in the air, his hips shimmying back and forth in a clownish show of submission.

John snaps at him.

Charlie follows our Alpha around, one ear up, the other down, his mouth open in a rabid leer, until with a quick look over his shoulder, John signals Tara to drag the broken wolf away from the Pack. Tara grabs his muzzle tight in her powerful jaws and drags him off mewling. I run beside him whimpering too, begging Charlie to come to his senses long enough to do this last kindness. He seems not to even see me, more interested in the furry thing following behind him. As soon as Tara lets him go, he starts to chase his tail, barking.

Tara turns her back on him with a growl and a dismissive kick of rain-sodden soil. She heads back to the Pack, which clears a path for her. As John’s Beta, Tara has a place of honor, but she also has a place of responsibility and is expected to be right up front for the Slitung. I stick to her slipstream and push through to the whimpering Ronan.

Rubbing my muzzle against his, I turn to John, my body down, my head between my paws. I’m not sure he will accept my claim to First Blood, but I have a better chance if I at least smell like the wolf who had been my schildere but who never wanted to be my mate.

Then John’s nose bumps against mine, telling me to get up. With a quick snap of his jaws, the Pack retreats, giving us room. John is a good wolf and a great Alpha and, if given a choice, will always choose mercy.

First Blood allows for one bite only, and if Ronan decides to fight me, I doubt I’ll be able to make the kill. But after everything that has happened, the once-upon-a-time Alpha of the 14th Echelon seems to understand that his luck is not going to change again.

He lies back with his chin stretched high, staring at the mountains and the pinpoints of stars and the real world, the world of men, that he so wanted to be a part of.

Opening my jaws wide, I gently take his throat between them. It’s what we do, and it means trust me. It means I see you at your most vulnerable.

I bite down fast and hard on the cartilage tube, giving it the same fatal break I would for a deer. Ronan struggles a little, and blood spurts into my mouth. I curl my tongue against the back of my throat, because I don’t want to swallow this blood. I don’t want to be nourished by this death.

The pulse of his blood slows, but I don’t lift my head until it stops.

Before I even stumble out of the way, the Pack surges forward, eager to be done with this particular bit of ritual butchery.

I race for Clear Pond, my paws sinking through the cold, thick mud and dying sedges until I am in deep. Pushing the air out of my lungs, I sink and stay down until my own throat is on the verge of collapse, and the blood that had already started to stiffen on my muzzle and chest and legs begins to melt away from my fur. Maybe there was so much that all of Clear Pond is tainted, but no matter how many gulps of water I take, my mouth still has the sharp, metallic tang of blood, and there’s something stuck in my teeth.

I start to change, and as soon as I’m finished, I pick at the thing with my fingers until it comes loose. I don’t look at it before throwing it into the weeds. I think the change was a mistake though, because in skin, I feel the intense cold of the schist on my naked body and the icy water running from my hair down my back and the taste of death in my mouth. I can’t stop shivering. I try to get wild again, but my muscles are spasming so hard that I can’t. I lurch up on all fours and then to my legs and stumble only a few steps before collapsing again, my head on my knees.

A warm coat that smells like angelica and green corn and the earth before a storm settles around my shoulders. “Put it on,” says that quiet voice, and Ti lifts me, guiding my arms into the sleeves, and then pulls me close to his even-warmer body. He says nothing, just holds me tight, letting me shiver against him.

“I killed him,” I finally stutter.

He lifts my sodden hair out from under the collar of the coat.

“Yes, you did. And if you hadn’t, he would have died in pain and the whole Pack would have had the burden of it. Now only you do.”

Ti doesn’t say that I wasn’t responsible or that I shouldn’t feel guilty, but rather that it’s a burden worth carrying and one that I’m strong enough to bear. His faith calms me in a way that no amount of coddling ever could.

It’s one of the things I love about him….

“I can’t get the taste of blood out of my mouth.”

He doesn’t respond. I guess he didn’t hear, or knowing him, he did hear, but doesn’t think there’s any point in responding. It doesn’t matter. I settle my head back on his chest and listen to his heartbeat.

Did I say love?

He frees one arm and lifts my chin. It’s dark for my poor human senses, but he’s not like me and the nearly full moon lights up the green glow of the lucidum in his eyes.

He hesitates, his lips hovering above mine, like a boy nervously contemplating his first kiss. But I know what he’s hiding, and I stretch up as high as I can and wrap my arm around his neck, feeling the shape of his skull under the roughness of his cropped hair. I feel his mouth against mine, firm and ripe and warm and still closed.

Nuzzling the seam of his mouth, I catch his lower lip gently between my fangs, pulling him closer. I know you, Tiberius. I know the wildness that you’ve always hidden there, but I am not human and I want the untamed, inhuman sharpness of your mouth.

I let go and lick my lip before gently circling his, my breath feathering his sensitive skin.

Finally, his lips open softly and I seal my mouth around his, because this is his first kiss and mine too, and I am his shielder in all things.

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Links

Add The Last Wolf to your Goodreads shelf:

Pre-order The Last Wolf:

Amazon           Books-A-Million          Barnes & Noble

Indigo          iBooks          Indiebound

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About the Author

Maria Vale is a journalist who has worked for Publishers Weekly, Glamour magazine, Redbook, the Philadelphia Inquirer. She is a logophile and a bibliovore and a worrier about the world. Trained as a medievalist, she tries to shoehorn the language of Beowulf into things that don’t really need it. She currently lives in New York with her husband, two sons and a long line of dead plants. No one will let her have a pet. Visit her at https://www.mariavale.com/.

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Giveaway

2 advance copies of The Last Wolf and 2 posters

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just Thinking About Audiobooks

Tags

AudaVoxx, audiobooks, hats, Jodi Taylor, Tenergy, Veronica Scott, walking

When it comes to spending my hard earned dollars on books, audiobooks are by far the largest investment.  On average, I listen to one per week.  95% are downloaded from Audible, and I generally go with the Kindle Book/Whispersync option, as it is generally the least expensive.  Not always, but often.

In recent months, the price of the Whispersync audiobook has gone up and most run $7.49.  So, I wait for my want-to-reads (and/or listen to) to go on sale and then look for the Whispersync option.  It is not always available.

For example, I got to book 4 in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor and found that subsequent audiobooks are not Whispersynced – yet.  But after listening to Zara Ramm perform the first four books, audiobook is the only way I can finish this series.  So, eventually, I will splurge!  (See my post Why The Chronicles of St. Mary’s Is as Good as (Maybe Better Than) Doctor Who for why I have to splurge!)

Last week, I was jumping-up-and-down excited when I found out I had won a contest that gave away 16 scifi and fantasy audiobooks.  That is nearly 4 months worth of listening for me!  First on the list for me to listen to is Veronica Scott’s Star Cruise: Outbreak.  There were a couple of other authors I had already read, but most are new to me.

At this point, I want to put a plug in for the sponsor of the giveaway.

*Discover your next favorite audiobook with AudaVoxx!*
Every Thursday, AudaVoxx shares new releases and highly-rated titles as well as offers up giveaways of audiobooks via an email newsletter. Sign up for our newsletter at www.audavoxx.com/sign-up and join our Audiobook Lounge at www.facebook.com/groups/AudaVoxx. All are welcome!

While I am plugging…. Winter is coming to the northern hemisphere and if you live in certain parts of the world, you may need something to keep your head warm.  Let me tell you about my perfect stocking cap. You are probably wondering what my winter wear has to do with audiobooks. Well, I enjoy a nice walk, pretty much any time of the year. Mild weather is preferable, but I walk in all kinds of conditions. And I listen to audiobooks while I walk. The traditional earbuds are hard on your ears when worn under a hat. Check this out. This Tenergy hat has blue tooth speakers in the hat band. They are removable if you want to wash the hat and it works great. So I put on my hat, grab my iphone and head out for a walk and a book.  Everybody always asks where I got it, so I’ll tell you – Amazon.

Some time before the end of the year audiobooks will be the topic once again.  I’ll let you know my favorites of all the audiobooks I listened to this year.