And no, I’m not in this one, but look for me in future issues đ
And be sure to follow them at:
All posts tagged paranormal
Reality Bites Issue #2
Posted by Joleene Naylor on June 21, 2016
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/reality-bites-issue-2/
Masque of the Vampire – Collector’s Edition Cover Reveal
I’ve had several people ask, “Is there going to be a collector edition of Masque of the Vampire with the hand drawn cover?” The answer to this is yes. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa – I mean, yes vampire lover, there will be a collector edition.
I don’t have links yet (Create Space – aka the paperback people – do not allow for pre-orders) but I do have the cover, so I thought I’d share it with you.
The cover features a new character Annabelle. I’ve had her planned for a long, long time, so I was excited to finally get to use her. Of course writing her turned out to be different than I thought, but that’s the fun of writing.
Though there’s no preorder for the paperback, you can preorder the ebook from:
Barnes & Noble
Apple iBooks
Kobo
Let me know what you think. Good? Bad? Indifferent?
Posted by Joleene Naylor on February 10, 2016
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/masque-of-the-vampire-collectors-edition-cover-reveal/
The Seventh Question
from vectorportal.com
Simon Goodson, author of The Wanderer’s Escape, among others, was kind enough to interview me on his spiffy updated website. His cool interview format is a twist on the traditional interview, with the seventh question being one the author asks themselves! So check it out, and see what question I wish interviewers would ask me more often.
While you’re there, sign up for the free starter pack – four books by Simon delivered straight to you. How cool is that?
And on a side note, hubby finished the Meet the Characters page updates. Yes, he is awesome.
Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 17, 2015
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/the-seventh-question/
The Party Starts Sunday!
banner by Maegan Provan
The last book release didn’t have as much promotion as usual. I skipped the blog tour because despite promotional promises they tend to be more headache than they produce in sales. With that in mind I might just skip it  for the next book, Masque of the Vampire, too. But that doesn’t mean you guys shouldn’t get a chance at some awesome swag! To make sure you do, I am cramming two books’ worth of prizes into one week of Facebook party madness!
And anyone can join. Just go to the event page and click the “going” button.Â
It’s not just prizes that make a party fun (though I do love them), but there will also be games, discussions, interviews, guest authors, and excerpts from Masque of the Vampire (totally unedited excerpts). Just take a look at the awesome schedule of events.
It all starts Sunday, October 11th, so what are you waiting for, sign up and get ready for a week of fun – Amaranthine style!
Posted by Joleene Naylor on October 8, 2015
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2015/10/08/the-party-starts-sunday/
Interview with Rajveer
Hello! My name is Katelina, and welcome to Weekend Character Interviews. Using state of the art-mumbo-jumbo author magic, Jo has temporarily bent the laws of fictional space and time to allow various literary universes to converge long enough for me to ask different characters a few questions. Since I spend a lot of time in the Amaranthine series quizzing vampires on what theyâre doing, where theyâre going and why, Jo thought I would be the perfect interviewer.Â
Today we have Rajveer from Rajveer the Vampire by Barbara G. Tarn.
image by Ajay Goyal from Flickr
Katelina: Welcome Rajveer! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Rajveer: I’m Rajveer of the Guhilas of Mewar, a kshatryia (warrior) of the mighty Chittorgarh, capital of the kingdom at the time of my birth. I’m tall and handsome, with honey-colored eyes and I had the most beautiful wife one could wish for… I was twenty-seven when my physical body died and I became an immortal bloodsucker.
K: Immortal bloodsucker. You make it sound like a bad thing…Though I get it. I’ve had my own issues with the concept. How has it been since you were turned?
R: I’ve had a very lonesome second life. I found a coven, but they’re not family. I made a fledgling, but he’s like a younger brother. I miss the wisdom of the elders. And I don’t seem to be able to fall in love again.
K:Â So no romance, huh?
R:Â Since my beloved Charumati died at the siege of Chittor, no. I guess my heart died with my body, but it’s hard to express one’s feelings when one is surrounded by merciless demons.
K:Â You speak of merciless demons, do you mean your enemies?
R:Â I can’t call her enemy or nemesis, but the all powerful Mekna is a mighty foe. She can’t kill me, can’t turn me into one of her own, but she won’t let me go either. She wants me to take her to my maker â except I have no idea of where he is…
K:Â So that would probably be one of the biggest challenges in your story.
R: Yes. Running away from Menka’s coven with my fledgling, Shashank. Impossible.
photo by Jo Naylor
K: What’s the one thing you think helped to shape you the most?
R: Being turned into a child of darkness. I belong to a Suryavanshi clan, we’re sun people. And now I live mostly under the moon… and feed on blood. No wonder I’m so gloomy all the time, right? I don’t need to kill anyone and I avoid drinking human blood, though.
K: That’s something at least. If you could have anything in the world, would it be to go back to who you were or…
R:Â Just getting away from Menka’s bloodsucking demons and being alone with Shashank somewhere where we could blend in. And we’d move after a few years to some other place so they won’t notice we don’t age. We’d never kill our neighbors…
K:Â You’re pretty nice for a vampire. Most are happy to kill people off. Just a couple more questions. If you could say anything to your readers, what would it be?
R: *stares at Katelina* I have readers? Are you a witch like Samantha? I thought you were just someone from this century trying to help me fit in…
K:Â Oh. Um. Well, yes, I’d be happy to help…Um, in the meantime, do you have anything you’d like to say to your author?
R: You mean someone is writing my story? I’m impressed. I didn’t think I was worthy story material…
K:Â Yes, it is surprising sometimes to find out that people are interested in crazy things like where you sleep, and what you eat, and whether you pee in the middle of night.
R:Â *looks confused* What?
K: Never mind. Sorry. It’s just stressful being a main character. But you’ll find out soon enough!Â
Thanks to Rajveer for stopping in. You can preorder Rajveer the vampire from:
Amazon, Apple US, Barnes&Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.
And a special thanks to Barbara Tarn for playing along!
If youâre an author and would like your character(s) to be interviewed by me, then check out this very cool page that has all the details:
Posted by Joleene Naylor on October 3, 2015
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/interview-with-rajveer/
Pre-Orders and Verchiel
If you missed the last Ink Slingers’ Anthology (Strange Portals), the included installment of the Tales of the Executioners – Verchiel – is now available as a standalone! Get your free copy from:
Verchiel wakes up in an unfamiliar room with a busty woman standing over him. He can’t recall who she is – or even who he is – let alone how he’s become an immortal blood drinker. As he tries to discover the answers, he must also learn to control his blood lust or fight an entire village of panicked people.
On a side note, the newest Tale is Beldren, which you’ll be able to get in the newest anthology, whose release date is October first.
And speaking of release dates in the future, Book 8, Masque of the Vampire,(publication date April 1st) is now up for pre-order at most sites (Amazon only allows a 30 day pre-order, so it won’t be there until March 2016). So pre-order your copy today so you won’t have to worry about it in March!
- Smashwords (only lets you add it to your library)
- Barnes & Noble
- Apple iBooks
- Kobo
I will say that a better description, and maybe some cover tweaks are coming, but it needed both *now* in order to set up the pre-order.
Posted by Joleene Naylor on September 29, 2015
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2015/09/29/pre-orders-and-verchiel/
A Paranormal Rant
It was recently brought to my attention (thanks to the Sensational Christmas Sale Event) that Amazon has classified Shades of Gray as a Young Adult/Teen novel.
Say What??
When an author/publisher uploads a book to Amazon they are allowed to choose a category to place their book in from a rather small list. Amazon then – apparently randomly – sticks the book in several other categories – like sci-fi shorts that you can read in two hours (This is a real category). And, as I said, they put Shades of Gray in the YA category. But why? How do they choose these seemingly odd extra categories for our books?
The question has been answered by Amazon help:
Hello Joleene,
Thank you for contacting Kindle Direct Publishing.
I understand you’re concerned about the category of your book, “Shades of Gray.”
Looking at your account, I see that based on your keywords selection, the category was automatically assigned to your book.
For your convenience, I’ve removed the following category:
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Teen & Young Adult
It should no longer be visible on the website within 24 hours.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for using Amazon KDP. Have a nice day!
*****
First, I do want to give them kudos for removing it quickly, but past that I want to say again, “what?!?!” because these are my chosen keywords:
- violence – doesn’t say YA to me
- dark – eh, still not really
- thriller – there are YA thrillers, but it’s not exclusive to the genre
- Amarathine – just a series name
- romance – doesn’t scream YA
- vampire & paranormal – aha.
And so we get to the crux of the matter. As an author I dared to use the keywords vampire, paranormal, and romance together, which must automatically mean the book is intended for teenage audience.
Can I scream now?
I don’t have anything against teenagers. I even LIKE many YA books, but why in the name of all that sucks blood does the word “vampire” automatically conjure the word “teenager”? No, don’t answer that. I know why. Because people have forgotten Carmella, and Dracula, and Louie, and Armand, and all the other ADULT vampires that came first, and all they can remember is the sparkling, high-school-attending Edward and his Twilight gang. And if that series was for teens, then that must mean that EVERY vampire series is for teens. Just as every animated show is for children (another tired stereotype that the anime Now and Then, Here and There, among others, has proven wrong), etc. etc.
Maybe it’s time to remind the world of that? Or at the very least, Amazon.
Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 17, 2014
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/a-paranormal-rant/
Calling Speculative Fiction Authors…
The Ink Slinger’s League is sponsoring a speculative fiction anthology in time for the holidays and we need your stories! If 
you write:
- Horror
- Paranormal
- Sci-Fi
- Fantasy
Or any mix of the genres, then we’d love to have a story from you.
To submit:
Mail your story(s) that are between 1,000 – 10,000 words to Joleene@JoleeneNaylor.com by November 29th with a bio, author photo, website/twitter/facebook links, synopsis of at least one novel and buy links for that novel. It doesn’t matter if the story has been published before, so long as you have the rights to it. Stories do NOT need to have a holiday theme, though if you feel so inclined let the spirit move you. Authors may submit up to TWO stories for inclusion.
Stories can be adult subject matter, but shouldn’t be explicit erotica. If you’re not sure how explicit is too explicit, send your story and I’ll let you know.
We will not do ANY editing or proofreading of your stories, so make sure they’re the way you want them. Stories with lots of typos or grammatical errors will be declined.
Remember to invite other authors! There’s no limit on how many stories we can include, and the more writers we have, the more chance we get of being introduced to a new audience. Contributors do NOT need to have a published book available to participate.
All the details:
The anthology will be published on Amazon, Smashwords & all of the places Smashwords distributes to (Including Apple, Barnes & Noble & Kobo) and will be offered for FREE. There’s no profit to be made, and we aren’t paying anyone for their stories except with exposure. Ink Slinger’s will handle the formatting and book cover (including any image purchases).
If interested, participants should host one another on their blogs/websites/etc. If someone would like to be in charge of organizing rosters for that, let me know (you can comment here with your email or drop me a message). It would be much appreciated.
And if you have any ideas for a title we’re all ears. The Inkslinger’s Anthology will do in a pinch, but it doesn’t really capture the essence of what we’re going for.
If you have any questions, ask! And remember – invite your colleagues!
Posted by Joleene Naylor on November 4, 2014
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/calling-speculative-fiction-authors/
Madame Lilly, Voodoo Priestess by Dormaine G
Today’s excerpt is from the  novel Madame Lilly, Voodoo Priestess by Dormaine G
Â
Standing up, Lillyâs body stiffened uncontrollably. There was something wrong. A force was pulling her in. That wasnât supposed to happen . . . she was supposed to feel in control at all times but she was losing it.
There was something else here, something she hadnât invited. Despite the humid night air her body turned cold, rigidly cold, making her teeth chatter. Her followers saw the change when she stood up so suddenly. They stopped beating the drums since they could tell something was wrong by the way she held herself so tightly.
A force had a hold on her. Lilly could feel it in her bones. She desperately wanted to close her eyes but something within her wouldnât allow it.
The wind howled and the dirt flew around them, making it almost impossible to see. Something fierce was coming for her. The other spirits knew it because they stopped walking but instead hid in the shadows of the trees, finally showing themselves as they moved swiftly past the other spirits that were coming right at her. There were two of them, no longer holding human forms, but white shadows of their former selves.
Lilly held her arms rigid as the forces rapidly circled her body, spinning her round to see her. Stopping close to her face, they intertwined with each other as if to figure out what she was. They appeared identical with hollow pits for eyes and mouths but she could sense they were not truly the same. They hovered in front of her for only a moment before they shot through her body, taking a part of her with them and knocking her to the ground from the blinding pain.
************
About the Author
I was born in New York and lived there with my family until I was eight when we moved to Mississippi. I studied the skill of nursing in Louisiana and New York but learned life experiences in Massachusetts. After stationary nursing in NY and travel nursing to other states, I planted roots in Colorado. Throughout the years I’ve always written stories but never thought to publish. After years of playing adult and realizing that I will never grow up, I took some time off to live the dream of writing. My first book, Connor, was published September 2013 which is book 1 of the series. I truly love writing and will continue to do so.
You can grab your copy of Madame Lilly, Voodoo Priestess on Amazon
Posted by Joleene Naylor on May 12, 2014
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/madame-lilly-voodoo-priestess-by-dormaine-g/
Breaking the Silence by Jesse C. Rice-Jones
Today’s excerpts are from Breaking the Silence by Jesse C. Rice-Jones
For the curious this book is an in-your-face expose’ of actual events and activities not generally discussed in a public forum. For those prepared to embrace the mysterious it offers glimpses into the unknowable. As regards inspiration, the text implies that the search for inspiration is an individual journey that can not be universalized.
Too soon circumstances taught me that an imaginary father, no matter how idealized the image, can never be enough. Yet, that same positive image I had cherished made it possible for me to finally accept and even to love my father in all his frailty, body and soul. I thank my mother for not tarnishing my conception of my absent father. And by some harsh perhaps twisted logic, I must also thank my father. His absence allowed me to walk on the wild side. Brutal as that path has been, I like where it has taken me. And yes, I am still walking. So come now, walk with me awhileâŚ
…
My mother, my sister Naomi, and I attended my fatherâs memorial service. There were many others–friends, patrons, gallery owners, and fellow artists. They had brought paintings and sculptures of his theyâd collected over the years, as well as many words of love, admiration, and amusing anecdotes. Finally, my fatherâs best friend at the end of his moving eulogy pointed to my sister and me saying, âPeter, to his great loss, neglected to acknowledge his best work.â All eyes turned to us. For a moment we became part of the exhibition of collectables. Most people in that room hadnât seen or heard from Peter for years; most had no idea that he had children and that two of them were in their midst. My sister wept. I took her hand and we went out into the freshness of the surrounding May gardens. A crow was waiting for us.
You can get Breaking the Silence from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/421475
************
Jesse C. Rice-Jones is a native of Vancouver, Canada. He grew up without a television. Instead he mastered tree climbing and read The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, The Little Prince, The Hardy Boys, Robin Hood, and Eric the Viking, among others, by the age of twelve. He has worked in the film industry and coached basketball to youths. He is currently working as a personal trainer. He is passionate about Martial Arts, music, coaching, and writing.
find out more at https://www.facebook.com/#!/BreakingTheSilence.JesseRiceJones
Posted by Joleene Naylor on April 9, 2014
https://joleenenaylor.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/breaking-the-silence-by-jesse-c-rice-jones/
Eternal Night : Amaranthine Gender Swap
When Kaden meets the beautiful but strong Johanna, he doesn't know he's entering a world of eternal night; a world of vampires. Is it worth the death, pain, and nightmares to stay by her side? Enjoy all the books in one long saga.
This is NOT the gender swap previously published on Patreon.
Shades of…Jorick?
You asked for it, so here it is! Join me on Patreon to read Shades of Gray from Jorick's point of view! Peer into Jorick's mind and get all the behind the scenes events Katelina couldn't see.
Amaranthine: The Complete Saga
Find the complete Amaranthine Saga, as well as Brothers of Darkness, the expanded Vampire Morsels, and the expanded Tales of the Executioners on Dreame, WebNovel, AnyStory, and more!
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