Branching Out of Your Norm

Here at Not Your Usual Suspects, we mostly write mysteries and suspense, but I’m sure there are a number of authors who have branched out to other genres…maybe with material along the same lines (including horror or thrillers) or maybe...something else.

Personally, I’ve branched out into young adult (although it’s not yet published). It’s not a permanent move, but it’s definitely a departure from my norm of romantic suspense.

There is another more recent branching out that occurred. It’s been years in the making and really something I didn’t think would see the light of day, but sometimes life leads you down unexpected paths. After all, I never thought the day job would actually co-exist with my writing job, but one gave me the education to make both worlds meet.

Also… the current climate of the nation had something to do with this latest endeavor because this country could really use a couple of minutes to laugh and recharge as we struggle through each new day and the surprises that come with it.

Okay, I’ve stalled long enough, so here’s the latest.

Last Monday was the release of my first non-fiction book. It’s straight from the day job and in that, I mean, it’s been years in the making. It’s called Overheard on the Set and it’s a book of quotes that my husband and I have been compiling for a very long time.

It’s strictly for laughs (and maybe a few shocks).  It’s also rated PG and intended for older audiences. (18+)

So, if you’re looking for a laugh or even a gift for someone who has everything, this might be something to consider.  Keep in mind the quotes are out of context, but that's most of the fun. We have separated them by chapters including 'Props Gone Wild', 'What!' and 'Wardrobe issues' just to name a few. 

Here are some of the quotes in volume 1. (Volume 2 & 3 are in the works.):

“His goal? His goal is to be employed tomorrow.”

“Would you give him the note? I don’t want to be punched.”

“We’ll never see him fully erect.”

“Maybe we go a little angled just to see his thing.”

“I’ll try not to draw blood.”

Here’s the blurb:

Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall during production of a sitcom?

Ever wanted to know just what goes into making television?

Overheard on the Set is a behind the scenes glance at what really happens on set before and during production.

We warn you. Sometimes it isn’t pretty. And sometimes it’s so funny you can’t help but laugh.

Overheard on the Set. You won’t believe your ears.

The 5 star reviews keep coming which makes us very grateful!

Happy Monday!

Links are below if you're interested. 

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo 

It's A Small World

I’m so happy to share my release day with everyone here!

Out of the Blue is the 2nd big book in the High Stakes series. (The 3^rd if you include the novella, Over the Top.)

I thought it might be fun to test the ‘Small World’ theory with this book.  I don’t know about you, but I find myself in ‘small world’ situations all the time.

The most recent had to do to with someone I work with who knew someone at my daughter’s college who my daughter had already met and talked to in her chosen field (sports photography). (Sorry, I had to take a breath in the middle of that sentence too.)

Or my husband who interviewed for a job and discovered the man he was speaking with went to his church in Long Island, NY forty years ago.

My latest story... While at work a year ago, we had a guest actor on the show who is 6”6’ and built like a tank. We soon discovered that he also works as a cover model for romance novels. Not only that, but he’d graced covers of books by authors I know. Since we met, Michael Foster has been on even more covers and taken a ton of pictures with author friends of mine at several different conferences. Very small world.

In Out of the Blue, Casey Turner is looking to spice up the honeymoon that never happened because her fiancé dumped her at the last minute.

Brendan St. John is Casey’s target and once they meet the sparks fly. But Casey only wants to forget her ex and Brendan is the perfect man to help her do that.

Cut to the morning after, when the only thing left of Casey is her scent and the indent on the pillow. Brendan doesn’t even have a full name to search for her.

But remember that small world we live in? Who do you think he sees the first day on the reality show when he walks in the door and meets all the contestants at the same time? Yep. Casey. The problem is cameras are rolling 24/7 and they can’t talk about it without risking disqualification from the show. The fact is, neither one knew the other would be there. Small world.

I know how often small world scenarios hit my life, but what about you? Any fun ones you can share?

In the meantime, he’s the blurb for Out of the Blue.

Recently dumped by her fiancé, Casey Turner is going for her dream career. Rebound sex with a hot stranger was eye opening, but she wants to leave her mark on the world. She’s sure that winning the new reality show Write Your Ticket will prove that she’s got what it takes to make it in the music industry. She never expects to be the target of a killer who’ll stop at nothing to see her die, even if it’s on national television.

Brendan St. John didn’t think he’d ever see the girl who disappeared after a sizzling one-night stand, but he won’t let her distract him from winning the reality show that could change his life. Of course, it’d be easier to ignore her if he didn’t have to keep saving her from disasters. But too many accidents on the set can’t be coincidence, and when Brendan interferes, Casey isn’t the only one in danger.

Despite being pitted against each other, Casey and Brendan grow closer, and the attraction that brought them together burns hotter with every look. Ultimately, only one of them can win the show, but that doesn’t stop either from being the target of someone with a mighty grudge.

Thanks for reading this far and if I still have your eyes… Happy almost Thanksgiving! I hope everyone has a lovely holiday!

What About A Book Signing?

Do you remember the good old days when a famous author came to town and people lined the street to get their book(s) signed? Now, I realize that in some cases that still holds true, because of course, mega famous authors are going to be a huge draw.

I look at the RWA literacy signing and think about the excitement all the readers have at not just seeing one favorite author, but potentially a dozen of them. It doesn't get much better than that. But what about smaller conferences or library events? Do authors sell as many books at smaller events?

It seems as if a new trend is happening. Book signings are giving way to author events. What's the difference? Well, apparently the competition is so stiff these days, that authors are being put in the position of buying their readers. And surprisingly or not surprisingly, many are lining up at the chance to participate... Authors and readers alike.

It's almost not enough to write a good book. I mean, sure, it's great to write a good book, but getting it into readers' hands is the tricky part. I guess it always has been. But now, authors are wining and dining their readers, plying them with gifts in hopes of keeping them and attracting new readers in the process. Sure, authors have done contests and giveaways and I'm sure those will always be around, but this next level of seducing readers is... I don't know... I'll let you supply the adjective.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning these events. I'm just wondering how far an author has to go these days. Is this going to be the new thing? Is the book we slave over not enough any more?

So where else can authors go to sell books? I guess it depends on their target audience. I'm going to the San Diego Women's Expo September 17 & 18. I figure if my target audience is women from 18-118 then I may as well give it a shot. I'll be there with my friend and designer, Grace Grant, who's started up her own clothing line called Fill4Style. Since I love her designs and she loves my books, we decided to combine forces. Women's Expos are held all over the country, so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

What about you? What are your thoughts on book signings vs. author events? Have you been to any out of the box places where you've either had a book signed or signed one yourself? 

Going Free

To Be Free or Not to Be Free? That is the question. What is the answer?

I see it all the time. Lots of books going free every day. I can see how it can help sales, but aside from Carina Press making Dangerous Race free with the release of Living Dangerously (Adrenaline Highs #4), I've never had any other books go free.

Until now.

Yep. I'm happy to announce that for 3 days this week, A Little Danger will be free for the first time. This was one of my favorite stories to write since the main characters have both worked hard to get to a place in life where very little scares them.... With the exception of their feelings for each other.

Okay, more on them later.

What I'd like to know is your feelings on going free. The general consensus seems to be that free works. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder about it though. In a perfect world, everyone downloads the book and falls in love with the storytelling then decides to buy all the other books in the series or all the backlist. I know I've certainly done it. But I wonder if there's a saturation point with free? That the more free books out there, the less people will buy. (Horrors)

And of course there are many authors with "perma-free" first books in a series. Maybe one day I'll get a point where I can do that, but I'm not there yet. One day, I hope to have so many books that it won't matter if I give away the first one in a series on a permanent basis, but right now I can't really wrap my brain around it.

What do you think? Does "free" work in the long run?

Here's the cover (one of my favorites) and the blurb for my upcoming freebie, A Little Danger:

Some killers never die.

Elena Fraser is on her way to the airport to catch a flight to New York for the premiere of her daughter’s movie. Before limo driver Bill “Fido” Fidelo can make it to the freeway, a 7.1 earthquake collapses the overpass above and traps them. With nothing but time between frightening temblors, Elena and Bill learn more about each other, including the fact they’ve lusted after each other for years.

Understanding they might not survive, Elena and Bill look to one another for solace and companionship. Bill tries to convince Elena that their seven-year age difference means nothing to him, and Elena soon realizes that life is too short to put off living.

The passion they discover is enough to torch the limo they’re trapped in, but can rescuers save them in time, or will a final aftershock bury them before they have a chance to build a life together? 

****

I loved Elena and Bill. They were so cute together even during a horrific natural disaster. Since I don't have a link ready today, you can click on this: A Little Danger  and find all the places the book is free. Grab one for yourself anytime between Wednesday, July 27 - 29. And happy reading!

Dee J.

website

It's a Wrap!

This week marks the release of the final installment of the Adrenaline Highs! I'm so excited to get Always Dangerous out into the world.

 But ending this book brought up a few questions.

Are you one of those people who like seeing everyone (from all or most of the previous books) show up at the end of the final book? Or have you read a book that did that and because you hadn't read every book in the series, you didn't know who some of the characters were so you ended up feeling a little out of the loop?

One of the things I liked about the Adrenaline Highs is that each book ended with two happy main characters (sometimes more). At the end of every book, I wondered if I should toss in a person or two from a past story or stories, but ultimately I wanted all of the books to stand alone, so I refrained from going overboard.

Honestly, I actually considered having some kind of party at the end of Always Dangerous... Something that would bring in all the characters from the previous books, but then I read a book deep into a series by a favorite author and she'd done something similar. In the end, I thought it didn't feel right. Not because she'd already done it, but I didn't want to leave any reader (who hadn't read all of the books) feeling left out.

Who knows...maybe I'll save the "party" for a free read down the line.

An excerpt was already posted a few dys ago, but I thought it might be fun to post a different (quick!) one today since it is release week.

Damn, he’d forgotten how much he liked her. Their two-month separation had been good, because he’d been able to focus on other things besides how much he wanted to be with her. Touching her set his blood on fire. She blinked a few times, fast, as if their contact was another shock to her system. And standing there, with his legs between hers, with their mouths so close together, the only thought in his brain was kiss her. Now.

“Leo,” she whispered. Her lips seemed to move in slow motion as he slowly bridged the gap between them.

“What?” he growled.

“I don’t think this is a—”

He kissed her before she finished the sentence, because she was right. It wasn’t a good idea. But damn if he could stop himself. She was his Achilles heel. His weak spot. The more distance she put between them, the more he wanted her. He started slow, worked his way into the kiss, waiting for her to push him away or move back. She did neither, so he took it farther and tasted her lower lip with a gentle brush of his tongue. A little moan vibrated from her throat as their lips stayed connected. She tasted different…she tasted like a luscious cinnamon stick, all hot and spicy. “You found my cinnamon gum in the shorts pocket, didn’t you?” he breathed against her mouth. The gum was her fault. Whatever perfume she wore smelled like cinnamon and he’d started to chew the gum. Whether to remind himself of her or not was something he purposely hadn’t analyzed.

She barely nodded, her wet lips brushing against his in an erotic glide. “I had nap breath,” she murmured.

He smiled against her lips before going in for more. Still slow, still sexy as hell, still doing his best to inhale her without scaring her off. They had history, yes, but her unpredictability always threw him off. He missed the softness of her hair under his fingertips. The way her pulse beat rapidly right before contact.

“Leo,” she murmured, her mouth still moving against his as his hands moved down her thighs.

“Mmm,” he managed.

“We should stop. This isn’t going to get either one of us anywhere.”

Just like last time, she was relying on his will power to stay away. Hadn’t he failed that test already? In a colossal way?

So, tell me… How do you like saying goodbye to a series? With a full cast of characters or mainly the ones in the book you read? 

Always Dangerous is at Amazon | Nook | iTunes | Kobo | ARe

 

You can find Dee J. at her website

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