Tag Archives: blood inheritance

Personal update and some free book info

Leave a reply

Since my wife and I welcomed a baby into our family earlier in 2018, I’ve given myself permission to not do any writing. A sort of maternity leave, if you will, although anyone who understands the desire to write knows that it’s not a job in the usual way. Sure, the publishing side of things is very much an actual job, but the itch to tell a story is something else.

I intend to return to writing full time in 2019, but am already putting a cautious toe back in the water to remember what it’s like to sit at the laptop and try to find the right words. To invest in fictional characters, rather than focus on the real tiny human who needs me so much.

With Halloween already upon us, vampires are the order of the day. All the books in my Lazarus Hunter series will be either free or on sale this week*. A welcome back to myself.

Blood Inheritance – Free until 2nd October.

Black Market Blood (book 2) and Shadows of Blood (book 3) are both on a time-limited 0.99 offer.

*price applies to most Amazon marketplaces

Although this series has never been the main focus of my writing, I absolutely love it. This was the story I wanted to tell for me, back when Buffy ended its TV run and there was nothing else to take its place. I’m not sure there ever will be, but for now, I’m happy to create my own little world that will, in theory, reach seven books someday!

Why I’ve used a new pen name for an old book

Leave a reply

It has been absolute chaos, but I have finally completed the behind the scenes, messy task of disentangling Blood Inheritance from the author name C.K. Martin and moving it over to a new pen name, Cas Martin.

The great news is, now that the boring back-end stuff is done, I’m excited to be able to release books 2 and 3, Black Market Blood and Shadows of Blood.

Having two separate author names is a lot of effort, so why bother? Simply this: to make it easier for readers, even if it does make it harder for me.

Many of my books fall under the heading of lesbian fiction. Some are romance, some have a lesbian protagonist. For a significant number of readers, they have found my books because that is exactly what they want – a break from the heteronormative world that is 99% of publishing.*

My fantasy books won’t always give that. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re the kind of reader who only wants to read about straight white people, then you’re not going to get that either. I write my fantasy how I experience my world, and that is female and male, gay and straight, white and black. A messy walk through life, without clear-cut boundaries. If you enjoy all genres, then explore both by all means. I just wanted to make the branding visibly different.

In terms of social media, I’m not going to pretend that they’re two separate people. So my personal Facebook profile and twitter account will stay the same, but will reference both names. As will this website. Other things specifically book related, such as Amazon author pages, Facebook pages and (if I can get it to work properly) Goodreads will be separate to avoid posting things not of interest to the majority of readers.

So apologies if things are a bit messy for awhile. I would love it if you read all of my books, but if you’re looking for something specific, then this should help you get to the books you want. You can read the blurbs for all three on the Urban Fantasy page.

Quick Links:

Cas Martin’s Amazon Page / Facebook Page

C.K. Martin’s Amazon Page / Facebook Page

*not an actual statistic, but you get what I mean.

August Roundup: Free book promotion and other news

Leave a reply

Current Promos (time limited offers)

 

 

Recapture the summer with Tapas and Tangelos –  a romantic beach read set in a sleepy European town. Read for free between September 2-6.

 

 

The second book in the Detective Teddie McKay series, A Taste To Die For is on offer for only 0.99 between September 9 – 16. You can also pick up the first in the series, The Crochet Killer for the same price too.

 

 

 

Don’t forget, if you enjoy them, leave a review! 

In other news…

August 2017 will forever be known as the month of the great edit. Nearly all my time has been focused on The Lazarus Hunter series, which will be republished under a different name a little later in the year. It makes sense to separate this out from my lesbian fiction, even though it won’t be easy. In the long term, it will be better for everyone to keep them separate. Of course, if you are primarily a fan of that series, I’ll be providing ways for you to find it and get your hands on the next books in the series.

Another standalone romance is in the editing queue and my Christmas romance is also coming round for its next stage of edits. So with that many plates spinning, I have been quiet on social media. That looks likely to continue into September (when I throw some travel into the mix as well, just to stay on my toes) but by the time autumn rolls around, I hope to be writing some new things rather than just editing existing manuscripts.

Now, back to work!

Don’t forget, if you want to take advantage of the promos, make sure to click on the links above before they expire!

July Roundup: Current promotions, free short story and WIPs

Leave a reply

Current Promos (time limited offers)

Dirty Little War eBook – on sale for 0.99 only until July 29.

If you enjoy this novel, don’t forget you can sign up to get a free follow on chapter by signing up here. It contains spoilers for the entire novel, so don’t read it until you’ve finished the book!

You’ll get notified of any new releases, but that will be all (I hate spam).

 

The Crochet Killer – You can get the eBook for FREE between July 29 – August 2.

And if you enjoy Detective Teddie McKay, then the second book in the series, A Taste To Die For is on offer for only 0.99 between July 29 – August 5

Don’t forget, if you enjoy them, leave a review! 

In other news…

July has been a strange month. I have done lots of work, but it doesn’t feel like work. That might sound like a nice perk, but when you are a hyper-focused completer-finisher like me, the guilt starts to set in. I end up feeling like I’ve not done anything at all.

Another thing with writing is that sometimes, despite your original intentions and ideas, some stories just don’t work. It can be a labour of love to write an entire novel length work. Putting it aside and letting it go doesn’t come easily. It doesn’t matter how many books you’ve completed, it happens. So take heart newbie writers out there. The key is just to pick yourself back up and keep going.

The main focus for August will be whipping the second book of the Lazarus Hunter series into shape. This has been sitting languishing for some time, but like the new novel mentioned above, there was something not quite right about it. It’s taken me literally years to work out what that is, but now that I have, I can finally make progress. This is really exciting for me as books three and four are already written and have been waiting until this one got its act together.

However, with that comes the decision of whether or not to unpublish the first book and republish the series under a different name. As much as I love the book and it does contain some slashy, subtexty goodness, I understand that those who have come to my writing via lesbian fiction might be confused by a book that doesn’t fit that genre at all. I’ve tried to make it as clear as possible in the blurb, but there is always the chance of people reading a book they don’t expect. I haven’t made the full decision on this yet, but my gut feel is that it’s the right thing to do.

Don’t forget, if you want to take advantage of the promos, make sure to click on the links above before they expire!

New Book Update, New Website and Time-Limited Offers

Leave a reply

It’s been a flurry of activity this week as we’ve been prepping for the release of my new lesbian summer romance (publish date 26th May 2017). For those of you already subscribed to the newsletter, you’ll be getting an email next week with a sneak peak of the cover and the back story to writing the book. If you haven’t signed up yet, follow the link on the sidebar over there (or click here).

 

As of today, my existing back catalogue will be available in paperback via Amazon. As much as everyone likes the convenience of an ebook, there are times when a good old-fashioned physical book is what you want. This has been on the project plan since the beginning of the year, so I’m glad they’re finally ready. Whoo-hoo!

To celebrate, I’ll be running some special promotions for the ebooks next week. Firstly, because it’s Mystery Week on Goodreads, The Crochet Killer will be free 1-5th May. As a bonus, the sequel, A Taste To Die For, will be too.

For those of you more into urban fantasy, Blood Inheritance will also be at a special sale price 1-7th May. For you lesbian romancers, Dirty Little War is up for grabs during this week too. The prices increase throughout the week and go back up to full price on Monday, so get them as soon as you can.

The website has been redesigned to put more emphasis on the books and less emphasis on my random blog updates. Those can still all be found below if you’re interested, but they’re no longer the focus of what I’ll be doing on the site. This page will now focus more directly on news than my general life activities.

We’ve put a lot of time and effort into standardising across all media. As an independent author, you learn a lot of things as you go along. I published my first book back in 2014 and had no idea really what I was doing, or if anyone would even read it. Since then, things have changed dramatically in the publishing space (although I still don’t feel like I know what I’m doing most of the time) and things needed updating. With a new book out shortly, it felt like the right time to get things set up for the next year of book releases properly.

Thank you for your support and remember, if you enjoy a book, please leave a review!

Writer Life: Busyness, business and books

Leave a reply

Wow, this week has been a busy week. Between consultancy work and non-fiction, I’ve been working 16 hour days to get everything done. The reward? I get to spend the weekend exploring the beautiful south coast of England, giving my brain time to relax. I went tramping through a forest last weekend and was amazed by the boost just being outside with time to breathe and think gave me. So I’m trying to make this a feature of my life, to compensate for the hours spent in hotel rooms or chained to the desk.

I’m also now weighing up an iPad Pro for work on the road, so if anyone has any experience of whether that works or not, then hit me up.

cropped-2016-banner.jpg

Creative – new ideas and first drafts

Book four in The Lazarus Hunter series – now tentatively titled Things That Die In The Light – had to go on the back burner this week. I still managed to get around 5000 words completed to keep my brain engaged with the characters and the story. I like the way it is going so far but I can already see places where I need to ramp that tension up a bit! The title definitely needs some work though…

I also pitched the idea for another non-fiction book to a couple of people, so that’s an exciting step forwards too.

Editing – the slow, tortuous road to publication

Some final minor tweaks last weekend to the non-fiction book, but they were simply some references changes, so nothing too strenuous thank goodness!

Publishing – and all the other bits that go on behind the scenes

In week two, Dirty Little War has received some pretty great reviews, from people I definitely don’t know. There’s always a bit of a writer’s doubt that your mum is writing good stuff to make you feel better, like when you found out those Valentine’s cards you got as an early teen was just her using her left hand to write. Unsolicited stranger reviews are always amazing.

Okay, so I am still getting to grips with Facebook. I’m still not a huge fan, but have begun to see the real value it offers in connecting people. I’ve been able to talk with readers and other authors to get valuable insights into how I can write things that excite not only me, but also the people who want to read my fiction. So I guess Facebook is going to stay part of my life for awhile.

I’ve published a non-fiction book as my alter-ego this week, which has been an altogether different experience to publishing genre fiction. It’s been exciting though and I’m feeling really positive about it.

Planning and dreaming – what’s coming up next week

I’m having the weekend off now to spend time with my wife as she’s been somewhat neglected this week. Monday will bring with it a week of non-fiction marketing (honestly, no more fun for me than any kind of marketing) and getting back to Things that die in the light. If I can get 8000 words drafted in that small space between getting up and having breakfast, then I’ll count the week as a success.

Writing Best Bits

The best writing bit this week was letting something go. That sounds strange and with better timing on my part, I wouldn’t have had two large projects come to a conclusion so close together. One of my goals for next year is to better plan the contingency time so that if other people slip, then the pressure doesn’t fall on me!

Weekly success score: 7/10 (not enough downtime – even if I’ve done a lot, being a workaholic loses points, not gains them. Life is for living!)

Contact for credit

Contact for credit

Fantasy sexy vs real life sexy

Leave a reply

It occurred to me, while I was writing a sexy kick ass scene (of your traditional vampire hunter in leather variety), that there is an innate difference between theoretically sexy and real life sexy. The case in point: scars.

This is something you frequently see in both books and in film. Scars are a mark of strength. Of battles fought and won. Of danger and daring. These are the character elements that scars become a symbol of, yet without compromising in any way the (often stereotypical) ‘attractiveness’ of the character. Male or female, a strategically placed scar is sexy in books and on film.

In real life, that is more often not the case. Few people wear scars with the pride and confidence that fictional media imbues. Scars are more likely to be a trigger of a disturbing event. A memory that is often something better best forgotten. Frequently, scars are things that are covered, replete with a sense of shame. The bearer often feels the exact opposite of ‘sexy’ when considering them. Not in all cases, but in many.

On the opposite side to this self-perception, the response that scars provoke in others is similarly different when considering fantasy versus reality.  Scars usually provoke an instinctive second glance, a double take. The first assumptions are not around the ‘hot or not’ of the person, but a curiosity around the event. What happened, rather than what it made the person become. A significant size scar is likely to be associated with the word ‘disfigured’ rather than ‘sexy’. I am not saying that I personally feel that way, so don’t flame me in the comments. I am merely stating that scars – just one example of many – are portrayed significantly differently in the media to how they are perceived in the daily world we walk through.

So, as I write my character, complete with scar, I know that I am consciously choosing to perpetuate that cycle. With that needs to come an awareness of how the very nature of fiction can bridge or widen a gap.

And which of these options you really want to achieve.

Quiet does not equal ‘not busy’

Leave a reply

Yes, things have once again been quiet on the social media front. To my horror, I didn’t do a single blogpost in July. But quiet certainly doesn’t mean that things have been slow and relaxed around here. Exactly the opposite in fact.

There has been a lot of travel for the non-fiction projects in my life (these, whilst being considerably less enjoyable, do pay the majority of the bills), which means less time for fun things like blogposts and twitter. Isn’t this often the way? Sometimes I think there are a lot of people telling everyone about their life, rather than being in it and being present. However, social time has been something of a luxury, in real life and virtual.

Plus, it’s always harder to work in the summer when it is delightfully warm. Every task then feels like suffering when you cans see the sun outside and the beach is calling. I’m just being honest here.

However, projects have indeed been progressing nicely in the spaces between. I am happy to be writing the fourth book in The Lazarus Hunter series, which is great fun. I love my little foray into the world of urban fantasy and my favourite vampires. I’m also waist deep in the final edits for my new romance novel, which has slipped slightly off track but is still on its way out into the world during the next four weeks. Pesky days, only having twenty-four hours in them.

I hope everyone else is having as productive a time as me! Either way, enjoy the weekend. Friday night and the wine bottle is OPEN.

Genre Switch

Leave a reply

So, I remember saying something last time about showing my softer side in my next novel. That’s almost true. The novel being released later this year is actually going to be… *drumroll* a romance novel.

Don’t worry, it will still be very much in the same vein as the other novels I have written. By that I mean there will be gritty plot lines, tough decisions and kickass heroines at the heart of the story, but with a considerable amount of additional smooching between the leads. And then some.

To break it down, Teddie McKay, my protagonist in The Crochet Killer and A Taste To Die For isn’t a sexless lesbian by any means, but as its a crime novel, the emphasis is on the mystery solving, not the rolling around in the sack.

Elizabeth and Monica, the two main characters of Blood Inheritance have, at this stage, the kind of subtextual connection that I remember so fondly from my Buffy and Xena days. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was as frustrating as hell in the long run. Especially because even though the subtext was fun, you knew nothing would happen. But I’m in control now, so I know the truth *evil laugh*.

In this new novel, it follows all the rules of the romance genre (almost all, it’s more fun when you break a few). Which means that the romance is up a notch, the sex is up a lot and the whole thing is more playful and fun.

I know there are supposed rules about branding and genre, but I don’t really care. I like the book and it is one I think my readers will enjoy, so I am bringing it into the world. If new readers then go back and buy my other books, then I hope that even if it isn’t what they expected, then they enjoy those too. It’s all on Kindle anyway, so sample chapter yourself away!

Learning to juggle

Leave a reply

I’m not talking literal juggling, obviously. My hand / eye coordination isn’t good enough for that any more. Fun fact: I actually used to juggle for stress relief at university. I was way ahead of all the personal development gurus on that one.balls

So, there are a couple of exciting things going on at the moment and like many things in life, it is the ones you are not expecting that have the biggest impact. It’s like when you’ve learned to juggle three balls and then someone throws in a fourth just before you feel fully comfortable with what you’re doing. You either have to up your game really quickly or you end up dropping them all.

Writing is like that most of the time for me. I have multiple projects going on in multiple fields. Jumping from one to the other is a brain challenge, as well as being physically exhausting. I know I’m lucky – I’m still in the fledgling stages where I can still make mistakes because I refuse to give up the financial security of a full time paid position. But that does mean when I did some basic calculations earlier in the week, when you include all the time spent on writing (both actual creative stuff and then all the less exciting stuff that goes with it) I average a 70 hour week.

I’m nothing special. It’s not even something just authors go through – all entrepreneurs do at some stage, no matter how much the follow your dream message gets glamorised. Learning to juggle your life is one skill you need to master along the way.

As a result, my planned time for structural edits of the next book following Blood Inheritance have had to go on the back burner. Luckily for me, I’d built in some extra fallback time, so it doesn’t impact yet on my planned 2016 release schedule. Luckily, of all the indie publishing hats I wear, project management comes to me the easiest. After the actual damn writing, of course, but the more you want to write, the less writing you actually do. Oh universe, you’re so funny like that, aren’t you?