He was deemed the underdog from the outset, but Team Blackthorn was relentless. I’m thrilled to be able to tell you that our very own Kane Malloy has won Vampire Book Club’s Alpha Showdown 2016!! And he claimed the title with over 4,000 votes!!
In the words of Chelsea, owner of VBC:
“We haven’t had a surprise like this year’s Alpha Showdown in years. It’s official, a first-time contender has taken the title.
Congratulations to Kane Malloy from Lindsay J. Pryor’s Blackthorn series, your 2016 Alpha Showdown Champion!
It’s been a minute since a vampire held the title, and we’re so happy to welcome all the Blackthorn fans who came out in force for this master vampire. He beat former Alpha Showdown champion Barrons. BARRONS, y’all. And then won a second fierce battle against Kate Daniels. It’s impressive. He’s impressive.”
Thank you so much to everyone who came out to vote and show your support for Kane. To all my readers here, as well as across all my other social media; to my brilliant publisher who backed Blackthorn all the way; and to my exceptional street team who didn’t take their foot off the pedal from the second this showdown started – I can’t thank you enough. <3
Winning aside, events like these are all about having fun and finding fantastic new books to read in the PNR and UF genres – whether well-known global names such as the New York Times Bestsellers that Kane was up against, or relative newbies like Blackthorn and me. I’m loving all the recommendations being banded around across various social media as a result of this competition. So here’s a HUGE thank you too to Vampire Book Club for hosting the showdown.
I’ll be back tomorrow with some Blood Bound news as well as that giveaway I’ve been promising. I think it’s more fitting than ever now we have a little something extra to celebrate with!
I was absolutely blown away by the support that came in for him during the 48 hours that the semi-finals were open. I put calls out here, on my Facebook page and all my other social media and, wow, did you step up to the mark! Votes came in from the UK, Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Europe (tell me if I’ve missed anywhere). In the end we got through with OVER 6000 votes!!!
A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who voted, commented and helped spread the word. <3
THE FINAL IS LIVE!
And now Kane needs you one more time. The final round of Vampire Book Club’s Alpha Showdown is LIVE – and it’s time for you to choose your champion for 2016!
He was deemed the underdog from the outset, but Team Blackthorn fought hard and relentlessly through three rounds to get our Kane Malloy to the final. Kane is now up against the mega-force that is Kate Daniels (created by #1 New York Times Bestseller Ilona Andrews) for the crown. It’s another tough one! Can he go all the way?
Please do leave a comment too, if you can, to show your support.
At the time of posting this, there are only 33 hours left – so please don’t delay!
And if you haven’t yet checked out all the fantastic characters and authors that were put forward for this competition, it’s well worth a look. I hope you find loads of great new books to read. The more, the merrier! Have fun! xxx
In case you’ve missed my recent posts on Facebook, a very Happy New Year to you!
Okay, so the title above is a bit of a giveaway as to what this post is about. Before I get on to Blood Instinct though…
Towards the end of 2015, Blood Dark was nominated for several readers’ choice awards across a number of different blogs – all thanks to my readers (and my incredible hot-off-the-press street team) for putting my latest book forward.
So, last week, I was really excited to find out that it went on to win three prizes in the Sweet N Sassy Book A Holics ‘Best of the Best 2015’ Awards: 2nd place for ‘Favourite Fantasy Book‘, 2nd Place for ‘Favourite Urban Fantasy Book‘ and 3rd Place for ‘Most Anticipated Book‘ of 2015! I was thrilled. Thank you to every single person who voted – and for all the wonderful comments left on my Facebook page. <3
I was also thrilled to find out that Blood Dark was named in My Bookworm Blogger’s Top 3 Reads of 2015.
“Lindsay is one of my all time favourite authors, she weaves incredibly intricate stories and has created a dark and thoroughly delicious and disturbed world called Blackthorn. Stories of vampires, lycans and witches have been done many times in the past, and many seem to blur into one. NOT Blackthorn! In the world of paranormal romance Blackthorn shines. It’s a whole new world ripe for the taking and is certainly the world you should be picking!”
“Sometimes the waiting is too much and the book doesn’t live up to it. But mostly great authors don’t let their fans down. And just occasionally, right before your eyes an author goes from great to sublime genius. This book nearly killed me. What on earth will happen in book 6?”
Thank you, Michelle!
And whilst staying on a Kane and Caitlin theme, Blood Shadows was listed as one of Splashes Into Books’ favourite Bookouture books so far alongside books by my fellow authors Angela Marsons, Holly Martin and Sue Watson. It also received a terrific review and 5 out of 5 stars!
“This is a great story, well written, fast paced, enthralling and intriguing as historical events are slowly revealed shining a light on deception, double dealers and demonstrating that it isn’t always those you believe to be enemies that you shouldn’t trust – unworthy friends may be even worse! This is the first book in the series and does end appropriately but also whets your appetite for future books – I can’t wait to find out what happens next! Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys paranormal mysteries with plenty of action and bite.”
Thank you, Bicted!
What a lovely start to 2016. 🙂 And on that note…
I already come bearing good news. As of early this week, the first draft of Blood Instinct is now with my editor. Even better news, it’s going to be back with me very shortly. That means I’ll be able to move on to the next stage (the structural edits) without delay. That signals a huge sigh of relief from me, and hopefully one from you too! Thanks, as always, for the fantastic response to the news already. I really appreciate it. <3
Since Blood Dark was released in September, I’ve had a lot of queries, particularly from readers new to Blackthorn, asking how soon Blood Instinct will be out and why I won’t give a release date – even an estimation (I love the attempts at bribes, by the way!). Basically, even though Blood Instinct is now written, we’re only at the initial stage. Further timings beyond the first draft deadline have yet to be set. My editor is always the first person to read my book and, until she does, my publisher has no idea how many redrafts/rewrites will be required. And, until I’ve seen the initial set of structural notes, I don’t know how long it will take me. As soon as I do, the schedule is set and Bookouture talk to me about provisional release dates.
However, even after all the structural edits are complete, there are still line edits to come and then copy edits – and all of that is before the rest of the publishing process kicks in. Once we’re at the line edits stage though, Bookouture usually confirm the release date. So, watch out for that announcement because then you’ll know we’re close to you being able to mark your calendars. 🙂 Oh, and if anyone still doesn’t know, Jask and Phia will be back in the spotlight for this one!
I’ll be back with more news after my first round of structural edits are in – unless anything exciting happens between now and then, that is!
I can’t quite believe 2015 is nearly over! This time last year, after almost twenty years in the profession, I’d stepped out of my teaching career and taken the leap into writing full-time. At the start of 2015, I was finally able to give Blackthorn my full attention.
Much of this year has been spent writing Blood Dark with my head simultaneously in my old notebooks making sure I’m still on track with my plans for the finale. (As most of you will know by now, I never have my head on only one book at a time – not when it comes to Blackthorn!) Since Blood Dark’s release, the last ten weeks have been all about the first draft of Blood Instinct. I’ll share some news on that soon.
Until then, I can’t say farewell to another year without first saying a massive thank you to all my incredible readers who have been a part of it. Whether you support me here, via social media, email, or simply by rating and reviewing my books, you make a difference to me and to my series. Thank you for being there to back Blackthorn and for rooting for our heroes and heroines as we edge ever closer to the finale. 2015 has been such a stand out year for me when it comes to fun and interaction with my readers (I do solemnly swear never to pose the T-shirt question ever again), and I am so lucky to have you! Involvement in the giveaways this year has been the best ever and your support of Blood Dark’s release was simply immense. I hope you’ll be just as excited about Jask and Phia’s return in Blood Instinct!
I know it’s been far from all fun and laughter out in the wider world this year though, so thank goodness for whatever escapism we can find in books. Here’s just one of many emails I received this year that reminds me how important books are in so many of our lives:
“I am from Romania and I just wanted to say that your books have made my world such a better place … Your characters and plot of the story has taken me on a wonderful journey. Thank you.”
Is there any better reason to share stories?
Here’s wishing you all a fantastic Christmas and health, peace and happiness in the year ahead. I’ll be back in January with those Blood Instinct updates as well as my plans for Blackthorn in 2016. Whatever you do between now and then, take care. I have soooo much more escapism planned for you! 🙂
By now, most of you will know I don’t need much of an excuse to be celebrating something Blackthorn related, but this truly is a special day for me. Three years ago today, Blood Shadows, the first book in my Blackthorn series, was published.
Someone asked me earlier how I was feeling three years ago today. The honest answer? A nervous wreck! But it was also an incredible day. Believe it or not, Blackthorn was actually sixteen years old by that point – it had been a labour of love whilst I held down a teaching job and worked on other books in the years that passed. At the time, I had no intention of attempting to get it published. Instead, I wrote it for the love of writing it – and I just couldn’t stop.
Blackthorn has come a very long way since then – and my readers have been a HUGE part of making that happen. So, to say a big thank you for all your support, I ran a giveaway this week both here and on Facebook. Thank you for the amazing response and to everyone who entered – whether via email, this blog, or Facebook. Congratulations to everyone who has won and, for anyone left disappointed, giveaways happen throughout the year so keep a look out! I’m already plotting my Jask-related giveaway for Blood Instinct next year. 😉
And the winners are (you’ve won the prize above your name)…
WINNERS – PLEASE EMAIL ME with your postal address. For those of you who have won signed prizes, don’t forget to let me know if you’d like them signed personally to you! And congrats again! 😀
And to finish, for those of you who have never seen it, I thought I’d share the book trailer that launched not only Blood Shadows but my Blackthorn series. The soundtrack Bookouture chose is called ‘Superhero’ by Tim McMorris. (Oh, and don’t be thrown by the original cover!)
Three years ago this week, Blackthorn was launched. Blood Shadows, my debut novel, was released by Bookouture on 27th November 2012. Since then, Blackthorn has gone on to sell in six figures, with over three thousand four and five star reviews. And it’s thanks to yourreviews and your support that the final four books in the Blackthorn series were signed last year, as well as Blackthorn being discovered by Tantor Media who converted the first three books to audio.
My readers are such an important part of Blackthorn so, to mark the occasion and to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me, I decided to launch the biggest Blackthorn giveaway to date.
If you’re a big Blackthorn fan, this is your chance to get your hands on some Blackthorn treats – some of which are limited editions, never to be repeated. The full list of items is below, with a brief description of each. They’re listed in no particular order.
HOW TO ENTER
All you have to do to enter the giveaway is tell me:
HOW YOU DISCOVERED BLACKTHORN
AND
WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THE SERIES.
It’s that simple! You can leave your answers:
in the comment section below, or
on my Facebook page (where I’m simultaneously running the giveaway), or
The giveaway is open NOW and closes Thursday 26th November at midnight (UK time). Entries after this time will not be eligible.
HOW WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN
Anyone is eligible to enter. All entries will be assigned an entry number. Numbers will be selected using a random generator and winners will be announced this Friday evening (27th) to mark the official anniversary.
As with all Blackthorn giveaways, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are – the prizes can be posted anywhere. One of the winners in the last giveaway was on the other side of the world in New Zealand!
BONUS ENTRY NUMBERS
You can only enter your answer ONCE, but for the first time ever in a giveaway, I’m going to give you the chance to win more than one prize as well as increase your chances of winning.
Whilst ensuring I don’t exclude anyone from entering, this is ultimately a thank you giveaway so I wanted to include something extra to show my appreciation to everyone who has gone that extra step to support me and Blackthorn. So, if any of the following apply to you, tell me in your answer and your name will be entered more than once.
Let me know if you:
Have liked my Facebook page, follow me on social media, or follow this blog. This is worth one bonus entry.
Have left a review for a Blackthorn book on Amazon, Goodreads or any other relevant review site. This is worth one bonus entry.
Have left reviews for all five Blackthorn books. This is worth two bonus entries.
That means any one person can have their name entered up to FOUR TIMES which not only increases their chances of winning but means they could win up to four different prizes.
So it’s clear, here are some examples:
“I discovered Blackthorn on Amazon. I really like the plot twists.” Your name will be entered once.
“I discovered Blackthorn on Amazon. I really like the plot twists. I follow your blog.” Your name will be entered twice.
“I discovered Blackthorn on Amazon. I really like the plot twists. I’ve liked your Facebook page and I’ve reviewed all five Blackthorn books.” Your name will be entered four times.
THE PRIZES
As it’s three years since the release of Blood Shadows…
PRIZE ONE – TWO SIGNED PAPERBACKS
ABOVE: There is one prizeof a signed paperback copy of bothBlood Shadows AND Blood Roses. These books have the original covers, as per the launch in 2012. The covers were created by top UK cover designer Henry Steadman who has designed covers for international bestselling authors such as Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell and Dan Brown. Less than fifteen signed copies of each are in circulation. I will never again be giving away signed copies of the original books, so these are a real collector’s item for avid Blackthorn fans!
PRIZE TWO – ONE SIGNED AUDIOBOOK
ABOVE: There is one prize of a signed Blood Shadows unabridged audiobook, narrated by British award-winning actress Anne Flosnik and produced by Tantor Media. The audiobook consists of 10 discs and has a running time of 12 hours. This is the last time a signed Blood Shadows audiobook will be given away.
And now that we’ve come full-circle with Blackthorn’s latest release marking a revisit to Kane and Caitlin…
PRIZE THREE – A2 SIGNED ‘BLOOD DARK’ POSTER
ABOVE: There is one prize of a one-off, signed Blood Dark poster featuring Kane. The poster is a superb, high-quality A2 poster print on satin 200gm paper.
PRIZE FOUR – A SIGNED PAPERBACK COPY OF ‘BLOOD DARK’
ABOVE: There is one prize of a signed paperback copy of Blood Dark. Book length: 398 pages.
And to celebrate three years of Blackthorn…
PRIZE FIVE – A HEART-HANDLED MUG (BLACKTHORN COVERS)
ABOVE: There is one prize of a Blackthorn mug featuring the first four covers (new covers as per the relaunch).
PRIZE SIX – A HEART-HANDLED MUG (BLACKTHORN HEROES)
ABOVE: There is one prize of a limited-edition (never to be reproduced) Blackthorn mug featuring Blackthorn’s four heroes.
PRIZE SEVEN – SIGNED POSTCARD AND KEYRING
ABOVE: There are three prizes of a signed Blackthorn high-quality postcard and keyring, featuring the Blackthorn logo as designed by Henry Steadman.
PRIZE EIGHT: A SET OF FOUR SIGNED POSTCARDS
ABOVE: There are three prizes of a set of four Blackthorn high-quality postcards featuring the first four book covers. Each will be signed by me.
PRIZE NINE – A SET OF FOUR BLACKTHORN HERO STICKERS
ABOVE: There are two prizes of a set of Blackthorn hero stickers. These are waterproof and all-weather vinyl stickers designed to last forever and can be used on everything from iPhones to bikes. They measure 74mm x 52mm. Each winner will receive one set containing all four heroes.
That’s it!
Good luck to everyone who enters! And thank you again to everyone who is supporting my series. I’ll be back on Friday to announce the winners! Have a great week! xxx
Friday 27th November marks three years since Blackthorn was first published. As I can’t let that go by without marking the occasion, I’ll be launching a special anniversary giveaway on Monday. Here’s a sneak peek of a few things to expect:
I hope you’ll join in the fun when the time comes! I already have readers on Facebook trying to guess what’s in store from the images above. It should be a good one! xxx
It’s great to be featuring in the ‘Celebrity Interviews’ section of Female First today – the UK’s largest independently-owned online women’s lifestyle magazine.
Avid readers of my blog might recognise this (slightly) adapted version of a previous post…
Blackthorn: A Dark and Twisted Fairytale?
If you have a few minutes, you can read the feature here.
It’s been an amazing day for Blackthorn, but I’m not sure how much I deserve it this week! I’ve been mercilessly teasing my readers on my Facebook page (after doing the same to the Into the World of Blackthorn group first) when I asked them this question:
You can only wear ONE T-shirt. Which do you choose?
Kane dies, we riot.
Caleb dies, we riot.
Jask dies, we riot.
Eden dies, we riot.
I think the main problem was the statement I posted at the end:
Think carefully because there could be serious repercussions!
In the words of Colette: “Lindsay I think it’s safe to say you just might have a riot on your hands now for suggesting that kind of madness…”
Well, I think I nearly did!
Now obviously I’m not really cruel enough to make anyone choose between them. After all, their fate was marked out years ago as most of you well know… 😉
Anyway, in between me working on BLOOD INSTINCT today, things started getting busy for Blackthorn in Amazon’s charts after Bookouture ran some promo for my series.
For the first time ever, Blood Shadows not only hit #1 in both Amazon’s U.K. and U.S. Gothic Romance chart at the same time…
…but it also simultaneously hit #1 in both the U.K. and the U.S. Paranormal Vampire Romance chart too.
Blood Shadows even reached #3 in the overall Paranormal Romance chart AND #23 in the main Romance chart (thanks for pointing that one out, Fiona)!
On top of that, Blood Shadows entered the Top 100 on Amazon.com’s main charts, reaching #66. It also broke into the Top 20 in Amazon’s Canadian main chart for the first time ever, and reached #1 in three paranormal sub genres there: Vampire Romance; Fantasy, Futuristic and Ghost Romance; as well as Werewolves and Shifter Romance (Blackthorn is nothing if not diverse). And we nearly, nearly got into the Top 200 in the U.K.
I was equally thrilled that Blackthorn as a series also entered the Top 100 on Amazon.com in three different charts: #15 in Most Popular Books in Paranormal Romance, #32 in Most Popular Books in Genre Literature and Fiction, and #82 in the Most Popular Books in Romance. 🙂
And it seemed we just couldn’t keep Kane down today as Blood Dark hit #1 in Top Rated Gothic Romance and #1 in Hot New Releases too!
APOLOGIES (sincerely) to anyone who has glazed over with all the numbers, but this was one of the best days Blackthorn has had. And to finish it off, Blackthorn was featured on My Guilty Obsession Book Blog‘s Facebook page after one of my lovely readers, Amanda Perrie, applied for them to put me in the author spotlight for the day – which included dedicating their banner to Blackthorn. Thanks so much, Amanda. And thank you too, My Guilty Obsession Book Blog, for hosting me. <3
I’d also like to say a massive thank you to my lovely street team who only just started this week but are already working busily in the background looking out for opportunities to give Blackthorn a shout out wherever they can. Thank you, Darklings! (If you’re a dedicated Blackthorn fan who loves being on social media, feel free to contact me if you’d like to find out more about the team.)
That’s it – no more chart talk! Thanks so much for bearing with me, and to everyone (including the wonderful team at Bookouture) who was a part of making this happen. Have a wonderful weekend! xxx
The most frequently asked question I’m getting through at the moment is about when will BLOOD INSTINCT be out. All I can tell you is that it’s currently in progress and Bookouture have it scheduled for release next year. I’ll share updates as soon as I can.
I know new readers are finding Blackthorn every day so, if you don’t already know, there’s an email sign-up option available for those who solely want to be notified whenever a new Blackthorn book is released. If you haven’t done so already, click here if you want to be sure not to miss the last three books in the series.
You can also keep in touch with all things Blackthorn by subscribing to this website (via the side bar), and/or by following my Facebook page. Both will give you access to stage-by-stage notifications and updates more regularly.
As well as that, there is now the ‘Into the World of Blackthorn’ Facebook group set up by – and for – readers who want to chat all things Blackthorn. It’s a very relaxed, fun, and interactive group, and I visit there regularly to post updates and answer questions as well as responding to readers’ requests such as letting you interview Blackthorn’s characters etc. Anyone who loves Blackthorn is welcome to join.
Thank you for all your queries. I know you’re keen to get your hands on your next installment as soon as possible, which is why I’m going to get right back to it!
Before I go though, I’m thrilled that BLOOD DARK hit the #1 spot on Amazon UK’s Gothic Romance chart again today. As always, thank you to every single person who continues to read, rate and review my books on sites such as Amazon. I know I’ve said it before, but you really do make a difference.
