It’s been over a year since I’ve had an interview and, in this one, I talk about my journey to publication for the first time. If you’re a writer yourself or you’d just like to know a bit more about who I am, what inspired me to write Blackthorn and what plans I have for the future, you might find this one interesting.
HUGE thanks to the extremely lovely Daniel Riding for hosting me – and for quizzing me mercilessly!
There are two other events to look out for this week. On Wednesday, if you’re a member of the ‘Into the World of Blackthorn‘ Facebook group (an additional group to the official Blackthorn Fan Page), I’ll be giving you the first opportunity ever to fire questions at our four Blackthorn heroes: Kane, Caleb, Jask and Eden – and you can ask them anything! If you love talking about all things Blackthorn, you’d be most welcome to join. And towards the end of the week I’ll be launching a competition to win an early e-book of BLOOD DARK. Stay close if you can’t bear to wait another 24 days until it’s yours!
Yesterday was just fantastic. I’m still buzzing from the overwhelming response to the cover reveal and release date announcement (especially on Facebook), so I certainly wasn’t expecting to make another so soon. But less than 24 hours after Blood Dark‘s pre-order went live, I received news this morning that it had gone straight to the #1 spot on Amazon UK’s Gothic Romance chart -and the #4 spot in US equivalent! It had just fallen shy of being in the top 800 books on the overall Amazon UK chart. As I’m sure you can imagine, I am beyond thrilled.
In addition to that, Blood Dark also hit #1 in the Gothic Romance Hot New Releases!
That’s two Blackthorn books in a row now that have gone straight to No 1 from pre-orders alone (the last was Blood Deep). I can’t quite believe it.
Thank you so much to my fellow Bookouture author Caroline Mitchell for breaking the news to me via Twitter this morning (you are a top class stalker, Ms Mitchell), Tracey Rogers (Blackthorn’s original No 1 fan) for your excited email also making sure I’d heard, and to USA Today bestseller CC MacKenzie for doing the same by taking the time out of her own super-busy schedule to call and congratulate me.
And, of course, a massive thank you to you: all my incredible readers and supporters who got me there. This doesn’t happen without you – and I appreciate it so much. <3
xxx
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UPDATE!!
After posting this, I found out the following morning that Blood Dark had gone on to reach #2 in Gothic Romance on Amazon. com. Thank you SO much to everyone still clicking that pre-order button. <3
Your patience has been amazing, your re-reads can almost come to an end… I’m super-excited to finally be able to reveal that BLOOD DARK, book 5 in my Blackthorn series, will be released on:
23rd SEPTEMBER 2015
I know, still seven weeks to go – but the great news is, it’s available for pre-order on Amazon NOW!
And we can’t have a release date without a cover and blurb reveal:
BLOOD DARK
Book 5 in the Blackthorn series
‘There are guardian angels, and there are monsters with wings’
Caitlin Parish should have been the last person to fall for a vampire. A member of the Vampire Control Unit, her relationship with master vampire Kane Malloy had explosive consequences. Caitlin’s colleagues count her as the enemy. And now she’s going back.
Kane has made powerful enemies of his own – and is being targeted by the head of the Global Council, Sirius Throme. With the stakes higher than ever before, Kane knows caring for Caitlin makes him vulnerable. Worse, her decision to return to VCU feels like betrayal.
With Throme threatening to tear Blackthorn apart, and the prophesied vampire leader finally revealed, Kane and Caitlin must both fight with everything they have to stop an all out war. But they’re fighting on opposite sides…
Right when she needs him most, Caitlin makes a shocking discovery about Kane. Has he been playing her all along? And can she trust him with her life when he won’t even trust her with the truth?
The choice Caitlin makes will change the game in Blackthorn forever.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LINDSAY J. PRYOR…
‘I don’t think I have read such a finely executed dark PNR world before…This series truly surprised me. I didn’t think I would love it that much or be intrigued by it. I couldn’t stop thinking about these books once I was done with them… The world-building is spectacular. The characters are enthralling and addicting… Plain fabulousness.’ Gaga Over Books
‘I am completely enthralled with this paranormal series. You get so wrapped up in the story and characters that you lose track of time… This is one of my favorite series so far this year!’ Paranormal Book Club
‘This is a paranormal universe like none you have encountered before… There are stories that are so powerful, so intense that I do not believe anyone should warn you about what is to come… I truly do feel that if you love the Paranormal genre and have not yet discovered Lindsay J. Pryor or these novels then you need to read them, experience them firsthand.’ Keeper Bookshelf
‘I am officially addicted to this series. Why, you ask? Because Lindsay Pryor is my kind of fearless author. She isn’t afraid to “go there”, to create characters and situations that challenge me as a reader.’ The Demon Librarian
‘Not only are Pryor’s characters and fathomlessly dark love stories fabulous, but her continual world building of Blackthorn blows me away.’ Gravetells.com
‘If you’re looking for a new PNR series that has a dark world and complicated characters, then you’ll want to grab a copy of this. I can’t wait to read the next book.’ FictionVixen.com
‘She writes paranormal romance mixed with urban fantasy the way I like it – clever world-building, intense characters and no easy options for them to take.’ Nocturnal Book Reviews
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I do hope you like it! I cannot wait to share the next stage of Kane and Caitlin’s journey. There will be lots coming your way over the forthcoming weeks including giveaways, a full cover reveal, the first three chapters posted live and a recap on the story so far (I know it’s getting complex in there). So stay close if you don’t want to miss anything!
Thanks for all the incredible support that has already been coming through on Facebook pending this announcement. I cannot tell you how relieved I am to finally be able to share it!
As you’ve probably guessed from my lack of presence here lately, edits are currently consuming most of my time. When it’s not edits, it’s my insistence on working on book six in between waits. I really hope I’ll have some Blood Dark news to share with you in the not-to-distant future. I can’t thank you enough for all the queries coming in about it and for your patience waiting to know when that release day will be.
I did, however, take Monday afternoon off, and for a very good reason: I met one of my U.S. readers! It was actually the first time I’ve ever met a reader from across the pond. Leticia has been a big Blackthorn fan for a while now and has even recently set up a brand new fan page on Facebook (this is aside to the official Blackthorn fan page where I post) where readers can go and chat about my books in a closed group. She once told me that she’d fly all the way from Portland in Oregon to the UK just to attend a Blackthorn book signing and meet me so, when she got in touch to say she was in the UK, we arranged to meet up.
Monday morning, Leticia travelled from where she was staying in London, across to the South West to meet me at The Magdalen Chapter Hotel in Exeter for lunch.
After lunch, I showed her the lounge area where I was sat back in 2012 when I received an email from Bookouture showing me the original Blood Shadows book cover (see below) – so Leticia had some Blackthorn history thrown in too!
Above: Me and Leticia in The Magdalen Chapter’s lounge.
Above: The original Blood Shadows book cover, the Blackthorn banner (both designed by Henry Steadman) and one of the first ‘Bites’ as emailed to me by Bookouture back in 2012 whilst I was sat in the room above.
I was so nervous about meeting Leticia, and promised myself I wouldn’t ramble like I’m prone to – especially considering my Welsh accent kicks in when I’m at top speed, which can be tricky to understand. Fortunately, she was lovely and we quickly fell into chats about her other favourite PNR author Stephanie Hudson (about whom I quizzed her mercilessly and is now on my TBR list), her life in the States (I’ve never been), and our cultural differences. The hot topic soon became about the language differences between the U.S. and the U.K. and there were giggles aplenty when we discussed how even some of our basic vocab (I think everyone knows about the spelling issues) is so different. It’s no wonder my U.S. readers get confused sometimes! It’s not quite the same when I’m talking about Kane fixing his bike in his vest (which is apparently called a tank top in certain U.S. states) and Leticia is envisaging him in what we in U.K. call a waistcoat. Kane in a suit?? Hmm, I’m not sure how that would work… (If anyone is drifting off at this point to try and imagine it, ahem, I’m not quite finished yet…) As an aside, I even learned what ranch sauce/dressing is!
Leticia, of course, got to quiz me about Blackthorn and its creation and my personal takes and thoughts about my characters. One of my favourite moments though was when Leticia looked me in the eye and told me that under absolutely no circumstances, whatever is ahead for Blackthorn, am I allowed to kill off Jask. And, heck, did she mean it! Apparently a little more suffering is kind of okay, but there has to be a HEA for him in the end. So, for all Jask’s fans out there, know that Leticia was right there fighting his corner.
Thanks, again, for spending your afternoon with me, Leticia. I’m so glad you enjoyed your first visit to the U.K. and had such a wonderful 30th.
I’m a little behind on my blog schedule at the moment, mainly because my edits came back a couple of weeks ago and, well, getting Blood Dark to you as soon as possible seems to be the priority as far as my lovely readers are concerned!
I had to jump on here quickly though to say that I had a notification through tonight telling me that it’s my three-year blog anniversary today. Yay! That means three years ago today, I wrote my first ever post – back at a time when I wasn’t published and didn’t even have a prospect of a publisher in sight. Things have certainly progressed since then!
Above: This blog’s original banner (yep, that is me) before Bookouture’s re-vamp (pardon the pun)
With four Blackthorn books now released and number five imminent, well over 3,000 4/5 star reviews, six-figure sales, audiobooks and, most importantly, daily additions to my incredible Team Blackthorn (that’s you), this is way beyond what I’d imagined three years ago today.
My amazing long-suffering husband aside, three important people were by my side when I launched this blog. They’ve consistently supported me and encouraged me in the background, not least picking me up when my confidence has dropped as well as being there to share the laughs, the adventure and the excitement.
The incredible thing is that I didn’t know these ladies personally. They were fellow entrants in New Voices, the competition through which, in a twist worthy of Blackthorn, Bookouture discovered me. Like me, all three were unpublished authors at the time – and each of them had a passion for Blackthorn that blew me away.
Three and a half years on, they remain my inspiration. Amity Grays has signed her first publishing contract, Tracey Rogers has had five books released, and CC Mackenzie (who forced me set up a blog, oh and has her own vampire series out *wink*) has now become a USA Today Bestseller and an icon for self-published authors. Last year, for my 40th birthday, I had the pleasure of meeting the latter two (it might have been a bit far for Amity to pop over from Idaho!). There were certainly tears a plenty because, without these ladies, I’m not convinced Blackthorn would have been with you.
Thank you, Amity, Christine and Tracey for being Blackthorn’s true heroines.
And perfectly-timed to mark the occasion, I received an email today telling me that BestChickLit.com, who previously described Blood Shadows as “fantastic”, have now read and reviewed Blood Roses, and referred to it as:
“An absolute triumph that has kept me hooked on the series.”
Thanks so much, Charlotte! <3 You can read the full review here.
Oh, and look whose latest release was reviewed on the same blog just before me! A glowing review for Ms Rogers, of course!
Once my edits are in, I promise that normal service will resume! Take care. xxx
A couple of weeks ago, I told you Blackthorn had been nominated as Best Paranormal Romance 2014 in Moonrise Book Blog’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Today, I found out that WE’VE WON!
Blackthorn was not only up against some terrific titles, but both Blood Torn AND Blood Deep were up in the same category. However, the crown went to…
…BLOOD TORN!
It seems our Jask just won too many hearts to be defeated – even by our lovely Eden (don’t worry, he’s made of stern stuff). I know some readers found it really tough to choose between the two books but either was a vote for Blackthorn, so thank you to everyone who joined in.
I’m doubly celebrating because this is actually thefirst time Blackthorn has ever won anything. Blackthorn had two nominations in the GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards back in 2013 and, of course, was twice runner-up on in New Voices both in 2010 and 2011, but never quite got there. I’ll definitely be wearing the badge on my blog with pride.
Many thanks to Moonrise Book Blog for your awesome reviews which led to both Blood Torn and Blood Deep being eligible for nomination, repeated thanks to every reader who voted, and HUGE congrats to the winners in all the other categories too. 😀
2015 has arrived!! Happy New Year!! I hope you’re looking forward to the year ahead? Hopefully bringing TWO more Blackthorn books your way before the year is out will help. 🙂
To be honest, I hadn’t planned to post this early on in the year, but 2015 has got off to a terrific start for Blackthorn. I’m thrilled that both Blood Torn AND Blood Deep have been nominated for Best Paranormal Romance Novel of 2014 in the fantastic Moonrise Book Blog Readers’ Choice Awards.
If you have time, I would love you to take a couple of minutes to vote for either book. All you need is to be logged into Google (in order for the list of nominations to show up) and follow this link.
Huge thanks to my Facebook supporters who have already started casting their votes. There’s some tough competition, so fingers crossed!
And in other news…
I was also chuffed to find out today that I’ve been named as one of Gaga Over Books’ Favourite Authors of 2014.
As well as that, Blackthorn has been listed amongst their Series Favourites. With such an incredible list of books consumed by this blogger, it’s an honour to be mentioned. Thank you, Honey – and for your lovely comments about my series.
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks but, for now, I’m going to have my head down with Blood Dark. Things are getting pretty intense here – containing Kane, Caleb AND Jask all on the same page is no mean feat… and yet so much fun… 😉
As we draw to a close on 2014, I want a say a very special thank you to all my fantastic Blackthorn readers and supporters. It’s hard to think that there was no Blood Torn and no Blood Deep this time last year – not on the page anyway! In fact, many of you hadn’t even heard of Blackthorn back then.
Blackthorn has progressed considerably this past year. With all the couples now on the page, many plot threads having come together and loads of possibilities laid out, the series is now at its halfway point – and I can’t wait to share where it’s heading next.
Your support, ratings, reviews, comments and recommendations have contributed hugely to the continuing success of the series. Subsequently, this year, the rest of Blackthorn was signed. It also snagged the attention of Tantor Media who signed the first three books to audio. On a much more personal note, because of all of this, I’ll be a full-time author as of January 2015 – a dream that has taken over thirty years to materialise. But more on that another time!
So, needless to say, I couldn’t end the year without sharing my gratitude for the part each and every one of you has played. You’ve brought me loads of smiles, plenty of laughter and, yes, a few tears too. Thank you to everyone who has been in touch to let me know how much you’ve enjoyed my books.
It’s certainly going to be a busy year in Blackthorn in 2015, so I’ll be back in January to give you some clues as to what’s to come. If you don’t want to miss anything, don’t forget you can sign up to this blog (via the sidebar) which acts as my newsletter. Or if you simply don’t want to miss my next release, you can sign up here.
But until 2015 is with us, here’s a fab review that I picked up from Love And Live To Read today, who gave Blood Deep another 5 star review for Blackthorn – and totally made my day. Thank you, Maria!
As for now, I wish you all a wonderful and peaceful Christmas, and health and happiness in the year ahead. Thanks for being a part of Team Blackthorn.
It feels like ages since I’ve held a giveaway so, to help spread the festive spirit, I decided it was time for another.
Last month, Blackthorn launched on audio with Blood Shadows thanks to Tantor Media (who acquired the rights back in the Summer). Blood Roses is out on audio today and Blood Torn will be available at the end of the month.
I was clapping my hands with glee when my Blood Shadows CDs arrived all the way from the States last week, and not least because they look amazing!
Even better, they sound amazing too – all thanks to the wonderful Anne Flosnik who has narrated the first three books. Just like the first time I held a copy of my book, I didn’t let them out of my sight for hours (my presh-usss). Needless to say though, I would love a Blackthorn fan to have one straight out of the original box. So here goes…
The Giveaway
One copy of Blood Shadows (unabridged) on audio CD (10 discs in total) could be yours. You can either have it sealed or I’ll sign the inside of the cover for you. This will be the first audio CD ever signed by me so it might make a nice keepsake.
How to Enter
I’m going to make this really easy, and sate my curiosity at the same time. Blackthorn fans and supporters are spread all over the world, which is just immense. To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is tell me where you are. Just leave your nameandlocation (country for definite, city/town/village if you’re feeling brave!) either in the comments section below or on my Facebook page and you’ll automatically be entered. If you’re not comfortable with posting the information live, feel free to send me a private message.
Closing Date
I’ll close the competition this Saturday (13th Dec) at midnight, UK time. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on Sunday (14th Dec). I’ll post anywhere, so there are no restrictions.
I do hope you’ll join in. Best of luck, everyone! xxx
Today, is the second anniversary of both the launch of my first Blackthorn novel, Blood Shadows, and also the launch of its fantastic publisher, Bookouture.
Above: Happy 2nd Birthday, Blackthorn! What a 2 years it has been!!
Bookouture are currently celebrating with cake and bubbles, and rightly so! Since signing me, they have gone on to acquire many exceptional authors – both debut and established. Bookouture have had eight Amazon top 100 hits in the UK, three in the US, two in Canada and even one in France. They’ve sold hundreds of thousands of eBooks – and quite a few paperbacks, too! This week alone, they have three books in the Amazon UK top 100!
From being a one-man-band consisting of its Founder and Managing Director, Oliver Rhodes, Bookouture has expanded its publishing team too. Claire Bord,formerly of Avon (HarperCollins), became Bookouture’s Publishing Director with the aim of developing and expanding their publishing programme. As part of that, Keshini Naidoo (previously having worked with eBook bestsellers, also at Avon) joined the team as Senior Commissioning Editor with a focus on crime and thriller titles. To keep up with increased demand, the super-supportive Kim Nash joined as Bookouture’s Publicity Manager. Bookouture also linked up with the Lorella Belli Literary Agency who has since sold rights in France, Germany, Norway, Italy, Turkey, India and the Middle East, as well as doing deals for audio rights.
It’s amazing how far Bookouture have come, and I am immensely proud to have been there from the beginning. Bookouture has undoubtedly been the best thing to happen to Blackthorn. It might be a small, independent publisher, but darn they’re exceptional at what they do (proof above)! With ‘Big 5’ experience within a dedicated, hard-working, author-centric team of professionals, it’s no wonder that, along with the success of their books, Bookouture continues to be so highly praised by its authors.
As for me, it’s hard to believe that it was two years ago that I held a copy of my book for the first time; that I was a bag of nerves waiting to see what PNR reviewers, let alone readers, would make of my debut, Blood Shadows.
Above: A sample of reviews from the launch of Blackthorn, Nov 2012
Thankfully, many bloggers and reviewers embraced Blackthorn – and so did many more readers. If you’re reading this now, you’re likely to be one of those very readers who, like Bookouture, decided to take a punt on a new PNR series. You’re probably part of the reason why, through your reviews, ratings or word-of-mouth recommendations, the rest of the series has been signed. Thank you. Because being signed by a terrific publisher may be one of the best things to happen to an author, but so are great supporters. I have the privilege of having some of the best. 🙂
So before I leave you with the trailer that kicked the series off two years ago (which includes the original cover before the rebrand), I can’t do so without first wishing all my U.S. followers a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
