The countdown has officially started!! We have less than a month left until BLOOD DARK is yours!
Thanks for all the anticipation and excitement that’s already coming through. This is starting to feel like a military operation, especially for those who have informed me they’ve booked the day off work or made ‘alternative arrangements’ for their family! š I have to say, one of the best things about a Blackthorn release day is the build-up – and you’re the best at this.Ā This wonderful comment left here my website this morning particularly made my day:
“Dear Lindsay,
I am from Romania and I just wanted to say that your books have made my world such a better place. I couldn’t put them down and I counting the days till the release of Blood Dark. Your characters and plot of the story has taken me on a wonderful journey. Thank you.”
Thank you so, so much, Alexandra. And thank you to everyone else who makes this journey not only worthwhile, but also so much fun. I’ll have a giveaway for you soon!
Earlier this month, I mentioned that Bookouture asked if my readers might like to be in with a chance of winning the first four Blackthorn books in a giveaway. My answer was easy, and you proved me right with a fantastic response to the prospect both here and on Facebook. Thank you!
Well, todayās the day!
Thanks to the uber-lovely Kim Nash, Bookoutureās Publicity Manager, we have a one-off-never-before-done giveaway of all four of the first Blackthorn books (in paperback) signed by me.
But, for the first time ever in a Blackthorn giveaway, the winner isnāt going to be picked out of a hat. This time, Kim is going to judge the entries and select the winner!
HOW TO ENTER
All you have to do to enter is give your response to:
WHAT ATTRACTS YOU TO BLACKTHORN?
Itās a wide-open question that allows die-hard fans to enter as well as those wanting to try the series for the first time. You can comment on what first drew you to the series, or what compels you to keep reading it. Maybe itās your favourite series and youād like to share why, or you simply want to say what (or who!) you love about it. How you answer is up to you!
THE RULES
You will need to post your answer either in the comment section belowĀ OR, if youād prefer, you can email me. Please include ‘competition’ in the subject line.
You can only enter once.
CLOSING DATE
The competition is open now and you have until midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 2nd JuneĀ to post your entry. I hope that gives you plenty of time to mull it over. The winner will be announced on Friday 5th June.
Whereas I usually like to jump on and comment on entries, as this is as judged competition this time, I’ll be good and stay quiet. The very best of luck to everyone who chooses to enter, and have fun coming up with your answer!
All entrants were given a number and, using a random generator, the prizes were allocated to winners in the order shown below.
Soooo….the WINNERS of my audiobooks giveaway are…
MASSIVE congratulations to everyone who won! As soon as you’re ready, contact me to pass on your address, and then your signed audiobook/s will be on their way to you in the next week or two.
Huge thanks again to everyone who participated both via here and email. It’s been an absolute treat reading your choices and reasons. Sorry to those who didn’t win this time. š But, don’t forget, I have a couple more giveaways to come in a while, one of which will be an early copy of Blood Dark for one lucky reader!
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a post about Eden and Jessie from Blood Deep. š
A couple of months ago, we celebrated the release of Blackthorn on audio with a giveaway of the first audiobook in the series, Blood Shadows. To enter, Iād asked you to let me know where in the world you are ā and the response was amazing, both here and on Facebook.
I was so thrilled that I knew weād have to have another giveaway once the next audiobooks in the series came out. And, thanks to the generosity of Bookouture and Lorella Belli Literary agency, and your incredible input, we decided we could make the next one even bigger than the last.
THE PRIZES…
Blood Shadows proved so popular that, this time, weāre going to give away a furtherĀ 3 signed copies.
We were only going to give away one copy of Blood Torn too, but to celebrate it winning Best Paranormal Romance 2014 on Moonrise Book Blog (thanks to YOUR votes), weāve added in an extra three to make a total of 4 signed copies of Blood Torn up for grabs as well.
Above: Blood Torn Audio CDs (unabridged, 12 discs, 14.5 hrs)
And then we have the GRAND PRIZE…a chance to win all three!
That means there are NINE prizes up for grabs in total!
HOW TO ENTER…
The whole point of giveaways is that theyāre supposed to be simple and fun, so all you have to do is answer one question to enter. Inspired by one of my fantastic Facebook supporters, Dianne, who regularly chats to me about the prospect of my Blackthorn heroes turning up on her doorstep, your question is:
If you had the opportunity to invite THREE of Blackthornās main characters to a dinner party, which three would you invite and why? (You have to say why for your entry to be valid!)
Leave your answer either in the comments below or, if youāre not comfortable posting publicly, feel free to send me a private message via contact above. As I stated in a post yesterday, readers can no longer enter via Facebook sadly, but I do hope this wonāt discourage you from joining in.
CLOSING DATE…
The competition will be open for ten days to give you plenty of time to think it over. It is open now and will close on the Tuesday 17th February (midnight, UK time). The winners will be randomly selected and announced on Thursday 19th February.
So whether you love audiobooks or just fancy an exclusive signed copy as a Blackthorn keepsake, nowās your chance!
A couple of weeks ago, I told you Blackthorn had been nominated as Best Paranormal Romance 2014 in Moonrise Book Blogās Readersā Choice Awards. Today, I found out that WE’VE WON!
Blackthorn was not only up against some terrific titles, but both Blood TornĀ ANDĀ Blood Deep were up in the same category. However, the crown went toā¦
…BLOOD TORN!
It seems our Jask just won too many hearts to be defeated ā even by our lovely Eden (donāt worry, heās 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.
Iām doubly celebrating because this is actually thefirst time Blackthorn has ever won anything. Blackthorn had two nominations in the GraveTells Readersā 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. Iāll 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. š
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.
Ā 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 ā 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. Theyāve sold hundreds of thousands of eBooks ā 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,Ā formerly of Avon (HarperCollins), became Bookoutureās 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-supportiveĀ Kim Nash joined as Bookoutureās 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.
Itās 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 theyāre exceptional at what they do (proof above)! With āBig 5ā experience within a dedicated, hard-working, author-centric team of professionals, itās no wonder that, along with the success of their books, Bookouture continues to be so highly praised by its authors.
As for me, itās 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.
Ā Above: A sample of reviews from the launch of Blackthorn, Nov 2012
Thankfully, many bloggers and reviewers embraced Blackthorn ā and so did many more readers. If youāre reading this now, youāre likely to be one of those very readers who, like Bookouture, decided to take a punt on a new PNR series. Youāre 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. š
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 canāt do so without first wishing all my U.S. followersĀ a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
Iām uber-thrilled to be able to share that the rest of the Blackthorn series has officially been signed! Iām just as thrilled to be able to announce that Blackthorn will remain with its original publisher, Bookouture.
Having been inundated with queries as to how many more books there will be, I can now reveal that Blackthorn will consist of eight books in total ā that means there are four more to come!Ā
Above: Weāre halfway thereā¦ spot the āunintentionalā giveaway clue on the spine of the books.Ā
It feels like a long time since I shared Bookoutureās interest in the rest of the series. Before signing a contract though, thereās a lot to take into account. Firstly, I needed to make a final decision as to how many books there would be (the final book could have been broken into two parts, but we opted for an epic finale). I also needed to think carefully about the timescales for when I could deliver those books. Most of you will know that, like most authors, writing isnāt my only job. So when Bookouture offered me a contract for the rest of the series, I had a huge decision to make. Six weeks ago, I resolved to step out of teaching for a while and focus fully on finishing writing Blackthorn. So, as of 2015, I will be a full-time author for the first time ever ā and Blackthorn will be receiving my undivided attention all the way through to its conclusion.
Blackthorn has certainly come a long way since its inception back in 1996 when, having just moved to a big city hundreds of miles from all I knew, I got lost on my way home one night. I then spent fourteen years dipping in and out of developing the series amidst working on other writing projects and teaching full time. Back in 2010, I finally bit the bullet and entered the opening chapter of Blood Roses into the international online romance writing competition, ‘New Voices’. Although up against thousands of entries, a combination of editorsā decisions and reader votes saw Blood Roses through to the final. A year later, Blackthorn made it to the final again ā this time with Blood Shadows.
For those who donāt know, it was Blackthornās success in that competition that brought me to the attention of Bookouture. Iād just started submissions when, out of the blue, they got in touch. A three-book deal soon followed. Just over a year later, back in January, they signed Blood Deep. Blackthorn has gone on to sell tens of thousands of copies, with new readers finding the books every day. It doesnāt mean Iāve ever taken the signing of the rest of the series for granted though. Thatās why it still felt momentous signing the last of the books over.
So here they are in Blackthornās full line-up: all your heroes and heroines who now have their work cut out in bringing down the oppressive system that surrounds them. I canāt wait to share how theyāre going to do it! š
And on that note, Iām also pleased to be able to reveal that Blood Dark will be released next Summer* (2015)! Yes, I know it probably feels likes ages away, but Iām afraid a lot of work goes into publishing a book even after Iāve submitted it. Fingers crossed Iāll be able to persuade Bookouture to give away an early book or two like we did with Blood Deep. š
Of course, Iāll also be sharing a summary of āthe story so farā before Blood Darkās release. I get the feeling it might prove useful by then!
Thanks, as always, for your continued support. xxx
I mentioned a while ago that some exciting things had been going on in the background that I couldnāt wait to share with you. Well, this is it! I am beyond thrilled to be able to tell you that Tantor Media have selected the first three books in my Blackthorn series to be produced in audio format!
I received an email late Summer wherein Tantor cited their interest in my series. Not only was I astonished that they had discovered Blackthorn, but that they showed a keen interest in starting the ball rolling straight away. The fabulous Lorella Belli Literary Agency took over from that point on behalf of both Bookouture and myself to make sure everything went ahead seamlessly. Thank you so much for all your hard work in the background, Lorella!
For those who arenāt familiar with Tantor (and so you can be assured that Blackthorn is in very safe hands), itās a leading independent audiobook publisher based in the States. Tantor is the recipient of numerous Audie Awards, AudioFile Earphones Awards and Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Awards.
Boasting must-have authors and award-winning titles, Tantor’s extensive catalogue includes Man Booker, Pulitzer, and National Book Award winners, as well as countless New York Times bestsellers and titles with starred reviews from all the major publications. They have a brilliant list of PNR titles already and Iāll be amongst extremely good company with Lara Adrian, Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews on their list! Needless to say I am beyond delighted to have Blackthorn chosen by them.
I am exceptionally privileged that Anne Flosnik has been selected to be the narrator.
Ms Flosnik is an accomplished multi-award-winning British actress lauded for her work in fiction, romance, suspense, and fantasy. She has garnered two AudioFile Earphones Awards, an ALA Award, and three Audie Award nominations. Her narration also earned her one of the Best Audiobooks of the Year 2009 by AudioFile magazine. Though I must confess, it wasnāt just her impressive background and listening to samples of her work that won me over ā but when I discovered she had narratedĀ my all-time favourite classic, Wuthering Heights!
Not only is Ms Flosnik super-lovely (and so professional), a huge bonus is how much sheās enjoying the series so far. Hereās what she had to say about Blackthorn:
āI am completely spell bound by these beautifully crafted books. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be working with such exquisite writing. It’s very easy to care about yourĀ characters, and they, the events, and the world that you have created for them are grippingly real, on an almost visceralĀ level. I am on the edge of my seat to discover how everything plays out, to say the very least. It truly is an honour to be the narrator for these magnificent books.”
How amazing is that?
And when I said Tantor are acting quickly, I meant it! Not only is Ms Flosnik already underway with the narration, all three books will be available on audio THIS year:
Blood Shadows released 18th November 2014
Blood Roses released 9th December 2014
Blood Torn released 30th December 2014
Theyāre already available for pre-order for anyone searching for something for their Christmas list. š (Donāt let the old covers on Blood Shadows and Blood Roses confuse you, theyāll be replaced with the new ones in time for release.)
Once all the excitement about Blood Deepās release dies down, Iāll write a post for all those who would like to know whatās been going on behind the scenes ā and what really happens in the background when a book gets selected for audio. It has been a fascinating experience.
A little while ago, I was really flattered to be invited to be a part of Moonrise Book Blogās anniversary event. This awesome blog is super-supportive of Blackthorn, not least giving all three books terrific reviews and 5 stars each. So when they asked me to be a part of their event, it was an easy yes.
As part of a fantastic giveaway, they have several fabulous authors each picking one of their characters to interview with a set of questions provided by Moonrise. When I saw that one of the questions was: āTell us a secret about you that no-one else knowsā, Jask immediately sprung to mind. After all, heās the least likely of all my heroes to be holding something backā¦isnāt he?
Earlier in the week, I let my Facebook followers know this interview was coming and asked them to try and guess what Jaskās deep, dark secret is. Some readers even re-read Blood Torn this week to see if they could find clues! Now thatās dedication! š Iāve received suggestions ranging from Jask being related to Kane, that heās half vampire, heās secretly married, he knows Roneās twin is actually still alive and even that heās ensured, after the trauma of losing his family, that he can never have children again. As is typical of the lovely Team Blackthorn, there were also some funny suggestions thrown into the mix to keep me giggling along the way. But one person, Candice, got dangerously close with her guess. Nicely worked out, Candice!
So, if youād like to see what Jask has been concealing from everyone, even his best buddy, Corbin, itās live on Moonrise Book Blog now. I don’t think you’ll be surprised as to why he wanted to keep this little gem hidden from one person in particularā¦
Thanks so much again, Moonrise Book Blog, for inviting me to be a part of your special event ā it’s been great fun!
And good luck to everyone who enters the giveaway!
A little while ago, I mentioned on Facebook that an awesome interview had landed on my desk. Charles Phipps ā an all-round fantasy and sci-fi fan ā discovered my series through his wife, Kat (awesome lady), and has since become a huge Blackthorn fan. Not only did he read my books, but he reviewed them too.
The minute I read his reviews for Blackthorn (all 5 stars, yay!), I was taken aback both by just how much he had picked up on as well as his unique reflections. Iāll be honest and say we donāt agree on everything (be warned ā heās not a Kane fan! *gasp of horror*), but isnāt that the great thing about books? Having now read a lot of his reviews, I totally respect how much time, effort and thought he puts into each one. Charles knows his stuff and, yes, I’m in awe of how much he knows.
An avid fan of worldbuilding (he is a fantasy writer himself, debuting with Permuted Press in 2015), Charles was keen to know more about Blackthornās creation. Knowing heād come up with some nitty-gritty (and maybe tricky) questions, I simply couldnāt resist signing up to this one.
This has to be the most detailed interview Iāve ever given about creating Blackthorn and the process I went through ā as well as a couple of hints of what to expect in Blood Deep (as always, no spoilers!). You can read the interview HERE.
And if youād like to read Charlesā fabulously insightful reviews of each Blackthorn book so far, you can click on the links below:
Thank you SO much for hosting me on your blog, Charles ā and for your patience in waiting for me to get Blood Deep drafted first!
And talking of Blood Deepā¦
My revisions came back last week and itās all looking good (phew)!! Iāll be making it the best it can be now under my editorās guidance before sending it back in preparation for line edits. The even-better news is we’re another step closer to me being able to disclose the release date to you. I canāt wait! š
