One thing I love about my ability to put my work directly in the hands of readers as an self-published author is that I have full creative oversight of my book covers. I can easily get lost in browsing cover artist websites for hours (usually when I should be writing!).

I found this cover last year, and there was something about it that spoke to me and I HAD to have it. I didn’t have a story to go with it yet, but I didn’t care. I knew that I would get to it eventually, but in the meantime I made it mine.

Step To My Bones is going to be a far darker story than anything I have written to date. While there will be some paranormal elements to it, it is really going to be character driven story about the lengths someone would go to exact revenge.

Look for more news on when Step To My Bones will be available coming soon!

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“You left me hanging!”

I frequently hear some variation of this sentiment in reader reviews, comments, and emails of my books. As each of my series have progressed, and I am releasing more books than ever, I can see a clear trend in my writing.

I write a whole lotta cliffhangers.

This is fascinating to me because if we take a step back and examine the humble beginnings of Edge of Shadows, my very first novel, I’ll let you in a little secret. I originally wrote it with a closed ending. The end was THE end. I reworked that story ten ways to Tuesday. I thought I was on the final stretch, but something nagged at me. That something that said this story was a whole lot bigger than I was giving it credit.

That idea came from my beta readers. They were asking me questions about the events leading up to the final scene, and I realized that I had two choices. I either could go deeper within EoS to explain the events unfolding, or I could open it entirely and continue the journey- and answer those bigger questions along the way.

I’ve shared before that there is no higher compliment than having readers tell you that they want MORE of what you’re writing. As a reader myself, I love engrossing myself into the characters and stories of my favorite authors. I’m a bit monogamous that way. When I find an author I like, I have a tendency to stick with them through multiple books. But my favorites are those that involve characters I’ve met before.

So, I decided to really jump into the deep end of the pool, rewrite the end of EoS, and plot out a trilogy.

The other thing that I should point out is that I have a long history of watching episodic TV, and the stuff that I like to watch seems to lend itself more to the cliffhanger endings. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, anyone?) Answering a smaller subset of questions within one installment while carrying over a couple of really large overarching themes/questions across multiple installments is what I cut my teeth on as a kid.

You could say that I’ve been conditioned to cliffhangers. They are what I know, and I know them well.

As a reader, I understand why people might be a bit frustrated with this approach. With the internet and mobile technology, we have gotten used to instantaneous gratification in our lives. We want what we want, we want it right now, and we don’t want to wait for it. I get it.

But there is something to be said for the slow build of tension and suspense as we wait for the next installment of our favorite book, TV series, or movie. Think about that little ball of excitement in the pit of your stomach that gets bigger and bigger until you just think you are going to explode! Assuming it meets your expectations, there is a sense of sweet satisfaction and pleasure. If it’s really good, you want MORE. Even if it’s over and the curtain goes black. When you are invested, you always want more.

That’s the experience that I am trying to create for my readers. I’ve seen authors accused of trying to make more money by having cliffhanger endings. (I’ve been subtly accused of that myself.) I can’t speak for all authors, but I can speak for me.

If there’s more story to tell, I’m going to tell it, and I think it’s my job as a writer to create an environment of suspense and intrigue that whets your appetite for what’s coming next. That’s why I write cliffhangers, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

(photo credit: oddsock)

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By now, you might have heard that Trials of Truth (Bloodtruth #3) is going to be released on March 31st. (In case you’re wondering how you hear about stuff like that, check out either my Facebook page, or consider joining the Cege Smith Fan Club.)

What’s kind of fun for me is that when I sit down to write the next installment in one of my series (I have 4 of them!) I go back and do fact checking in the previous books to make sure I can keep people, places, and things straight. That means that I get to do a little reminiscing about those books too and I always remember some interesting nuggets about them. Today, I thought I’d share three little known facts about the story that turned into Heiress of Lies (Bloodtruth #1).

1. Heiress of Lies wasn’t the original title. When I wrote the manuscript, I called it ‘Angeline’s Quest‘. It was Angeline’s Quest all through the editing process right up to the point where I was formatting it for publication. At the last minute, I changed my mind because my working title didn’t quite capture the story the way that I thought it should. A huge theme that drives the entire series is the thread of deceit and betrayal within the royal Robart family that spans centuries. Viola! Angeline’s Quest became Heiress of Lies.
2. In the original version of the story, Connor wasn’t the one who kidnapped Angeline. Readers of the series know that Connor’s kidnapping of Angeline is a pivotal event that forever changes Angeline’s life. When I first wrote the opening scenes of what was then ‘Angeline’s Quest’, Angeline was traveling alone to a secret meeting in the middle of nowhere to meet with someone whose support she needed as she took the throne. The meeting was a trap, and a band of rogues waited to kidnap her. Angeline was mortally wounded in the ensuing battle. (We all know that a Robart doesn’t go down without a fight!) That’s when Connor stumbled upon her and helped her…in the worst way possible.
3. The original version of the story was lost forever, so I had to start over. This fact still pains me three years later. I had written about a third of the story of the original version, and then my computer was stolen. I lost that version completely. It took me awhile to get over that and be in a good place to begin the story again. When I did, it reshaped itself into the story that you can read today.

I can’t wait to share the next part of Angeline’s story with you with the release of Trials of Truth, but while we all wait, look for another post from me in a few days sharing some behind the scenes dirt on The Queen’s Betrayal (Bloodtruth #2).

Don’t forget! Heiress of Lies is only $0.99 through March 31st. Get your copy and begin sharing in Angeline’s adventure today!

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I have been on the journey with Angeline and Connor for well over a year now. Their story flew from my fingers onto the keyboard for NanoWrimo 2011 and was the basis for Heiress of Lies (Bloodtruth #1). I visited them again last summer when I wrote The Queen’s Betrayal (Bloodtruth #2).

I heard loud and clear that the ending of The Queen’s Betrayal literally left people hanging- some even screaming “NOOOO!”.  I write until the logical end in my mind, and sometimes that means that we’re all left in a place of discomfort for a little while.

I am delighted to share that things are well underway for Trials of Truth (Bloodtruth #3) and I expect to be able to share the release date of that book shortly. One thing that I’ve added to this book is that we get to hear directly from Malin about what’s going on in his world. I felt like that was important to share in this book because Angeline’s kingdom is in a great deal of peril, and unfortunately, she’s got her own stuff to deal with before she can deal with that. Since somebody had to stay at home and man the fort, that means that Malin gets a lot more stage time.

Is he good or he is bad? I’m going to let the readers decide. But one thing is for certain- in Altera, nothing is that black and white.

To whet your appetite, here’s my working blurb for Trials of Truth:

Queen Angeline Robart left her kingdom and her people in the hands of her betrayer to embark on a mission to find her cure. But each passing hour that the wraith remains part of her seems to make it even more difficult to banish. The mysterious and elusive Clan seem to have the answers, but Angeline can’t help but question their motives, and the price she will be required to pay for her freedom.

Connor is forced to make a decision between his fate and his love for Angeline. While his hope has always been that those two things would coincide, it seems that their ability to be together isn’t meant to be, at least if the Clan has anything to say about it.

Meanwhile, back in the capital city of Brebackerin, Malin finds that the enemies who have been lying in wait want revenge for Connor’s betrayal. He must find a way to hold them off, and keep the kingdom in one piece, until Angeline’s return.

Sound off in the comments below. Which character do you love? Which one do you hate?

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I really don’t have much more to say about that. In case you were wondering where I thought I’d be at this time last year, you can check out my 2012 resolution post. Yea- there were some changes made in timing and titles, but ultimately I said that I would publish six books last year.

And I did.

That made me think that I need to up my game in 2013. So I sat down last week and put together my production schedule for the year. My knees are still shaking just a little bit. To say that it is ambitious may be an understatement. But I’m a big believer in the saying “Go Big or Go Home.” I set a BHG (Big Hairy Goal) for 2013, and I think I’m going to have a ball going after it.

I am hoping that you will join me for the ride as well. That will multiple the fun factor for me by about a thousand!

So I know you are about ready for me to stop babbling now and just tell you what’s going on and when you are going to hear next from Angeline and Connor, Cameron, Samuel, and Malcolm, and maybe even Violet and Jeremiah. Well, here it is (please note that I say this is tentative and subject to change!):

Cege’s *TENTATIVE* 2013 Production Schedule

January 2013: The Shadows Trilogy omnibus

February 2013: Soul Cycle (Twisted Souls #3)

March 2013: Trials of Truth (Bloodtruth #3)

May 2013: Step To My Bones

August 2013: Twisted Souls series #4

September 2013: Bloodtruth series #4

November 2013: Immortal End

I am planning to release a paranormal thriller serial starting in April, and those episodes will be interspersed with my novel releases. Each of those will be 10K-20K words each, so that’s a lot of writing for those as well.

I’m also launching a new pen name that will serve up stories in the contemporary romance genre. It’s a completely new endeavor for me, and one I’m really excited about. There were be several short story/novel releases under that name as well.

Whew- I’m exhausted already.  And nervous. But really psyched about what I’ve got spinning for this year. By the way, I can’t stress enough that I love to hear from readers of my series, and if there is a big push from fans, I may consider moving some things up to accommodate.

In the meantime, you’ll find me in my favorite writing chair.

Happy New Year!!

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Here’s the blurb for the book:

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CONGRATULATIONS CHARITY FRENCH!!!

Things in the fan club are really ramping up, so be sure to join now and so that you are always in the know FIRST for things going on in the Cege Smith universe.

Thank you again for all of the wonderful birthday wishes both here and on Facebook. You guys are the best.

See you soon!!

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I can’t keep this one under my hat any longer. Yep- this is the cover for the final book in the Shadows series: Veiled Shadows (Shadows #3). It was designed by the very talented Dafeenah over at Indie Designz.

I suppose you are looking for a little tidbit or two on what’s to come in this installment? I’m happy to oblige.

**SPOILERS AHOY**

Well, Ellie’s finally going to find out everything she wanted to know about her parents and their tie to the Afterlife. The thing about knowing the full story? Sometimes you realize that you didn’t really want to know.

David’s on his own journey of self-discovery, but he hasn’t given up on a future with Ellie. He’s going to have help from some unexpected places, and that’s a good thing- he needs all the help he can get.

And we haven’t see the last of Mikel or Lillian. Oh, and if you thought they were bad, then trust me, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Hopefully those little morsels give you something to look forward to. My opinion? I think this will be the best book of the trilogy.

What do you think of the new cover?

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It’s that time of year again! Hard to believe that I hit the “Publish” button on Edge of Shadows just over a year ago on November 12th, 2011, and celebrated my birthday with the paperback version in hand (yes, for you sharp observers out there, that was the old cover). That was a pretty awesome day.

This writing journey over the last 12 months has been fantastic. I’ve learned a lot and I know my writing is getting better all the time because of the great feedback that I hear from my readers. That’s why, even though today is my birthday, I want to do something for you.

FREE COPY OF EDGE OF SHADOWS

In my mind, Edge of Shadows will forever be linked with my birthday. So from now through 11:59pm CST on Sunday, November 18th, either comment on this blog post or shoot me an email at cege@cegesmith.com, and I’ll give you a coupon code to download a copy of EOS for free from Smashwords.com (and if you write a review afterwards, good or bad, I’ll love you forever.)

JOIN THE CEGE SMITH FAN CLUB AND BE ENTERED TO WIN…

Everyone knows I am an HUGE, obsessed fan of The Vampire Diaries. It’s an addiction, I know, but I can’t stop. (Team Delena all the way!! Lol).

So here’s the deal. There’s a little box right off the right of this post about mid-way down the sidebar. It’s a sign-up box for joining my fan club. Enter your email address and join before 11:59pm CST on Sunday, November 18th, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win Elena’s vervain pendent ($50 USD value) shown below. (Fans of the show know it well.)

I don’t spam or anything like that- it’s just a way for you to hear about upcoming releases first, and I will occasionally share other awesome news from the Cege Smith universe.

So that’s it!  You pick your gift for my birthday- and you can absolutely do both. Thank you for being there and helping me celebrate! It’s because of you that these stories come to life.

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I am swooning yet again over my newest cover from LFD Designs. I will be completely honest here: I wasn’t sure if I was going to write a sequel to Ageless. I left the story where the arc of the book was clearly over, but there was a nice thread left open that could be continued if I wanted to do it.

Until this past week, I was leaning toward leaving it alone. Then I found this cover, and suddenly I saw Violet there clear as day. And so Immortal End will become a reality sooner rather than later. (Hooray! More Jeremiah and Jonah *wink*.)

I am feverishly working on Veiled Shadows right now, but Immortal End will be coming in Q1 2013 (if not sooner).  When really all depends on 3 things:

• How long Veiled Shadows takes me to get done
• How long the 3rd Bloodtruth book takes to get done (Angeline fans everywhere- rejoice!)
• If I have a push from Twisted Souls fans to get the 3rd book in that series first

If you have an opinion, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or by dropping me a line (cege@cegesmith.com).  Series fans really do have a voice in my production schedule because at the end of the day, I’m writing for you.

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