Release Day!!

They say time goes faster as you get older. If that's the case, I must be practically ancient! I can't believe how fast this summer is going. My kidlets are going to be back in school before I blink. But the good thing about time flying is that my release days come quicker and quicker. Yay! And today is one of those days. Ulterior Motives, the first book in my new sic-fi series is officially out!

Isn't it pretty?
That's the fabulous Caveman De Angelo on the cover :)
This story was a fun one for me to write. It started out with me wanting to wright something fluffy. I know... I know... That never works out for me. And it didn't this time. I'm almost convinced I just can't write fluffy.
Anyway, It stared out with me wanting to write a mail-order bride story. I'd been reading a lot of them and they're fun. But I wanted to set in in the future on a rough settler's planet. I thought that would add an interesting twist to the usually historical troupe. Then, while I was throwing twists in there, I started wondering about a mail-order groom instead. The story is set in the future, after all. So after I had that settled, I started to wonder what it'd be like if the groom was hiding something. That's where the book lost its fluffiness and took on a life all its own.

If you want to know more about Ulterior Motives, here's the blurb:

Universal Defiance, Book One

On a rural settler planet, Kat must resort to putting out an ad to find a husband. She doesn’t expect to find love—that’s a dream in these parts—just a partner to help work her ranch. Then the devastatingly handsome Jasper answers her ad and turns her on in ways she never dreamed possible. Too bad he’s not who he says he is.

Jasper doesn’t know what he’s getting into when he ventures undercover to investigate a legal claim against Kat’s ranch. But after a toe-curling night under her roof and in her bed, he’s willing to do anything to stay there. He can’t say no to the tough-as-nails businesswoman who makes his body come alive.

When people start getting hurt, though, both Kat and Jasper have to decide how valuable one piece of land is. And the ranch that brought them together might be the very thing standing between them.

A Romantica® sci fi erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

And here's an excerpt: 

He planned on making his way to the guestroom, but she stopped him by wrapping her arm around his waist and then directing him toward her room. His pulse picked up at the possibility of being invited to spend the night with her but he quickly dismissed the idea. Although it held a lot of appeal for him, she hadn’t so much as flirted with him. The notion that she’d proposition him seemed a bit far-fetched. Her hip brushed against his as they walked, sending a delightful tingle up his spine.

Then again, maybe the idea wouldn’t be so far-fetched if he gave it a little nudge. A couple of kisses, maybe a strategic caress or two and they’d be on the same page.

When she sniffed quietly and buried her face into his side, though, he quickly shut down the train of thought. Yes, he wanted her. But he was leaving in a couple of days and she’d just been through a traumatic experience. He refused to take advantage of her.

“You seem like an honorable kind of guy,” she said as if reading his thoughts. “For the most part.”

He didn’t try to stop his laugh. After the night they’d had, they needed some humor. It dulled the ache not kissing her created. “Thanks. That’s a lofty compliment coming from you.”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “You laugh, but it’s a big improvement from how I felt about you earlier this evening.”

“Of that I have no doubt.”

This is the first book my sic-fi series, Universal Defiance. The second one, Shared Objectives, is with the editor right now and I'm expecting a cover any day (Yay!). It's the first ever menage story I've written so I'm pretty excited about it.  and I'm writing the third.  

If you want to know more, you can read another excerpt on my website: www.ChandraRyan.com

Or on the Ellora's Cave site: http://www.ellorascave.com/ulterior-motives.html

News, I Haz It!! And a Large Dose of Gratitude.

Since moving to Texas my writing has really taken a hit. It's not Texas' fault, though. I love it here. There weather is fantastic (Everyone will tell you it's hot in the summer but it's no hotter than it was back in central Illinois. Actually, there were several days last summer where it was warmer in my home state than here.) The people are so, so nice. I've made tons of new friends as have my husband and my kids. And the food is amazing. Not just the restaurants, people. Our local H.E.B (grocery store down here) has an amazing variety of wonderful foods. And they carry an large amount of Central Market organic foods, too! So, you may be asking, what's the deal? And the only answer I can give you is, life.

I love it here, but it was a bit of a transition. We had to find new doctors, especially since one of my sons broke a finger and my husband broke his hand almost as soon as we moved down here. That was fun. (Did you hear the sarcasm there? Okay, just checking.) We had to get the boys settled in their new school. We had to actually make the new friends and find the fantastic H.E.B. And, of course, let's not forget the unpacking, which-by the way-is still not completely done. For months after we moved down here, I was just trying to stay afloat with everything that had to get done. I really didn't have time to write.  But I did finish Bond Betrayed last spring (yay me!) and I'd started a whole bunch of sic-fi stories. I really, really wanted to write a sci-fi. And then Rebecca Royce moved down here near me!!!

If you don't know or haven't heard of Rebeca Royce, go to her website (Her name in the last paragraph is a link. Convenient, no?) and check her out. She is a fantastic author and has something in her back catalog for everybody. She's also a fantastic person and friend. We started getting together for coffee and, as writers will do, started talking shop. One thing lead to another and we started reading each other's W.I.P.s (work in progress). Let me tell you, that woman can write. And she held me accountable for not writing. I can't count the number of emails I've gotten from her asking me where her chapter is. Thanks in large part to her, I've started writing again. And I signed a sci-fi erotica series with Ellora's Cave!

The first book in the series, Ulterior Motives (Yep! That's the cover at the top of this blog. Isn't it gorgeous?), is releasing July 3rd and I've already turned in the second book in the series, Shared Objectives. I hope to hear good things back from my editor. This is the first time I've ever contracted a book before it was written and reviewed by the acquiring editor.

If you want to read more about Ulterior Motives, the blurb and an excerpt can be found on the Ellora's Cave Website and my website. 

I'll be posting more news as I get it :)

Promo...Really....Again?

If you ask writers what they dread the most about a new release,  I'm willing to bet nine times out of ten times their answer is going to be promo.  Promotion work.  Telling the world about your newest creation.  It's not that we aren't proud of our work, we are.  But, for the most part, we're kind of quiet people.  It's one of the reasons we write.  There are few jobs that pay you to sit at home and live vicariously though others.  Actually, writing is about all that comes to mind right now.  Sure, we've got Twitter and Facebook.  And I love them!!  But I don't use them to promote as much as to keep up with what's going on in the industry and to stay in touch with friends.

But here it is, almost release time, and I'm diligently working on my promo.  'Cause I am proud of my book and I do want people to know about it.  The first thing I always do is work out a bribe...I mean reward.  This time, it's chocolate!  I get a piece whenever I finish a blog post.  Then I determine why I'm proud of the story.  This helps me when coming up with ideas for blogs.  It helps me highlight what's special or interesting about the particular story.  So...in this story we have....

1. A strong female and a Malkovichian male.  That's a start.

2. Betrayal.  That'll keep things interesting.

3. Hot sex.  Always good to have in a story.

4. Addiction.  Because if we let them, our vices will define us.

5. Heat break.  The truest test of survival skills.

6. Trust issues.  Let's face it, we all have those.

7.  Oh, and did I mention hot sex?  Well, it bears repeating ;)

So after I have this list, I start writing posts that (I hope) are relatable.  And, of course, I start e-mailing my friends with blogs to see if I can guest blog for them.

It's all pretty straight forward but it requires a lot of exposure.  Which is kind of the point.  But I'm not all that fond of exposure.  I mean, I want my book to have exposure, but I want to stay on the sidelines in the shadows.  I'm realistic enough to know that just isn't possible though.  So look for my guest blog posts in the upcoming weeks and months.  I'll post links to them on here as they come up so you can come on over, check out a new blog, and say hi!  And maybe win something, like a free download of Bond Betrayed!