Newsletter: Author Carla Swafford – Countdown Starts

T-Minus and Counting

Today, I added a countdown to my website. So 52 days and counting before Savage Champion is released into the world. As I have mentioned before, it’s a paranormal horror romance. If you have read my Circle books and enjoyed them, you won’t be bothered by the little bit of horror in my newest book. You have to remember, I am a romance writer. So most of my books (in my mind) are Romance, Suspense, and then everything else. The only books I’ve published without suspense (true suspense, not just wondering will they ever have a happy ending) are my hockey romance. That’s pure relationship. They were fun to write and very spicy.

Anyway, please pre-order Savage Champion. The price is only 99 cents. So you’re not endangering your life savings. HA! And be sure to tell your friends.

Spicy vs Erotica

Don’t read this section if naughty words bother you. Then again, why are you getting my newsletter? All of my books have these naughty words in them.

Have you ever wondered about the difference between spicy and erotica? You know that every author has their own answer, because what I think is hot and what someone else believes is hot can be totally poles apart. I’ve read adult books since I was twelve. Of course, I never understood the sex scenes until my older female cousin explained it to me at fourteen. That’s when we found “those books” beneath our fathers’ beds. (Long story for a day when I’ve had a margarita or two.) So here’s my explanation.

Spicy – A book that has sex scenes, but not necessarily many of them and not necessarily using actual body parts. Anywhere between a hard penis to a sword of manhood, you get the idea. I tell people all the time my books are spicy. They are, but I’ve never thought of them having a lot of sex scenes, though I will say my characters think about sex a lot. But don’t we all? What? You don’t. Really? *smirk*

Erotica – A book that has lots of sex scenes and mainly is about sex. Sure they can have plots, suspense, humor, true drama, but nearly every chapter they are thinking, doing, talking, or dreaming about sex (fucking, eating pussy, sucking cock, and the many ways of enhancing all of that). About the only time they will use euphemisms is in a historical setting. But it’s a romance, so it will have a happy ending with the couple (or more) together. Oddly, at least I thought it odd, HarperCollins considered my books erotica. That’s why even though the first one was published under the Impulse imprint, the other two were placed under the Red imprint. (Circle of Desire, Circle of Danger, and Circle of Deception.)

There you go. Like I said, I don’t think my books have a lot of sex scenes as one reviewer claimed. But of course, another reviewer for the same book said I had too few. People have to decide on their own.

Giveaway

Just a reminder, if you wish a copy of the short story, Kidnapped For A Day (part of The Circle series), email me at authorcarlaswafford @ gmail. com (no spaces) asking for it, and I’ll send it to you. Only for newsletter subscribers.

Be sure to tell your friends to join my newsletter if you think they will like my books, or the short story or the newsletters. I’m not picky. HA!

Have a wonderful Mardi Gra day!

Hugs.

Carla

Newsletter Author Carla Swafford: New Covers

For the last year, I’ve been thinking of changing the covers on my Circle Series from an action/adventure look to a more romantic one. So I finally did. As a subscriber, you get first peek. Be sure to click on SHOW IMAGES (if they don’t show up) or you’ll miss out.

They should show up on Amazon, B&N, etc. over the next few days.

If you haven’t read the series, be sure to check them out. All are standalones, but for best reading experience, read in the following order: Circle of Desire, Circle of Danger, Circle of Deception, Circle of Dishonor, Circle of Defiance, and Kidnapped for a Day. Be sure to note the tropes and triggers shown below all of the covers. Thought you might find them of interest. And yes, Desire has the most. It’s a little dark.

Circle of Desire (Novel)

TROPES & TRIGGERS: Female Assassin, Captor/Captive, Rivals, Redemption. Nonconsensual Sexual Contact, FMC kidnapped by MMC, Childhood Abuse, Enemies to Lovers/Rivals, Orphan, Forced Proximity.

Circle of Danger (Novel)

TROPES & TRIGGERS: Damsel in Distress, Trouble in Relationship, Fish Out of Water, Childhood Sweethearts, All Grown Up, Beauty and the Beast, Attempt at Change/Makeover, Alpha Male, Childhood Abuse, Hero Caged/Captive, PTSD.

Circle of Deception (Novel)

TROPES & TRIGGERS: Hero In Jeopardy, Second Chance, Forced Proximity, Fake Marriage, Undercover, Love Triangle, Return From The Dead, First Love, Hero Restrained.

Circle of Dishonor (Novella)

TROPES & TRIGGERS: Insta-Love, Protector, Secret Identity, Consensual Bondage, Fighting Nude.

Circle of Defiance (Novella)

TROPES & TRIGGERS: Mafia Daughter, Hired Protector, Treasure Map, Enemies to Lovers, Alpha Male.

Kidnapped For A Day (Short Story)

TROPES & TRIGGERS: Captives, Threat to Life. (It’s a short story. So not many tropes and I don’t believe any triggers.)

All of the novels will be available in Ebook and Paperback. The novellas will be available separately in Ebooks, combined in Paperback with the short story.

The short story is available in Ebook. If you’re a subscriber to my newsletter, you can receive it free, just email me at About Carla, form is at the bottom of the page and mention if you want it for your Amazon’s, Apple’s, or B&N’s app.

WHAT AM I DOING, BESIDES CHANGING BOOK COVERS?

I presently editing (taking me forever) my next book. It’s different from any of the others already published. Hopefully, you like vampires. Here’s a little excerpt (not professionally edited). The vampire, Tori, has tracked down a pedophile in effort to save one of his victims.

~~Working title is THE CHAMPION~~

Tree limbs swayed eerily in the windy night. The frantic rustling of leaves drowned the roar of traffic on the nearby interstate. 

I strolled across a moonlit backyard, easily springing over a four-foot fence without hesitation. A Doberman charged from beneath a porch and lunged at me, barking nonstop. I grabbed him by the scruff and stared into his eyes. Trembling, he whimpered, and his back legs curled up as he dangled above the ground. Once I released my hold, he yipped all the way back, crawling under the porch to hide. A corner of my lips lifted and I shook my head. Funny how animals sensed how dangerous I was without me even hurting them.

After so many years, I’m still amazed by my powers and abilities. Reading emotions and past events helped in tracking my prey. A light touch on a passerby’s arm and I could picture each pedestrians’ direction he’d seen moments earlier. But it was also a danger in itself to me, for people’s cruel thoughts were often near the surface. The monsters would often replay the worst of their crimes when faced with death. The scenes stayed in my mind for months, years, nearly driving me crazy. Blocking them was best for my sanity. The easiest way to do so was to wear gloves, soft leather did the trick.

I reached the address after jumping a couple more fences. The house was like so many others in the poor section of larger cities, long strips of peeling paint floated off in the light breeze, black bars on the windows gave a menacing appearance, and a corner section of the rusty metal fencing laying on the ground. The backyard was rock and red clay with patches of knee-high weeds. The lack of grass was concerning. How many bodies had he buried?

A kitchen light shone like a small square on the backyard. I gingerly walked around it. Being spotted from a neighbor’s house was the last thing I needed.

There was no sound from inside, not even a TV or electronic device to betray the inhabitants. Two large overgrown bushes hid the back door from the neighbors and the few cars passing on the street. It was locked, not a surprise considering the vicinity and time of night. 

With my preternatural strength, it was easy to slowly push the knob until the latch bolt or other parts broke with little sound, allowing me to open the door. 

The malodor slapped me in the face. The hint of blood teased my fangs to drop despite the ammonia stink. I squeezed my eyes shut for a couple seconds, shaking my head to regain control.

He was already at work.

I stepped inside. I had no problem crossing the threshold without his permission. Thank goodness most humans were ignorant of spells that prevented a vampire from entering a private residence.

Thick vinyl muffled my well-placed footsteps across the kitchen floor. I stopped at a doorway that lead to a short staircase. Next to it was a long hallway. Uncertain of the direction to take, a soft cry in the depths of the house helped me make the decision. 

With blurring speed, I ran down the hallway and burst opened a thin door. If I had been human, my stomach would have emptied. A young boy, naked, bleeding from numerous cuts and bruises, lay curled in a fetal position at the feet of a well-dressed man. 

That always surprised me, no matter how many of these deviants I punished. They always appeared so damn normal. Even while working on their perversions, they had the same look in their eyes. Manic excitement. Their version of lust.

“Who in the hell are you?” The man wiped the back of his hand across his lips as if in anticipation of performing his sadistic art on me next.

“I’m the angel of death,” I answered coldly. My sneer big enough to reveal the sharp canines.

“Well, little girl, you’ve played Halloween at the wrong house.” 

~~

Speaking of Halloween, have a fun and safe one.

Regards.

Carla

Book Signing February 8, 2020

MR-BN-Social-2400x1200Be sure to come and meet me. I’ll have copies of Circle of Desire, Circle of Danger and Circle of Deception available to sign. For the people who are in my Readers Group or purchase a copy of my book, I have swag to give you. So much fun!

For those who already have the books, take a picture of  yourself holding the book and show me the picture and I’ll give you swag!

For everyone else, I have book marks and excerpts (and possibly candy) to give out.

See you there!

Pile It on

Female legs and revolver

You know what I like about romance books? Of course, the hot sex, but truthfully, the layers my favorite authors weave into their stories. For romances, there should be two main plots in the book.

One, of course is the mystery of romance. You know, the mystery of how they come to understand they should be together (not just because they are compatible in bed, though that is important as it is in relationship) and how they work out their happy ending. A lot of this is internal conflict because love is emotion. Like duh, right?

Second, what is going on in their lives that pull them together? Or make sure they are at the same place at the same time? It can be a missing child, a failing ranch, a killer on the loose, etc. You get the idea. This is the external conflict.

Then you can layer on more. Maybe the two main characters’ families are mortal enemies (Jake: A Southern Crime Family Novel), or hero has a problem with being touched (Full Heat: A Brothers of Mayhem Novel), or heroine reappears after disappearing years before (Circle of Deception: The Circle series). That’s right. The hero and heroine should never be perfect. One can be a little less perfect than the other, but both should have faults. That makes them so much more interesting.

Just be careful with the layers and plots. As an author, it’s important to keep up withFemale legs and revolver
them. The plots need advancement throughout the book, and certainly need to be solved completely by the end. The layers need to show up along the way too. Usually, those faults need to be improved or a promise of improving. Not all of them, but the major ones. At the end of the book, the characters have to be better for knowing each other.

The only exception to solving a plot or improving a fault or more within a book is when it’s part of a series involving one main character. Such as Sylvia Day’s Crossfire series, Darynda Jones’s Charley Davidson series, Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series, etc. 

Personally, I’ve quit reading series with a same main character. I get bored, and after awhile, the hero/heroine gets on my nerves. Maybe because they do not seem to grow and learn from their mistakes. Don’t get me wrong. The series above and many others are great series (they wouldn’t be NYT best selling books if they weren’t) but it’s just not my thing, my taste.

My series have a couple threads that run through them to connect, but nothing major. That’s why most can be read as standalones. The Southern Crime Family series is Full Heat_Swaffordcurrently the only one that will need to be read in order. Only book one (Jake) is out. Book two should be in the summer of 2020. The series is about three brothers and their
journey to find love and the true killer responsible for their father’s death. Each book is about a brother.

Another thing about plots. In my books of 60,000 words or less, I try not to throw in a complicated plot(s). Simple is best. If you didn’t, you would limit the romance in such a small book. And no, geez, that doesn’t mean putting in more sex. Romance is emotion. Getting to know each other’s personality traits, understanding why they do the things they do, often learning to trust each other, they are all part of a romance.

For that matter, I write for entertainment. The only place I teach a person something is through my blog posts here (or the workshops I do on occasion).

RT BookReviews

RT BookReviews closed it operations on May 16, 2018. It was a sad moment for many including myself. I read the magazine from the time it was actually a newspaper (1980s). At least, my dream of having a review of my book(s) done by the magazine came true. Plus my name was mentioned a few times in the magazine.

Before the website goes dark next year, here are copies of the reviews and such. Side note: The highest star rating you could get at RT was 4-1/2 stars.

By the way, my first book came out 7 years and 17 days ago.

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(Out of the Shadows was the pre-published title.  Now it’s Circle of Desire)

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You can find the video at the bottom right of this website.

New Covers for The Circle Books

Here we go. Starting June 12, 2018, one book a week will be re-released with a new cover. I’m so excited and hope if you haven’t read them, you’ll give them a try.  Click on MY BOOKS above to see the back blurb on each.

 

Female legs and revolverFemale legs and revolverFemale legs and revolver

Month Long Contest with Surprises

Coming Soon Arrow

Be sure to check back on May 1 for a month long contest with a big giveaway of a mini iPad. Plus I plan to have several more giveaways throughout the month from my author friends.

This is my fourth anniversary of receiving an offer for publication from HarperCollins. On May 4, 2011, I received an email from an editor at Avon offering me a two book deal that later turned into another contract for one more book. That’s how Circle of Desire, Circle of Danger, and Circle of Deception came about.

In the last year, I’ve released two novellas, Circle of Dishonor and Circle of Defiance. Be sure to check them all out.

During the month of May, Circle of Dishonor will be free at Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Kobo, and several other book sellers.  Hopefully, I can get Amazon to play along too.

(The mini iPad will be for U.S. participates only due to postage and restricted laws on electronic equipment being shipped overseas.)

Just Chillin’

MM900046560Well, I say I’m just chilling, but really I’m writing and writing. With a lot of staring off into space wishing my brain would work faster. You know it’s kind of funny, when I wrote CIRCLE OF DANGER for Avon, I expected to have anxiety problems like most debut authors have with their second book. But no. It was one of the most painless books I’ve written. For some reason, it fell together so easily. Though I’m sure in the middle of it I hated the book . . . I always hate a book midway in my writing. It’s natural.

That’s when you worry it will be boring. When I may even become bored with the whole storyline. When all the doubts of being a decent writer comes to head. Of course, it makes me work harder to ensure the reader doesn’t fall asleep.

That’s where I’m at, at this point. I’m in the middle of the first book of a new series for Loveswept. That’s when the evil doubt-demon picks at me saying, who are you kidding? Maybe your husband is right and all of this is a lovely pipe dream. Maybe I need to give it up. (He actually said that a few months before I was offered my first contract. And I bet he still thinks that when he hears me moan about my dwindling sales and my vanishing dreams of becoming a NYT best selling author.)

So many authors worry about the second book slump where the next book contracted (and often in a series) doesn’t do as well as the first. Strangely, I didn’t worry about that. Maybe I should’ve. It’s just that I loved the second book of my first series as much as the first and the same for the third book. Though all three books are in the same series, they are all different and can be read in any order.

The first had a kick-ass heroine, the second had a heroine wanting to be kick-ass but finding out that wasn’t her talent, and the third was a laid back kick-ass, not high maintenance like the first one. She worried more about her past and how she could move on. I admire all three of those women. Maybe if someone were to ask me which one was I most like, I would say the wanna-be, Marie, in the second book. Though I would’ve preferred to be like the other two.

Back to what I’m doing now.

The new series is a contemporary set up in the world of motorcycle clubs, the 1%ers. Should be a piece of cake, right? New series, new start. But even so, you still have to meet the players, immerse yourself into their lifestyle and see what problems they’re in the middle of and running into before they can solve them to our satisfaction. So then they can have that beautiful, happy ending.

Yes, folks, I write romance, and I’m proud of it.

So I guess I’m having my second series doubts. The SSDs. Does sound like a disease. The cure is to keep writing. It’ll wear off. One day.

Okay. Back to work . . .

Two more days . . .

Ad for CODefiance web

Excerpt

Jack stepped out of his Silverado and hesitated near the truck’s front end, keeping the thick engine block between him, the house, and anyone who might shoot. Besides, he wasn’t sure what mood Kat would be in.

The place appeared to be deserted. Not that anything looked different from last evening. Early morning sun reflected off the windows and exposed peeling paint beneath the eaves. The overgrown bushes near the long porch needed to go. Too easy for someone to hide behind and attack when entering the front door.

No birds chirped nearby. Something didn’t feel right. Kat wasn’t inside the house. A heavy sensation ran down his spine. Who was watching?

He stepped back and opened the crew door on his truck and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun. In the South, it was the weapon of choice against thieves and burglars. Using rock salt, the spray would cover anyone heading his way, and he didn’t worry about his aim, or killing anyone. Rather ironic considering the field of work he’d been in so long, but he was tired of people dying around him.

CIRCLE OF DECEPTION DOES IT AGAIN!

Final Hi-Res Cover webYAY!  I received some wonderful news today.  CIRCLE OF DECEPTION is a finalist in the Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggies!  This is a lovely big contest. Sure. Not as big as the Ritas (those are like Romance Writers of America’s Oscars). They’re more like the Golden Globes of romance.  LOL!

That’s four for DECEPTION.

(2013 GDRW’s Booksellers Best, 2014 SMRW’s Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, 2014 HODRW’s Aspen Gold, and now 2014 GRW’s Maggies!)

 

[corrected 8/6/14)

Looky, Looky What I Got Today!

My third book in The Circle series, CIRCLE OF DECEPTION, is a finalist in the 2014 Aspen Gold Published Writers Contest!

They gave me a nifty website medallion to use.

Final Hi-Res CoverAspen Gold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the third contest in two years that it has been a finalist. (The e-book came out in December 2012 and paperback in January 2013.)

All Paths Lead to Books

Businessman Wearing CapeI usually avoid talking about the day job except for the occasional remarks about working overtime and it kicking my butt. But today I’m in the mood to talk in general about it.

A few years ago, I started the current job after an old one sold out and moved away. Freaking stressful. See, I’ve realized over the years, I’m a slow starter. At first I don’t know for sure what questions to ask. I mainly soak in as much information as my brain can handle. Then I work through the areas I need improvement. Along the way, I either make bad choices or good ones. Then I work out the kinks.

I’m not much for tooting my own horn, though you may say differently if you read my blog regularly. But really, this is my place to make all kinds of noise.

Anyway, the point I’m getting to is even though I’m slow, I catch on and it sticks. My job reviews are always great. And I feel my books are that way.

Thankfully my critique partner and my beta readers say my books get better and better. That is so satisfying. I know I love each book I write, but the last one is always my favorite. LOL! Maybe one day will come that I have an old favorite. We’ll see.

So I hope everyone will give each of my books a try. Remember they’re along the lines of James Bond or Nikita, but way hot! They’re a little out there in adventure, but they are written for pure entertainment.

Wait until I finish Jack’s story (Rex’s brother in CIRCLE OF DECEPTION). He has a few surprises. At times, he can be an asshole, but can’t we all? Katerina (CIRCLE OF DANGER) will certainly straighten out his butt. I hope to have this story completed and published by August.

In June, I’m planning to release a novella (short story) with Ice Takahashi (CIRCLE OF DANGER) as the hero. The heroine wasn’t in the previous books, but you will find out some truths about Ice’s past and his real name.Young model

“Ice” Takahashi’s final job for The Circle has an unexpected hitch in it; he’s fallen for an innocent civilian. When his mission goes haywire, he’s determined to protect her and still come out of it alive. Maybe he can be an honorable man who’s worthy of her love.

Lena Matthews feels like she’s playing with fire by dating the mysterious Master J. He’s exotic, dangerous, and exactly what she needs in her boring life. With the bad guys bearing down on them, she discovers a whole new world of sensuality that binds her heart to his forever.

Where’s Carla?

Beautiful Woman Enjoys CoffeeGuess what I found out today? My workshop with Lexi George and Heather Leonard has been picked for the Moonlight and Magnolias conference in Norcross, GA this October. We’re so excited. Twice we’ve presented it (and I was so freaking stiff – got to work on that – so unlike me) for groups of writers.

It’s called The Pitch is Back. Yeah, yeah. Not very original, but it works and I plan to play the Elton John song (appropriate considering he lives in Atlanta part of the time) The Bitch is Back while waiting for people to sit. Anyway, it will be a lot of fun to attend as we actually act out how to behave and not behave with an editor and agent. Not just telling you BUT REALLY SHOWING IT! HA! It’s a lot of laughs.

So come and join in the fun. Click here to find out more about the conference. It’s probably one of the three largest RWA chapter conferences.

And don’t forget I will be signing my book, CIRCLE OF DECEPTION, at the book fair October 11 there.

See you then!

Something New to Add

I have something new to add to my website. Such a nice way to start the weekend. CIRCLE OF DECEPTION is a finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence!

 

 

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If you want to pick up a (e-format or paperback) copy, click on a link below.

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

BOOKS A MILLION