Back in Action!

Charlie and I are attempting to come out of obscurity today. I am at my first appearance in years. With absolutely no net, I am at a school administrator conference, and my heart is pounding. 

I really was not ready for the amount of people, but I’m breathing through it. It feels scary and exciting, but it gives me hope I can get back to my passion!

I have been working on Charlie’s great escape, and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I am a little nervous about where the story is going. Can’t wait to run it by some readers. Let me know if you might be interested in becoming a beta reader. 

I am also developing a new series in a whole new world  be on the lookout for Lena, a girl with a curse that must be broken!

Until then, keep your reads dark and dreamy!

Love,

C. C.

Top Ten Reasons Zombies Make Great Friends

It's been a while since I've done a Top Ten List, but here's one I've been hanging onto for Halloween. Though it's advisable not to kiss these friends, even on the cheek, here are the Top Ten Reasons Zombies Make Great Friends:

10. No pesky appointments getting in the way of hanging out. They're always available.
9. Not worried about outward appearances.
8. Other than a few interrupting grunts, they make great listeners.
7. And they never bore you with their problems (remember this is about them being good friends, not you).
6. They don't expect presents during the holidays.
5. Matter of fact, they have no expenses. Talk about never having to pick up a tab.
4. You can always blame bad smells on them.
3. You no longer need a security system.
2. They're not usually name droppers even though they've more than likely starred in some horror movies and possibly have been highlighted on The Walking Dead.
1. They'll never send you annoying memes on social networks.

There you go! Ten reasons why zombies make great friends and an annoying meme to...well...annoy your friends on social media with.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Range of Mercy is Out! Finally, Thomas's Voice is Heard

Thomas speaks finally! And I loooove him!  He's a guy after my own heart.

"If you've read the tower scene in "Mercy" or Edge of Mercy, you get Charlie's side of the story, but with "Range of Mercy" you get to hear Thomas's viewpoint. This was so great to write because it satisfied so much of my own curiosity, and I hope it will do the same for you.

Here's the blurb:

Thomas's side of the story. 

Saving the world on a daily basis didn’t make you a hero. Thomas Morgan knew that much from experience. The hard decisions he was forced to make weren’t pretty and not all that heroic. He was the one who did whatever it took to maintain security. Each day he climbed into the guard tower and kept the microcosm that was the community safe from Draghoul, the once-human monsters that attacked every night. More importantly, he watched out for the vulnerable, especially Charlie and her sister Star. 

Charlie disguised herself as a boy, but Thomas knew the truth, and though she wasn’t aware and though it put them all in danger, he kept her secret from the others. Reality was harsh in this unmerciful world, and if Jonas Bannon ever figured out the truth, Charlie didn’t stand a chance against the schemes of the self-appointed leader. Doing the right thing didn’t make Thomas a hero. But it did keep him human, and it did put him in range of mercy. 

Around 9400 words and 30 pages.

Now, let me be honest. The lowest Amazon will let me set the price is .99 (which is too much for something so short).  However, Smashwords has it FREE, and it will be distributed FREE through all other places.  And once it shows up on those other channels, I'll work on a price-match campaign to get it perma-free at the 'Zon as well.

Also, once I get Zeke's story out, I'll bundle all three short stories and offer them for FREE. I'm having so much fun with this!

I hope you'll check out Thomas's story.  Click on your preferred link to download it to your e-reader today.

Happy Reading and Writing!

C. C.

Summer Giveaway Hop! Who Likes to Win?

Who doesn't like to win? Okay, put your hand down, Debbie Downer. The rest of us are here for some prizes and fun. So, let's get right to it.

First of all, thank you for stopping by. I'm verra, verra excited to share my brand-spanking new release, Heart of Mercy, the second book in the Mercy Series. I know I'm biased, but it is action-packed, suspenseful, blended with a little romance. I'll let you judge for yourself:

Charlie Little exists in a dangerous world. Her best chance of survival is to disguise herself as a boy and guard her secrets well. Yet just when things can’t possibly get worse, they spin completely out of control.

With Zeke and her sister Star by her side and the fresh memory of Thomas’s kiss still on her lips, she narrowly escapes the horrid plans of Jonas Bannon, a monster of a human being. Forfeiting the safety of the community, they leave and begin the search for the city of Mercy, the one secure place Charlie knows. However, as she struggles to reach her sanctuary, doubts creep in that anywhere is truly safe. If the Draghoul don’t get them, the human scavengers just might, and the assumption Mercy is a place of protection could be the most dangerous risk of all.

Interested? Link to an excerpt here. Just don't forget to come back and enter the drawing.

Just in case you want to start with book 1, Edge of Mercy, I want to let you know that it is currently on sale for the bargain price of $.99. That means you could get both books for less than $5. Here's a little about EoM:

Charlie hides her true identity inside a community made up only of males, but her presence places everyone around her in danger. This community is surrounded by Draghoul, once-human creatures bent on infecting others. Left with no other choice but to remain, she fears her secret will be discovered, and she’ll be thrown to the creatures she dreads. Yet, the longer she stays with these survivors, the less benevolent they appear.

In this new and dangerous version of the world, where the friend beside you might be an enemy and an enemy might be your only friend, seventeen-year-old Charlie protects her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?

And if you just need a taste to see if you might like this series, you can get "Mercy," a short story of about 30 pages that introduces you to Charlie's world. Oh, and it's FREE.

Charlie’s true identity is a secret, but her very presence places everyone around her in danger. With no other choice but to remain where she is, she stays with a community that might not be as benevolent as it appears. In this short dystopian romance where a friend might be an enemy and an enemy might be a friend, seventeen-year-old Charlie must protect her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?

Around 9800 words. Part of a larger work titled Edge of Mercy.

All three can also be found at Barnes and Noble: "Mercy," Edge of Mercy, Heart of Mercy

Kobo: "Mercy," Edge of Mercy, Heart of Mercy

And Smashwords: "Mercy,"

Now, on to the good stuff: a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don't forget to look for more great giveaways on the list:

Feed Your Reader E-books Giveaway

I am so excited to be participating in the "Feed Your Reader E-books Giveaway," hosted by I Am a Reader, not a Writer.  Enter to win one of three copies of Edge of Mercy, by completing one or more entries on the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.  Good luck!  I'm also participating in the E-Reader Giveaway.  You'll find the rafflecopter for that at the bottom of the post.

Edge of Mercy is a dystopian suspense novel about a girl disguised as a boy, hiding in a community of survivors, defending her sister and herself from the hideous monsters outside the community, as well as, the human ones inside.

Writing this story got the old noggin' thinking about the things I would miss if the world ever did go "goat-poop crazy." So here are my Top Ten Things I'd Miss in the Event of the End of the World.  Hope you enjoy and don't forget to pick up a FREE copy of the story that inspired it all--"Mercy."  It's free at Amazon, BN, and Kobo. You can click on the cover to the right of this post to download it to your Kindle.

TOP TEN THINGS I'D MISS IN THE EVENT OF THE END OF THE WORLD

10.  Hot, hot showers! (One word--STINKY)
9.    Chocolate (Pretty sure it will be currency in the future)
8.    New releases by my favorite authors (of course)
7.    The Internet (Was there life before it?)
6.    Taking a leisurely walk around my neighborhood
5.    Mocha Frappes (Are you catching a repeating theme of chocolate?)
4.    Pizza (Pepperoni, extra cheese, green peppers, black olives, and banana peppers)
3.    Movies (Give me a good romcom or action/suspense and I'm happy).
2.    Fave TV shows like Project Runway, Top Chef, and Supernatural
1.    My Kindle and Nooks (Yes, I have more than one e-reader. It's probably against the rules or something, but I love to read!)

So, there you go. These are my Top Ten Things I'd Miss.  How about you?  Take a look at the rafflecopters below.  Complete the entries that interest you for a chance to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Six Sentence Sunday--Edge of Mercy

Yup-yup! I am so excited to announce that Edge of Mercy is available at all major online bookstores. Thanks for all the awesome feedback so far.

I've posted excerpts from Edge of Mercy on my other blog, but here are six more sentences from the story.  If you want to read earlier snippets or the short introductory fiction story I published, you can find them here (from three weeks ago on this blog), here and here.  Otherwise, let's get to the good stuff.  In this scene, the monstrous Draghoul are fighting to get to the people hiding inside:

Were they in the building? With knees raised to my chest, I sunk into myself, lifting my hands to my ears again. Fear pooled in my abdomen, but I couldn’t give in. When I was younger, my mother held me tightly when I was afraid, but my father pushed me to face those same fears. Now I was alone and understood my father’s lessons. Except for Star, I was completely alone.

Read more Six Sentence Sundays here, or sign up to participate next week. Hope you have an enjoyable Sunday.

Happy Writing and Reading,

C. C.

Charlie hides her true identity, but her very presence places everyone around her in danger. With no other choice but to remain where she is, she stays with a community that might not be as benevolent as it appears. In this post-apocalyptic romance where a friend might be an enemy and an enemy might be a friend, seventeen-year-old Charlie protects her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?


Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Omnilit
Smashwords

Featured on THEBOOKLOVERS

Oh. My. Goodness! I'm so excited that "Mercy," is featured on The Book Lovers today. And what's more, they like it. They really, really like it.

As if that wasn't enough though, they also posted info about Edge of Mercy. I really, really love people right now.

If you get a chance, check out the post HERE.

Yay! Thank you, thebooklovers!

Charlie’s true identity is a secret, but her very presence places everyone around her in danger. With no other choice but to remain where she is, she stays with a community that might not be as benevolent as it appears. In this short dystopian romance where a friend might be an enemy and an enemy might be a friend, seventeen-year-old Charlie must protect her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?


Around 9800 words. Part of a larger work titled Edge of Mercy




Happy Reading and Writing!


C. C.

Six Sunday--Edge of Mercy

Good morning!  Thanks for stopping by my tiny slice of the internet.


I've posted excerpts from Edge of Mercy on my other blog, but this novel will be released at the end of this month, so here are six more sentences from the story.  If you want to read earlier snippets or the flash fiction piece I published, you can find them here (from last week on this blog), here and here.  Otherwise, let's get to the good stuff.  This is a short but tense scene early in the book when this small group of survivors are under attack:

He pulled one of my hands free from my ear and asked, “It’s worse than before, right?”

Before? Before what? Before tonight? Before I stumbled through the community gate? Before the world turned to blood, survival, and hiding at night, always hiding at night?

Read more Six Sentence Sundays here, or sign up to participate next week. Hope you have an enjoyable Sunday.

Happy Writing and Reading,

C. C.

Charlie’s true identity is a secret, but her very presence places everyone around her in danger. With no other choice but to remain where she is, she stays with a community that might not be as benevolent as it appears. In this riveting scene from a post-apocalyptic romance where a friend might be an enemy and an enemy might be a friend, eighteen-year-old Charlie must protect her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?