My poetry – Page 2 – Behind Closed Doors

Coming Soon From Behind Closed Doors And @dochappycamper

Hello all!

I just finished finalizing my plans to attend RomCon 2013. Now registration, hotel and flights are secured. Whew! Flying these days is getting to be expensive but in this case I’m happy to part with the money. There is no way in hell my husband and I will drive from California to Colorado. I can handle the drive to Vegas, but longer than that I’m just not thrilled about. LOL This will be the very first romance convention for me and I can’t wait! To be able to meet up with authors I’ve only been able to chat with online up until this point is so exciting and all of us get to hang out with fellow readers…to say I bouncing in my seat with excitement would be an understatement.

I’ve ordered books to sign and sell at the author signing days, swag to give out in gift baskets from Four Seduced Muses and Sassy Vixen Publishing, business cards, trading cards and all sorts of fun stuff to share. It’s going to be a lot of fun and to have my hubby there with me makes it all extra special. He’s supported me through all my publishing endeavors and is the Chief Operating Officer of Sassy Vixen Publishing LLC, so of course he’ll be there with me. Truthfully, he’s a bit of the possessive type and will be giving anyone the evil eye if he thinks they’re trying to hit on me. Bwahahaha! Gotta love the man!

The new features I’ve started on all the blogs along with the new banners have been a big hit! My alter ego Lia Michaels is having a blast at The House of Taboo with the “special guests” surprising the authors who stop in for the features. That whole thing’s taking on a life of it’s own and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now if I can just get her to finish Call of the Thunderbird so we can get it edited for publishing…

Sassy Vixen Publishing is moving forward with a few additional projects including Lia’s work, Stephanie’s first novel The Do Over and two more books of poetry. Keep checking here and on the Sassy Vixen pages to get more information.

I’ve got the Behind Closed Doors Street Team page ready here and on Facebook. I’m looking for some folks to join me in promoting my work and overall celebrating with me when I do have new releases. Click on the button on the right side of this blog to take you to the street team information page to see what being on the team would entail. If you’re interested in being a member, leave a comment with your contact information and I’ll add you to the list on the Facebook group page too.

I’m currently working on the video trailer for The Kayne Legacy Series. Of course it will include the hot models on the cover for The Courtship of the Vampyre and the models who’ve inspired the characters in The First Borne and the rest of the series. I’m shooting for releasing the video this weekend if all goes according to plan. What that means is if my computer and Windows Movie Maker cooperate with each other. LOL!

For more information and a sneak peek at the first two chapters and an adult excerpt, click on The Kayne Legacy tab in the menu at the top of the page.

Monday, fellow author Jess Buffett kicks off her book tour here with me at Behind Closed Doors and ends it at Sassy Vixen on May 11th. Author DX Luc just signed up to do a feature here on Friday May 3rd for Fantasy Free For All. I’ve decided to use the same Friday feature as we have on Through Stephanie’s Eyes for continuity. So many changes and so much fun coming up over the next two months!

Until next time

~Tammy

#poetry #erotica Scavenger Hunt to Find A Signed Copy of The Courtship of the Vampyre

I’m having a great time today at Coffee Time and More’s Latte Lounge with several authors from teh Vampire Book Realm. Today is our eloop chat and we’ve got about five or six more hours to go before it’s all over. Several authors have giveaways and have been sharing bits and pieces from their latest releases or works in progress. Today I shared The Courtship of the Vampyre and the basic story line for The Kayne Legacy series. As you can see above, I’ve started a new tab in the menu for the new series and I even have two hidden pages with excerpts. I’ll include the links here for those of you who wish to check them out. Please leave a comment on them to let me know what you think of them so far.

First Two Chapters of The First Borne

Adult Excerpt from The First Borne

Now for another surprise…

A SCAVENGER HUNT!!!

Here’s the list of items for my scavenger hunt. You can find all the answers to these questions from the pages on my website Behind Closed Doors. Through here, you can get the links to any of the other blogs I own or am part of to help answer the questions and earn you a signed copy of The Courtship of the Vampyre.

What celebrity do I have a major girl crush on?

What is my nickname on Four Seduced Muses?

What are the names of my other alter egos/pen names?

Who is the seventh son of Adam?

Who cursed the seventh son after he interfered with Cain’s blessing?

Who is the actor who inspired the one who cursed the seventh son? Hint: He inspired the same character in my Now and Forever series.

Who is the driving force and muse for all of my poetry and my writing in general?

Bonus Question in case of a tie:

What is my “evil day job?”

Send your answers to me at tammydenningsmaggyauthor@gmail.com

I’ll pick a winner tomorrow night.

Good luck and have fun!

~Tammy

Using My Poetry as an Outline for Another Series

Released February 22, 2013 — Available from Smashwords and Amazon

With the release of The Courtship of the Vampyre a few weeks ago, I’ve got to enjoy the ride at the top of the Amazon hot new release lists for epic poetry all this time. It’s been a fantastic experience and the little book is still in the top 100 in the epic poetry category for sales. Now that may not mean much to many of you out there, but it’s a big pat on the back for this author. It means people are actually taking a look at my work. Based on the feedback so far, they like it too. Double bonus!

While writing this group of poems, I found myself drawn to the characters and the story lines that will make up my new series called The Kayne Legacy. At first I wanted to just tell the tale of how the first vampires came to be, and how in my world there are actually two different kinds. One group called the Guardians of the Night are the Vampyre Elite and are charged with protecting the essence of the Tree of Life which courses through their veins. They are direct descendants of the First Born, Cain. The second group are the ones actually cursed to walk the night and are lead by the seventh son of Adam who I call Malachi. He is the one who receives the curse he felt should have been put on Cain for killing Abel. In my world, Abel’s death was indeed an accident and Abel was not all that innocent in the whole thing. Think of the favorite child in the family who could never do anything wrong in the eyes of his parents, but in actuality caused a lot of strive with his siblings. That would be Abel.

If you read the poems in this book, you will see the basic story of these creatures but it will be in the novels where you will get to meet them all, love or hate them as you choose, and of course root for the side you hope wins out in the end.

Updated cover for my first book of poetry

Now with the first book of poetry Follow Me: Poetry from the Heart and Soul I wrote about my own journey through life trying to find myself after being torn apart from heartache and betrayal. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a few of those poems are now serving as guides to other books I’ll write as Lia Michaels. One of the poems was actually the wedding vows for the couple in For the Love of Quinn. This all had me thinking about compiling another book of poems to go along with “The Vixen, the Witch, and the Daemon” to help tell the tales that will be in The Songs of Fate series. With witches, fae, shape shifters, and other magical creatures, there is so much material to organize. What better way than with my poetry? It’s worked for me twice now. LOL! Might as well stick with what’s working. If it ain’t broke… 😉

As always, thank you all for coming on this journey with me. Without your support, I wouldn’t be where I am today and surely wouldn’t be enjoying it as much!

~Tammy

Thrilled Beyond Belief! The Courtship of the Vampyre Is Running Up Amazon Rankings!

I am shocked. Literally shocked. I was working on a blog post for Sassy Vixen Publishing and getting a link for one of my guest authors when I decided to check on my books to be sure that all of them made it to my Amazon Author Page. For some reason two of the formats weren’t there last week. I rectified it as soon as I found that mistake and was determined to be sure that it didn’t happen this time with the second book of poetry…and my second self-published book.

What caught my eye right away was my sales ranking at below 130,000. I’ve NEVER been that low for any of my books and sure as heck not on the day it went live on Amazon. My eyes then went a little further to see at that moment in time, The Courtship of the Vampyre was ranked at #20 for epic poetry.

Number TWENTY!!!

Thank you all for supporting me in this and spreading the word. Without you, I would never move up the ranks this quickly. This has just solidified my decision to concentrate on The Kayne Legacy full time once I finish up The Surrender of Julia and get that off to Siren for consideration.

I’m still waiting for Smashwords to finish their review of the book to see if it’s included in the Premium Catalog. Once it’s there, you’ll be able to find it not only on Smashwords, but with Apple, Sony, Barnes and Noble and many other retail outlets. It’s available in print from Createspace AND Amazon as of today too.

Smile on my friends!

~Tammy

New Release! The Courtship of the Vampyre is Now Available #vampires #poetry

I’m thrilled to announce that I finally finalized and uploaded The Courtship of the Vampyre to Smashwords and Amazon. It’s going to take a little time for Amazon to have it live, but right now you can get all ebook formats at Smashwords…go on! You know you want to zip on over there and get your own copy. I’ll wait. 🙂

I still have to wait a few more days to see if it’s been accepted into Smashwords’ Premium Catalog, but it’s worth it. If it’s accepted, then it will be out to Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sony and many other outlets within the next week or two.

I decided to make this book only 99 cents. It’s a small collection and a fast read. For those of you who’ve been following my posts, you’ll know these poems are a small outline of the story lines in another series I’m working on about how vampires came to be. The Kayne Legacy is turning out to be a much larger story than I had anticipated. Much like with the Now and Forever series, the secondary characters have absolutely taken over. All of them are demanding their own scenes if not entire books. I swear, they are a spoiled bunch! LOL

I’ve also decided the next poetry book will be inspired by witches and other magical creatures. Well, I sort of started that with The Vixen, the Witch and the Daemon…the poem and the novel. The poem was the outline for the novel and the start of the entire Songs of Fate series that will be written by my alter ego Lia Michaels. I would do it, but that’s another thing that taken another life of its own. There will be multiple menage couplings in that group of books so that’s Lia’s territory. LOL! But so she doesn’t have all the fun, I get to write the poetry book that goes with that series. Look for witches, warlocks, mermaids, elves, and many others to make appearances in those books!

In the meantime, look for me and my books on Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, Barnes and Noble and well, just about anywhere. I’m trying to get my stuff out there!

Thank you all for going on this ride with me.

~Tammy

Second Poetry Book Nearly Finished! #vampires #erotica

I’m celebrating a few things tonight. First of all, I finally purchased the domain name for this site so now I feel like an official website/blog owner and author. Whoohoo! You can find this page now by typing in authortammydenningsmaggy.com Can you believe it? I know that may sound funny to some of you, but it’s just one more step making my dream a reality. I have also purchased sassyvixenpublishing.com . It’s going along with our LLC and soon my husband and I hope to get our little publishing house up and running enough to handle more than just me, Lia and Stephanie. Yes all three Sassy Vixen authors are me, but you got to start somewhere right? LOL

Now for the next surprise I’m celebrating. I had thought that I had a complete set of poems for the new book all set and ready to go. I was wrong. Several more ideas popped into my head over the last few days. What’s a poet to do? Keep going of course! I’m still planning on releasing the book on or before February 28th, but just in case let’s all keep our fingers, toes and any other appendages crossed! I thought I would share another poem from the collection and it’s one of the more sensual ones. Most of them are basically telling the story of the various characters in The Kayne Legacy series, but a few like this one, focus more on individuals. Who knows if they will actually end up as additional players in the series? We shall see.

So without further adieu, here is one of my latest finished just this evening.

Encounters in the Dark

The hours of the day pass ever so slowly
Causing my anxiety to rise.
My heart races at the memory of our coupling
From the night before.
Every touch, every kiss we shared only heightened the experience,
Making me feel even more alive.
The heat between us was more than I’ve ever known
And it’s shaken me to my very core.

Over and over again our bodies come together,
Mouths exploring, limbs completely entwined.
With one last feral thrust, you take me over the edge,
Your fangs at my neck leaving your mark.
When asked why must you always mark me so,
Your eyes flash with renewed lust before you whisper in my ear
“So ALL will know you are forever mine.
And although they’ll heal, my brand is upon you
So you’ll never forget our encounters in the dark.

Exhausted beyond belief and yet I still cling to you,
Unwilling to let you go with the approaching dawn.
You possess my heart and soul with one last kiss
As tender as it is brutal and hard.
Just as quickly as you entered my life,
In a flash you were gone,
Leaving me lost and alone with the fading memory
Of our last encounter in the dark.

©Tammy Dennings Maggy

2/20/13

8:25pm

#NextBigThing: Showcasing Vampire Inspired Poetry

I’ve done this hop once not too long ago on my sister blog Not Enough Time in the Day. This time I was tagged twice by my alter ego Lia Michaels and by fellow Seduced Muse Nicole Morgan. I’d like to thank both of them for the tag. To learn more about them, just click on their names and you will be directed to their blogs/websites.

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them. I hope you’ll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy. On this stop on the blog hop, you’ll find a bit of information on me and one of my books. Normally, I would list five more authors for you to visit next week in order to continue the hop. Unfortunately, just about everyone I know has been tagged at least once for this hop and just don’t have more to share. In lieu of that, I hope you will check out some of the guest authors who have visited this and any of my blogs.

In this blog hop, my fellow authors and I, in our respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our current book or work-in-progress (giving you a sneak peek). We’ve also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write–the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the working title of your book?

The Courtship of the Vampyre: Poetry Inspired by the Guardians of the Night

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
Well, another fellow Seduced Muse, Maya DeLeina suggested I give writing vampire inspired poetry after I published my first book of poetry. She writes vampire erotic romance and loves anything and everything to do with the creatures of the night. I had already starting plotting out a vampire series called The Kayne Legacy, and the poetry seemed like a great companion to help me continue to plot out those books. Much like how the first book of poems were a companion to my Now and Forever series, this collection would do the same.

3: What genre does your book come under?
I think I will call it paranormal fantasy poetry. LOL!

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I haven’t thought about that yet. Since this is a companion book to The Kayne Legacy, I’ll have to think about those character descriptions when I’m ready to see them fully in my mind. I’m thinking I need a rugged redheaded man to play Cain/Adam Kayne. The legends and lore about the Biblical Cain usually say he was a ginger!

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Poetry inspired by those that rule the night…both good and bad!

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
I’ll be putting this one out myself through Sassy Vixen Publishing.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It’s ongoing. I think I have the collection I want now, but I have to give it a few days to be sure. Right now it’s 13 poems strong and some of them are long ones. This way I can offer a small ebook for a very low price!

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’m sure there are some out there, but I haven’t read any yet. Usually vampires are portrayed as just the blood-thirsty demons, or those sexy lovers who roam the nights. I wanted this one to touch on the tales of both the good and the “evil” vamps and how both lines of immortals came to be.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Well, Maya DeLeina was a big inspiration as was Robin Badillo. Another author who has helped me with different takes on the fanged ones is Tara S.Wood. All three of them have created worlds where the vampires don’t follow the old “rules” we’ve all come to know through the movies or whatever. And although I enjoyed the Twilight series of books and the movies, they didn’t inspire this book or The Kayne Legacy at all.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I’ve incorporated a bit of my own beliefs in this collection/The Kayne Legacy. As a Wiccan, I’ve come to challenge many of the common Christian beliefs and I feel it’s time to take them back. LOL! Seriously, so many of our faiths are intertwined and have similar beliefs. The study of religions and the paranormal fascinate me. That’s why I wanted to tell this tale. What really happened between Cain and Abel and what was the real reason that Cain was marked to protect him from being killed on sight? What happened to the first woman created…Lilith? Where do the paranormal realms come into play in all of this? The stories are there. I just have to write them all down!

So there you have it! My contribution to the Next Big Thing Blog Hop…again! LOL Stay tuned for future guests on Behind Closed Doors, Sassy Vixen Publishing, Not Enough Time in the Day, and Four Seduced Muses to find new fabulous authors and their books. The links are at the tabs at the top of the page.

Have fun and happy reading!

~Tammy

Update on Courtship of the Vampyre release date

Coming Soon January 2013 — Coming Soon February 2013

I had originally thought I would have my second book of poetry up and ready for publication by the end of this month but as with many things, life got in the way! LOL

My writing and blogging has had to take a backseat for a bit due to some unforeseen circumstances with my health and that of my husband. Even though the flu is sweeping our neck of the woods, so far we haven’t had to deal with that, but killer colds on top of other things. My husband still has a battery of tests coming up and we are awaiting the results of biopsies done last week. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers you’ve sent our way during this time. It meant a lot to both of us. Thank you!

My projected release date will be February 14th. If all goes well and all the proofs are approved, I hope to have both the ebook and paperback versions released on the same day. I’ll keep you posted on any further updates. Thank you all for your patience and continued support of me and my writing.

Chasing The Dawn #poetry from Courtship of the Vampyre

Here we are at the beginning of a brand new year. The last one has brought a few sorrows yes, but the joys outweighed them by far. I’ve continued with my passion of writing and sharing it all with you through this blog and others and through my published works. I’m happy to say that within the next month I will have another book published. The Courtship of the Vampyre is shaping up nicely. It’s taken a turn that I didn’t see coming, but I’ve decided to embrace it. This collection of poetry is definitely a companion to The Kayne Legacy Series and it’s become more of an outline for it. A secondary character I didn’t even know existed decided to jump on in there and ask for his story to be told. You’ll get to learn more about him in other poems and in the series itself, but the poem I want to share with you introduces him.

Enough of the introduction. Let me just share the poem with you and see what you think.

Brightest Blessings!

~Tammy

Chasing the Dawn

Longing to see the brilliant colors explode across the sky,
I risk my life for just one more peek.
When the blazing ball of fire reaches the mountains on high,
My sight will grow dim and my knees will get weak.

It wasn’t always like this,
The fascination with chasing the dawn.
As a mortal, sleeping in until noon was a coveted bliss.
The memories of those days are fading fast,
And soon will be forever lost, simply gone.

Bitten by one filled with blood lust,
I thought death was close at hand.
But he took pity and gave me a choice
That could never be undone.
End this life forever or be reborn
And at his side would I stand.
Together we’d rule the night,
Never again to see the light of the Sun.

Immortality I chose, or should I say it chose me.
I gave in to every need and erotic desire.
I avoided those Immortals blessed by The Three
For fear that they would one day
Toss me on my funeral pyre.

As centuries passed and all that I have ever loved
Had now come and gone,
I sought out the truth from those with whom we had clashed.
Why were we cursed to walk the night
And forever chase after the dawn?

The First Born Cain guards the Essence of the Tree of Life.
This task was given directly to him by the Goddess Fate.
He was commanded to leave all he had ever known
In search of Lilith to be his wife.
Each of their descendants had to take a Royal Fae as their mate.

This part of the story I had heard many times before.
Why was there such hate between the Cursed and the Elite?
Turns out much of what I know was nothing more than Vampire Lore.
All of it beginning when the seventh son of Adam
Sought to avenge his mother’s grief.

Angry and jealous that his elder brother
Should be blessed instead of cursed,
He plotted to take by force what he felt was his birthright.
This angered The Three, making their blessing evil and perverse.

Lucius marked this son of Adam as an abomination
Who would thirst for blood, and forever hide from the Light.
“The Seventh Son of Adam will cease to exist.
Instead a Nightwalker will take his place.
Immortal you shall be, but Our mercy you have not won.
For you bring no honor to your parents, only shame and disgrace.
Nevermore will you see the light of day,
But forever chase after the dawn.”

Cain pleaded with Lucius to spare his brother
From his wrathful decree.
Lucius refused. “What’s done is done.”
“All of this must come to pass in order to protect the Essence of the Tree.
Once the lesson is learned, your brother’s descendants
Will once again be able to enjoy the light of the Sun.”

My sire never told me this part of the tale!
Were we ever taught this lesson?
Who could give me the answers?
Where have they all gone?
I searched the world high and low for any clue.
So far to no avail.
I’ll keep searching.
The answer is out there,
Somewhere chasing the dawn.

#Poetry From Soon To Be Released Courtship of the Vampyre

I’ve been working away at finishing the collection of poetry that will be included in this book and thought I would share another selection with you. This one gives you more of an insight into the world of the the different classes of vampires that will be brought to life in my new series The Kayne Legacy. I’ve talked about it before and even shared some excerpts from one of the books entitled The First Born. I’m really excited about both my poetry and erotic romances coming together again.

The first time I did this was with my Now and Forever series. It wasn’t intentional at the time, but the poems that flew out of me during the two years I was writing For the Love of Quinn and outlining the rest of the series just seemed to mess well with the story lines. I’ve even got another series out of it too. The Songs of Fate will feature The Vixen, the Witch, and the Daemon as the first book in the series introducing the characters of that world. That series I’ve decided to write as Lia Michaels since the characters have lent themselves nicely into menage relationships.

Well, enough of the background stuff. Here’s today’s featured poem. Let me know what you think of it.

Brightest Blessings and Merry Yule!

~Tammy

The Chosen

A member of the Vampire Elite
Has chosen her mate on this very day.
They’d been paired long before
They would ever meet.
This was the way it has always been
Between Vampyre and Fae.

From the moment Lilith wed the First Born Cain,
The destiny of all their descendants was secured.
For through this bloodline the Chosen would reign
And the essence of the Tree of Life would endure.

Others walk the night without the Blessing of The Three.
To rip and tear out the life of another
Is for them a means to an end.
They care not for the lives of humans
Whose blood gives them their Immortality.
It’s the Chosen Ones who watch over all
And among mortals they must blend

While most Vampires must avoid the light of the Sun,
Those descended from Cain and Lilith do not.
The Chosen have never had to fear the dawn.
The others must conceal themselves from the Light
In order to avoid the fate of the wife of Lot.

The Essence of the Tree of Life
Must be protected at all costs.
The Gift cannot be shared with another
Unless they are also descendants
Of the Royal Immortal Fae.
If taken by force by one outside of this bloodline
Part of the essence will be forever lost.
So this is why not every Immortal can be of the Chosen
Because the loss of the essence of the Tree
Is too great a price to pay.

Still there are those mortals who will never understand
Nor will they ever believe
That the First Born of Adam could be charged
With such a monumental task,
And that they Fae are more
Than just magical creatures designed to deceive.
One day soon all will become crystal clear
When the Tree of Life returns
To the Garden of Eden at long last.