Tammy Dennings Maggy – Page 8 – Behind Closed Doors

#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

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

#TheVixen Has Thrown Down the Gauntlet!

It’s been a busy week around here as of late. I have nearly caught up on ALL of my back log and am putting the finishing touches on the special gift package to one special blog hop winner. My hubby and I are both on the mend with his last round of tests showing NO CANCER!! Now it’s my turn for the round robin of testing. With changing up our health plans at work, I have to break in a new doctor. I’m both nervous and excited about it. I’ll get a new outlook from this doctor and hopefully together we can come up with a plan to get my health at 100%. I promised my husband that I would take care of me now.

Of course, having sent my alter egos Lia and Stephanie on “vacation” for the last week has helped me focus on me and my projects but nothing can stop The Vixen! That part of my personality will not stop working and continues to fight the good fight when it comes to defending erotica and erotic romance. Why is it that so many want to “clean up” this genre? It’s separated from mainstream fiction and romance for a reason. Both showcase very explicit and detailed sex scenes. If a novel or short story doesn’t have this sort of detail, then it belongs in the mainstream categories.

The news media has made it an “in” thing to call something erotica or erotic romance. I wish for once, they would do some actual fact checking before they start with the labels. Because of their erroneous descriptions, readers who don’t like the explicit materials have flocked to Amazon and other ebook outlets in order to get themselves some “erotica like that Fifty Shades.” Unfortunately, when they read what really makes up a good erotic romance, they are often appalled and call it “porn” or “blatant smut.”

It doesn’t help matters when editors, authors and even some publishers try to redefine what makes up an erotic romance. No wonder readers are confused! Quite a few discussions have been going on around the Internet via blogs, Twitter and Facebook about this and a few of my fellow authors and myself have been personally attacked and our work more or less belittled.

Well…I’m not going to sit back and keep quiet about it. I’m going to keep defending my chosen genres until there is no longer any debate about it. I’ve started it off with my Sinfully Sassy Sundays with The Vixen spot on Four Seduced Muses. Having the descriptions of body fluids in a sex scene be called “icky” by an editor was just too much for me. Click on the link and see what I had to say. It’s a bit tongue in cheek, but at the heart of it, I’m ticked off that I have to take up this fight in the first place.

You can’t have it both ways. You don’t allow explicit detailed sex scenes in mainstream romances, then you can’t call the mainstream stuff erotica or erotic romances. Taking our genre name away won’t make us leave. We are here to stay!

#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

Dealing With A Bit of Writer’s Block…or am I?

I’ve been having a bit of a time getting back to work on the Now and Forever series. At first look it would seem that I have writer’s block, but that’s not entirely true. I think what’s happening is that I have so many different stories flying around in my brain and so many different characters demanding to be heard, that I’m on sensory overload.

How do other authors do it? How do they handle all of their real life responsibilities and still manage to crank out a book every few months or less? I don’t want to go a year between books, but at this rate, that’s what’s going to happen. Now magnify it all by three and you have my world. Why? I have three pen names now and multiple works in progress (WIPs) with each one of them. There isn’t enough time in the day for me to get all of that done and work on myself.

I’ve let my health slide in the middle of all of this and it’s set me so far behind on things, some of which I’m extremely embarrassed about. I still have to send out all of the prize packages to the winners of the various blog hops and contests I did over December and there is one winner who won during last year’s Easter Hop who still hasn’t received her handcrafted rabbits. I’ve had to make those bunnies four times now and so far I’ve kept the last group hidden from the prying eyes of little nieces who I can never say no to.

To make it up to this wonderfully patient winner (Jean P. this is about you!), I’ve made a few extra goodies to go along with her prize package as well has the paperback versions of all of my books. Just the ones so far? Yep and all the ones in this series as well as the poetry. She deserves it. Not only has she been so patient while I’ve muddled through all of my personal issues, she continues to join in on all of the hops and post. This is the only way I know how to thank her.

I’m thinking that I just have to schedule specific time for my writing and stick to that schedule even if it means getting up before dawn. Many of you know I am not a morning person and would prefer to sleep in and stay up until the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, that is getting me nowhere fast. I have to make changes in order for this all to work AND for me to realize my dream of running my own publishing house…Sassy Vixen Publishing.

Well, I had better be off and get some sleep. Tomorrow starts the new schedule. It’s more than a bit scary, but exciting too. My dream of being a successful writer depends on me finding a way to make it all work.

Thank you all for coming along with me on this journey!

~Tammy

Introducing Stephanie Ryan…

As many of you know, I write under different pen names in order to write in many different genres. As myself, I write poetry, erotica and erotic romance. As Lia Michaels I get to explore more of the erotica and erotic romance subgenres by writing menage, BDSM and GLBT pairings. Basically, Lia likes all things most people consider taboo. Now I’ve decided to bring a new personality/alter ego into the fold. Stephanie Ryan will take over my manuscripts that are meant for the young adult crowd, mainstream fiction and romance (nonerotic).

As with my current blogs, both Lia and Stephanie have days to host guest authors. The three of us make up the core set of authors that is Sassy Vixen Publishing. Confused? LOL Sometimes I am too, but overall it’s a blast having these alter egos.

This is the photo I’ve used for Lia Michaels. Her website/blog is called

The House of Taboo

You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

This is the photo I chose for Stephanie Ryan. I thought one of us should have the long brown hair since both Lia and myself have the short and sassy styles. LOL! Steph’s website/blog is Through Stephanies Eyes.

She’s also on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+

So stop in and tell them both hello and help them build up their followings by signing up for their blogs and spreading the word about them. Thank you all for your continued support of my dream!

Brightest Blessings 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.

Want to Share Your Writer’s Words of Wisdom?

On my sister blog Not Enough Time in the Day, I participate in a weekly feature called Writer’s Words of Wisdom. It’s a group of authors who wish to share what they’ve learned on their journey to become published traditionally and the self published route. I’ve learned so much from this group already from Triberr to using Pinterest for promotions. I’ve shared what I’ve found works for me with designing swag and promotions to the fun Add This buttons for blogs.

Are you an author who would like to share your wisdom with new authors? There are two ways you can go about doing it with our group. You can join us on Facebook and sign up to do your own weekly post, or you could sign up with me for a guest spot on Not Enough Time in the Day. You can do as many spots as you’d like or just a one time deal. Either way, you get to give back a little to help support other authors.

Here’s the link to my post for this week. You can search the blog for the others I’ve done to see if WWoW would be something you’d like to do. Here’s the Facebook Page for you to check out as well.

Leave a comment below if you’d like to do a guest spot on my blog and I’ll contact you to work out the details.

Happy Writing and Brightest Blessings to you all!

~Tammy

The Island is available in print!

Hello everyone!

I’m sorry it’s been a little bit since I’ve been back to give you any more updates on my writing. It’s been a hectic last few months to say the least. Now that the official book tour is over, I can sit back and breathe a little bit. I had received word from Siren Bookstrand that The Island (Now and Forever 2) was going to be released in print much sooner than the April projected dates. Imagine my surprise when I was updating my links on Amazon to find that the book was available a full TWO WEEKS before the new projected date! Whoohoo!

So now you can get the paperback versions of The Island on Amazon and on Barnes and Noble. I’m sure there are other sites out there that may have it available and if you find them, just put the links up in the comments section with this post.

Thank you all for supporting me in my journey. I couldn’t do any of this without you. The new poetry book is nearly finished and will be edited shortly. I still have the goal of the end of this month to get it out on Smashwords. Amazon will follow shortly after that. I’m going to try a new writing program called Scrivener with my new projects. I have so many open WIPs and tons of notes all over the place under multiple pen names. I’m confusing the hell out of myself on a daily basis! If I’m confused, how the heck will I ever get my characters all sorted out and in the right books with the right authors. Oy!

Another project I’ll be undertaking is creating a shared world called the Tempations Resort series. I got the idea for a shared world project from the amazing one done by the authors with Wiccan Haus. I have loved all the books I’ve read by the multiple authors and I still plan on one day submitting one of my own for consideration in the series. If you haven’t checked them out yet, make sure you do especially if you love paranormal romances. Here is the LINK for their blog. It will explain their whole world.

For Temptations Resort, I wanted to create a world centered around an adult island getaway. There guests will be able to explore any and all of their sexual fantasies whether sweet, sensual, exotic, erotic, or taboo. Once the first book is out, then other authors can add to the world with their own works from all heat levels of romance. Now I write erotic romances, but the sweet stuff is very welcome too. The core idea here is that it’s a fantasy world where the characters get to explore their secret dreams and desires. They can learn about and experience the world of BDSM, create role playing scenarios with a partner or two, experience a menage with as many partners as they wish, or have a quiet getaway with their love. Look for that series to start being released later in the year, maybe by summer from Sassy Vixen Publishing.

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.