The Courtship of the Vampyre – Behind Closed Doors

I Did It! @dochappycamper Is Now a Best Selling Author! #vampires #poetry

Hello my friends! Welcome back to Behind Closed Doors. I come to you today waist deep in the edits for The Surrender of Julia (Now and Forever 3) in order to share some fabulous news. Today, while I was at work at the veterinary hospital one of my poetry books climbed the charts at All Romance ebooks affiliate Omnilit. The Courtship of the Vampyre is now a BEST SELLER!!! It’s ranked number four of thirty-seven and it’s earned the coveted silver star. I had to stop myself from putting more exclamation points after the last few sentences. I’m just absolutely beside myself happy with this news.

It’s been one hell of a busy day seeing my patients and mulling over the first editor’s suggestions and corrections to Julia’s story. I have to tell you, I”m not very fond of edits and when I got them last night I was a bit upset with some of the criticism. Then I took a deep breath and read through the comments and suggestions again. Many made sense and I plan to work with those. Some suggestions just aren’t going to make it in the final draft. The reason is quite simple. They’re not the way I write. They’re not MY voice so to speak. Sure, I can take a few of them and make them into something I’d put to paper, but the others…nuh uh. NO WAY.

Does that make the critique wrong? Nope. It just means I choose not to take all the advice given. That’s what edits are all about. Your editors are not there to rewrite your work. They’re the grammar police and content patrol. They help you see the holes in the manuscript where the story isn’t flowing well, or where sections can be rearranged to create a better experience for the readers. You don’t have to take their advice, but if all of the editors on your project make the same suggestions or similar ones, it’s probably best to go with the consensus.

Having published my first two books with Siren, I had the benefit of working with some fabulous editors. They took the time to read through my work and recognize my vision. They helped me bring out the best in my writing and my characters. Was I forced to accept their changes? Nope. When it came to the Siren house rules on punctuation and grammar, the editors ruled the roost. When it came to my characters and cutting scenes because they were “too chatty,” I fought a bit. Most of the time I won out, but there were a few times, I had to concede they were right. The story did run smoother.

With Julia’s story…hmmmm

I’m waiting on my second editor to finish his run through. I’ll compare the two edits, make any changes and then the whole thing goes to a third editor. Is that too much? Not for me. I don’t think one set of eyes is enough. I want bad girl Julia Santos to get her story told. This is the way to do it properly. She’s not a saint and many readers will be a bit pissed off she’s so selfish. Some may even feel she doesn’t deserve her happily ever after because she doesn’t redeem herself soon enough in the story. Redemption can always come at the final hour. When the Gods believe one of their creations is worthy enough to get their happily ever after, who the hell are we to judge?

This brings me back to The Courtship of the Vampyre. In that collection of poems, the reader follows Cain from the moment he becomes the first Guardian of the Night. He wasn’t punished by the Gods for the death of his brother, but instead given the honor of guarding the legacy of man—The Tree of Life. His brother Malachi on the other hand is cursed with the same immortality, but at a cost. He’s cursed with having to walk the night forever because he dared to question the Gods called The Three. Go ahead and watch this video trailer featuring one of the poems in the book.

Thank you everyone for helping make my dreams come true. Now I can officially call myself a Best Selling Author. 🙂

Until next time

~Tammy

Debuting The Final Version of The Courtship of the Vampyre #Trailer #erotica #poetry #vampires

I’ve finished the final version (hopefully) of the video trailer for The Courtship of the Vampyre. As I created it with the Windows Live Movie Maker, the entire vision of the series hit me like a ton of bricks. There is so much information that I’m not sure I’ll be able to get it written down fast enough, but I’ll give it the ole college try! LOL

Back to the video…while I watched it for the “gazillionth” time I realized it’s one of the videos that tell the story of the series. It shows the underlying tragedy that ripped apart a family forever. That’s the heart of the entire series really. One brother is given the blessing that another brother feels should be rightfully his and demands to have it too. Well, when you mess with The Three (Yeshua, Lady Fate, and Lucius) and question their reasoning behind what they do, you end up with the short end of the stick. Just sayin’!

So when you’re the one receiving the short end and you have to live an eternity being reminded of it every single waking moment of every day, you tend to get bitter and turn to your dark side. Everybody has one, but some of us tend to embrace it a bit more fully than the rest of us. That would be Malachi, the seventh son of Adam. Even as bad as he is, he ends up finding a partner that can go toe to toe with him. She cropped up while I was looking at the photos to use for the video I released today. I don’t know her name yet, she’s a bit shy around me at the moment but I hope to get her to tell her tale soon…real soon. It’s looking like Malachi and this dark beauty will be the focus of Kayne Legacy 3.

Okay okay! I’ll stop talking in riddles and show you the video. As always, let me know what you think of it and the story. The text in the main body of the video is one of the poems that’s included in the book. It’s one that told Cain’s story in an abbreviated form, but one that served it’s purpose nonetheless.

Enjoy!

#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

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.

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