Fantasy for Sale Receives an Honorable Mention

Hi all,

You may have heard it already - Fantasy for Sale has received an Honorable Mention in this year's Rainbow Awards! An Honorable Mention means that during the first reading period a judge really liked the book, so much they gave it a rate above 36 out of 40; an HM doesn't necessarily mean the book is a finalist, you have to wait for the actual announcement on October 1 to find out.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled that Fantasy is doing so well - and let me tell you, it's in excellent company. There are lots of great books by talented authors in the Rainbow Awards and I'm very proud that Fantasy has made it this far. Thanks to the jury and big thanks to my wonderful editor Sue - you rock, love!

Exclusiv Sneak Peek: Nightmares Series

Hi all,

At some point during the sleepless child / neurotic dog / cat that thinks she's a tiger - disaster I managed to fill in the last cover questionnaires for the Nightmares Series. And that made me notice something: I wrote an extra blurb for the series, but so far that hasn't been shown anywhere, so as a little treat for you, my dear blog visitors, you get to sneaky peek what has so far only been revealed to my editor and cover artist.


Here's the Nightmares Series blurb:

What if the old, folkloristic tales are true and nightmares exist? What if a nightmare isn’t just the vivid and frightening scenario our tormented subconscious presents to us as we sleep, but a paranormal being that is as substantial and real as you and I—an incubus, a demon that feeds on human emotions? Could a man fall in love with such a demon, and could the demon love him in return?

Colin Meighan, co-owner of the small but successful gay porn production company Centre Studs is also the company’s biggest star. He sports a pretty exterior, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. Too young to know the full extent of what he is, he has to learn that the world he lives in isn’t what it seems. There are powers at work that exceed everything he’s ever believed in and the lines between nightmare and reality become blurred as he discovers the truth about himself and his gruesome heritage. 

Remember, A Nightmare Come True, Book One in the Nightmares Series, releases on October 4th and it is currently available to pre-order at 15% discount only from TEB

 

Pre-order: A Nightmare Come True

It's here: A Nightmare Come True, Book One in the Nightmares Series, is now available to pre-order.

This book is brand new, burning hot and available at a 15% discount while on pre-order:

Here's the blurb in case you've managed to miss it:

Dreams can come true—but sometimes nightmares are very real, too.

When Michael—Mikey—Fawkes bags himself a job as a handyman for a film production company and meets his favourite actor, gay porn star Colin Meighan, he believes his dream has come true. Colin indeed appears to be a dream turned to flesh. Handsome, young and as insatiable sexually as the roles he plays suggest, he makes his way into Mikey’s bed and introduces him to unknown carnal pleasures.
A slick lover and sweet talker, Colin also finds a place in Mikey’s heart, but as Mikey lets his new lover lure him deeper and deeper into a world of decadent on- and off-screen sex, their indulgences begin to take their toll on Mikey. Curious to find out more about the strange and inexplicable effect Colin has on his sex partners, Mikey discovers that there is a terrible reason why one man alone can never be enough to satisfy Colin’s hunger and he realises that dreams can come true—but sometimes nightmares are very real, too.

Reader Advisory: This book is the first in a series with an ongoing story arc. It is set in the world of gay porn where the heroes enjoy a red-hot multi-man pile-up  with secondary characters as well as some mild BDSM play.

Release date October 4 / available from distributors November 1

Buy link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2369
(please copy & paste this link into your browser window to avoid being redirected to the publisher's start page)

Upcoming Release: A Nightmare Come True

Hi all,

My next baby is going to see the light of day - or rather the screens of your e-readers - soon. A Nightmare Come True (Book One in the Nightmares Series) releases on October 4th and will be available for pre-order this Friday (September 20th). Here's the blurb:

Dreams can come true—but sometimes nightmares are very real, too.

When Michael—Mikey—Fawkes bags himself a job as a handyman for a film production company and meets his favourite actor, gay porn star Colin Meighan, he believes his dream has come true. Colin indeed appears to be a dream turned to flesh. Handsome, young and as insatiable sexually as the roles he plays suggest, he makes his way into Mikey’s bed and introduces him to unknown carnal pleasures.

A slick lover and sweet talker, Colin also finds a place in Mikey’s heart, but as Mikey lets his new lover lure him deeper and deeper into a world of decadent on- and off-screen sex, their indulgences begin to take their toll on Mikey. Curious to find out more about the strange and inexplicable effect Colin has on his sex partners, Mikey discovers that there is a terrible reason why one man alone can never be enough to satisfy Colin’s hunger and he realises that dreams can come true—but sometimes nightmares are very real, too.

Reader Advisory: This book is the first in a series with an ongoing story arc. It is set in the world of gay porn where the heroes enjoy a red-hot multi-man pile-up with secondary characters as well as some mild BDSM play.

Buy link / pre-order: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2369

Newest Submisson: Nightmares 5 & 6

Nightmares 5 & 6 have just zinged through the www and hopefully made it into my editor's inbox, so after months of hair-pulling, nail-chewing and coffee-slurping - not to mention some more inspirational activities - that accompanied the writing process, now the hair-pulling, nail-chewing and wall-climbing time called waiting for a response has begun. No, I'm not impatient... No need to rush... Of course I could kill some of that time by thinking about blurbs but hey, I can't wait to write the next blurb - has said no writer ever and I'm no exception.

But first, this happy author is going to enjoy a glass of red wine and then it's time to log off and go to bed.

Take care and stay naughty!

Sage
xxx

Sage is Out: Interview at Female First

Hi all,

Female First's very own wonderful Lucy Walton has interviewed me. Do you want to know which of my characters would be the perfect guy for me? Pop in and get the answer to this and some more good questions! Here's your link:  http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/stockholm-syndrome-332755.html

Sage is Out: Judging ThursThreads

Hi all,

Ooooh, I'm excited! The lovely Siobhan Muir is hosting another ThursThreads session on her blog and she asked me - yes, me! - to be the judge!
New to this fascinating and addictive game? 

Here's how it works:

• The prompt is a line from the previous week's winning tale.
• The prompt can appear ANYWHERE in your story and is included in your word count.

Rules to the Game:

• This is a Flash Fiction challenge, which means your story must be a minimum of 100 words, maximum of 250.
• Incorporate the prompt anywhere into your story (included in your word count).
• Post your story in the comments section of this post
• Include your word count (or be excluded from judging)
• Include your Twitter handle or email (so we know how to find you)
• The challenge is open 7 AM to 7 PM Pacific Time
• The winner will be announced on Friday, depending on how early the judge gets up. 

Come on over and read the flashes and what I think of them.
Here's your link: http://siobhanmuir.blogspot.com/2013/09/thursthreads-challenge-that-ties-tale.html

Special Guest: Author Chris Karlsen

Hi all, 

I'm thrilled to welcome a special guest to my blog today. She knows how to handle handcuffs as well as a keyboard and took mercy on a character she'd already killed when begged to let him live. 

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Chris Karlsen!

The business ones

Please give us a short introduction about yourself
I’ve always been an avid reader and the desire to write was sparked in my teen years. By the time I reached college age, I waffled on pursuing a writing career as I feared I’d never make a living at it. I chose the safer path and got a degree in business. A few years later I joined the police department and worked for two different agencies over the course of the next twenty-five years. I never lost interest in writing. After I retired from law enforcement, I decided to finally pursue my dream. I started my first book, Heroes Live Forever, and also began taking writing courses to learn the craft.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?
I write romance but in two subgenres. My Knights in Time series are paranormal romance books and my Dangerous Waters series books are romantic thrillers.

Tell us about your latest release
My newest book is Knight Blindness. It’s book three in my Knights in Time series (all of which are set in England). The hero is a character from book 2, Journey in Time. I had killed him in that book (off page by reference). My critique partners loved him and insisted I let him live. I rewrote the scene and instead of making his death a certainty, I left it open as to whether he lived or not. Their reaction gave me the idea to give the character his own story, which turned out to be Knight Blindness.

Do you need a special setting to write in or do you have a ceremony to get you in the mood? What does it look like?
I don’t have a ritual and I’m not superstitious by nature. I have this little niche area between the living room and the dining room that I have my desk, computer, printer and a substantial cupboard for my reference books and bits and bobs for writing (some knick knacks and keepsakes along with small post it notes that I have stuck everywhere *grins* )

Describe your feelings when you learnt that your first book was accepted for publication
I was both thrilled and nervous. Now I’d discover if readers liked my story.

Has the release of your first book changed anything in your personal life? If so, what?
No, not really, not in my interaction with my husband but it has given me focus, a place to be in the afternoons and a goal.

Where do you find inspiration?
I am moved by history, both events and historical figures. I like to build stories around timeframes and folks I am most interested in, like the Battle of Poitiers. That battle is used as the groundwork for my Knights in Time series. Or, the Trojan War, Hector and Achilles, are a fascination I gave the heroine in my archaeological thrillers from my Dangerous Waters series.

Who is your favourite character and why?
Wow, tough question. I’d reluctantly choose Charlotte, my nautical archaeologist in Golden Chariot and Byzantine Gold. I’d pick her because a part of me believes if I could go back in time, nautical archaeology is a profession I’d have enjoyed going into.

A favourite line from one of your books
For me every book has a favorite line. From Knight Blindness I’d say: “Not all lies are bad. Not all truths are good.”

The nosy ones

How much of the real “you” is in your stories?
A fair amount in the heroines and a goodly amount in the heroes as well. I work at putting myself in their place as I give them different scenarios and problems and happy events. I am constantly thinking-What would I do? The characters have advantages I don’t at times and that helps. They can be younger, stronger, and braver.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Who was it?
Well, it is going back to my teens but I’d say I was rather smitten with James Bond. I read all Ian Fleming’s books two and three times. When they cast Sean Connery I thought it was perfect choice. I also think Daniel Craig is an excellent choice for the latest Bonds.

The steamiest scene from your books
There’s a love scene in Knight Blindness where the hero blindfolds the heroine by tying a silk scarf around her eyes and then proceeds to make love to her. The scene is done through all their senses except sight.

Favourite comfort food?
Potatoes in any form but mostly I love mashed. It’s safe to say I never met a potato I didn’t like *grins*

A person you admire
My late father. He was brave beyond imagining, honorable to a fault, and had a great sense of humor. He wasn’t afraid to laugh at life or himself.

If you could ask any person in the world one question of your choice, who would it be and what would you ask them? I don’t know that I can narrow my choice down that far when it comes to a person or question. If I got my hands on various people, I’d have a bazillion questions, some friendly, some not so much.

 

The fast ones

Favourite colour? Candy apple red

Favourite pet? Sascha, my geriatric doxie who passed away a few years back

Dog or cat? Dog(s) we have 5 rescues

Coffee or tea? Coffee

Hunky or chunky? Hunky

Suit & tie or jeans & boots? Suit and tie

Walk in the park or chat over cocktails? Chat over cocktails

Thank you for the interview, Chris. I loved getting to know you and I already know which book I'll pick next time I'm in the mood for some crime, lol. Let's take a look at your book now, shall we?

Knight Blindness 

Ready for battle, Medieval English knight, Stephen Palmer, charges into the French enemy’s cavalry line. Heeding a warning given months before, he hesitates as he comes face-to-face with the knight in the warning. Struck down in the year 1356, he finds himself landing in the year 2013. Grievously wounded, he’s taken to a nearby hospital. Confused by the new world surrounding him, he attempts to convince the staff he’s from another time, only to find they think him mad.

Rescued by friends, who, to his surprise, have also come through time, he must find a way to function in this odd modern England. He is quickly enchanted by the kind Esme Crippen, the young woman hired to tutor him. She too is enchanted by him. Tempted to deepen the relationship, she hesitates thinking him adorable, but mad. He must discover the means for getting her to believe the truth, all the while, unknown to him, he didn’t come forward in time alone. The enemy knight has also traveled to 2013.

French noble, Roger Marchand, doesn’t question why the English knight who charged him hesitated. That fraction of a pause gave him the advantage needed and he brought his sword down upon the Englishman’s helmet hard, unhorsing the knight. He moved to finish the Englishman off when the world changed in a rush of sensations as he is ripped through time.

Seeking a reason for the terrible event, he enters a nearby chapel. There, thinking God has chosen him for a quest to turn French defeat that day in 1356 to victory, he sets out to find the English knight. The man he is convinced holds the key to time. If he returns to the day of the battle, he can warn his king of mistakes that snatched victory from them.

Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Knight-Blindness-Knights-Time-ebook/dp/B00E2QS488/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t 

About the author:

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.
My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.
I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write two different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is, Dangerous Waters.
I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse.

Chris across the web:

Website: www.chriskarlsen.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/chriskarlsenwriter
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/