Cover Reveal: reGENESIS by Linzé Brandon

The human species is dying out, and the scientists are sitting with their hands in their hair. Nothing is working, not the old medicines, nor the latest surgical techniques.
Until one day during a meeting of a World Health Organisation committee, a young scientist came up with the idea to explore the use of genetic engineering. A few scientists researched the idea and came up with the solution to manipulate the fundamental code of life: the DNA helix. It worked, but there was an unexpected side-effect.
Would people keep fighting the plan for their future survival, even while they continued to die out?

This story is also available as part of the Storm Anthology Volume I 

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Cover Reveal: THE CUTTING HORIZON by Linzé Brandon

Consumed with guilt, Bryce had been drifting away from his wife of ten years. Until one evening when he was about to cheat on her, he came to realise that he was about to do would not resolve anything. Leaving the woman behind in the hotel, he races home in a thunderstorm.
Bryce could not have foreseen that not only was the storm about to force him to face up to his failures, but it would also bring into perspective that things in his marriage might not have been all that simple to start off with.
House bound by circumstances, the Sinclairs have to face the facts, and decide if their future would continue on the same path or separate ones?

This story is also available as part of the Storm Anthology Volume II 

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The Cutting Horizon

Cover Reveal: STORM Volume II by the Pretoria Writers' Group

► STORM Volume II: Contemporary fiction, South African fiction is available at Smashwords a reduced price until 31 May 2014.

Cover Reveal: STORM Volume I by the Pretoria Writers' Group

► STORM Volume I: Fantasy, Science Fiction and Dystopia is available on Smashwords at a reduced price until 31 May 2014

Cover Reveal: Don't Call Me Sweetheart by Linzé Brandon

Excerpt
Hell had found me. I was staring at its ugly fangs and I knew if I stayed here any longer, it wasn't going to end well for me. I had to get out of here before more innocent people got hurt. Screams attacked my ears – so loud that it drowned out the pounding club music. But it didn't drown out the bullets causing the panic. Blood splattered over me as two more people fell.
"Where the hell did she go?"
I was too busy dodging bullets to pause on my way to the closest exit to find out who had said that. There. The moment I spotted the door, my feet moved faster.
My one day off from work, my time to relax, hang out, and look at me now; hiding behind a stinking crate of rotten vegetables in the middle of a very long and dark alley. Halfway between me and the safe end of the alley was a flickering yellow light above an entrance of some kind. I thought I saw something move, but it could be anything, from a vagrant getting comfortable for the night to a rat. I shuddered. Neither of those options inspired a sense of safety. I had to move. This was not a good place to be – too many opportunities to be ambushed. I edged around the crate and looked towards the exit of the club I had come from mere moments ago. No one had followed. Yet. How I made it out of the club alive, and uninjured, must have been some kind of miracle.
I glanced down at my expensive high-heeled boots. Damn, I loved those boots and now I would have run – through whatever muck, and dirt, and all kinds of other dead and dying things – in them. This was so not the night I had envisaged for myself.

Look out for this Sci-fi action thriller (with the tiniest hint of romance) on Smashwords very soon!
 

Cover Reveal: Bubble Trouble by Linzé Brandon

Excerpt
I hate Thursdays.

My weeks these days were exhausting at best, and generally pissing me off to the point that my temper was fraying around the edges on Thursdays. And then there was still one more day to go. One day with more meetings and deadlines and fifty-something-going-on-five bosses to deal with, until I could relax in my own skin.

I slid down deeper into the bubbles already teasing the edges of my huge bathtub. On Thursdays I needed a long, hot bath.

The bursting bubbles always manage to make me smile. A sweet berry flavour filled my nose, even I as tried to avoid getting too close to those bubbles. John made a point of finding fruit smelling bubble baths on his travels. He said it reminded him of me.

An erotic fantasy in a bubble bath - coming in October!

Cover Reveal: THEIR+1 by Linzé Brandon

Tilane always knew that there was something inside of her that was different. Defying her parents’ expectations had been the first step to stop denying her own needs and desires. When she had found her place in the world, she couldn’t be happier.
She had been pestering her boss, and lover, to get more help at work. As the office manager to contracts lawyer, Mark, she was his equal by day but surrendered all control to him at night. But lately he had been distant and not paying her much personal attention at all. She tried to be understanding, but had to wonder if he wasn’t getting tired of her.
Until the day she met his new partner and was told to provide Paul with all the personal attention he required. There was no doubt in her mind that she would do anything to please Mark, until the new partner, turned out to be the man that broke her heart seven years earlier.
Thrown together on a daily basis, Tilane found herself torn between the two men, who were both acting out of character and confusing her even more. Where she and Paul managed to sort out their past, the rift between her and Mark only grew bigger.
It was only when she had to take Mark to task for behaving like a jerk, that the relationship between the three of them was pushed to the breaking point.
Would she have to take matters into her own hands, or were Mark and Paul going to man up and be the ones to see to her needs, or was her happiness about to be shattered once and for all?

Erotic Romance COMING SOON!

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Cover Reveal: Shudder by Samantha Durante

Cover Reveal: One Shade of Red by Scott Bury

Women want the perfect man, so they can change him. But when university student Damian Serr discovers a rich, beautiful woman who’s voracious about sex, he doesn’t try to improve on perfection. It’s all that he can do to hold on for the ride.

Damian has always followed the rules, always tried to please others. At 20, he still dates the girl next door because his parents like her parents. When Nick, his university roommate, asks Damian to take over his pool-cleaning business so he can take an internship in London, Damian can’t say no — especially to Nick’s first and only client, a rich widow.

But widow Alexis Rosse is far from helpless or lonely. This beautiful financial genius is busy turning the markets upside-down, and she revels in sex wherever, whenever and with whomever she wants.

Over the summer, Alexis gives Damian an intense education. Day after day, she pushes him to his sexual limits. The only question he has is: will she break them?

Cover Reveal: Vacant by Evelyn R Baldwin

• This book is set to release Feb 23rd via Mayhem Erotica.
• Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17342293-vacant
• Genre: Adult Romance / Erotica
• Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations


SYNOPSIS:
Ethan Parker gets up every day, surviving the only way he knows how—alone.
Orphaned as a child and forced into the child welfare system, he knows better than to depend on anyone but himself. He’s learned trust is a word used all too often, but rarely earned.
Ethan believes that his best chance for maintaining a simple and solitary existence is to live by a simple mantra: Don’t get involved. Keep things simple.
Take care of yourself!
When a young woman moves in next door, Ethan is forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He tries to keep his distance, but his new neighbor’s infectious smile and outlook on life leave him struggling with the decision of living the life he knows, or taking a chance on the unexpected.
As Ethan develops a relationship with his new neighbor, Emily, he realizes nothing is simple and learns that life is about more than just surviving… it’s about living. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Evelyn R. Baldwin was born in the Midwest and spent her childhood on a horse ranch. As an only child, Evelyn was often forced to entertain herself with the family’s horses as companions, and her imagination the only limitation. After moving to St. Louis to attend college, she earned a degree in Education. During her Master’s program, Evelyn discovered her fascination with behavior and psychology. Her first professional job experience was as a juvenile counselor, which led her to venture into other human sciences, eventually making a career with Behavior Analysis. While writing is a hobby for Evelyn, she often uses her experiences with human behavior to guide her characters. She’s written short stories since childhood but only recently began exercising her real writing muscles. While she does not consider herself a professional writer in any sense of the word, she continues to polish her craft and hopes for success in her writing ventures, even if they are just as a hobby.
 

Cover Reveal - PERFECT

PERFECT is my next SF romance short story that is planned for publication on Smashwords by the end of the month. This is the cover that will introduce you to Dal's story

A masters student falls in love with a famous SF author thinking that he only wants to be friends. When he wants to add benefits to the friendship, things get complicated when the transformation is inadvertently initiated. Will Andrew accept Dal or will his guilt about the past remain in the way of finding a happy future?

The story is written in the same setting as HUNGER. The two stories are completely independent.

Swords and Knives - Cover Art

I have the privilege to have a friend that owns, designs and manufactures swords and knives that grace the covers of some of my books and short stories (and hopefully more to come). This is an interview that he kindly consented to - after some persuasion on my part ;-)

Hi Dennis, thank you for letting me tap your brains on knife and sword making.

Linzé: What kinds of knives and swords do you design and manufacture? Any particular reason why?

Dennis: Knives: I like to design and manufacture folding knives and fixed blades leaning towards classical designs. I use antique knife designs of European and Mediterranean origin as inspiration for my designs. I am fascinated by history; especially ancient civilizations. Nevertheless, I also do designs conforming to more hunting knife requirements; but without compromising that old-world look. I prefer to work in Damascus steel; not only because of the ancient origins of this steel, but also because of its pure beauty.

Swords: I prefer to design and manufacture swords that can be considered historically accurate. I am especially fascinated by European, Ancient Grecian and Roman swords designs. Some of my swords are interpretations or amalgamations of various design aspects in ancient swords that fascinate me. I am for instance quite drawn to short leave-shaped blade designs. So whether it be a hoplite, gladius, broadsword or something suited to ‘Lord of the Rings’, I am sure I must have held and handled all of them in previous lives.

Linzé: I have noticed that they are particularly sharp, so they are real blades, not only for decoration?

Dennis: All my blades are made to use, whether it be for hunting, food preparation or war. There is no sense in making a blade only for decorative purposes.

Linzé: Please tell me about the skills you need to make knives and swords. Did you need special training to learn these skills?

Dennis: I didn’t and there are certainly knife makers more experienced than I am. I have been making knives and tools since an early age. I am essentially self taught.

Linzé: Would you consider it to be an art? Why?

Dennis: Any skill able to transform materials in raw form into something of beauty can be considered art. Knife and sword making therefore can be nothing else but art.

Linzé: Do you need complex or special tools for the manufacturing of the blades?

Dennis: It depends on the methods that you use. There are essentially two methods of knife making: stock removal or forging. I prefer the last mentioned. A small amount of stock removal is still required. The basic tools required are a forge to heat the steel, steel tongs to handle the hot steel billets, a large anvil, some hammers and basic forging tools, belt sander, sandpaper, files and polishing buff.

Linzé: You use Damascus steel for your blades. Why this kind of steel?

Dennis: Damascus steel is ancient. Damascus steel has character and unique beauty. Each Damascus steel knife and sword is unique; fingerprinted through a forging process that cannot ultimately control the material flow. Damascus steel exemplifies the pinnacle of ancient metallurgy. Damascus steel was rare in ancient times and remains rare today. I am enthralled by it, and so are my customers.

 

Linzé: I have noticed that the handles of the blades are also made of different materials. How do you decide which material is best for the type of blade?

Dennis: Blades: Swords able to withstand the rigours of battle must be made in carbon or Damascus steel. I use both. Stainless steel is not ideal for this application.

Handles: I prefer to use natural materials with character: bone, hardwoods, horn…..I like brass, red copper and again, Damascus steel.

Linzé: You have also made rings from this steel. Is it a difficult material to make jewellery with? How do you deal with the problem that this is not a precious metal and could corrode when in constant contact with skin and the environment? (Note from Linzé: the rings can be seen on the cover of HUNGER)

Dennis: The steel (in annealed form) can only be worked on lathe. The pattern is brought forth via etching with diluted Ferric Chloride.

Some people have oilier skins that preclude rusting from taking place. My own Damascus ring has been worn constantly for two years without rust damage. Generally a smear of Vaseline also helps. It is a lifestyle decision and I prefer the beauty of the basic beauty of Damascus over that of gold or platinum. It is not made to last forever; but neither are we.

Linzé: If someone would like to order a knife or sword, how can they can do that?

Dennis: They can contact me via my website. I don’t make any custom knives. I make what I want and sell these. My business has grown so much, that I subcontract work to other knife makers on many of my more popular designs.

Thank you, Dennis, for the information and allowing Francois Venter to take the photographs of the blades. PS: I love my Damascus ring, too!

 

Keeper of the Dragon Sword: Cover Proposals

I was given the above three options as the cover design for Keeper of the Dragon Sword. When I show this to friends, the majority prefer the design on the right, while some also like the design on the left. My personal choice is the the right hand design as well. The design is not yet final, but I think it is almost perfect as is.

The final images are still to be uploaded by the designer, before it can be used. The photograph of the sword was taken by Francois Venter. 

The sword belongs to a friend who had generously lent it to me for the cover of this book. His blades will definitely make the cover of other books in the series as well.

Editing and Rewrites

Finishing Keeper of the Dragon Sword is not going to plan. If it did, I would have been finished by now. The cover design is getting there (looking great actually) and only a few tweaks here and there, and it will be done. I wish I could say the same of the contents.

The hold-up is me of course. The editing is more than just fixing a few spelling mistakes, and language errors. In chapter 4 there is a mating scene in the original text that never quite worked. The writing is fine and the scene is fine, but it did not fit the plot, not so early in the story at least. Moving it to a later time slot won't have the same impact on the story, so I needed to change it. Change the whole thing.

The two dragons did need to meet. The sexual tension needed to be established, but an actual mating did not quite fit. Not yet.

The editing will hopefully now proceed with more enthusiasm, as that scene is now sorted and my mind can move on to the next. It might need another edit, but in terms of the plot, it works much better now. There is another scene rewrite coming, and this one will be a touch more difficult. Writing a sex scene can be a challenge. Writing, or rather rewriting, the first sexual encounter between two people after they were involved in a violent sexual ritual, now that is not going to be easy.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Before I even can get to that problem scene, I need to finish editing chapters 5 to 8 first. Progress is on the cards this week.

Bleeding for my next Book Cover

With the final editing of Keeper of the Dragon Sword still underway, I was fortunate enough to win the cover design of the book from JD Smith, a professional designer.

The picture is a photograph of my hand holding a very sharp Japanese sword. The blood is not real, just a trick the photographer, Francois Venter, employed to make it look like my hand was cut.

This is not the picture for the cover, I will keep that for a suprise for now, but it is exciting to see the words in the book come to life on the cover.

I have often read books where simple things described in the text where captured in graphic detail on the cover, and that makes the final packaging of even my books a lot of fun.