A Slight More Balanced Thought About Piracy
*takes deep breath, lets it out through nose*
So yesterday I launched a rant about a certain site that was promoting illegal downloads of Empress of Storms. Pretty much everyone who read it and left a comment on social media sympathized with me, reassured me that a lot of pirate sites exist to get credit card information and thus karma would visit those who didn’t know how to use a library, and generally tried to make me feel better.
I appreciate them all. And I should admit that part of my rage was brought on by the fact that Ramón was laid off on October 31 and we are both scrambling for work and trying to figure out how we’ll be paying the December mortgage (Christmas isn’t even an option this year. Paying bills comes first). But the karma bit stuck in my head. See, I used to have a blog waaaaay back in 2001, long before WordPress or Blogger or even LiveJournal were on the scene. Had to hand-code each entry, change the previous entry so that it linked to the new one, and create/update the archive pages. You kids don’t know how lucky you are, with your social media crosslinking and your SEO tags. Now get off my lawn.
Anyhoo, since I knew that big block of uninterrupted text tended to turn readers off I had a habit of trolling the net for appropriate images, downloading them, and using them in my blog entries. I did not buy these. Back then, you didn’t even think twice about it. You found a picture on the net and you just used it. There was no question about reimbursing the artist who took the photograph or created the artwork. If it was on the net, it was free for use, QED.
So, if I am brutally honest with myself this may be karma doing a little bitchslapping of its own for using creative material that I didn’t pay for. And now that my blood pressure has settled, I do have to admit that having 612 downloads and 41 four- and five-star reviews is actually kind of flattering. At least 612 people liked my story enough to grab it from a torrent site and read it. 41 of them liked it enough to leave good reviews.
(I still wish they’d left those reviews on Amazon, but whatever.)
Seriously, though, if you can’t afford a copy and will frigging explode if you can’t read about Matthias and Danaë, don’t go through a torrent site. Email me and I will send you a copy for free. All I ask is that you leave a honest review somewhere, ideally Amazon but I’ll take Goodreads/B&N/iBooks/whatever. That way, karma blesses us both.
A rant about ebook piracy wherein I channel my inner Lewis Black
(ATTENTION: There will be a great deal of profanity in this post. You have been warned.)
Well, fuck me. I did my usual check for reviews this morning and stumbled across a pirate site called readpremiumbooks dot com that has Empress of Storms.
612 downloads. Allow me to repeat that — SIX HUNDRED AND TWELVE DOWNLOADS. And that’s just from this one site. That’s $1,709.32 that I lost, assuming that people would have bought it through Amazon. That would’ve been enough to pay our bills this month and have cash left over for Christmas presents (and things are really goddamned tight around Castle Cameron right now).
And you wonder why I despise pirates. Not all of us are bestselling authors who can blow off piracy as a left-handed form of promotion. For some of us that income means paying the bills, or the mortgage, or picking up necessary medicine. But apparently people think I don’t need that money — hey, I’m a writer, I must be rolling in it, I won’t notice one pirated copy.
Surprise, motherfucker. I notice. So do my creditors. And I can’t even send these RPE fuckers a DMCA takedown because they advertise themselves as an “external affiliate” who cannot guarantee the presence of a particular file because they draw from third-party sites.
But losing income actually isn’t the most irritating thing about this. Want to know what’s really chapping my ‘nads? EoS has 41 fucking reviews on this site, all of which appear to be five stars. I can’t get people to leave me reviews on Amazon, but pirate sites? No problem. Goddamn it, I offered the book FOR FREE if people would just leave an honest review in return. Not one nibble did I get. But they’ll go to a pirate site that could be loading their ereaders with Cthulhu knows what sort of malware to get reading material AND LEAVE REVIEWS THERE.
And people wonder why I drink.
I’m big in the UK
So I’ve been checking my Kindle Direct Publishing dashboard, as you do when you’re a nervous self-pubbing author. While I was there I noticed an upwards swing in sales for Empress of Storms today, which is awesome because money around the holidays is always a good thing.
And then I dug into the stats a bit deeper. It seems that the bulk of the recent sales have come from amazon.co.uk. This pleases me as Ramón is in fact an Englishman and it’s nice to know that some of his countrymen (or women, as the case may be) are digging my work. So if any of you lovely British bookbuyers are reading this, thank you and please spread the word to your friends. I wouldn’t mind becoming a smash hit in the UK at all, especially if I could whomp up the funding for a book tour.
Keep all sharp objects away from my reality bubble. I’m allowed to dream.
Meanwhile, NovelRank is reporting that I have sold absolutely nothing in December and my only sales have been within the US. So bugger to you and your bizarre sales determining algorithm, NovelRank.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful…
Happy December! Of course, what that means in the Cameron manse is that I have to clean this place from top to bottom and get it decorated for the holidays (which in this house usually means Christmas, although I have been known to observe Festivus on occasion). And what with five cats and an absent-minded husband who has a tendency to leave things strewn around the house, that’s a lot of cleaning to do, plus there’s the fact that I kinda skipped a lot of cleaning during the Empress writing marathon and NaNoWriMo and Lord, you would not believe the cat hair buildup in my office…
But I digress. Holiday preparations here means putting up the library tree and the smaller one in the kitchen, draping lights over every surface that can taken them (the picture at left is a total and blatant lie — it rarely looks that nice, I can assure you) and switching out the seasonal garland over the door for a poinsettia chain. My sister goes all out at her place — it looks like Santa Claus had sex with Martha Stewart. So what are some of the holiday things you want to do this month? I’m always open to suggestions!
Oh, and since I did win this, I probably should put it up. Go me! Now I just have to get it edited and off to the agent, then go back to work on Cross Current, write the Christmas bear shifter story that my bitch of a Muse decided to drop on me yesterday, get a few other projects done and out to their patiently waiting owners, and start putting together swag for Wild Wicked Weekend and RT next year. Whee!
Empress of Storms 25% off at ARe! @allromance #cybermonday #sale
I’m still running that 25% off sale on Empress of Storms at All Romance eBooks, so if you haven’t picked up a copy yet you should go and do it now! For everyone who has already purchased a copy, thank you SO much. Your interest in my first foray into high fantasy erotic romance is truly appreciated.
Now that the holidays are winding down, however, could I ask you a huge favor? I really, really, REALLY need reviews for the book, ideally on Amazon but I won’t say no to Goodreads, B&N, or any other online retailers. I’ve reached the point where my social media self-promo is getting a little redundant and I don’t want to annoy people with repeated ads. I’ve purchased advertising on various sites, but right now reviews are desperately needed to promote the book, bump it up in Amazon rankings and pull in new sales.
Also, as I’ve mentioned before if you’re stony broke and just can’t afford an ebook right now, contact me with your preferred ebook format and I’ll send you a copy. All I ask is that you leave an honest review for me — and yeah, if you read it and absolutely hate it, then go ahead and say that. I know Empress isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, and I’d rather have someone saying, “Yeah, sorry, this bites” than someone blowing smoke up my ass.
Okay, back to work!
Black Friday? I got your sale right here!
Not only is All Romance eBooks running a 25% off sale on Evernight titles, I’m also running a 25% off sale on Empress of Storms because I’m a giver. So if you want to load that new ereader up with some awesome titles, go forth and splurge!
Wicked Wednesday Reads: Tempered By Her
Whee, it’s Wednesday! Never fear, for today I’m here with Lynn Burke and the fourth in her sizzling Risso Family novels, Tempered By Her, now available from Evernight Publishing and other online retailers of fine erotic romance.
But wait, there’s more! Lynn is also sponsoring a giveaway of all four Risso Family novellas in ebook form and a $10 Amazon GC! To enter and get a chance to win, use the Rafflecopter link below:
Rafflecopter link:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c0e4595c81/?
For more information on the Risso Family, click on the image below.
Zane Risso, a Dominant unyielding in his desires, is haunted by the one woman he wants and can’t have, vanilla goodie-two-shoes Raquel Hawkins. He knows the only way to flush her from his system is to seduce her and move on, because surrendering the kink club addiction he enjoys is not a demand he’ll accept. From any woman.
Raquel Hawkins has never known temptation like the blue-eyed Italian god who seems fond of whispering naughty things in her ear during office hours. He’s bad news—sin personified—and although she continues to deny him, her body’s responses to his sensual words just might buy her a one-way ticket to hell.
From their first kiss, Zane’s determination to overcome her Pollyanna principles threatens his lifestyle. For Raquel, giving into temptation would doubtless leave her heart a shredded mess—and unlock sordid secrets best left in the dark.
Story Excerpt
I found Raquel kneeling in the center of my bed, hands on her lap, head bowed, her high heels placed side by side on the floor at the bed’s foot. She hadn’t obeyed my first command, but fuck me, I didn’t give a shit.
I’d planned on taking her over my knee and reddening every inch of her ass and thighs, but seeing her in such a submissive pose in the middle of my bed had me drooling for a taste. “Take off your blouse.”
She started at my voice, but lifted shaking hands to do as told. With each button slipped free, my arousal returned, and the blue silk sliding off her bare shoulders and revealing a see-through white lace bra and puckered rosy nipples brought a groan to my lips.
“Lay back.” I strode forward as she straightened her legs and complied, the sounds of her quickened breaths heating my blood.
Fuckin’ Raquel Hawkins, sweet innocent, was on my bed, the darkness beneath her knee-length skirt sending my saliva glands into hyper-drive. I slipped leather ties around her wrists and tied her tight to my headboard. She chewed on her lower lip, chest rising and falling enough to make me think she might call out her safe word, but she kept silent.
I kicked off my shoes and climbed onto the bed, pushing up her pencil skirt with agonizing slowness over nylon-clad legs while settling on my haunches between them.
Thigh highs. I swallowed. Fuckin’ A.
A sweep of my thumbs from inner to outer thighs, and she lifted her ass, allowing me to push the skirt to her waist. So much for my assumption about granny panties. White lace matching her bra and a scrap of silk hid her virgin curls from me. I leaned down, breathing in the sweet, musky scent of her arousal. “I’m going to taste you, Raquel.”
She gasped, her hands flexing in their restraints.
“You’re not allowed to come until I tell you to.”
“W-what?”
I reached up and pinched her nipple, earning another gasp, a groan of pleasure on its heels as she writhed on the bed. “The proper response would be, yes, Sir.”
She licked her lips again and whispered, “Yes, Sir.”
“Yes, Sir, what?”
“I won’t come until you tell me to.”
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Goodreads
About Lynn Burke
Lynn Burke is a full time mother, voracious gardener, and scribbler of spicy romance stories. A country bumpkin turned Bay Stater, she enjoys her chowdah and Dunkin Donuts when not trying to escape the reality of city life.
Her current work, the Risso Familly Novellas, revolves around four siblings from Boston’s North End.
Want a free copy of Empress of Storms? #ebooks #kindle #romance #fantasy
Now that I’m back from my vacation and am tanned, rested, and ready, it is time to get serious about reviews for Empress of Storms. If you bought a copy, I adore you to pieces and ask you to pretty please leave a review somewhere — Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iBooks, whatever. It’s all good.
If you can’t buy a copy, man, I totally understand. Times are tight, the holidays are coming up, and your money needs to go elsewhere. So here’s the deal — email me at nicolacameronwrites.com and tell me what your preferred ebook format is, and I will send you a copy of Empress of Storms.
In return, I ask that you leave a review for me at one of the places listed above. If you’re a blogger, I ask that you post the review on your site. Empress is getting some really good reviews, but I need more to promote the book. The more copies I sell, the more likely I am to write a sequel. Or heck, start a new series. There’s always room for a new series, right?
(I can hear my Muse cackling into her mojito in the background.)
So if you’re willing to get a free ebook in exchange for reviews, let me know. And as Bartles and Jaymes were wont to say, I thank you for your support.
Marvelous Monday Reads: Insurmountable
Happy Monday, folks! Today I have Allyson Young on to talk about her new book Insurmountable, now available from Evernight Publishing and other online retailers of erotic romance. Take it away, Allyson!
Thank you for having me today and sharing my new release with your readers! Insurmountable, an erotic suspense, releases November 23, 2015 from Evernight Publishing.
Kidnapped because of her father’s wrongdoings, Bianca Fontaine is interrogated for any hint of his whereabouts by a man she has no reason to be drawn to. Who falls for their kidnapper? Especially an arrogant, hard man who is bound by duty—with those intriguing soft and caring qualities he hates to show. She’s learned the truth about her mother’s disappearance and her reality is suspect, except for the one constant—Ellis Valiant.
Ellis Valiant is indeed a hard man, but he’s already destroyed Bianca’s world and could make it worse if he doesn’t send her away. But when he finds her exploring her submissive side in the sex club fronting for his organization, his noble efforts fall by the wayside and he steps up as her Dom. Except Ellis harbors a secret, an insurmountable one, and Bianca will surely hate him when it comes to light.
Story Excerpt
Her head felt packed with puffed cotton and there was a definite thump in her temples. Bianca tried to swallow and the dryness made her grimace. She managed to get her right hand to obey her and cautiously reached to touch her head. It was present and accounted for, and the headache ratcheted up to a drumroll. Lord, she felt horrible and thought she might be sick. As she struggled to rise up on one elbow, the pinch of soreness made her wince, and a few things came back in one breath stealing surge.
“Here.” Ellis’s voice intruded and he leaned in to where she could see him through barely cracked eyelids. He had a glass of water in his hand and her body cried out for the moisture. Then she wondered what else was in it and held back, closing her mouth tightly.
“It’s only water.” He took a sip and offered it again, but she wasn’t touching anything anyone here offered. Ellis stared impassively.
With a start, she remembered the restraints, and realized she was no longer held in place. With nothing to prevent it, she rolled sluggishly away from him, and slipped off the bed, nearly falling, but somehow braced her weight against the mattress. She watched him warily, and aside from the straight line his mouth drew, he remained impassive.
Setting the glass down, he motioned to it and some towels on the nightstand. “I thought you’d want to wipe your face and quench your thirst when you … woke.”
Ah, more euphemisms. She felt her upper lip lift in a sneer and hoped Ellis marked it. Thoughts whirled through her head and she couldn’t grab onto one of them. She then judged the distance to the bathroom and wondered if her wobbly legs would get her there before Ellis intercepted her.
As if reading her mind, he stood. “You’ll be on your ass and I’m not letting you hurt yourself.”
A burble of incongruous laughter erupted from her belly and she tasted bile as she backed away. “You’re such a joke.”
Ellis was on her, that something unfamiliar now flashing across his face, and he scooped her up, déjà vu, only hustled her straight to the toilet. On her knees, Bianca retched, but miraculously everything settled without humiliating her further, and she dragged herself up with Ellis’s help. The chill of the porcelain bowl helped her focus.
“Stubborn wench.”
Flipping the lid down, he sat her on it with a thump, telling her to lean back. He grabbed a towel and wet one end of it. She accepted it and covered her face, willing him to leave. How had she ever thought to best this man at anything? Or shame him, for that matter, in appealing to his conscience. He was made of granite, now any need for the soft sell was over. It might be the aftereffects of the truth drugs, but she once again felt like a child. She knew he was still standing there. She could feel him and smell him, that scent she was beginning to associate with Ellis, like she was his dog or something. A bizarre vision of her in a collar, panting at his feet,
“You need a shower.”
Well, thank you, Captain Obvious. She longed to say that out loud but it might unlock the tenuous hold she had on all the things yearning to spill out—and peel the flesh from Ellis’s very bones. Like that would ever happen. So she bit her tongue, because she’d already called him a joke. Enough said.
“Save me from pretentious twits.” She heard him murmur it, as though he’d gritted his teeth.
A startled yelp escaped as Ellis took two strides and ripped her shirt open. Buttons popped free and pinged off the sparkling surfaces. One ricocheted off her forehead and she blinked. So not like the romance books. Gah, what was in those drugs?
“Get your jeans off unless you want me to do it.”
Scrabbling to pull the sides of her shirt together over her chest, she watched as he worked the taps, opening them wide and adjusting the spray of the shower until he appeared satisfied. The way his brows drew together when he turned to see her still fully dressed made her shiver. She loosened her grip on her shirt and fumbled with the snap on her jeans. It refused to give and her heart leapt into her throat when Ellis, with an impatient grunt, pushed her hands aside and freed it without any problem, tugging the zipper down.
“Up.”
She giggled this time, unable to contain the sound, and felt her eyes go wide at the incongruous sound. Sit. Stay. Down. Good doggie. She managed to stand, once again with help, and Ellis dragged her jeans to her ankles.
“You’re still impaired.”
Thank you, Mr. Observant. Maybe she said that out loud, because he stiffened. But when she dared a look, he was staring at her … panties. His head almost immediately tilted up and he met her gaze. She heard him mutter something about stupidity, and tried to muster up some indignation, but her head throbbed harder and she felt terrible.
Thinking he was trying to hug her, she put her hands between them to push him back, and felt him snap open her bra. She pressed her hands back against the cups and protested. “Don’t.”
“So you’ll talk if your clothes come off. Well, don’t worry about it, sweetheart. There’s nothing left for you to say.” Smirking, Ellis tugged her toward the shower and pushed her inside. “Do you need help?”
“No.” Killing was too good for him. He needed to suffer, and she hoped she found an opportunity to inflict it on him.
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Barnes and Noble
Google Play
Kobo
Smashwords
About Allyson Young
Allyson Young lives in cottage country in Manitoba, Canada with her husband and numerous pets. She worked in the human services all across Canada and has seen the best and worst of what people bring to the table. Allyson has written for years, mostly short stories and poetry, published in small newspapers and the like, although her work appeared in her high school yearbooks too! After reading an erotic romance, quite by accident, she decided to try her hand at penning erotica.
Allyson will write until whatever she has inside her is satisfied- when all the heroes man up and all the heroines get what they deserve. Love isn’t always sweet, and Allyson favours the darker side of romance.
Fabulous Friday Reads: Double Down
TGIF! Let’s kick off the weekend with N.J. Young’s new novel Double Down (Ozark Magic), now available from Evernight Publishing and other purveyors of fine erotic romance. Take it away, N.J.!
Thank you for having me on your blog today! I appreciate the opportunity to introduce myself to your readers and talk about my new release, Double Down! Double Down is the first title in my Ozark Magic series. In the first book, you will meet many of the interesting characters that live in the lake resort town of Magic, Missouri. Magic is full of love, adventure, super hot guys, and the occasional murder…
Izzy Craig might live in a town called Magic, but her life is anything but. After nursing her beloved grandfather, he has passed away, leaving her to manage a busy lake resort and an unrequited crush on the town’s sheriff, Graham Nolan. Things start to look up when Graham’s estranged brother Chris comes to town. If she can’t have one handsome Nolan man, maybe his twin will do.
Graham’s feelings for Izzy have always been complicated . . . and intense. When he realizes that his brother has encroached on his territory, he’s not sure if he can deal. They’ve tried sharing a woman before, and that ended in heartache for everyone. But when Izzy’s sketchy uncle enters the picture, Graham’s cop senses go on high alert. He may very well have to trust his brother, Izzy, and himself, if he wants to keep the woman he loves safe.
Story Excerpt
Her soft lips pressed against his mouth, causing Graham’s eyes to widen in surprise. He’d sensed her unease, so her sudden aggressiveness took him aback for a moment. She wanted them? Was that what she was saying with this kiss?
Stepping forward, Izzy pressed her body against his and he groaned at the feel of her firm breasts pressed against his chest. When her tongue hesitantly probed through his parted lips, he would have lost control if it weren’t for Chris standing behind her dramatically clearing his throat.
Grasping her shoulders, it took every ounce of strength in Graham to push Izzy away and plant her back on her feet. Her lips were slightly swollen, and her blue eyes had darkened. Before he could catch his breath to speak, a stunned look crossed her pretty face.
“I – I’m sorry. You said this wasn’t the right time. Obviously you don’t want to – I – I shouldn’t have. . .” She trailed off, trying to step away, but both of them reached for her at the same time. Dammit, he hadn’t meant to upset her.
Looking to his brother for help, Graham was relieved when Chris leaned into Izzy without hesitation, easing her worry.
“You have to tell us, baby,” Chris murmured against her ear. “Trust me, we want nothing more than to kiss your pretty lips until your head swims, but you have to tell us what you want first.”
“I don’t want to guess wrong,” Graham agreed, reaching for her hand and entwining his fingers with hers. “It would be easy for us to just take you, toss you on the bed, make you come over and over.” He stepped closer to her as her eyes started to glaze at that statement. “And maybe that’s what you want. Us taking you without you having to actually make the decision.” He brushed her swollen lips with the pad of his finger. “But it doesn’t work that way, sweetheart. You have to tell us what you want.”
“But – but – I thought you liked to dominate.” Damn, that low, breathy voice did things to him.
He had to bite back a groan. The thought of dominating Izzy, tying her up, spanking that pretty round ass caused him to harden to the point of pain. “Baby, I need to know that you want us – together – as much as we want you. We need your consent, Iz. And once you do consent, you should know that we won’t go easy on you.”
Her jaw dropped open a bit as her eyes dilated, and Graham grinned as she tried to figure out what he meant. Behind her, Chris gave him a sly smile.
“I – I —” she stammered, and then bit her lip and took a shaky breath.
“Deep breath, sweetheart,” Chris crooned, his lips finding her ear again. Graham shot him a warning look. If he didn’t quit kissing her, she wasn’t going to be able to form a thought, much less words.
“I – I want you.” Her breathy voice was barely audible, and he stepped close enough to press himself against her, sandwiching her in between himself and Chris.
Taking another long shaky breath, she tried again. “I want both of you – to – to make love to me.” The way her milky skin flushed led Graham to believe that she’d never actually said that to a man before, never asked for what she wanted.
Her words empowered him. She wanted them. She was theirs. He leaned forward to take her lips, cupping her face in his large hands so he could tilt her head how he wanted. His tongue traced the line of her lips until they parted, allowing him access. He swallowed her light whimper as his tongue delved deeper. And she kissed him back. Oh how she kissed him back. When her hands clutched at his arms, he eased back, gently nipping her bottom lip.
“Chris,” Graham spoke to his brother without looking away from Izzy. “Undress her. I want her naked.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and she jerked her head back to look at Chris who smiled wickedly. “With pleasure.”
As Graham backed up to allow his brother room, Chris walked around to stand in front of Izzy. He jokingly rolled his eyes at Graham. “He can be a little bossy,” he said to her with a wink.
Graham watched as his brother ran his hands lightly down her arms, before lifting her arms over her head. He quickly stripped off her black blouse before tugging off the khaki pants she wore.
When Chris stepped back, he darted a glance at his twin, and Graham could see that his eyes were as molten as he felt inside.
Izzy stood before both of them in only her black bra and panties, looking from one man to the other as their steel gazes swept up and down her body, ravenously consuming every inch of her. When a shiver went through her, Graham reached out to envelop her in his arms. “Are we making you nervous, sweetheart?”
She shook her head, a little smile playing at her mouth.
Chris reached out, needing to touch her, and Graham passed her off to his brother. “Are you sure? I know we can be a little overwhelming.”
“I’m sure,” she said, smiling at their concern. “Very sure. I need you. Both of you. I want you both so much, so badly. I just . . .” She stumbled. “I um —”
“What, baby? What’s wrong?” Graham asked. When her gaze slid away, he lifted her chin up. “Look at me, Iz. What’s wrong? You need to be honest with us or I will smack that pretty ass right now.”
The brief flaring of her eyes told Graham she would enjoy a spanking, his hand pounding her ass. Now, there was some fun they could have later.
Where to Buy
Evernight
AllRomance eBooks
Bookstrand
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
Amazon Australia
About N.J. Young
N.J. Young has been a writer since she was old enough to hold a pencil. After realizing the trials of corporate America weren’t for her, she decided to leave that world behind and pursue her true dream of writing.
Instead of spending her days writing sexy texts to her husband and engaging in “that’s what she said” jokes, she took that energy and poured it into her books. Sprinkle in a couple of hot guys, a little suspense, and a few sexual fantasies, and her first book was born. She now spends her days drinking coffee at her computer, while diving into the adventures of the imaginary friends who live in her novels.
N.J. Young was born and raised in the Midwest, and currently resides in the Kansas City area with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. When she’s not writing, she enjoys horror movies, live music, cooking, and telling her kids why they can’t read mommy’s books.
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Nicola Cameron Writes 