Cover Reveal: Roman’s Redemption by Kimber S. Dawn

I once told you “Every sin I commit, every life I end, every soul I purchase, I do so to watch in gratifying amusement as it fades out. I’ve taken these lives with whole and complete intentions of watching my sins and transgressions affect and alter the life of others.”

I’m afraid those words no longer hold even a thread of truth.

The man you once knew is now nothing more than a ghost.

The blood staining my hands is no longer a consequence of my amusement.

I have become pure evil. The blood you see is the result of my visceral need to hinder the torment and desolation left in my wife’s wake.

If you are foolish enough to believe all men are worthy of redemption, even those of us born evil, take my hand and allow me to show you what I believe about Redemption.

For this is, after all Roman’s Redemption.

Available now
Amazon US 

About the Author

Kimber S Dawn

I was born and raised in Louisiana… and No, I do NOT live in a bayou, I actually see the beaches on the gulf coast more than I see a bayou, lol. I started writing poems and short stories very early in my life. You know, for the Michael’s and Leo’s and Nick’s in my life. I’ve been a book hoarder since I was eleven years old, but then a couple years ago something wonderful happened! The 50 Shades of Grey craze brought to life my inner smut whore and I commenced to read anything and everything smut affiliated. When reading wasn’t enough anymore and I noticed that so many of the authors of my favorite indie authors and their books weren’t getting the exposure their work deserved, I turned it into a mission, starting my own blog, buying their books and reading them one by one. I then wrote my reviews for my blog and didn’t hold back in writing them (Hell yeah those motherfuckers are profanity laden). I’ve never done a single thing in my life halfway. I always go all in. After the success of my Blog, and the insistence of one of my bestest friends, my sister from another mister, Trina Taylor of Bad & Dirty Books, I was ready to finally take the plunge and see if I could write a book that was worth a damn. I’m a Southern girl to my core, a self-proclaimed smut whore, and I keep hearing that I’m an author, but honestly… I don’t believe the rumors, lol. I don’t feel like a kickass bitch spittin’ out lyrics, or stories, like a motherfuckin’ rockstar.
Tattooed across my ribs are the words I have always lived by: ‘Aut viam inveniam aut faciam tibi.’ Latin for: If I cannot find a way, I will make my own.

Stalker Links:
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Cover Reveal: The Truth by Katrina Alba

COMING March 9th!

The Truth — Synopsis

A midnight kiss with a stranger at a New Year’s Eve party started the whirlwind romance.
Five years later, Alyssa and Grant Kennedy have the perfect marriage. Alyssa is a doctor while Grant is an accountant for his family’s business. They live in a gorgeous mini-mansion with a white picket fence and are about to start a family.
Things couldn’t be better, could they?

Unfortunately, things aren’t always what they seem.
We live in a world filled with lies.
Some lies are to make people feel good.
Some lies are to make ourselves look better.
Some lies are unforgivable and some lies get people killed.
What is the biggest lie you’ve ever told?

Stalker Links:
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Kane’s Favorite Things Week of 1/12/15

Kicking off the New Year with a new weekly post: Kane’s Favorite Things.

I scour the internet, looking for my favorite things and bring them all to you right here. We will start with six categories, but if you want to see more, or if you have something you want me to check out for an existing category, just send me a message 🙂

Music:
This one goes to my girl Meghan Trainor! Sony Music released her debut studio album, Title, on January 9. That Bass Tour starts in February and I can’t wait to see her in concert!

Movies:
Hands down, this one goes to American Sniper. This movie is the single most important MUST SEE for 2015. Chris Kyle is the embodiment of a true American hero. Not a dry eye in the theater.

Books:
Rescue Me by Kathy Coopmans hit eStore shelves today. I power read it and recommend you do too. It’s raw and gripping. Definitely a must-read. I will be sharing my full review on Wicked Women Book Blog later this week.

Funny:
Okay, this one’s probably going to get me in some trouble, but it was too funny to pass up. See, I’m from the Great State of Texas, but I have no love for The Cowboys. I do love the Packers though, and last night’s game was pretty awesome…for The Packers 😉 Anyway, I know technically it wasn’t Romo’s fault this time, but you can usually trace every goof back to him, so I gotta say this meme wins the internet today 🙂

Fashion:
“Girl Bye” is my must have shirt of the year! I’ve been hooked on The Real Housewives of Atlanta from day one, and Nene is my absolute favorite. At least once a day, you will hear me say something Nene says and it’s usually this or “The Thirst is Real.” Her “Nene’ism” shop is here, but she also has a clothing line out with HSN that has some gorgeous, and classy, pieces in it. I’ve already ordered the faux leather leggings and the blanket cardigan in ivory.

Adorable:
How can anyone NOT find this video of a wiener dog learning a new trick adorable?? Come on! It’s a wiener puppy! And he’s ringing a bell!!!!

Freebie and a Sale!!! Christmas with Mason and Amy

You asked for it, and now you’ve got it! Mended Dreams is not only live, but it’s totally FREE for the next three days! It’s not a stand alone though, so for the next three days, the book that started it all is on sale for only $1.99! Grab your copies now! And spread the word!

Asa is up to his old tricks again, and David is in on the shenanigans too!! Grab Mended Dreams and find out how Mason and Amy celebrate their first holiday season together!

Buy Links
Shattered Dreams
Mended Dreams

Penned Con 2014 Wrap Up

It was my very first signing as an author, and more fun than I could have imagined!!! So many great things happened during this event, I could fill PAGES and still not be able to tell you everything.

Before I share my wrap up, there are a few people I want to acknowledge.

Dawn Pendleton offered me half of her table before she’d even read a single word of my dusty manuscript. The amount of faith this amazing woman had in me is STILL humbling and inspiring. When she told me she wasn’t going to be able to make it, my heart broke a little bit. The thing I looked forward to most was finally being able to give her a hug (and a copy of the book that FINALLY got published!) I kept the little sign with our names on it. It’s been tacked to my inspiration board, where it will stay forever and always.

Faith Goddard is the cover model for Shattered Dreams. Without her, my book couldn’t have been “mine.” We spent hours out in hot, grass hopper infested fields, twisting, turning, falling and laughing until we finally stumbled on that perfect shot. She has been one of my dearest and most cherished friends. Seeing her there, with the book we worked so hard to finish, will be a memory I carry with me always.

Susan Garwood. My Momma Bear. Shattered Dreams COULD NOT have happened without this amazing woman. She took a BIG CHANCE on me. She read my book when it was just scraps of paper. She suffered through my hissy fits and temper tantrums, hours of writes and rewrites, and she held my hand when I finally took the leap. She has been my biggest fan from the very start and there will never be a word I pen that she hasn’t guided.

The Man and The Hooligans ❤ None of anything would have been possible without their love and support. Penned Con was the very first time in 13 years I went ANYWHERE without them. It was hard at first. I wanted them there. But coming home in the middle of the night, seeing them all standing outside waiting for me… I will keep that memory in my heart forever.

And finally, Jennifer. A dear and true friend who cheered me on from the very start! Her’s were the first pair of eyes to see the actual, PRINTED novel in live and living color! She may never know how much her support means to me.

And now, for the Wrap Up! I made a video with as many pictures as I could manage. I was such a nervous wreck, most times I forgot how to spell my own name! I didn’t get a whole lot of pictures because I was just too shy to ask. Tara Sivec PEOPLE!! I was an author at signing WITH Tara Sivec!! And Jasinda Wilder. And Abby Glines. AND AMALIE SILVER!!! OMG! The list goes on! I was in a room full of amazingly talented authors, and I could barely manage to make eye contact I was so nervous!

So, here is my video 🙂 I hope you enjoy! Thank you Rick and Amy Miles, Red Coat PR, and all the amazing people that put this event together! You guys ROCK!!!

Playing Catch Up Before NaNoWriMo

It’s one of my favorite times of year. NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. For the writer, it’s pretty much the equivalent of March Madness. So much energy and excitement, a group of people with a common interest band together to support and encourage each other… It just doesn’t get much better than that.

So, what is NaNoWriMo? 
“National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel.”

Why am I excited???? 
The enthusiasm! The support! The camaraderie! Attending write-ins and making new friends. Learning new approaches, polishing old ones, the list goes on. But one of the things I love most about NaNoWriMo is the accountability. Over 300,000 people became novelists last November. My NaNo Buddies (and there were a lot of them!!) kept me on time and on target throughout the month. Every night, we’d report our word counts to each other, and when one (or more) of us fell short, we chatted into the wee hours of the morning trying to figure out why. Sometimes it was a plot mix up, other times it was just good old fashion writer’s block.There were even a few occasions early in the month that some of us just “didn’t feel like writing.” But having that accountability, knowing that we were going to be reporting in each night, gave us all that little extra boost we needed to commit the time to writing.

My Goals this NaNoWriMo:
I am allllmmmooossst finished with Shattered Lies, so publishing that is first on my NaNoWriMo 2014 list. I have also had a Para series jumping around in my head for quite some time now. There are two or three legal pads stashed away somewhere with notes and quotes on it for that. The plan is to have the entire series plotted out and the rough draft for the first installment finished by November 30th.

We are just a few days away from kick off and I have a laundry list of things to finish before than. Momma Bear says my “social media presence needs some work.” That is just her fancy way of saying “Get Your Butt in Gear!” I haven’t posted a review in a good long while. My GoodReads account looks like I’ve never read a book and my Twitter account looks like I wouldn’t know a Tweet if it jumped up and bit me on the butt. (That last part is actually true. I have NO idea what a Tweet is or how to do it. But I’m gonna learn!!!) And please! Let’s not get Momma Bear started on my Facebook page…. I’m pretty sure she’s going to start spanking me soon. So, for the next few days, I am going to catch up on all of my reviews, update the GoodReads page and figure out how to Tweet. My Penned Con 2014 wrap up post is loooong overdue, so I’ll be getting that posted too. Also, keep an eye out for the Shattered Dreams book trailer which will be out in just a few days. And because so many asked for it, Mason and Amy ARE getting a second book that will be out on December 1st. It’s a Christmas Novella that is sitting in my editor’s hands as we speak. Around 20k words with a gorgeous cover I can’t wait to share. We’ll also be doing a cover reveal tour for Shattered Lies (also a gorgeous cover!!!) so keep an eye out for the sign up link.

Interested in Participating in NaNoWriMo 2014? Here are some helpful links to get you started:

NaNoWriMo.Org
NaNoPrep
Word Count Helpers

And make sure to add me as your NaNo Buddy by clicking HERE.

And finally….a song 🙂

One of my favorites ❤

P.S. We will be working on the website and blog as well, so make sure you check them both to see all the neat new stuff going up 🙂

Happy Birthday to Me…The other Me

Four years ago today, D.L. Kane was born. Sort of.

I use my real name for my professional career. Newspapers, magazines, web articles… All of that is written under the name on my driver’s license. But all of those pieces are news reports or fact based opinion articles. They adhere to strict formatting and reference guidelines. A novel is in a world all it’s own, and when I decided to write mine a hundred million years ago (ok, its more like five, it just feels longer) I realized that my creativity and the flow of my story was being stunted. I was trying to apply the standards drilled into my head by editors at the paper, Demand and Yahoo to a fiction romance. That doesn’t really work. You can’t exactly “reference” a moment the Hero became a total douche canoe. In fact, you can’t even use the words “douche canoe” in a sentence. So I decided I needed to have an alter ego. A classy, carefree chick with a spirit as wild as the wind. Someone who didn’t have rules or boundaries. Someone who could do whatever the hell she wanted without having to answer for it. Oh, and she had to be Bettie Page hot with perfect boobs and great butt 😉

Once I had a mental image of my alter ego, she needed a name. I thought at first to use a play on the German variation of my real name, but then I looked down into my living room. The four people that matter most to me in the world were curled up on the couch watching Napoleon Dynamite. And that’s when it hit. So I started an online search, just to make sure the name I chose was available. I hit a road block when I tried to set up an email account with it, and ended up adding an extra I. Which was fine at the time, but it would change again later.

On July 7, 2010, I hit “Send” on my first completed manuscript. An hour later, Danie Kaine walked out of the print shop with a bound manuscript. I officially became a romance fiction author!! The pride I was feeling that day is hard to describe. I had already accomplished so much with my writing career that this was like frosting on the cake. Really yummy, homemade cream cheese frosting with just a touch of Malibu (…for flavor…) I mean, I wrote a book!!! A whole book!!! For me!!! That last part sounds kind of silly right? But here’s the thing- I spend 90% of my time writing stuff for other people. We call them “assignments” and they do pay the bills, but there are days I really don’t feel like explaining Kansas Family Code to laymen, or describing in full, referenced detail how to install a double barrel carburetor to somebody who is probably going to hire a mechanic anyway. And as much as I love the whales, there are only so many articles one can write encouraging you to save them.

So yeah! Writing a book that was all mine was AWESOME!!

And some day, I’ll have a really good explanation for why said book STILL isn’t published. Someday… 😉

So anyhow, I know it’s not Thursday, but here’s my throw back 🙂 The Copyright page from the original manuscript of The Broken Road.

I’ve had the good fortune to make many friends in the author community who have been excellent mentors and support. Through their advice and guidance, I decided to not only change my pen name to D.L. Kane (the name I originally chose) but the title of my book and the series. Shattered Dreams replaces The Broken Road as the title for my first book and I am happy to say it will be out this month 🙂

And because I love music…. The song that inspired the book 🙂

 

Teaser Tuesday!!! And Boy is this a Doozy!!!!

 

I love…no that’s not a strong enough word.

I ADORE!!! I WORSHIP!!! Adriana Noir. The SKALS series has been THE BEST series I have EVER read. If ever there was a series worthy of The New York Times Bestsellers List AND Hollywood, This. Is. It.

Adri recently celebrated a birthday. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE!!!!! :* As a gift to her, I decided to make a teaser video that quickly morphed into a book trailer that some have even affectionately referred to as “A Book Movie”.

Watch this video then go grab the books!!! And be prepared for the world’s biggest book hangover! In fact, if you haven’t read the entire series, leave a comment on the blog. I will randomly draw a winner to receive a copy of one of the books from the series on Friday.

Buy Links:

Sinister Kisses
Bound by Vengeance
Edge of Obsession

Review and Interview: A Woman Gone Mad by Kimber Dawn

***Warning: This is not a shy and tender fairy-tale love story. It’s a raw, tragic, and gritty story inspired by true events. This book is not for the faint of heart, it contains graphic language, sex, violence, and drug use. MATURE Audiences Only. Not intended for young adult readers.***

*Rubs hands together* YES PLEASE!!! I love books with bold, glaring disclaimers. It lets me know my cozy little fiction bubble is about to get popped. A Woman Gone Mad didn’t just pop it. No. Kimber Dawn loaded that thing up with C4 and blew it to a new dimension.

Before I share my review, I want to share a little story about how I came to find A Woman Gone Mad, and the amazing author behind it.

I was scrolling through Facebook one day and came across a post that three of my favorite author friends commented on. Naturally, if it gets my girls talking, I want to know about it. So I read it, and decided- I like this chick. I’m going to message her. Within just a few short minutes, two things became very clear to me- 1. This chick is legit and 2. She is absolutely passionate about her work. Now in my mind, those two ingredients make for one very potent literary cocktail. I mean, she hadn’t even hit “publish” yet, and the girl already had haters! This book was going to be a good one and I couldn’t wait to get my hot little hands on it.

Synopsis

Forget everything you know about fairytales. There comes a point in a woman’s life when she realizes not everyone gets a happy ending.
And no one knows this better than Lillian Shaw.
The safety of a small southern upbringing and a happy normal family couldn’t keep life from chipping away at her.
And nothing leaves its mark like the bite of a broken heart.
Blow after blow, Lillian tries to stay optimistic, but when faced with a choice that could destroy her future, she gives in to the temptation.
When your first true love comes crashing into your happily ever after, you’re supposed to walk away. Not fall back in love.
But saying no to Leo was something Lillian could never do…
Once lines are crossed is there any going back?
Or is the risk that Lillian Shaw takes going to leave her broken again…
And this time be enough to make her A Woman Gone Mad?

Review

A Woman Gone Mad is a beautiful tragedy. It reached out from the pages and pulled me right in to the story. I laughed. I hollered (think “Are you effing kidding me?!?!” “What the hell?!?!?” “Seriously”). I cried.

No, that’s not right. That implies I shed a few tears. What I really did was ugly bawl…mascara running down, tissues all over the place, an empty bottle of wine and two boxes of chocolate…

I wanted to throw my Kindle a few times. I wanted to grab Lil and shake her. I wanted to take a long good look in the mirror and analyze myself. The emotions in this book were so raw that, at times I felt like I’d been dragged through a pit of broken glass then dipped in a vat of salt water.

The tragedy of choice, experience and consequence is captured beautifully. You grieve, you fear, you rejoice. And you hope.

A Woman Gone Mad gave me pause. It showed me that no matter how many different, ugly things life throws at me, there is always another option. There is always another way. There will always be someone somewhere rooting for me. Even if I can’t see them.

Interview

Kimber S. Dawn

“I’ve never done a single thing in my life half way, I always go all in.”

The Book
Where did the inspiration for AWGM come from?
“From a combination of things. The main inspiration came from my own life’s feats and failures. It also came from the realization that being a grown up fucking sucks. I’d waited my whole life to grow up and it wasn’t any where near what I’d always imagined. I wanted to go back, take back some of the things I’d done. Mainly the chance to keep the love of my life… that I just let slip through my hands, not knowing that it was my last chance. Every day I look around at my life and still wonder how in the fuck I got to where I’m at, however it’s a double-edged sword… I wouldn’t have the accomplishments or blessings that I have in my life if it would have turned out any other way.”

At what point did you realize “I have GOT to write this story!”
“The premises of the story had been crawling around in my head for over ten years. I am a very impatient person, when I make a decision I go all in, I want it done now and I want it done my way. ‘Aut viam inveniam aut faciam tibi’ meaning If I cannot find a way, I will make my own. In October I decided to write AWGM, four weeks later I hit publish on Amazon ;)”

If AWGM was a song, what would it be?
“Say Something by A Great Big World”

You deal with a lot of very deep issues in AWGM. What would you say to readers who can relate in some way to Lil?
“Honestly? Thanks for relatin’ and not hatin’, lol.
~No, seriously anyone that can relate to Lil, anyone that loved, hated, wanted to hold, or wanted to bitch slap Lil I want you to know that I fucking love you, and you’re the ONLY reason I wrote AWGM.”

The Woman
Who are your literary inspirations?
• Francette Phal
• J.B. Salsbury
• Madeline Sheehan
• C.M. Stunich
• And most recently… M.S. Willis

Are you a plotter or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
“I just write what the voices in my head tell me to write.”

Where do you draw inspiration from for your characters and novels?
“The main characters are from my life, the secondary characters honestly just walk inside my head while I’m typing.”

Free time? Whatcha doin’?
“Lmfao, what fucking free time? I have three children. I’m a labor unit RN on a high risk labor unit. I run LipSmackin’ GoodBooks & LipSmackin’ Promotions… Oh and apparently I’m an author as well, lol, I don’t feel like an author though, I’m still in fan girl mode and trying to figure out why AWGM is as successful as it is.”

Whiskey or Wine?
“Depends on the night, weeknights wine. Weekends Jack & Diet Coke ;)”

Whats Next for Kimber?
“Who the hell knows? Lol, I guess it depends on my next decision.”

What are you working on right now?
“Leo’s story, Holding Her in Madness”

Release Date?
“I’m shootin’ for the first of April”

Future book plans?
“I have several that have reared their head and started telling me their story. The main one, and this is never before documented shit here, is Wes’s story. When he walked into AWGM he was PISSED when I cut him short and he hasn’t stopped bitching since. It will be a dual POV story with both Wes and the main female character, Brie. Brie is just as strong minded and ballsy as Lil, except her past is so fucked up that it makes Lil’s seem like child play.”

Appearances?
“I’ll be at Wicked Book Weekend in Ft. Lauderdale March 7th-9th

Stalker Links: Facebook  Web  LipSmackin’ GoodBooks

ARC Review: Eternal Echoes (Sisters of the Divine book 1) by Anastasia Virgas

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and honestly….HOLY CRAP!!!*

Eternal Echoes is this first book in the awesome new series “Sisters of the Divine” by Anastasia Virgas (a.k.a Stella Price.) It is scheduled for release on October 8th, 2013.

I have to start by saying this cover is one of the best I have ever seen! Talk about eye     candy!!! I’d definitely brake for those tentacles! The model image was provided by the extremely talented and lovely Jenn LeBlanc. Girl, my lens envies your lens. The actual cover design was created by my Chick Crush of the Century Stella Price, proving once again that this woman’s talents reach far beyond the written word. I can’t wait to see this book in print. I already have a spot picked out on the very top of my overflowing bookshelf for it 🙂

Synopsis

Ariston Dago is a sentry, a protector for his people. He watches the waters of his territory, keeping his god and his race safe both above and below the murky depths around Venice, Italy. When he’s compelled to save a human that falls from a transport, his life is forever changed, because the human he saves, Teagan Moss, is his mate, the first human to ever mate a Dagonite.

Teagan Moss is the kind of woman to shoot first and then question the body later. When she wakes with a Hydro bomb strapped to her body, she knows someone is going to pay for trying to kill her, and that she is going to need the help of the sexy exotic Dagonite to find out who exactly needs that bullet in their brain. What she doesn’t count on, is the scorching attraction she feels for the male who is so certain she is his.

Thrust into solving the mystery surrounding the attempt on his mate’s life, Ari and Teagan uncover more than the answers they are looking for, and the truths they unearth could send the world into another war

My Review

Never in my wildest imaginings would I have thought up an Octopus Shifter. I mean really? I’m Scots Irish so of course I’ve heard of Selkies, but beyond that my idea of shifters has always been land dwelling predators. When Anastasia first started talking about this series, I scrambled to conjure up an image of Dagonites. My mind’s eye was woefully inadequate. These shifters are HOT!!!

Eternal Echoes opens in a post-apocalyptic Earth. During the midst of the Great Cataclysm (year 2020) the gods of old reemerge to restore balance and peace. Dagonites are the children of Dagon, the Octopus God. Ariston Dago is a Warrior Dagonite and great, great grandson of Dagon.

Teagan Moss is an ambassador for human/shifter relations. She’s also human and a veritable bad ass. When she is tossed into the sea with a deadly hydro bomb strapped to her chest, it is up to Ariston to save her. Together, they will have to find out who wants Teagan dead and why if they hope to preserve the delicate peace that has been established between the various shifter nations.

The world building in this book is AMAZING!! It’s very detailed, easily understandable and it does not overwhelm you with a bunch of rules and “if/thens.” The glossary in the back of the book was also a nice detail to have.

I love Ariston! He’s funny, kind of a smart ass, definitely an Alpha and oh so sexy. I love a man in a kilt and those tentacles…Well, you’ll just have to read the book now won’t you!?!

Teagan is pretty much “Every Bad Ass Girl- USA.” Self-sufficient, smart, strong and just a tiny bit vulnerable. She’s what I look for in the perfect heroine.

The chemistry between Ariston and Teagan sparks the second they make contact and becomes a roaring inferno as the pages turn. Again…those tentacles…

I really can’t recommend this book enough. Eternal Echoes is a genre breaking, sexy, adventurous romp into a brand new world.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Want to win a free digital copy of Eternal Echoes on Release Day?!?!? Just head on over to my Facebook Page and enter through the Rafflecopter post pinned to the top of the page. And because I’m such a Stella Junkie, I’m going throw in a free copy of another one of my favorites- Giving Up the Ghost!!

Don’t forget to grab your limited edition “I Brake for Tentacles” hoodie too!