On December 8th, the sixth book of the saga will release.
The problem with writing a serial saga, as opposed to a series of stand alone books, is that people will be lost if they don’t start at the beginning with Book #1. At the very least, the reader’s enjoyment will be compromised if all the details and characters aren’t understood with the depth and complexity intended. That’s the downside.
The upside is that there is an exquisite pleasure in an ongoing story that is not available in loosely related novels. It’s swimming in the deep end instead of always standing in thigh deep water. The overarching story available to the author of saga allows for an experience of total submersion that the short starts and stops of individual novels can’t aspire to. It’s SO satisfying to write. I’m these characters’ number one fan.
…with My Familiar Stranger, the first book which is “perma-free” and available everywhere. So, regardless of my excitement about the latest installment release, it all comes back to the beginning.
Victoria: Thank you for taking the time to give an interview. Your fans will be happy to hear from you.
Deliverance: Of course they will. What a shame I can’t give them all an ‘interview’ (air quotes) in person.
Victoria: Yes, well, they’d love that, I’m sure.
Deliverance: They would. (smiles) Guaranteed.
Victoria: (sigh) Whatever.
Deliverance: (frowns) I don’t get it. Why don’t you like me?
Victoria: What makes you think I don’t like you?
Deliverance: (smirks) The way I know how to read women, what do you think are your chances of hiding your feelings from me? Take, for instance, the way you keep clenching your teeth between questions.
Victoria: (I try to relax my jaw.) Just pre-release day stress. Nothing to do with you.
Deliverance: Bull. Shit. (says it in a very metrosexual sing song way)
Victoria: Fine. Let’s start with this. Disrespect. You’ve come to my interview wearing nothing but doeskin pants, which look incredibly soft and comfortable and luxurious by the way. You don’t even have on shoes.
Deliverance: (looks at his feet and admires his stretching toes) Is there something wrong with my feet?
Victoria: No, demon. Even your feet are beautiful. You know it. I know it. (He smiles wickedly.) That’s not the point.
Deliverance: It’s not?
Victoria: No.
Deliverance: Well, I didn’t know this was a no shirts, no shoes, no shit interview.
Victoria: It’s not! Obviously. Since I’m talking to you.
Deliverance: If we agree that my feet are nice to look at, then why would I want to cover them up?
Victoria: Why are you wearing pants?
Deliverance: Because I get too much of the wrong kind of attention in your dimension if I display the uncensored version of glory. But since it’s just the two of us… (stands and reaches for his waistband)
Victoria: Stop right there! I’m a married woman.
Deliverance: (stares before throwing his head back to laugh) And you think most of my fuel isn’t provided courtesy of married women? You still haven’t given me a reason why you don’t like me. (sits, pants on)
Victoria: Because I pride myself on multifaceted characters and you’re pretty close to one-dimensional.
Deliverance: One-dimensional Funny.
Victoria: (grins) It was. It is. I need to make a note and use that in a book. (I look around for something to write on.)
Deliverance: I’m not one-dimensional. I have a family.
Victoria: That’s the only thing that keeps you from being completely one-dimensional. Except for that, your entire existence is nothing but sex.
Deliverance: What’s wrong with that?
Victoria: What’s wrong with that is – sex is not everything!
Deliverance: If I put you someplace where there’s no food for two days and then ask if food is everything to you, my bet is you’d say yes.
Victoria: Okay. You have a point there. I’ll give you that. But that’s not all. There’s the fact that you are completely self-absorbed and as irresponsible as a fifteen year old. It’s a waste of eight hundred years.
Deliverance: (laughs) Okay. I get it. You hate me because I’m beautiful, live for sex, never age, and may live forever. You’re jealous!
Victoria: I am not!
Deliverance: Are too.
Victoria: Not!
Deliverance: Look. You’re holding the pen. You don’t like me like I am. Write me different.
Victoria: (pouting)
Deliverance: So. Are you gonna do that?
Victoria: No.
Deliverance: (smiles) Fine. Then let’s move on to something more pleasant.
9/19/2013 Gathering Storm Release Day
Victoria: Well, Sir Hawking. Always a pleasure.
Ram: So you say.
Victoria: Come on. For once could we just have a quiet and cordial conversation? Can I make you tea?
Ram: (slouches in chair and gives me a look of incredulity, which is distracting because the slouch posture is very sexy and I’m supposed to be concentrating on the interview and not another woman’s husband) ‘Tis your best plan for makin’ up to me? Fuckin’ tea?
Victoria: Well, uh, I can’t say that I actually had a plan per se. Did you have something else in mind? Something you wanted?
Ram: You know perfectly well what I want.
Victoria: I know it probably seems that way, but it’s not entirely true. I suspect that you want to go back to your little bit of Irish heaven with Elora, Helm, and Blackie and raise Alsatian dogs in quiet familial bliss.
Ram: Could no’ have said it better myself. Like I said, you know perfectly well what the fuck I want.
Victoria: Yes, but are you sure? I mean you lived a pretty tumultuous life as a vampire slayer. You’re the most celebrated Black Swan knight of the last hundred years. That’s a lot of excitement to trade in for life on the farm.
Ram: Aye. And I can no’ wait to be doin’ precisely that. You, mistress, have the power to make that happen with a simple stroke of the pen. Or click of the keyboard or whatever.
Victoria: I could, but here’s the thing. I saw the little smile and the dark twinkle in your eyes when I was just talking about you as legendary hunter. I know you love the recognition. Remember how you felt when Elora gushed all over you, repeatedly. “Oh, Ram, your portrait is so handsome, your beauty captured for all time here, where you belong, in the Hall of Heroes. You’re perfection personified. So special, so unique, unlike any other.” (I delivered this paraphrase in an exaggerated mock-Elora voice.)
Ram: (laughing) Aye, you have me there, mistress. Who would no’ fuckin’ crave hearin’ such thin’s from his beautiful mate?
Victoria: Everyone longs for that sort of attention, Ram. The point is that you don’t get that sort of attention down home on the farm.
Ram: Perhaps ‘no. But as was pointed out in Book Five in a tussle over whether or no’ Storm and I would be playin’ rugby, I’m no’ gettin’ younger. Will you be gettin’ me sliced up in bar fights when I’m ninety then? Give the others their fair chance at sheet time.
Victoria: But you’re my favorite, Ram.
Ram: (gaping) And bein’ your favorite means always bein’ one fuckin’ step away from catastrophe?
Victoria: Well… yes. Fact is, slogging about in Wellies feeding chickens and watering wolf-dogs is not novel-worthy because, well, because it’s not novel.
Ram: For the moment, let’s be leavin’ me out o’ the discussion. What about my wife? The injuries you’ve visited on me are paper cuts next to what you do to her. Great Paddy in the Mornin’. The way you punish her is beyond… (stops abruptly, narrows eyes, then pins me with a glare) So I’m your favorite, am I? Are you jealous of my wife?
Victoria: What? Of course not!
Ram: Jealous enough to be punishin’ her in unspeakable ways?
Victoria: No! Ram! Do you hear yourself? That’s crazy talk.
Ram: Oh? ‘Twas you who’s so fond o’ sayin’ the simplest explanation is probably the correct one. And that is, without a doubt, the simplest explanation.
Victoria: This is an exception to that rule.
Ram: After everythin’ she went through to reach my world, you would think a writer with heart would be seekin’ to brin’ her only happiness.
Victoria: Again, happiness without incident? Not interesting.
Ram: Cold-hearted bitch. Tell your husband I said ‘tis unbelievable you snagged a mate.
Victoria: If that was true, the cold-hearted bitch part, shouldn’t you be trying to suck up to me instead of insulting me?
Ram: Well, then I would no’ be the hot-blooded rash personality you’re so hot for, would I?
Victoria: (nothing to say to that)
Ram: So here’s my proposition. If you want me to continue cooperatin’ with your farfetched ridiculous pain-in-the-ass stories that no one in their right mind would be believin’, which – by the way – says quite a lo’ about your readers, then you will lay off my wife. AND my child.
Victoria: First, my readers are perfectly sane. They have excellent taste in literature and marvelous creative imaginations.
Ram: (smirks)
Victoria: You may be my favorite, at least you were before this interview, but the Black Swan saga is Elora’s story. I can’t make promises about the entire future of the tale, but I can promise you that Elora and Helm pass through Book Six without injury. How’s that?
Ram: (considers) How ‘bout me?
Victoria: (seeing the opportunity for pay back, smiles wickedly) You, my love, will have to wait and see.
Ram: Paddy.
Victoria: Exactly.
9/19/2013 RELEASE DAY GATHERING STORM
Sep 11, 2013 Bleumoon 5 of 5 stars
Victoria’s books get under your skin. They work their way into your heart and you fall in love…
Then before you know it they get into your head and make you think… This book has me thinking about honor and what it means to me and what I have passed on to my own sons… I believe if my sons were transported to this dimension they would be right at home with the Black Swans (especially my second son). And this is another reason I love these books, when I have read the last page I am no where near done…
Now I am going to go blow my nose and dry my eyes and meditate some more on honor and bravery and love. It’s an honor to be a beta reader for these books.
Very pleased to present the latest release from my friend and colleague, Kym Grosso. This is the third book in the Immortals of New Orleans series and the one I’ve been pushing her for. I argued with her about cover choice, but have to admit – when seeing the final copy – I was wrong. The cover is perfect. – Victoria
TRISTAN’S LYCEUM WOLVES
IMMORTALS OF NEW ORLEANS BOOK 3
Kym Grosso
An erotic paranormal romance…
Charismatic and powerful Lyceum Wolves’ Alpha, Tristan Livingston, is out for revenge after a devastating attack on his pack. Not only did he survive a building collapse, he orchestrated the rebuild of his chic, state-of-the-art nightclub within a week. Determined to mete out justice, he rescues a beautiful witness who may be the key to helping him find the perpetrators.
Dr. Kalli Williams, dedicated veterinarian, is hiding a secret that endangers not only her own life but the lives of wolves across the country. After being tortured by a savage vampire, she’s reluctantly agrees to help the sexy Alpha in his quest to identify suspects; ones who’d kill her on the spot if they knew she existed. As Kalli places herself in the hands of the dominant wolf, she soon finds she wants nothing more than to submit.
Tristan, committed to ruling his pack as a lone wolf, is inexplicably drawn to the mysterious and enticing woman, who seems more than human, but not quite supernatural. As he discovers her secret, he teaches her the meaning of trust, helping her learn how to be true to her nature. After living a lifetime alone, will he succumb to the visceral need to claim her, acknowledging the soul binding connection between an Alpha and his mate? And will he prevail against the menacing enemy who threatens to destroy Lyceum Wolves?
Giveaway at each stop is winner’s choice of ebooks for any of the three books In the Immortals of New Orleans series (Tristan’s Lyceum Wolves, Luca’s Magic Embrace, Kade’s Dark Embrace)
About the Author: Kym Grosso is the author of the erotic paranormal romance series, The Immortals of New Orleans. Both of her novels, Kade’s Dark Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 1) and Luca’s Magic Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 2), are currently available via Amazon, digitally and in print. Tristan’s Lyceum Wolves is scheduled for release on April 1, 2013.
In addition to romance, Kym has written and published several articles about autism, and is passionate about autism advocacy. She writes autism articles on PsychologyToday.com and AutismInRealLife.com. She also is a contributing essay author in the new book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum.
Kym lives with her husband, two children, dog, cat and guinea pig. Her hobbies include autism advocacy, reading, tennis, zumba, traveling and spending time with her husband and children. New Orleans, with its rich culture, history and unique cuisine, is one of her favorite places to visit. Also, she loves traveling just about anywhere that has a beach or snow covered mountains. On any given night, Kym can be found reading her Kindle, which is filled with hundreds of romances.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KymGrossoBooks
Twitter: @KymGrosso
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5785692.Kym_Grosso
My Autism Website: http://www.AutismInRealLife.com
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO GO TO MOONLIGHT’S page and read Excerpt #2. http://victoriadanann.me/book-4/
PUBLISHED ON GOODREADS ON 1/20/2013.
I suppose it now qualifies as a tradition that I write a review of my own book. In some ways this is the most fun – the cherry on top of the very mixed bag of being an author. Was that a messy metaphor? Oh, yeah. One of the great things about accumulating a little recognition is gaining permission to break some rules.
Baka’s story has been like a pressure cooker in my chest for the past several months. Getting it out there is a marvelous relief because now I’m no longer the only one who knows where we were headed. While preparations have been laid in these first three books for some of the other stories that follow, I don’t expect any future installments to take the emotional toll that this book did.
A Summoner’s Tale is dark, not in the sense of blood and gore, but in the sense of physical, psychic, and emotional pain along with the scariest thing any human ever confronts, that – from beginning through middle to end, no matter how we may try to fool ourselves into thinking otherwise – we are alone. Is the subject matter and treatment deeper than one normally encounters in paranormal romance? Yes. BUT, I insist on my Happily Ever After endings. I’m hopelessly romantic, thoroughly American, and possibly suffering from arrest of development at around age three when my dad would laugh at me for requesting to hear “Snow White” every night.
In a sense this book is also a test of readership. If you have read all three books and are in for a fourth, then we, as reader and author, are a match because each of these first three books is very different.
I’m in the process of building a PROFILE OF A BLACK SWAN READER. Here’s what I’ve got so far.
1. A Black Swan reader is literate. Someone asked me once for the grade level equivalent of my books. I didn’t know, but was directed to some online testers that can be used to determine that. I discovered that my books read at the 9th-11th grade level. I was horrified. Then I spent half a day testing about fifteen celebrity PNR authors. The typical rank was 3rd – 7th grade although two or three made it all the way to 6th – 8th. That’s why I believe I can make the claim that Black Swan readers are comparatively literate. To illustrate, let me cite a quote from Reviewing in Chaos: “Let me just say SQUEEEEE!”
2. A Black Swan reader appreciates descriptive detail. – Black Swan readers don’t see description as unnecessary and superfluous. They understand that it’s the details that layer richness and depth into the story. They also have the maturity to know that patience brings greater rewards.
For example, here is a quote from Booked and Loaded, my favorite so far:
As multiple stories are seemingly unrelated, each brings with it a new dimension that begins to form a pattern that slowly leads all players to one key game, one final showdown to succeed and emerge intact. It is the chase to the end, the multiple and variant tensions, the characters that have become your friends, your heroes and your entertainment keep you reading long past bedtime and into the night – for you need to know how it all ends.
3. A Black Swan reader values characterization and believes that who characters are is as important – if not moreso – than what they do.
All the characters are amazing, strong, handsome, loyal, and married to women who are their equals. – Linda Tonis, The Paranormal Romance Guild.
4. A Black Swan reader is receptive to new experience. In other words, Black Swan readers don’t either want or demand the same plug-in-character’s-name-here, I-could-pie-chart-the-formula story over and over again.
To all of you who fit this profile, thank you. What would I do without you?
– Victoria
