Teaser Tuesday: Sexy Vamps and Small Spaces

It's time for another Teaser Tuesday. In celebration of the pre-order going live for Forbidden Alpha, I've included a new excerpt from the novel. Check it out and be sure to reserve your copy today.

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     Ethan pulled the red emergency button, and the elevator stuttered to a halt somewhere between the third and fourth floors. I stared at him, mouth hanging open. He had always been so melodramatic. “I want to know if there’s something going on between you and Jarret.” 

     “No,” I said too quickly to be convincing. “What would give you that idea?”

     “You.” He said it very simply, as if I were supposed to comprehend the logic behind his statement. 

     I flung my arms out in irritation. 

     “I mention his name and your palms get sweaty, your heart rate spikes, and you smell like lust. You know what that smells like, right?” he asked. “Your business is all about desire and reading the signs. Don’t pretend I’m wrong.”

     I closed my mouth, lest I blurt out something we’d both regret, and took another step into the corner. “Just start the elevator. Some of us need a constant supply of oxygen to survive.”

     If you want to learn more about Chai and her rag-tag group of friends...

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Puppy Love

The Barbara Freethy Factor: Ground Breaking, Earth Shattering, Indie-Publishing Success

There is nothing I like better than a good indie publishing story. To get this, you have to understand a little about me. I've always loved the publishing industry. From the moment I articulated to my family that I wanted to become a writer, I became obsessed with learning the business. I wanted to know everything I could about publishing so that I could make writing a full-time career. A starving artist future was not in my modest but comfy set standard of living. I wanted to get paid to do what I love.

Ten years later, I stumbled upon self-publishing and haven't looked back. A fleeting conversation with Courtney Milan followed by the best most informative workshop on how to get started with indie publishing completely changed my whole life. So yes, I am a big fan of anyone you can make it and the indie publishing business. Whether you've been traditionally published in the past, or you are starting from scratch with no writing credits to your name.

New Short Story!!

I'm so excited to share that my short story, Trouble with Vodka, is now available for purchase exclusively on Amazon.com. This is a prequel to Dirty Little Liars, but IT DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY SPOILERS!!!

Below is the cover image and blurb. I hope that you will check it out. It's currently $.99 and free to Amazon Prime members.

Reader Author Get Together!! Free Fun!

I'm so excited to be attending my first Reader Author Get Together in Cincinnati. I'll be traveling south next weekend with some fellow Central Ohio Fiction Writers and meeting fans from across the country. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about (That would have been me two years ago), here's a quick description and link about the event.

The Official Reader Author Get Together Page
The annual Reader & Author Get Together takes place in West Chester, Ohio, June 6th to 9th. The purpose is to bring together authors & readers, with other industry professionals, like editors, agents, publishers and publicists, in a very casual and friendly atmosphere. Throughout the weekend there are several events, including a dance, trivia, a raffle drawing, author meet and greets, and two book sales (both of which are open to the public).

Paperback Version of Dirty Little Liars Now Available!

Yes, I am thrilled to announce that the print version of Dirty Little Liars is now available! You can check it out on Amazon.com.

Happy Reading!

Facebook Love!

Are you on Facebook? If so, you should definitely check out the official Missy Lynn Ryan Facebook Page! I upload a ton of behind-the-scenes photos via my iPhone onto my page and share a lot of updates about free reads, promotions and book signings.  I'm telling you, this is the place to be.

So go LIKE the page right now and make sure you check yes to the "show in news feed".

Happy Release Day!!

Today's the day! Dirty Little Liars is now on sale and can be purchased right now on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  I'll be partying like a Rock Star all day long. Check out my twitter and Facebook pages for great behind the scenes look at Dirty Little Liars.

Get your copy now via Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Already have your copy? Here are five things you can do right now to help promote Dirty Little Liars:

1. Visit the Amazon.com page and like Dirty Little Liars. Don't forget to bookmark the page so that you can add a rating or review.
2. Visit the Barnes and Noble page and pin Dirty Little Liars to your Pinterest page.
3. Add Dirty Little Liars to your To be Read shelf on GoodReads.com Better yet, give it a rating!
4. Share your purchase on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter with your friends and family. 
5. Subscribe to the Missy Lynn Ryan Newsletter to get the latest information on new releases.

Six Sentence Sunday: Aftermath

Today is Sunday, which means I have another special sneak peak for my fantastic readers. Today Juliette and Ty are dealing with some very awkward "morning-after" conversation. Enjoy!

“First you tell me to behave, keep my distance. Then I wake up and you’re practically dry humping my leg.”Juliettes’s face burned red and she swatted him on the arm. “Will you not say that so loud? People can hear you.”“Hey, I’m not complaining. To tell you the truth, I rather enjoyed it."

Okay, so technically that was seven sentences. But it is dialogue, so it's short and sweet.  Tune in next sunday for an introduction to a new character!

Six Sentence Sunday: Road Trip Mayhem

I'm participating in Six Sentence Sunday (http://www.sixsunday.com/) and sharing six lines from my upcoming release Dirty Little Liars.  Enjoy!

     Juliette bent over to wipe her face with the bottom of her t-shirt. When she sat up again, Ty had ditched the jacket and was pulling a white t-shirt over his head, revealing an unmistakably perfect set of silky smooth abs.
     Juliette was no longer thinking about country music. She was barely thinking at all. It took every ounce of her concentration to keep from reaching out to him. All she could think about was the heat of his skin pressed against hers.

Want to learn more about Dirty Little Liars? Check out my new listing on GoodReads: Dirty Little Liars and don't forget to add it to you TBR list!

The Next Big Thing!

I was tagged by the fabulous Faith Van Horne to do the Next Big Thing. Thanks, Faith!

 So, this is what I'm working on:

What is the working title of your next book?
Dirty Little Liars, to be released early 2013. 

Cover Reveal!!

I have a sexy new cover for my upcoming novel Dirty Little Liars! Check it out on GoodReads and share it with all your friends.

Available February 2013

New Release!!

I am excited to announce that I have a new release coming up. My contemporary romance novel Dirty Little Liars will be on sale in February, 26 2013! Please bookmark your calendars and get ready to make your purchases! Would love to have a great opening day.

New(ish) Urban Fantasy Agents

Looking for an agent or editor can be a time-consuming task. I know. I've been doing it for a while now. And because I am engaged in the process, I thought I would share some of my finds with my fellow blogging community.  

This week I have two new(ish) agents who represent the Urban Fantasy genre. (Please note:  I can't speak to the quality of the agent or agency and you should ALWAYS do your homework before signing any contract with any agent or editor).

Kat Salazar of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents

About Kat: Kat Salazar joined Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in February 2011 as an intern for the agency working directly for agency co-founder Elizabeth Pomada. Previously she worked for University of Washington Press as a Marketing Assistant and held internships at University of California Press, HarperOne of Harper Collins, and Wales Literary Agency. Currently, she is the Publishing Assistant at Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari Press as well as the agency’s newest Associate Agent and the San Francisco Writers Conference Social Media Coordinator. Kat earned a BA degree from University of Washington, double majoring in English: Literature and Communications: Journalism. For more about Kat you can follow her on Twitter at @KatLovesBooks or read her blog: www.KatLovesBooks.blogspot.com.

She is seeking: Kat is actively looking for young adult, middle grade, and children’s picture books. For adult audiences, she is interested in literary fiction and urban fantasy.

How to submit: Please query her with the first 10 pages of your manuscript and a 1-2-page synopsis copied and pasted into the body of an e-mail to QueryKatSalazar (at) gmail (dot) com.

Sara D'Emic of Talcott Notch Literary

About Sara: Sara D’Emic graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Writing, Literature, and Publishing, and is happy to be starting her career as an agent with Talcott Notch Literary. Needless to say, she’s passionate about books. Her reading tastes range from Dostoevsky and Dumas to Burroughs and Salinger to Lovecraft and King.

She is seeking: “Compelling characters are the crux of good fiction, and I’m seeking stories that will spark the imagination and the soul. I’m looking for adult horror, urban fantasy, paranormal, magical realism, science fiction, mystery, thriller, or crime fiction. I will also gladly take non-fiction science and technology.”

How to contact: Writers can query her with one-page query plus an attached 10-page sample for fiction, or one-page sample plus attached table of contents at sdemic (at) talcottnotch.net.

Top Ten Tuesday: May 15th

May 15: Top Ten Authors I'd Like To See On A Reality Show (and which reality show :P)

1. Mark Henry--Have you met him? He's crazy.
2. Nicole Peeler--Her mind works in mysterious ways.
3. Scott A. Johnson--He tells stories that will scar you for life.
4. Jenna Black--She can dance and writes good sex.
5. Laurell K. Hamilton--Because she would diva up the place!
6. Danielle Steele--Because she would show LKH how it's really done.
7. John Green--Expererienced blogger makes for entertaining TV.
8. Leanna Renee Heiber--She rocks period costume like nobody's business!
9. Hillary Duff--For pretending to write a novel.
10. Suzanne Collins--Who will ensure there is a fantastically staged fight to the death!!


And as for the show, as fun as it would be to see them in a dance off or classing up the streets of the Jersey Shore, I would hate for their brilliant and creative minds to go to waste. So I would pair them up and send them on the Great American Race! We could even add a book/literary theme to all the tasks.  I'm loving it!


What do you think?

Six Sentence Sunday: May 13th

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! Last week you had the chance to get to know Chai and Jarret. This week I thought I would introduce you to one of the other boys in Chai's life.  Take the stage, Ethan. But remember, don't get too cocky.

Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt

Ethan pulled me into a tight hug. Even through his cotton t-shirt the coolness of his skin made me shiver. I could practically taste the death of his aura. It clung to my skin as he pulled away. I struggled to wrap my mind around what I was seeing, what my magick was telling me. Ethan, my Ethan, had gone vampire.

Six Sentence Sunday: May 6th

Happy Sunday. We are celebrating it six sentence style with a little frisky action in the woods. Readers should be warned, the werewolves occasionally bite.

Six Sentence Sunday Excerpt:

Jarret grabbed my arm and a jolt of fiery heat spread through me. I yanked myself out of his grasp and he gazed down at his hand in wonder.

"What the hell was that?" He studied his hand, searching for traces of burning. I knew it was still tingling with power.

"This isn't happening," I muttered and wrapped my arms tightly around my chest.

That's it. I hope you enjoyed it!  Tune in next week to meet one of the other men in Chai's life.

Top Ten Tuesday!!! May 1st.

It's that time again. Sorry I missed a few of these last month. I hope to make up for it in May!

The theme this week is Top Ten Books You'd Like to See Made into a Movie.

Here are my picks. (This of course assumes that I have creative control of the casting, director and final edits!)

1. The Night Circus. I love this book and think it would make such a great movie.

2. The Historian. It's been a while since I read this, but it is such a subtle take on vampires that I think it would make a good addition to the film world.

3. The Chocolate Wars. Maybe it is because I just read this for class, and perhaps it has already been made into a movie that I have never seen nor heard of, but this is one of my favorite YA novels and I love the gritty mob feel it has.  With all the talks of bullying going on in the media, a remake could be timely.

4. The Absolutely True Tale of a Part-Time Indian. Another great YA book that I think would translate really well into a powerful family friendly film.

5. Beautiful Creatures. Everybody loves a curse. This book, set in the south had a beautiful backdrop and romantic gothic feel that would be fun to play with in a film.

6. Matched. One of my favorite Dystopian YA novels since the Hunger Games. Though book two leaves much to be desired. The first book is strong and would make for an entertaining story on film.

7. Ship Breaker. This is another Dystopian novel only it has a male protagonist and does no truly focus on a love story, though there is one involved. The premise and setting of this story is so unique that it would be fun to see this world brought to life. Basically, it's the US after being destroyed by oil.

8. City of Bones. I love Cassandra Clare and have been a fan of this series for a long, long time. I like to think of it as a happy medium between Harry Potter and Twilight. There is romance and love and sex in a way that could never be possible with HP, but it also has this thing called a plot and a beautifully complex magical world.

9. Speaking of Twilight. Yes. I would love to see these books done right. Although maybe that simply isn't possible. I just do not like the acting or the directing, or the special effects. The best thing about these movies is the soundtrack and even that is only a six.

10. Anything that I write.  I would love, love, love to see any of my work translated to film. I think it would be a fantastic indulgence.

http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/2012/05/julias-top-ten-books-to-be-made-into.html

Six Sentence Sunday: 4/29/12

In honor of my new query going out into cyberspace today for Love Sex Magick I decided to do a little Six Sentence Sunday of my own.  This excerpt comes from one of my favorite scenes in book 1, when our main character Chai has a brief encounter with our pseudo-hero in the woods. Bad werewolf, very bad werewolf. Well, see for yourself and let me know what you think!

Six Sentence Sunday: A strange encounter in the woods....

"I'm sorry about the hard-on," he blurted and my face grew so warm I thought I might actually be sweating. I didn't want to have a conversation with the naked horny man in the woods--especially when the naked horny man's father would skin me alive if he caught the two of us fooling around. Not to mention it was completely unethical. Yeah, unethical. I repeated the word over and over in my head as if that would appease the longing desire to touch him. 

"Turning with your mate can be foreplay," he continued, "and you're in heat, so that doesn’t help."

Come back next week for more of the scene! It's a riot.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Play Hooky With

It's that time again. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday theme: Top Ten Books You Would Play Hooky With. I love it already.

Okay so here's the list. 

#10

Yes. It's on the list. Because something about this book is like crack. It's completely addictive. Although it may have been forever ruined by the horrid movies. Perhaps one day I can again pick up the book and not picture Kristin Stewart or Rob Pattinson and their painful acting. Perhaps.

#9

I'm not sure if this is the exact book, but I love Jenna Black and this is one of my fav urban fantasy series. I could get caught up in it again.

#8 

Yep. Harry Potter also had to make this list. The Deathly Hallows is my second favorite book in the series. I've listened to the audio book many a times while at work. 

#7

Oh how I love, love, love this book. I also love the fact that the audio version is narrated by Jim Dale which just reminds me of Harry Potter. I can and have listened to his voice for hours!

#6

Okay, this is my all time favorite HP book. There is something so fantastic about that moment when Harry realizes that despite all odds, his name has been entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. And when Dumbledore finds out...so fantastic.

#5

I don't read much of her stuff anymore but once upon a time I was obsessed with all things LKH. This was one of my favorite books in the series and I have a very worn out copy on my bookshelf as a result. If I was going to play hooky, I might have to do it with this book.

#4

Mr. Eric Northman. Shower. Nuff said. ( Side Note: I really wish True Blood had used that scene in it's original form).

#3

The movie is great. The book is better. I've read it multiple times and each time I open it up I am blown away by what Suzanne Collins is able to accomplish. There are so many different things at work that the average reader would probably not catch and yet it is part of what makes this book work so well. It is such a well done YA book.

#2

This entry proves that you don't have to write well to make it to the top of a list. The book is full of grammatical errors, typos, and very basic writing blunders. It is also at the top of the NY Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists. It's also ten times more addictive than Twilight. I read the first two books in less than five days. If I was currently working, this would be the book I'd play hooky with, because everything else just doesn't seem important when you are lost in the world of Christian Grey.

#1

Okay so this is not actually a cover, it is a filler for this post. This is the inspiration for Chai Macek the main character in my Love Sex Magick series. This book has the number one spot because let's face it, I deliberately use vacation days just so that I can get lost in this book. I'm cool like that. Fingers crossed: the book has caught the eye of a couple of editors. Let's hope one of them bites. Maybe then I'll add a cover. Though I would still be willing to play hooky to read the published version of this book.