Khyff and Mehfawni

NarrAy, Senth, and the Harbinger

No, this isn’t about time travel, alternate reality (although maybe… hmmm), or bringing someone back to life via CPR. It’s about a book. Writers often think of their books as their children, and if that’s so, then I gave birth to a 108k word eBook yesterday. For the second time with the same book.

Re-releases are when a book goes out of print at publisher A, and you sell the rights to publisher B for a reprint. In my case, I had two books of a planned trilogy at publisher A, and wanted to finally write the third book.

Because publisher B had acquired the rights of “first refusal” or “first look” for any books set in my fictional Tarthian Empire, and those other two books were in the same setting, I had to give them the opportunity to to see book three.

What did that entail? This is where it gets sticky. First, I had to submit the two books to publisher B (Loose Id) to let them decide if they wanted to give the entire trilogy a new home. I also had to provide a brief synopsis of book three. Then, just like in pregnancy, I waited while things developed. Once publisher B said yes, they’d like to offer me a contract for the books, I came to step two.

This meant contacting publisher A and requesting they take the first two books out of print. Since they are ebooks, it was simply a matter of removing files from their server. I had long since passed my contract end date, so there was no issue with honoring contracts. They (Liquid Silver Books) have always been wonderful to work with, and within two weeks after contacting them, they had removed the books and advised their distributors that the books were no longer available.

So far so good. What I discovered was that since the first book had also been available in print, some places still offered the original version with original cover as a used book. That meant that the title was out there as a different version. I scoured the internet (no easy task) and found every place I could where the ebooks had been distributed but had not yet been taken down. The print books which had been offered as used copies turned out to be completely out of my hands. As of today, there are two copies of the original (and shorter) version of the book available at Amazon. The kicker? The seller wants close to $95 apiece for them. While I’m flattered, I doubt they will sell at that price.

During this time, I wrote another book for publisher B that was in a different series, and also edited the first two books they’d contracted to fit their house style, changing a few things such as increasing length on the first, and decreasing it on the second. During one three-week period when two separate manuscripts were due, I spent eighteen hour days working. For a week afterward, I couldn’t even hold the mouse, let alone click it! ^_^

However, book two is now out and I’ve just been told that book one is going into print in October. I’m thrilled that it’s turning out so well. It was a lot of work, but in the end, it was worth it. Even if it does feel like I gave birth twice.

Remember, if you plan to reprint or re-release a book, it’s like giving birth, including the long pregnancy and waiting beforehand. But once they are out there in the world, the pride is even greater the second time.

*****
Links for the new, heavily edited and re-released (and to my mind, much better) versions:

Antonello Brothers 1: At the Mercy of Her Pleasure (a Tarthian Empire Book)
Loose Id http://www.loose-id.com/At-the-Mercy-of-Her-Pleasure.aspx
ISBN 978-1-60737-552-4
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Erotic Romance, Action Adventure, Younger Hero Older Heroine

Antonello Brothers 2: For Women Only (a Tarthian Empire Book)
Loose Id http://www.loose-id.com/For-Women-Only.aspx
ISBN 978-1-60737-435-0
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Erotic Romance, Action Adventure, Interracial/Interspecies

You can watch a trailer for each of these books here: http://kayelleallen.com/trailers.html

Sarah Stevens examined the toe of her black, leather Prada slingback and gasped.  A huge scuff glared at her.  She sighed with relief as she wiped the spot with a tissue and restored the shoe to its original glory.  The overstuffed back seat of the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph limousine embraced her as she leaned back and glanced out the window.

“Not a bad way to get from point A to point B, huh?”

She turned to smile at Will Adams.  With their team leader, her boyfriend, Vince Hennessee missing in action, Will was in charge now.

Will dressed and carried himself like a man who had the world at his fingertips, because he did.  Will had once been a medic in the Navy but Sarah suspected there was much more to that story.  Though he began his career as a Corpsman, Sarah suspected he did a bit more than first aid to make the rank of Master Chief before he left the service for a position on Task Force 125.  He was the team’s second in command, capable of finding any supplies they needed on a moment’s notice.  With Vince missing, the entire team fell in line behind him without question.  He’d also worked undercover with Vince for years as an arms dealer.

Sarah took comfort in Will’s leadership and grasped the glimmer of hope she saw in his baby blue eyes.  They would find Vince and recover him before any harm came to him.

Will nodded slightly toward the front of the limousine.  “There it is, the Burj al Arab, Dubai’s crown jewel.”

Sarah’s jaw dropped.  She gawked at the glorious structure rising majestically over the water ahead of them as they drove along the causeway.

She remembered just over a year ago when she was an overweight Air Force cop with no future.  She gave thanks that her commander realized her potential and referred her to what she thought was a fat camp.  That weight loss program turned out to be one of the C.I.A.’s training farms for paramilitary operatives.  Little did she know at the time that losing her police job, her cheating boyfriend, and seventy-five pounds would make it possible for her to ride in Rolls Royce limos wearing Prada and Versace, not to mention the pearls around her neck that cost more than her car.  She fingered them lovingly and recalled with a smile the day Vince gave her the necklace.

As though he’d read her mind, Will smiled his winning smile.  “You’ve come a long way, baby.”

They pulled up at the curb in front of the seven star hotel and Sarah sighed.  “Yes, I have.”

Jason hopped out of the front passenger seat and opened Sarah’s door for her.  “Welcome to Oz.”  He beamed with his trademark Cheshire cat grin.  Anyone  who saw Jason would think he was happy to be staying at the glorious Burj al Arab but Sarah knew better.

Jason Williams, the former Green Beret and the team’s weapons specialist, was always spoiling for a fight and he knew he was going to have a big one when they took Vince back.  Since she’d joined the team, Sarah and Jason had become great friends.  He was a mixed martial arts master and damn impressive in a fight.  For months now, he’d been teaching Sarah how to fight and win in just about any situation.  He’d also been kind enough to squire her around Las Vegas to all his favorite watering holes.  It didn’t hurt that Sarah was so attractive he could get into any club in the city with her on his arm.

A tall handsome Arab man dressed in a silk Armani suit greeted Sarah, Jason and Will at the curb as they stepped out of the Rolls Royce.  They were all dressed to the nines, Armani being the suit of the day for Jason and Will too.  The greeter smiled slightly.  “Mr. Adamson, welcome to the Burj al Arab.  Your suite is ready.  If you will follow me.”  He turned and escorted them into the lobby.

Adamson was one of Will’s aliases.  What they were doing here was not sanctioned by the C.I.A. and, if they were lucky, the Agency would never find out about their plan to recapture their kidnapped leader who was being held somewhere in the Middle East.  They were all using aliases on this trip.  Sarah’s was Elisabetta Scuro, an Italian alias in honor of the recently deceased Angelo Scuro who not only died on their last mission but left Sarah his vast estate in Italy.

The hotel’s service was immediate and excellent but Sarah couldn’t help being annoyed at the time that was passing, precious seconds that meant the difference between life and death for Vince.  The flight to Dubai provided her with far too much time to think about what his captors might be doing to him.  She pushed the dark thoughts of Vince being tortured and beaten from her mind and tried to stay focused on the task at hand.

They were here to meet with Mark Davidson, an agent none of them had met, who had information on where Vince was being held.  Davidson’s contacts had found out about Vince’s kidnapping and he knew to contact Will at Sarah’s estate in Italy.  Sarah ran through the list of things they’d need to do before they could even begin planning an attack to get Vince back.  After they checked in to their suite at the hotel they’d make contact with Davidson, who was working under an official cover in U.S. State Department in Saudi Arabia, and then wait for their other teammates, Brian Allen and Chris Wilson to arrive in Dubai.  All of this meant more passing time.

Worries vanished from Sarah’s mind as she gasped at the overwhelming opulence of the Burj al Arab.  Massive golden columns encircled the lobby and reached toward the sweeping arches above.  The mesmerizing mosaic on the floor in deep blue, red and gold nearly stopped her in her tracks.  Sarah looked at Jason wide eyed.

Jason grinned and paused with Sarah while Will continued toward the elevator with their host.  “Shock and awe, eh, sweetcheeks?  This place makes Vegas look like a two bit whore.”

She grinned at Jason.  “Speaking of whores, did I tell you how fine you look in that suit?”

He smoothed the front of his jacket with his right hand and extended his left arm for her.  “I guess you won’t mind being seen with me then?”

“Not at all, handsome.”  She looped her right arm through his and they picked up their pace to meet Will and their host at the elevator.  Her Prada shoes tapped along the ornate marble floor as she took in the rich colors and happy international chatter coming from vacationers and businesspeople. 

Their host escorted them into a private elevator and they rode to the twenty-fifth floor of the all suite hotel.  Sarah held the rail tightly as they whisked fifty floors skyward.

Sarah tried to remain calm as she wondered about where Vince might be and took a long, deep breath as their host opened the door to their two-story suite.  On the other side of the glistening marble entryway was a marble and gold staircase covered with leopard print carpeting.  Being instantly enveloped in luxury while her mind swam in thoughts of the horrible things that could be happening to Vince overwhelmed her.  Sarah gripped Jason’s arm tightly to keep the only grip on reality she had.

He leaned close and smiled as he whispered to her.  “Any other time I’d love your manicured nails digging into my skin but the blood you draw today will ruin my Armani.”

Jason’s teasing was all Sarah needed to shock her back to reality.  This over-the-top extravagance was her life now.  Angelo had left her an enormous estate in Italy and more money than she’d ever dreamed of having.  Once Vince was free they’d leave the Agency and start enjoying it together.

Better start getting used to it now.

She retracted her claws and gave him an apologetic pout as she mouthed the words “I’m sorry”.

Freedom’s Promise, book #3 in the Task Force 125 series, is coming to Sapphire Blue Publishing, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other ebook sellers in June 2010.  Read about the Task Force 125 series by Lisa Pietsch at www.LisaPietsch.com.

The Path to Freedom, Book #1 in the Task Force 125 Series by Lisa Pietsch

Let’s face it – the military life is romantic.

We travel to exotic places that other people only dream about.  We meet people from all walks of life who are driven, capable, confident, fit and well-groomed.  It doesn’t get much sexier than that.  We live fast and work hard.  We savor every moment because we know, it could be our last.  We love, sometimes for the moment and sometimes forever but always passionately.

A Taste of Liberty, Book #2 in the Task Force 125 Series by Lisa Pietsch

We suffer.  We endure.  We ache and we grieve.  The joys are balanced with the pains of living but I don’t know one person who has served who would give up any of their pains if it meant giving up their joys as well.

We eat a bigger slice of life than all the people back home put together.

Is it any wonder they’re just chomping at the bit to read about it all?

I am a veteran and a military wife.  I write romance because I live a romantic life.  If you want to know what has been so romantic about it, pick up The Path to Freedom and start reading.  Sometimes, the only way to get people to believe it is to dress it up as fiction.

In 2004, I began writing a novel about a lieutenant in the fictional APLA – All People’s Liberation Army. Since I’d been in the Navy, I knew the basic ranks there. I’d seen enough Star Trek episodes to know Navy ranks were used on the Enterprise. That was good enough for me.

The book was rocking right along, and I was more than halfway finished. I mentioned at dinner one night that I was using Navy ranks for the officers aboard the ship.

Did I mention that I have a rather opinionated son who happened to be in Junior ROTC – USAF?

My youngest son Joel is a stickler for details. He held a perfect score in ROTC, and was the pride of the colonel who taught the class.  

Joel informed me that the Air Force is in charge of the air, and by extension space, Star Trek notwithstanding. He suggested I change the ranks of my officers and offered to help with the conversion. We made them close approximations fitting with the work they perfomed.

My lieutenant became a captain. The character once designated captain now became a colonel (and in later books, a General). Joel gave me a print out of Air Force ranks to use for reference, and is still (six years later and post USAF service) my go-to guy on anything related to the military when I don’t know myself, or can’t ask a fellow member of RomVets or one of the authors here. Now you know how the APLA ended up with its current ranking system.

The book was At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, which is being rereleased 3/23/10 at Loose Id.

Thank you so much for inviting me to blog today about Summer of Two Wishes. This book, (released last summer), is about a soldier who was believed to have died in Afghanistan, but who turns up alive and comes home to find that life has moved on without him: His wife has remarried, his horse ranch is gone, and there really isn’t a place for him. The real story is about his wife and the choice she has to make. She loved him, she grieved for him, but she thought he was dead and fell in love again. Whose wife was she? The wife of her first true love, whom she thought she lost to the war? Or to the man who pulled her out of the ashes of despair and taught her how to love again?

I backed into this idea by accident; I didn’t start out to write a book about a military hero. Other than having a nephew who has served two tours in Iraq, what do I know about coming home from war? What I set out to do was write a book that was simple in its construct, but packed an emotional wallop. The idea came to me one day when I was reading the Austin American Statesman.

I don’t know about where you live, but about once a year in Austin, the paper has a special edition in which they print the faces, names, and death information of all the soldiers from Central Texas who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us. It is gut-wrenching to look at those pictures. I cannot imagine how the family of those faces must feel. They must all wish for one more day, one more moment, or just to hear a voice. They must all wish for their loved one to walk through a door. It is a sobering reminder of the sacrifice so many noble people make in the name of our country and freedom.

I wondered what would happen if one of those faces literally returned from the dead. What would her or she find? Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that life continues to march forward and nothing can stop it. The wheels keep turning and the past keeps evolving into the present and on into the future. The construct was simple: who was she going to choose? Someone was going to be hurt no matter what she did.

I think that having to come back to a life that has moved on without him would have been enough for this hero. Layer onto that the burden of very difficult, soul-searching choice and I had my basic conflict that thrummed with emotion. It was a hard book to write. I thought a lot about loss. I didn’t know which man the heroine would end up with until I was three-quarters through the book. And I have not written yet about the husband she didn’t choose because that is another really emotional book, and I needed to let it simmer. I learned a lot about the military (thanks, Jess!) and a lot about my personal goals and strengths as a writer. I hope you enjoy Summer of Two Wishes. I am always interested to know which way the reader goes: Team Finn? Or Team Wyatt?

Thanks so much for having me here today. Happy Reading!