New Cover Reveal - In the Pureblood's Arms

Fall is upon us, and it came up on us way too fast! I am a summer baby, literally born on the solstice, so I like the warm and balmy days, although I'll confess to a strong loathing of 90% humidity!

Though I am a little sad to see summer end, I am very happy to share some updates, specifically, the cover reveal for In the Pureblood's Arms, Book 4 in The Magiste Chronicles. I am very excited to relaunch this book – with some extensive rewrites and a fresh new title, it is now what I had imagined when these characters first started talking to me.

Chantal and Henri's story is more than simply the fourth book in the series, or the first of the Magiste Founders tales. This book holds a special place in my heart, because it’s the first to combine my two favorite genres – historical and paranormal. It's a tricky balance – while I can make up the paranormal aspects when I world-build, I can fudge with the historical facts only so much. Merging those pieces together while building a love story made this one of the books I had the most fun writing, and one of the very few I wrote straight through from end to end without another project running alongside it.

Another tricky aspect to this book is the villain, or should I say villains. For while there is one specific person who can be named as a villain, there is a broader scope to the bad guys in this book. The backdrop of the story is one of the Papal Inquisitions, specifically under the control and expansion by Louis IX, King of France. Louis was a very devout Catholic and is the only French king to be canonized for his efforts in working with the Church during his rule. Interestingly enough, he participated in the Eighth Crusade, alongside Edward I (merely a prince at the time), another of my favorite historical figures whom I've included in several other books.

In any case, basically the Catholic Church is the enemy lurking in the shadows in this book,  aided by traitorous Magiste seeking to enhance their own power and standing. Some things throughout history never change, eh? We never actually see the Pope, or the local bishops who oversaw all activities related to destroying heresy and achieving their additional goals of wealth and influence, but it is discussed often amongst the characters, and there is no question who is targeting the Magiste. These events send Henri Marchand and Chantal Belliveau on a desperate race for survival.

I've made some changes to the story, cleaned up and rearranged parts, and generally corrected any issues I'd had with the previous incarnation. In the Pureblood's Arms didn't need as many edits as the other three books, but enough that there are noticeable differences and definite clarifications. This book's historical aspects also brought some major changes to the overall arc of the Magiste Chronicles, and have put me on a path to explore some new historical times.

So this book really has a lot of different meanings for me, which is certainly a bit more complex than my other series. There are so many ways the rest of the series can go (I've got them all written down! lol), but now I have to find some new crisis to torment my characters with.

In the meantime, In the Pureblood's Arms will be available for pre-order in the coming days. And here it is, the beautiful new cover that perfectly captures Chantal and Henri, as created by Winter Bayne, my favorite multi-talented cover artist, and once again featuring Michael Foster, as Henri.

Here is the blurb and a small teaser from In the Pureblood's Arms. I think of this as "A Magically Kinky Twist on History!" Stay tuned for pre-order and buy links!

* He saved her from certain death, but is he more dangerous – to her heart? *

In 13th century France, attacked by those carrying out the Papal Inquisition, Magiste Enchantress Chantal Belliveau is thankful for rescue from certain torture and death. But she never expected her savior to be Henri Marchand, one of a powerful pureblooded line of ancient Magiste, the Zyndevines, known for their practice of dark magic. Henri holds the key to her survival, but the danger he poses to her heart and soul could be even more perilous.

Despite his dark lineage, Henri is part of Il Resistasse, a handful of powerful Magiste fighting the atrocities the Catholic Church inflicts on their race. Saving Chantal becomes more than a simple rescue - the innocent young woman with half-trained powers enchants him more than he has ever been before. That she enjoys the dark side of pleasure he inflicts makes him question his determination to never give another his heart.

Chantal is horrified when Henri invokes an ancient spell, the Possede Puissant. The incantation leaves her little more than his possession. While she finds herself enjoying his dark and wicked sensual delights, she determines to free herself. Yet, the security she finds with Henri encourages her to stay by his side, claiming spell or not.

Resentment from Henri's family convinces Chantal she must ultimately break free of Henri's possession. When the Inquisitors attack, Henri convinces Chantal to embark on a journey to a new land, a journey that may well mean the survival of the entire Magiste race but the loss of her freedom forever.

** Contains explicit Magically Kinky! love scenes of the paranormal kind, including magical sex toys, potions, bondage, spanking and more!

Here's that excerpt. Enjoy!

Near Toulouse, France 1255

Henri adjusted his cloak, striding quickly toward the stables, thumb turning the ring on his left hand in a nervous motion. The stone, set in nearly pure gold mined from the caves near Limoges, warmed. He took a deep breath, teeth grinding in anger. He had little time to reach his destination and waited impatiently while the groom finished saddling his horse. If he made it in time, he'd need the animal to help with the task that lay ahead.

Word had come that a family near Toulouse had been targeted by the Inquisitors. Each passing second seemed somehow a waste, spurring his impatience, the message arriving only minutes before. In his mad rush to reach the stables, he'd avoided his parents, knowing they would disapprove of his actions. While Edouard and Marie Marchand preferred dealing with the minions of the Church using dark arts, Henri feared such measures only served to increase the rabid urges of men who held power and hungered for more. While he appreciated the use of sinister magic to bring his enemies to their knees, the brutality of the Inquisitors far exceeded anything he'd witnessed from the Magiste.

Today's victims were a minor noble family of Magiste. They'd lived peacefully for centuries on their land, alongside their neighbors. What had changed to turn the evil eye of the Inquisition toward them? The question lingered and he finally accepted the reins of his horse from the stable-boy. Thunder rumbled overhead. Henri mounted. Closing his eyes, he clenched his fist, the ring near scalding.

"Portalus."

Beneath him, the horse pranced as the compression of the traveling spell took effect, sending Henri and the animal through distance and time. He hoped to use Mordred with the transport home. If all went well, there would be more people than Henri was capable of magically moving by himself. When the pressure of the spell eased, Henri found himself in the middle of a lush forest, damp with a recent rain. To his right, shouts sounded, and he wheeled the horse around. Beyond the tree line, fire illuminated the night. Henri's heart sank to see flames erupting from the windows of a large manor house. Even from this distance, he could hear the screams of those trapped inside. Merde! Too late!

Smoke quickly wafted toward the forests, the acrid stench burning his eyes. A flurry of movement in the brush nearby drew his attention. He dismounted and fastened the horse's reins to a tree. He held his hands above the animal's back.

"Cachevois."

His ring warmed and the horse vanished from view, concealed by the spell. No Mortals would find his mount. Henri stood motionless for a few moments, while the shouts of the Inquisitors echoed around him. He ignored them, concentrating on the immediate area.

The tingling awareness of someone else possessing magic grew stronger to his right. He turned, his ring warming further and leading him closer to the source of power. Another rustle of foliage, this time accompanied by a choked sob. The flash of movement almost eluded him, but he headed in the same direction. His ring grew hotter and hotter, nearly scorching his skin. There, up ahead. A woman ran, her long fiery hair catching on low-lying branches. He picked up his own pace, desperate to reach her before the Inquisitors. He just about came even with her when she stumbled and fell, more sobs and gasping breaths reaching his ears, even over the din of chaos at the edge of the forest.

Aware of two of the Inquisitors closing in, Henri hurried to the fallen woman as she struggled to rise. He held out a hand.

"Come with me!"

She froze, a shriek escaping before she scrambled away from him. Damn, she thought he was one of them.

"Come with me now! It's your only chance if you want to live!"

He used the Commandevois spell to enhance his words, the order in his voice clear and compelling. At the same time, he reached for her once more. He had to get her out of here now, no time to return to his horse. Finally, her small hand took his and he hauled her to her feet, pulling her close. He murmured the Portalus spell again, sucking in a breath as the squeezing sensation overtook him for the second time in less than five minutes. When it stopped, they stood in the courtyard of his manor house. He would send a groom to find Mordred later. The steed remained safe under the concealment spell.

He stepped away from the woman in his arms, studying her in the bright moonlight. Soot streaked her cheeks, her large green eyes peering up at him from under a thick blanket of lashes. The wild, deep auburn hair floating around her face gave her an ethereal look, almost like a siren sent down from above by the ancient gods. She wrapped slender arms about herself, her gaze locked with his.

"My family…" she finally whispered.

"I'm sorry. I was too late."

She cocked her head to the side, almost as if she didn't understand him. He should probably explain, but wanted to get her inside before his parents heard their voices and came to investigate. He reached for the woman, but she backed away.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Henri Marchand."

How Real Should it Be?

Having finished rewriting, revising and fixing (in so many places), the fourth book in The Magiste Chronicles, I am taking a little breather before uploading and relaunching to get back to work on the fourth book in the Medieval Warrior's Legends series. This book, which I am calling Warrior's Witch, has a bit of paranormal angle, being that it features a time-traveling heroine – with a twist. And that twist has put me smack-dab in the middle of a dilemma, which I think I may have worked out. At least, I hope I did.

You see, our fearless heroine, Caroline, time-travels from the 21st century back to 13th century England, and meets our fearless hero, Simon. You may remember him as Gillian's bastard brother in Warrior's Possession. Anyway, as Caroline soon finds out, she technically time-traveled as an infant to the modern world, and knows nothing about the truth of her birth. As I originally wrote it, Caroline is the daughter of Simon's cousin. But then I realized that could have, not only an "ick" factor, but a very big legal issue, both then and now.

I had to take some time to dig deeper into the laws of the period, which raised the usual question – how realistic does this have to be? Naturally, writing historical romance requires a healthy degree of realism – you can't have characters from the medieval era saying/doing/using things that are common to today's world. And, of course, they have to abide by the laws of the land for their time. Most of the "common" people simply went along with it, no matter what their opinions might be. After all, enforcement of those laws in that era tended to fall on the side of lawlessness. Who dared go against a powerful monarch or overlord when he exacted justice by whatever means possible, no matter how unfair, cruel or brutal? If you spoke up, you just might meet a similar fate. But if you were nobility, you might be able to bend or even break the laws to achieve your goals, and you often got away with it.

Like everything else, where marriages were concerned, there were laws about who could or could not marry. As far back as Roman times, there were prohibitions on marriages through The Fourth Degree of Kinship, which included not only the first Three Degrees (parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews, etc.) but first cousins, and "greats" of all manner, as well. Many cultures and societies, as well as the Catholic Church, adhered to these various degrees for centuries. Generally, First and Second degrees were frowned upon, not only from a legal standpoint, but a societal one. That degree was just too close, and even in those days, which were rough, raw and brutal, that was an ick factor.

To avoid breaking the laws of the Church and the country/society they lived in, noble and royal families often kept detailed records of ancestry. However, throughout history these laws were not always adhered to – it was a lot easier back then to hide, ignore, or "lose" those records if you really wanted a marriage to occur. Additionally, breaking the laws could be permitted or forgiven by certain people in positions of power, for certain people in positions of power. For example, in medieval times, the Pope had the power to waive these marriage prohibitions, and these waivers most often occurred in the cases of royal couples. There were various reasons for these marriages, the whole "keep the bloodline pure" thing, to protect and keep lands the family currently held, and to strengthen a family's political power. On the flip side, many times, one spouse might use the laws on consanguinity to justify divorce or annulment, when they decided they wanted out of a marriage.

Another factor to consider is that, in those days, it took a lot longer for word to travel, so by the time word of this problematic relationship reached the ears of someone who could interfere, there could well be several children involved, which made for some sticky situations related to inheritances and such. Sometimes the marriages would be allowed to stand, other times, they were forced to be dissolved.

Edward I, one of my favorite English monarchs and a secondary character in more than one book in the Medieval Warrior's Legends series, remarried after his beloved Eleanor died. His second wife was Marguerite of France and was his first cousin once removed. Clearly, he received a dispensation, for she remained his wife until he died.

           

    

Naturally, as society and civilization evolved throughout time, so did the Roman Consanguinity Scheme; by the 11th century, Pope Alexander II had made sweeping changes, resulting in "Collateral Consanguinity." This now meant many more degrees now fell under the Fourth Degree - all relatives up to third cousins (formerly the Eight Degree) were included. Again, dispensations were made, and I personally suspect money and other forms of wealth or items of value changed hands to make these marriages happen.

In any case, in my story, I've made a few changes to Caroline's ancestry. I changed her father to now be Simon's second cousin, putting Caroline and Simon into the Seventh Degree, as per the Roman Scheme of Consanguinity. Despite the changes by the Church, they would likely be relatively safe from an ancestral and legal standpoint in those days. Though Simon is nobility, he is still bastard-born and unlikely to get a dispensation from the Pope to marry Caroline, who is already viewed with distrust, he would not likely be viewed as important enough to warrant bothering with.

At least, that's how I'm playing it!  

Should Have Done This Sooner

So in the last few weeks, I've tried a couple of experiments, to see how I can increase my audience and as a result, also my sales. A very tight budget has kept me from doing some things I want to try, so I needed cost-effective ways to make that sales increase happen.

The first experiment wasn't as successful as I'd hoped, though part of that is due to my not paying attention to it as much as I should. The launch of my new website, as well as a new newsletter that is set to be released late summer/early fall occurred a few weeks ago. It hasn't generated a lot of traffic, just a trickle, despite the enticement of winning - anyone who signs up for that newsletter will be entered into a contest to win free books, all sorts of fun goodies, and a $25 Amazon GC. If you haven't yet ventured over to the new site, take a minute to check it out – there's  info about each of my books, as well as any upcoming events and of course, the place to sign-up for news from me. I plan on sending out the newsletter at most 4-5 times a year, with a few special notices regarding new releases and the like.

Gianna Simone

Experiment number two was much more successful - placing an ad through Amazon Marketing Services. Again, budget was keeping me from doing this, but I decided to bite the bullet and take a shot. Turns out, it isn't as expensive as I thought it would be.

I chose to do a Sponsored Ad, where the book shows up on the pages of other books. My first attempt was rejected, and the explanation they gave was about the cover showing sexually suggestive images and content. I had actually researched ads that contained covers and books that were similar in tone/content to mine, so I reached out to support for some clarification, guidance and advice to bring the ad in line with their rules. Turns out it was my custom ad text that was the problem – a capitalization issue which was an easy fix, and once completed, was now acceptable for placement.

I'm about a week in now, and I have to say, I am very pleased with how the ad is working so far. After a couple of days watching the metrics, I learned how to narrow my targeted keywords – I followed the advice from others who ran successful ads and have about 300 keywords for the ad, though I did not use all of them at first. I still haven't used all of the initial words on my list, though I have added some I didn't have before, after seeing where my ad showed up and what other books appeared beside it. It's been very interesting to watch, and a lot of this brings me back to my corporate days of working with advertising campaigns and determining what gives the greatest ROI.

While the number of impressions (the number of times the ad appears) is actually quite - pardon the pun – impressive, it's watching and determining how to best utilize specific keywords that are generating the most traffic as far as clicks go. Studying which keywords gave the highest number of impressions and clicks helped me determine where to up the bid per click (and as a fangirl, it's awesome that some of those keywords are my favorite authors. Squee! lol)

Anyway, I figure all those impressions are at the very least getting me exposure, and the clicks are most definitely generating sales. What I noticed however, is that though the ad is specifically for Norseman's Salvation, and the ad has gotten me nice sales of that book over the last several days, I've gotten way more sales on the first two books in the series, specifically Norseman's Revenge. Since the end of the first day of the campaign, all three of The Norsemen Sagas books have consistently been in the Top 100 in the Viking Romance Category, most of the time in the Top 50. My overall sales have increased very nicely, spreading to my other series as well. In general, the ad has been successful – and I have more than tripled sales (across all my titles) compared to what I've spent so far (on one title). 

So for those who were curious how things were working, there you have it. I strongly suggest trying an AMS ad campaign to increase your sales – while I haven't sold thousands of books in the last week, I am very pleased with the increase I am seeing, and will continue to keep this ad campaign going as long as I can. And with the relaunch of the fourth Magiste Chronicles book on the horizon, I will be starting a new campaign.

The only regret I have about this is that I didn't do it sooner.