Black Cats and Witch Hats

I don't mean to be a cliché, but October is finally here! I truly do love this month way more than any of the other months of the year - and not only because Halloween is near, but also because the world starts to creep into "cosy" mode for the impending cool months. The air is colder, blankets are warmer, the world gets wet and we struggle to keep dry. All the while, the veil between this world and the next thins... if you believe such things!

As a Wiccan, Samhain is obviously the most fun day of the year for me. There are few others around here whom I can celebrate the holiday with, but I'm happy to partake with the select few individuals I'm closest to on this planet. We recently celebrated Mabon together, a holiday I wrote about in Midnight Magick! And yes, our ritual really did go a lot like how I describe it in the book!

But anyway, I digress.

This year has been a turnaround year for me. I've finally cast aside the shackles of routine and taken a big risk by opening myself up to the world of writing, and while I mainly have myself to thank for that, I'm planning on spending this month using all the energy I have from last month's excitement and turning it outward toward the people I love. It's time to give back!

Anyway, I just thought I'd drop in since I haven't in a while. I promise I'll write more often. I'm working on two new titles at the moment:

Taken in Darkness' older sister, Penny Dreadfuls: we return to a more elegant time, to the Victorian Gothic, a time of corsets and top hats, where man's carnal urges were repressed behind the straight-jacket of politeness. To a place where monsters could walk among the herd, obscured by perpetual smog, free to indulge in the sins of the flesh.

Midnight Magick: a (still untitled) sequel and the second book in the series. The smoother, sharper successor to Midnight Magick where I take what I've learned and apply it in full force, pouring blood and sweat into the keys. I can't say much, but I can tell you some witches had better be mindful of their actions; you never know when your very life may depend on your ability to to retrace your steps.

I hope you enjoy them!

How are you all going to be celebrating Halloween? Feel free to drop a comment! I don't bite!

Kat
xx

Midnight Magick

It's been a wild ride, but after much - MUCH - hard work, Midnight Magick is finally ready to hit the shelves! I've posted the blurb below, plus the new cover art to the left (which I think is a great improvement over the first, but feel free to let me know your opinions) and with all that said I think I'm ready to go!

Thanks to everyone for their support, I hope you enjoy my work!

Click here to go to the Amazon Sale Page: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NS3LXPM

And click here to Like me on Facebook to keep in touch: https://www.facebook.com/katmartinezauthor

*Comments/ criticism/ feedback absolutely welcomed!

Blurb: 

"Lonely witches get up to no good."

Amber Lee has a decent life: she lives in a great house, she's about to start school again, her best friend Eliza is pregnant, and the pair of them are Wiccans with a healthy bond. But ever since Eliza moved out of Amber's house and in with her boyfriend Evan, Amber's been feeling a growing pang of loneliness in her chest.

When Damien, a stranger to her town, mysteriously comes into her life bringing with him all manner of strangeness, everything changes. Damien shows Amber a side of her she never knew existed, and ignites in her a spark she hadn't felt in a long time, but he's haunted by a dark secret and a purpose which may prove fatal to them both - and by the time she realizes it, there's no turning back.

Midnight Magick will take you deep into a world of witchcraft and mystery, where bonds are tested, hearts broken and lives lost. 

*hiss!*

Today I learned something about this world of words we authors live in. Sure, I never expected to trot into a place of love and mutual support, but I also never expected to find myself in a nest of badgers! There is a clearly defined line between Traditionally Published Authors and Self-Published Authors, and woe to anyone who crosses that line.

I didn't even know a line existed! Someone could've warned me.

Reading through comments from elitist authors made my blood boil. I couldn't believe there were people out there so willing to look down their nose at Indie Authors and immediately expect them to be snivelling little imbeciles with no talent, no tact and no knowledge of the industry they're trying to break into.

Here I am, an Indie Author without the funds, experience, or visibility to make it into a world she desperately wants to be a part of, and not only do I have to contend with a fiercely vicious market, but I also have to deal with being stereotyped into a group already classed as inferior in every way and thus not worthy of even common decency?

I'm all for letting the work speak for itself. Don't get me wrong. And I know there are some individuals who go on every site imaginable and copy-paste the same book promo into every possible page, often times with bad grammar and no regard for the rules of the forum in question (which I shall not name), but we aren't all like that! Some of us are actually intelligent, caring individuals who don't deserve to be stigmatised because they don't have the backing, visibility or the INTENT to try and get published the traditional way.

Anyway, that's the end of my rant. I don't know if there are others out there who feel the same as I do or have experienced this kind of "classism" first hand. If you have, please comment below and share your story.

For now I'm going to ignore discussion threads, channel my frustration, and - in the words of the legendary Neil Gaiman - make good art.

Goodnight!

Kat
xx

Treading In the Dark (Over 18's Only!)

Today I've decided to do something a little different having spent the last couple of days ceaselessly writing my first paranormal romance novel "Midnight Magick" (to be released in the coming month). I instead of tracking my progress I'm going to tease you all a little bit with my words.

Taken In Darkness is my début work, a paranormal erotica anthology of seven short stories to give people a sexy thrill and glimpse into the world of paranormal creatures filling my mind space. It's been available on Amazon for 3 weeks, so for those of you who haven't picked up a copy I'm going to be posting the whole first entry right here!

Read on if you're interested, turn back now if you aren't - the rest gets a little raunchy - and tell me what you think in the comments below!

If you like it, buy it! Taken In Darkness is available on Amazon for only $1.59 (paperback option available) and free for Kindle Unlimited members! Enjoy my naughty stories!

ISABELLA

I don’t know what bored me the most; the endless array of kisses on the cheek or the continuous congratulations handed to me by party attendees. Joseph threw the gathering in my honor, and I’d been warned there’d be people around wanting to meet me and shake my hand for, well I guess, surviving my first few months as a Vampire. But I didn’t expect this.

At such a beautiful venue with equally lovely staff, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m sure I did. When was Joseph going to understand? He may be Upper East Side, but I’m from Brooklyn. Isn’t being a Vampire all about prowling different clubs every night, taking my pick of the guys—and girls—and all the blood I can want? So far Joseph hasn’t let me do any of that. He says I’m not ready for the kind of excitement something like that will bring, and I guess he knows more than I do; but tonight sucked, and I wanted him to know.

When the party started to wind down I headed out to find the limo I’d been told would be ready to take me away. What I found on the cold, city streets was Joseph—already poised by the car—holding the door open for me.

Your soul could unravel with a single gaze from Joseph’s intense brown eyes. He held his hair parted to the side like a classic gentleman, and wore his suit like he was born for it. His jaw and cheeks were chiseled, as if they’d been sculpted out of marble, and he ate pussy like nobody’s business.

I advanced and flashed a thankful smile as I stepped past him and into the car. He scanned me, drinking in my body’s silhouette encased in the red dress he’d bought for me. The shapely garb made my breasts look amazing and my green eyes pop. I flicked the blonde curls I so painstakingly maintained over my shoulder and battered playful eyelashes at him as the car got moving.

“Where to now?” I asked.

“My place,” said Joseph, “I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise? I thought tonight was surprising enough. It was a beautifully arranged affair.”

“Please, you don’t have to speak like that anymore Isabella. You’re with me now.”

I gave him a sincere smile. He appreciates the effort I make for him, and that’s enough for me. 

“Consider this new surprise my way for apologizing to you for all the boredom you no doubt had to endure, and for commending you on the way you behaved around all the old Vampires.”

“I did it for you.”

“I know, and you did great. They’re impressed. So now we’re going to have a little fun.” His mouth said fun, but his dangerous eyes promised something more along the lines of “I’m going to devour you”. Who am I to fight against that?

I had no idea what this man had in store. Ever since we met he’d been all smoke and mirrors. The first date we went on he hired out an entire restaurant just for us. The second date started in New York and ended in Seattle, under the Space Needle. Getting a read on him is harder than trying to put on a pair of panties one handed while also drunk out of your skull in a pair of five inch Louboutins, but I guess that’s the fun. He’s unpredictable, sexy, charming and thrilling; and mine.

About twenty minutes later we arrived at Joseph’s penthouse high above the ground. A musky smell tantalized my nostrils as I stepped into the apartment. The place always smelt like sex, naturally, but this was different, fresh.

“Joseph, are there—” I got my answer before the question even left my lips.

Joseph smirked like a man whose plans had been foiled and took my coat. “Take off your shoes.”

Seduced by the sound of sensual, womanly moans emanating from Joseph’s bedroom, I stepped out of my Manolo Blahniks and waited for him to remove his jacket. Joseph led me toward the door to his bedroom and gently pushed it all the way open. My jaw dropped. Four people, all naked and covered in each other’s sweat and bodily fluids, writhed around as a large mass of flesh on the bed. Two of the participants were women, two of them were men—any of them could’ve been models.

Joseph, who entered the room after me, slipped his hands under my arms and cupped my breasts over the fabric of my dress. My heart sped up at his touch. I arched my back into him and smiled, enjoying the way my nipples hardened under his hands.

“I told you I had a surprise,” he whispered. Either the teeth nibbling on my earlobe or his breath on my neck could’ve been responsible for the wave of tingles rushing through me, but whatever.

“Joseph,” I said, in a sigh.

A hand trailed down my belly and snaked its way under my dress, finding its mark between my legs and rubbing in a circle over my wet panties. I ground my hips into his hand.

“Oh God,” I wanted him to take me right then and there, my body ached for it. No one could’ve called Joseph an amateur at the art of seduction. 

“On the bed there are four people,” said Joseph, “You’ll know them as Ray, Alexander, Honey, and Lea. They have been told who you are, and what you need.”

“They know what I need?” I asked, “You mean blood?”

“That’s right,” said Joseph. Again he nibbled my earlobe. I sighed and smiled, exposing my neck to his mouth. His fingers were a wet mess now, and I could feel his bulge against my backside.

“Are we going to watch them fuck?” I asked.

“No. First, I want you to get on all fours and suck Alexander’s dick. Honey is ready to eat your pussy and your asshole in front of me. I want to watch.”

I’d never heard anyone speak like Joseph did. He gave facts and commands, never suggestions and opinions. It’s what turned me on about him the most. There I was, putty in his hand—literally. I would have done anything to please him, and he wasn’t a fool to that. Joseph planned every moment of this, knowing exactly what I would choose to do without ever forcing me to do it, so why not go along with it?

Staring into his eyes, I undid the laces on my dress. The gown slipped off my smooth skin with a hiss and all that’s left is lacy, black underwear. With a look, Joseph set me ablaze. Refusing to break eye contact with my man, I unhooked my bra and freed my breasts. Then I approached, wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

“You better be ready for me,” I whispered into his mouth, “Because I’ll want more when I’m done with them. But I’m taking the redhead, not the brunette.”

Empowered by the look of hunger in Joseph’s eyes—hungry fires stoked by my defiance—I faced my marks on the bed and approached. Alexander’s bulky frame dared me to sink my teeth into it, and Lea’s slender body and firm breasts begged to be worshipped. But this was about me, not them.

I took their hands and they helped me onto the bed. Without warning Alexander took my waist into his powerful arms, pulled me towards his rigid body and took one of my breasts into his mouth. He easily possessed one of the biggest dicks I’d ever seen in my entire life, although as much as the thought of wrapping my mouth around it turned me into a giddy mess, I kept my eyes fixed on eager Lea. This one, with her deep red hair, full red lips and two entire sleeves of tattoos, was my kind of girl.

Soft moans escaped my lips as the muscle-bound man bit the tips of my hard, pink nipples. I ran a hand through his brown locks and yanked hard, showing him I like it rough. Taking hold of his cock at the base I started to gently tug and work the shaft. He was mighty and slick with juices straight out of Lea’s delicious pussy; there was no escaping the mouth-watering scent.

In a single movement I got onto all fours and swallowed Alexander’s cock as far as it could go without forcing my gag reflex. Delicious, thick, firm and soft at the same time—everything I wanted it to be. He moaned for me and wrapped my hair around his fist, pulling at it as I consumed his manhood.

I squirmed on my knees a little as my lacy panties slid off my skin at Lea’s leisure. She spread my ass cheeks wide, exposing me, and with her warm tongue teased my dripping wet pussy into an agony I can’t say I’ve ever before experienced in my life. Arching my ass forcibly into Lea’s face her tongue finally found my clit, and then a new kind of blissful torture began. But I concentrated on Alexander, rolling my tongue around his soft tip and occasionally sucking on his balls. He’d cum quickly in my hands.

When Lea plunged her tongue into my cunt I froze and  moaned around Alexander’s cock. He’s lucky I didn’t bite it off in that instant. My chest stopped heaving. I took Alexander’s cock out of my mouth and glanced around my own body to find Lea’s face almost entirely hidden by the curve of my ass. From here caught a glimpse of Joseph, watching. The smile on his face—the kind only ever present on the lips of a man with a lot of power—turned me on even further.

“Eat my ass,” I said, and Lea listened. Blindly pumping Alexander’s dick whilst watching Lea’s face disappeared behind the curve of my hips with intent—what could be better? My body fluttered as a powerful orgasm built within me. Lea snaked a hand around my thigh and masterfully found my clit, rubbing while working at my asshole with her tongue.

“Yes, yes!” I cried, “Yes!”

Alexander’s cock throbbed within my hand. He snatched my attention away and forced my mouth around his dick again. I came hard, shaking uncontrollably under Lea’s lips. Her overjoyed murmurs as my juices dribbled out of my pulsating cunt and into her mouth drowned out Alexander’s pleasurable groans. When I opened my eyes again I noticed Joseph now behind the strong man, speaking into his ear.

“I want you to cum on her tits,” he said.

Like a contortionist I quickly lay on my back, on the bed, and urged Alexander to kneel over my chest. As Lea came into view from around Alexander’s hips I shot her a wanting look, then I looked into the man’s eyes, pressed my breasts together as if to make them targets, and smiled. Lea kissed Alexander’s side and slipped one of her hands between his legs, cupping his balls as he stroked his own cock like his life depended on the orgasm.

His heartbeat, loud as a jackhammer to my ears, raced in his chest. He moaned louder and more desperately as climax built until finally his cock exploded jets of warm, delectable cum all over my tits. I moaned with him and lathered my nipples with his seed until the flow slowed to a halt.

Joseph snuck his way into an empty space around Lea’s side. He whispered into her ear and she grinned, wickedly, before turning her gaze to me. Alexander removed himself from the scene and allowed Lea to slide over my naked body. Our soft lips found each other’s. Lea sucked on my tongue, then left a trail of her red lipstick over my neck and chest before playfully lapping Alexander’s cooling spunk from off my breasts and nipples. This woman was mine. I wanted to keep her as my own personal sex pet! And as Joseph enjoyed the view with a glass of malt liqueur in his hand, I brought my eyes to bear on him.

Did he ever jerk off growing up? He sat motionless on the edge of his seat, watching Lea masterfully envelop my hard clit in the space between her lips, but he never moved a muscle. He analyzed us, finding his own fun in the spectacle unfolding before him—and I’m not complaining—but I needed his cock in my hand, in my mouth, and my cunt; anywhere he wanted to put it.

I snapped into the moment again when Lea pressed her tongue against my clit and viciously sucked on it, an assault of hungry tongue and eager fingers desperate to experience my orgasm again. Every muscle in my body tensed, and as my hips bucked wildly I came again in gushes.

I lay on the bed, head back, chest heaving and breasts glistening. My pussy ached from the orgasm. Vampire or not, when we’re having sex we’re no different to humans. Sure, maybe we can go a little while longer and we’ve been known to be a little tougher, but human all the same. In my euphoria I peered at Joseph. He was hard—there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that he wasn’t—but my whimpers and moans couldn’t get him to move, Lea’s tight cunt directly in his line of sight, begging to have blood sucked out of it couldn’t stir the beast within him. What was his deal?

The redhead crawled across my chest. I sat up and met her lips again. Her mouth, full of the flavor of sex, became the tipping point. My fangs descended and I bit down on her plump red lips. A burst of warm blood filled my mouth and Lea yelped from the pain, but she stayed put as I savored her blood; brave girl. Blood, the sweetest ambrosia, nectar fit for a Goddess; when there’s blood in my mouth, I can do anything.

A little excess blood trickled out of the side of my mouth and left little red trails all over Lea’s breast. I pressed myself against her, blood and sweat soon smearing over our tits. Her body was so warm and slender. If I had a cock, the things I’d do. I wanted more. Hungry, I pushed her onto her back and plunged my lips into her damp pussy, lapping and drinking her delicious fluids before focusing on her clit.

She sighed as if on a high. Joseph crept to the edge of his seat and watched more intently. Moments before bringing the girl to orgasm I bit into the artery just above her sweet spot. Hot blood exploded in a crimson flow and Lea let loose a cutting shriek. Lea gulped and gasped for air, climaxing wildly around my fingers, and I drank from her once more.

There was no wound, and her pulse was steady, but I was messy and Lea’s pussy shone bright red with her own life blood. Satisfied that she’d live, I brought my attention to bear on Joseph and smirked, when out of nowhere someone grabbed my hair and my hip, and shoved a hard dick into my pussy catching me totally unawares.

I moaned from the sudden rush of a cock filling me. In the mirror ahead of me I found Alexander; he’d caught his second wind, and he’d decided to fuck me hard with it. I didn’t care that it wasn’t allowed; let this man fuck me in whatever way he wants, I needed to feel this. Joseph had his chance.

I quickly discovered Alexander to be an able bodied, enormous man with neat muscles and a big dick but no technique. I wanted more from him than just a simple fuck and he failed to deliver. With lightning speed I took his wrist and brought it to my mouth, punching through the skin to hit the vein beneath and take his delicious, healthy blood for myself. Alexander choked on his own breath, and then he came inside me while drained him like a juice box.

He fell limp on the bed after that, exhausted—no, unconscious. Who ever said fucking a Vampire was easy or quick? We may be similar to humans, but when we get some blood in us we turn into monsters.

Sitting straight, I wiped the blood off my mouth with my forearm and checked my surroundings. What I saw was Ray, on his back and unconscious, with two rapidly healing puncture marks on his neck; and Joseph—naked—between Honey’s legs, sucking blood from the veins just above her breasts as she struggled for breath. She didn’t last long.

We locked eyes, Joseph and I, and he lunged towards me—pinning me to the bed by my wrists.

“Fuck me,” I begged through gritted teeth, “I want you inside me.”

Joseph’s lips found mine. I arched my naked hips against his crotch and ground my naked hips against his dick. He pushed into me until I was filled. I threw my head back and sighed, elated and shaking. This is what I wanted all night.

I gripped his shoulders and ran my long, wicked nails over his skin. I drew blood, and Joseph groaned. We kept eye contact as he fucked me hard and deep. Suddenly I flipped him onto his back. He didn’t expect it. I trailed my tongue up his belly and then down again, tugging on his dick with my hand before plunging it into my mouth. Joseph’s lips parted and exultant moans escaped as I sucked his cock, grazing my teeth against the soft tip.

When he’d had enough, he wrapped a hand around my neck and pulled me up to meet his face. We kissed, and I lowered myself to him, straddling him and reveling in the surge of power rushing through me.

“Cum with me,” I said, while bouncing on his cock, “Cum with me Joseph.” 

Our groaning intensified. I put my head down as I reached climax, clenching hard around Joseph’s cock but keeping my rhythm for him. Joseph pulled my hips as closely to his as he could and also came, filling me with spurts of warm, tingling cum. Mmmmm, yes.

When he’d finished, he lowered me into a sweaty embrace and we lay for a while, completely still. Joseph’s men carried the unconscious bodies out of the room around us; the hell if I knew, or cared, where they were going anyway. His eyes were soft now. He may be a powerful man who can get whatever he wants, but when I’m done with him he’s my sweet powerful man.

“Alexander,” said Joseph once the men had gone, “He wasn’t meant to fuck you.”

“It’s okay,” I said.

“It isn’t. I’m the man who gets to fuck you. You’re mine, Isabella.”

“I love it when you say that.”

“He’ll be punished for his transgression.”

I nodded, agreeing with Joseph. We—Vampires—see humans in the same way that a wolf sees a sheep. Humans serve a purpose, but they’re there to be herded – and if one sheep steers away from the herd, he has to answer to the wolf.

“I like Lea,” I said.

“I could tell,” said Joseph. He brushed my hair out of my face and peered into my eyes.

“I want to keep her.”

“Keep her?”

“Yeah… she’s good. I don’t want to let her go.”

“Done,” said Joseph.

“But… she’s mine. Understand?”

“Yours?” asked Joseph, almost shocked.

“Yeah. I don’t want you touching her. I want to be the only one who fucks her and feeds from her.”

Joseph thought about it for a moment and smiled. He kissed me on the forehead—sweetly—and nodded. “Yours,” he said.

Perfect. I turned onto my side with a smile on my face. Joseph slipped his arms around me and embraced me. Spooned, on his bed, with the windows and blinds shut, we fell asleep together.

Whatever other surprises he had in store for me for the future, this one would be tough to beat.

Prowling Toward Your Target

A daily 2,000 word goal is almost a necessity for a brand new Author, as I mentioned in my last post, but even if we're only able to manage 1,000 a day (like me!) or 500, there are other victories you can count which are just as good.

If you're a dreamer, like me, sometimes keeping your mind on the same task is... difficult. You need the new, the fresh. Ideas assault your mind constantly and demand to be acknowledged, otherwise your leg will shake, you'll grind your nails to nubs and end up blocked and unable to write.

So if you're having a hectic day where nothing's going right and forcing a moment to write just isn't going to work, do what I did today and listen to the voices in your head. Let's face it, we're writers; our heads are full of voices! But don't just listen to them, interview them. Ask them questions. Give them a few minutes in the spotlight and they may just surprise you with ideas you didn't know were in there.

That's what I did today, and while I'm not 2,000 words closer to finishing Midnight Magick - one of the first Paranormal Romance novels I plan on publishing this year - the little notepad full of plot outlines and a rough road-map for 2014/ 2015 certainly counts as prowling toward my ultimate target. So write your heart out when you can, and when you can't write, dream - but always be working, especially if you're new! Every little step counts.

I'd like to hear back from other writers on this. Are there others like me? How do you cope with bouts of lethargy and hyper-motivation? Do you have daily word goals? Did you think you were biting off more than you could chew when you first started off?

Thanks for reading!

Kat
xoxo

Finding my Feet

My entire time as a writer I thought the hardest part of being an author was the writing, but having spent the last few weeks in the world of marketing and promotion I can say this; writing is at once the hardest, but also the funnest part of being an author. Everything else is an exercise in psychological endurance, and you'll gain little fun from it if you aren't prepared.

When I published my first piece of work I hit the Tweets hard, spread myself all over Facebook and ran myself ragged hitting the Refresh button on the KDP Reports page to see if I'd made more sales. Sales came, and they were awesome when they popped up on my screen, but they were minimal. 

It took me a while to realize it but a few days ago I read something that made me calm down with the tweets, ignore the KDP Reports page - checking it only at the end of every day - and leave Facebook alone. You'll read this on many other blogs but it bears repeating, especially since I'm living through it right now. What I learned was the only and best tip to becoming a successful author: write more books.

So I wrote and wrote and wrote and guess what? The world didn't collapse from not checking my Twitter page, the KDP Report didn't show a drop in sales because I wasn't incessantly refreshing it, and people didn't like my Facebook page any less. Why's that? Because no one knows who you are yet and they're not going to miss you if you aren't tweeting.

By all means go on Twitter, set up and share your Facebook Author page among friends and family, but always remember that the best thing you can be doing is writing. When you have a moment, write. When you have three moments, spend all three of them writing. Tweet on occasion. Look for other blogs and read them, comment on them or write your own. Set yourself daily word goals and hit them every day before doing anything else with your time. Organize yourself and your time well.

I haven't written this until I reached my word goal! If you're aspiring to be an author and you haven't written anything/ enough today, stop reading and write! 

If you want to walk with confidence among all of the other amazing authors out there one day you have to find your feet first. It'll take time, the grass is prickly, but you'll get used to the path soon enough. You just have to take it one step at a time, and the first one is the most obvious; don't stop writing. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this! Follow me for more!

Kat

xoxo

Out in the world!

Welcome to my very first blog! I'd like to thank anyone who has decided to take time out of their busy day to read on! The thought that someone outside of immediate family/ friends is reading my words right this very second fills me with a thrill I didn't even know existed until I decided to stick my wet nose out into the world and join the rest of the pack.

My name is Katerina Martinez, and my passion is telling stories. I figured out early in life that I was good at it but routine, family and an unhealthy fear of the unknown had me quickly settled into a desk job and consigned to a life of mind-numbing drudgery at the whims of my employers. The idea that I was meant to do more with myself didn't come until a few years ago when, after a family crisis, I decided to put myself first and stop trying to please everyone else.

Now I'm a girl with a keyboard, a blinking cursor, and the world at her fingertips! It took guts to hit that yellow "Publish" button and take the step from Writer to Author, but I've done it and now I'm ready live in the world of criticisms, reviews, social media, blogs, and of course the ever present word-goal. I've never blogged in my life, but I've noticed that all the blogs (or at least a majority of them) about writing, self-publishing and marketing have been written by people who've "been there" and "done that".

I'm in the thick of it right now.

I'm at that turbulent, nebulous point where I worry about whether or not I'm going to make it, whether I'll be brave enough to ride through the storm and come out on the other side a better person, free from the shackles of mediocrity and free to live and breathe and share the worlds I create. In many ways, I'm that fresh kitten sticking her nose anywhere it'll fit not knowing whether the experience will be positive or negative - only that I have to do it, and then tell people about it.

I'm hoping that others in my situation will read this and be able to at least relate to what I'm saying, or at best find strength in my words. That, to me, would be better than even becoming a best-selling author! However, since I'm a writer and my personal development rests in the hands of people who see my work, I would be grateful for - and indeed encourage - any comments or tips related to writing, self-publishing and marketing books. And if someone decides that they want to read my books and let me know what they think about my writing, I would be absolutely ecstatic!

So anyway, before closing this first blog, I'm going to tell you what genres I'll be writing about/ interested in discussing and end with a link to my first piece of work "Taken In Darkness":

- Horror
- Mystery
- The Paranormal/ Occult
- Romance (Paranormal Romance being, primarily, what I'm most interested in)
- Sci-Fi
- Post-Apocalyptic
- Erotica (though not necessarily as a primary genre)

"Taken In Darkness: 7 Supernatural Shorts" - this is my first piece of work available on Amazon now as an eBook. This book is an Erotic Anthology of 7 short stories touching upon the paranormal (Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, Angels, etc). Why Erotic? Honestly, because being the shy person I've always been in life I thought eroticism in my novels was what I would struggle the most with, and I wanted to not just overcome that hurdle but cut through it in a blaze of glory!

Even though I've only had two reviews on this piece, I'm confident to have succeeded in my task (of both writing it and publishing it) and will use the experience as a font of strength to get me through the rest of the ordeal of working two jobs until I'm free to focus entirely on what I love to do; write stories!

My next piece, a novel called "Midnight Magick" is already coming along, and I can't wait to tell you all about it! But first, please feel free to comment, Tweet or email me! I'd love to hear other people's stories too!

Thanks for reading!

Kat

xoxo