Tag: Bandit Brothers Series

When you fill out a form like this

The eve of a new month getting us slightly closer to spring and warmth in my corner of the world (though there still can be plenty of ice and snow between now and then) started off with frigid temps today.

And like I’ve scrawled about on here before there are times when my disability makes indie publishing challenging. Harder? I don’t know. Frustrating, I think frustrating is a good word and one of those times happened today when I realized I filled out a form.

Filling out forms are kind of hell on my brain and it is what it is – maybe I’ve missed out on this opportunity maybe it’ll get corrected but it was something that ate up my time and wouldn’t have been an issue if my disability didn’t make it a thing.

Ah well, all I can do is keep writing. Getting into Kayleigh’s story and wow! I’m so happy about this book and I hardly ever say that until it’s done. It’s not done but I think it’s going to be my favourite.
That I do say, pretty much with every book.

 

Making the words go…

This Monday finds me a little sluggish – I mean, that’s because all the people in my house woke up earlier than usual and I hurriedly drank down my coffee instead of sipping it while checking email and getting to words- and a little cold, but it’s winter and there is much more of it to get through.

But words need to get down.

Nick and Mulberry are on stage at Club Bandit. Is it demo night? Is it a small private gathering? is it a crowd on a regular night? And Nick Laurent keeps his word, so he’s giving Mulberry what he promised.

This bonus scene will be shared with newsletter reads first, this Friday and then up under the bonus content tab, afterwards.

If I can just make the words go.

 

Have you ever made a mistake like this?

Hi friends,

With each book, I do a new ARC Team and though I have repeat readers, I don’t have a set team because each book is different with different content warnings. But in that send out I do say, “You are not obligated to report typos but if you find them, I would appreciate being told.”
And I think I might have to change that policy. Maybe neon sign? Carrier pigeons are costly, I hear.

So pretend this is in all caps: If you find a typo in one of my books, or something wonky, or weird formatting, I want to know. Especially if you are reading an ARC.

Because I can fix it before it goes live.

And also? I do pay editors and proofreaders and if over a certain amount of errors, I might question working with that editor and proofreader again (not to say that I don’t understand mistakes! I do and don’t expect any one person to catch them all).

It’s the eve of  Flame True’s release and yet, I’m in knots.

You guys, this is a record number of pre-orders for me! Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear readers. Your support keeps me going. It really, truly does.

One of my amazing ARC Readers found wonky formatting and typos in their ARC version of Flame True and they were so kind to send me screenshots! I fixed the file. But Amazon runs on GMT time and locks the file at a certain point.

Though I fixed it in the file and uploaded it to all other retailers, I didn’t beat the clock on ‘Zon (thought I did! Ha, that’s what that gets me).

So if you are one of the awesome readers who ordered Flame True from the’Zon prior to Jan 17th 2022, please reach out to me and I will send you the corrected file.

raleigh@raleighdamson.com

And know, I am going to do my best to enjoy the release day! Nick and Mulberry have waited long enough for their HEA. And weren’t you wondering what happened to the girl they rescued?

We can be optimists.

The high winds whipped against the windows throughout the night and it brought to mind the mourning of a sea goddess as those winds over and over can absolutely drive someone to… well insomnia. So I am starting the last month of the year with no sleep but a full cup of coffee and optimism, I’ll take it.

Have you pre-ordered Flame True? I have a few pieces to tidy up and once I’ve been sufficiently coffeed, I’ll get on that.

Hope the first day of the last month is good to you, friends.

When You Move A Release Date …

Within the calendar year of 2022, I released the first three books (plus one novella) in the Bandit Brothers Series. But that wasn’t my plan. Originally, I wanted to finish the series within the calendar year – oh! High expectations!

But when it came time to decide on a release date for Flame True, the fourth book in the series, I kind of blanked. I was so excited about this book, it’s the story of Mulberry who is part of the inciting event of Flame For You, book one and I wanted to get it into readers’ hands.

Then I realized how close to the holidays we were. So I moved the release date to January.

I sent Flame True off to my wonderful betas, re-vamped the blurbs for the series, found my way into a shared world with an incredibly talented group of authors (book coming 2024), and decided to write a short story about Clara, the sub from Flame For You, wrote two Christmas bonus scenes, switched newsletter list providers, slowly worked on making this website prettier, and got a ton finessed on Book Five.

Moving the release date for Flame True was the right decision, even though it felt scary. In moving the release date the fears about not being able to write surfaced but as it turned out, I got more written because my creativity flowed without pressure.

Sort of taking the threads from the season of rest and renewal and quieting/ or hitting pause … not a bad thing, highly recommended it.

year strong

 

This Week: A Stepbrother and A Grumpy Bear Are Released…Books Worth Clicking For

Sharing books that have crossed my path this week, including two books I was privileged to be an early reader of, two pre-orders I can’t wait to get my hands on, a new author and a holiday romance that makes me want to have a margarita.  Check them out and show them some love!

NEW RELEASES 

 

Astra Rose's Inevitable

If taboo romance is your cup of tea, Astra Rose does it very, very well. I read an early copy of this, and Hailey, Xander and Cole are delicious together.

My stepbrother Cole and his best friend Xander have tormented and teased me for years, but last summer things changed between us. I should have known better than to let myself fall in love with Cole; to let him take advantage of me, to be vulnerable to him. Now that we’re all back home for another summer, I’ve promised myself I won’t let him get to me. Him or Xander. But it turns out that this is the summer that changes everything — our family, my future, and the three of us. The truth is, we were all set on this path long ago. What happens between Cole and Xander and I has always been inevitable. ♥ Inevitable is an MMF menage romance. It is the sequel to Stepbully, but can be read as a stand-alone. ♥ Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goldilocks and the Grumpy Bear

If witty banter and smoking-hot chemistry is your kind of read, check out Kacie West’s Goldilocks and the Grumpy Bear. I got to read an early copy and I zipped right through it. It made me laugh out loud and fall in love with Declan and Natalie; I’m sure you will too! Link

He’s too grumpy. She’s all sunshine. But together they might fit just right. Single dad Declan Lowery is trying to have a peaceful holiday with his son. That is until Natalie Taylor plows into his front gate, all sunshine and Christmas cheer. While his son is delighted by her quirky fun, Declan knows he should find her a way home. He’s a famously grumpy ball player-he’s not running a damn bed and breakfast. But they’re stuck together while they wait for the storm to pass. Soon she’s baking cookies and tempting him to take a bite. And Declan’s list for Santa becomes a taste of her sweet lips and a chance to thread his fingers through those golden waves. The Grumpy Bear should never fall for Goldilocks, but when the snow clears it might already be too late. Author note: Goldilocks and the Grumpy Bear is a stand-alone grumpy sunshine Christmas novella between a single dad professional baseball player and a quirky high school history teacher. May contain lots of laughs, holiday cheer, and Metros baseball fun. Kacie West is a pen name for the author duo Jenni Bara and AJ Ranney.

 

 

cover for a very merry margarita mix-up

Next, a cinnamon roll firefighter and a baker, can’t get much yummier than that! Link

They say don’t kiss your best friend. I accidentally kissed her twin sister.
Jules and Hailey Milsom couldn’t be more different. Except they’re identical twins. One is my best friend. The other is the new girl in town, searching for a family she never knew existed.It’s just my luck that when I finally make a move on my best friend, I share the best kiss of my life with a stranger. Any sane person would realize this is hopeless. But when the red-haired beauty needs a reason to stay in Bristol, I double down and try to make every one of her Christmas dreams come true. And I kiss her…again and again. But the one thing she really wants, a relationship with her twin, may be the one Christmas wish I can’t deliver. And this mix-up may be nothing more than a mistake. Authors Note: A Very Merry Margarita Mix-Up is a steamy standalone set in Bristol Bay that features a cinnamon roll firefighter, a sweet baker, small town shenanigans and all the Christmas joy your heart can handle.

 

NEW AUTHOR

Curse of the Raven cover

Give a new author some love! Check out Brittany Wright’s debut novel, which is perfect if you need something dark and twisted. Link

Sometimes, there is no happily ever after.
Ember has spent the last twenty years of her life in a dance with the devil.
Derek is a broken and narcissistic man, but Ember wants nothing more than to make things work with him.
A woman with a tendency to attract people that aren’t good for her is trapped in a nightmare created by the love of her life.
Sasha’s therapeutic methods are unconventional, but as Ember guides her through a maze of fear and love, it will take everything she knows to bring them both out the other side.
If Ember can’t learn to see her toxic relationship for what it is, there could be devastating consequences
Curse of the Raven is a contemporary novel about overcoming your demons.
Readers should be mindful of the trigger warning listed at the beginning of the book.

 

UPCOMING BOOKS! CHECK OUT THESE HOT PRE-ORDERS!

 

THE DRUMMER , COVER

The Drummer by Carla Krae makes me wish I had a drummer in my past. Grab this at the special pre-order price! Link

Lincoln Adams was only supposed to be a drunken mistake, the consequence of a little too much Christmas wedding eggnog and loneliness.
Once he’s asleep, I sneak out of his apartment expecting to never see the drummer again.
Except I left my guitar at his friend’s house.
And my earring on his floor.
An earring he uses to leverage me into a lunch date where he starts chipping away at the armor erected around my heart with his too-insightful mind and gorgeous green eyes. His touch heats up my body with a need I’ve never felt before. I won’t do a relationship ever again, but a surprise mutual connection brings us together for a week of sharing and sensual delights.
Seven days of friends with benefits, then we go our separate ways.
What happens in Virginia can stay in Virginia—right?
This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

 

unwrapping mountain man

Yes, please! I’ll take a Mountain Man and OMG a modern-day mail-order bride? Yeah, I’m here for it. Link

Replying to a spam email to be a mail-order bride may not have been the smartest thing I had ever done, but it’s too late to change it.
But with no prospects, and standing on the brink of homelessness I had nothing to lose.
The promise of a quiet marriage to a wealthy mountain man didn’t seemed like everything I needed.
But when that man turns out to be the man from the poster that hung on my wall as a teen, was I ready for a life in the limelight?
Andrew
When my football career was over, all I wanted was to lead a quiet life away from cameras. Settling on a mountainside in Montana was the perfect escape.
The only problem there wasn’t any women around.
That’s where the Mountain Heart Email Order Bride Company comes in.
When my soon to be bride arrives with tempting curves and hidden secret I can’t help but wonder.
Will ours be the life I longed to live, or the one I longed to leave behind?

 

Going to end this edition of Books Worth Clicking For , with a reminder that Flame True, Book Four in the Bandit Brothers Series, is on pre-order at a special pre-order price. Grab it here

It is a touch of spite. Spicy spite.

Came across this question today in one of the groups: “What keeps you motivated to write?”

And I almost, almost commented with, “Spite, mostly.”

But I didn’t.

But it’s true – mostly.

Trauma seriously had an effect on my crative output… eventually I got so mad that I wasn’t writing that I sobbed/screamed and then just did it. Totally afraid that I wouldn’t do it.

Still, fight the fear that I won’t get out this book if I don’t get out this book. It’s a grind.

(And a total love. And a content that is hard to explain).

Also I: Been slugging trying to polish this exhibitionism/voyeur scene. I have wanted to write this scene with these characters for so long – it might be the whole reason a third floor with a viewing room was added to Club Bandit … and yet…. the scene is not living up to the expectations in my head.

 

 

 

Frosty October Morning

A thick layer of frost this morning made it super hard to get out of bed, but my cubs woke up before the sun’s disc broke the horizon, so I had no choice but to find everyone socks and blankets and get at it. Got a chapter finished on Nick&Mulberry and now the story is moving along. Thank gods, because I was getting a little impatient.

Flame For A Weekend: A Bandit Brothers Novella is now available in paperback from the ‘Zon, if you are keen to have it in paperback.

Writing into September

So I’ve tried to get a wrap-up post posted a bunch of times now, but I am just kind of low on energy and September, with all it’s starting, has taken my attention. But I want to, and I think I might wait till the end of the month and do one big wrap-up post.

I’ve also switched back to weekly NL’s because enough readers told me that’s their preference. I am waiting on the cover and edits for Gardenia and Dax! I’m so delighted with how this story turned out, and I really can’t wait to share. There was something about the “stick to one kink per one book” comment that lodged itself in my brain, needing to be expressed and the result is this story of the exploration of what’s too much and what’s too little and what’s just right, and it fits in with the Bandit Brothers Series so well. Inspiration comes in interesting places, a lot of times, mine comes through/from … spite, I guess. I have a long history of doing things people said I couldn’t, and I guess I’m not stopping now *laughs*.

My plant table needs a new plant friend; I think the atrium lily is done – maybe too cold or not enough sun? Whatever it is, I didn’t get the combination required to make this plant happy, le sigh.

Must go get some words down on Nick and Mulberry’s story; she is growing increasingly annoyed with his attention one moment and his coldness the next. Can’t say I blame the girl, I’d demand better, too.

WIP Wednesday (not a thing)

Coz, I’m probably not going to do this on every Wednesday. Anyways, it’s Wednesday, I got words down on Gardena & Dax (I’m looking for a beta reader for this Daddy Dom/Praise Kink *short* story…it’s supposed to be short) this morning and I have more to write on that. We’re almost at the second half. She’s really not going to tell him and it’s so odd, considering she works for the private operative place…geez.

Anyways, thought I’d share the teaser i made for AuthorAgust on IG (@RaleighDamsonBooks if you’re not following me over there), here. And I’m on my second cup of coffee but could use a nap. Or more coffee. Maybe a salad.
Have a good one, friends.