The ARCs Are Coming!

Today I'm going to be offering Advanced Review Copies of my upcoming release, Bad Boys Need Love Too, to readers. And I'm terrified. Why? Well, of course there's the usual, "What if my book is horrible and no one likes it and they all laugh and WHY did I ever think I could be a writer?!" fear. But now I have another fear. Pirates. No, not the scurvy, swashbuckling kind. I'm too far inland to worry about them.

I'm talking about internet pirates. People who steal others work and put it out there on the interwebz to be enjoyed for free. I hate this. Not because I'm stingy and don't like to share. But because I work my brain hard to come up with my stories and I go through the expense and trouble of having them made into books. So having them stolen and given away for free not only hurts my feelings, it hurts my pocket book too.

As a new writer, there isn't that much to steal from me and put online. But the two books I have are out there. In fact, I woke up this morning to a Google Alert that found The Sergeant on a torrent site. Lovely. Now I have to send take down notices.

So yeah, it worries me that I'm about to give out a few copies. Especially after the huge book sharing scandal that Tymber Dalton broke a couple of weeks ago. Hell, it worries me that the book will be for sale in a few weeks. But if I don't put it out there, no one will read it and I won't get any money from it. Which leaves me no choice. It's a terrible thing all creative people have to deal with. As long as there have been inventors and artists, there have been thieves. It's so much more wide spread and easy to do now a days, but the practice isn't new.

Hell, I was a thief.  When I was promoting The Sergeant this spring, I used all kinds of pretty pictures that I found on line. And they didn't belong to me. Shame! I was stealing from photographers! Once I had my duh! moment and realized what I'd done, I stopped using them. And this time for official BBNLT promos, I'm only using pictures I've purchased or that are free domain.

Some people see the piracy as just another form of promotion. I think that's utter nonsense. I just can't imagine that the amount of piracy that goes on brings anyone enough resulting sales to make up for it. Of course, I don't have any data to back this up, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

In the end, all I can do is create what I want to create and share what I choose to share. I feel strongly that the number of good people out there who come by my work honestly, outweighs the meanies who like to steal. Besides, I don't have any choice but to write. It's in my skin. Literally.

Oh, and PS. It's Teaser Tuesday. Take a look at sneak peek from Bad Boys Need Love Too

Thanks for reading.
Love,
Christa

Another Book, Another Month of Excitement!

Well, I'm just all aflutter with excitement! Things are ratcheting up for the release of my next full-length novel, Bad Boys Need Love Too. This book is completely different from The Sergeant, but I love it just as much. Why? Because it features Gage, the tortured bad boy, and Joseph, the good guy who falls for him. I do love an angsty love story, and these two gave it to me in spades. Bad Boys Need Love Too will be available October 21st on Amazon, Barnes&Noble.com and All Romance eBooks.com. For those you you who like to get that pop up notification first thing in the morning on release day, you can pre-order Gage and Joseph's story through Amazon. As a special bonus, if you send me a pic of your pre-order confirmation on Facebook or Twitter, you'll be entered to win a signed paperback copy of Bad Boys Need Love Too!

So, are you wondering how you can get to know a little about Gage and Joseph before October 21st? Well, you're in luck! I present to you the beautiful cover, designed by Jay's Book Covers By Design, along with a few thoughts from Joseph.

 

You can also read the first three chapters of Bad Boys Need Love Too HERE. It will open in a PDF file. 

Still want more? Visit the Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy blog. They have an exclusive excerpt. It's Not Suitable for Work, and I don't want you to have to explain your blushing cheeks to your boss, so make sure you read it in private. And while you're there, don't forget to enter to win a free e-copy. But you'll have to hurry. As of this posting, there's only 12 hours left!  

Make sure you're following me on Facebook and on Twitter. And stop by the Bad Boys Need Love Too page on this blog every Tuesday and Friday. I'll have teasers, inspirational images, contests and more between now and launch day.

Love,

Christa