Traveling the World with Books

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A copy of Heart's Curse is held up, traveling over the Vegas StripTraveling to… Vegas Baby!

 

In a time where AI can make a lot of things appear to be real, I’ve come to value the real life photo that may or may not have the best lighting and might just have some goober tourist in the background. So recently, when a friend of mine traveled to Vegas and took my book with her, I was thrilled to get pics of my book traveling up and down the Vegas strip.

Traveling Homeward

Heart’s Curse (under my new paranormal romance pen name Sirena Corbeau) takes place in Vegas at the Lucky Heart Hotel & Casino.  Newly acquired by the Montanari Corporation, and given to Lucas Kane to run, the Lucky Heart has one teeny, tiny, not that big of a deal problem… It’s cursed.  Which means that this is a story about love, and romance, and also ghosts, blood pouring from the faucets, and—whoopsies—that darn curse that’s turning everyone into psychotic zombies which might not be that big of a problem if the hotel didn’t employ mobsters, vampires, and shifters.  I thought it was the perfect vacation book and was happy to know she was taking it with her.

However, as I’m sure anyone who has tried to take attractive book pictures for Instagram has discovered, it’s not easy to get books to look exciting, not reflect anything weird in the cover, and also get an interesting background.  My own efforts resulted in me discovering a newfound respect for product photographers. How is my shadow ALWAYS in the way?  How is the book this shiny? Why does my hand look so weird!?  So the fact that she took the time to not only take, but send me pics, absolutely made my day. The palm trees and blue, blue, blue Vegas sky make it absolute perfection. And also, can we take a moment to appreciate my friends perfectly contrasting nails?  I love knowing that my book traveled to the land of it’s birth and hope to see many such snapshots in the future.

What about you?  Would you take a picture of your beach read and send it to the author?  (Or tag them on social media?)

Heart’s Curse

Charlotte “Charlie” Auvray has always been told she’s nothing special—just the magicless daughter of a powerful witch family. But when a disastrous spring break lands her in Las Vegas, she stumbles into the path of Lucas Kane, a dangerously magnetic casino boss with secrets of his own. Lucas is juggling mob ties, a cursed hotel, and powers he can never reveal. What he doesn’t need is a heartbroken college girl counting cards at his tables… or kissing him in front of her cheating ex. But when blood rains from the showers and guests descend into madness, Charlie proves she sees what no one else can—the curse that haunts the Lucky Heart’s Casino. To break it, she’ll have to embrace her hidden magic and trust Lucas with her heart. Because in Vegas, the stakes aren’t just money—they’re life, love, and destiny.

BUY NOW: https://amzn.to/49fdeli

Forged in Flame Cover Reveal!

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New Cover Revealed!

Book covers in publishing can be fraught for authors. And by fraught I mean panic inducing. What a publisher thinks and what an author thinks a cover should be are very frequently not the same. And usually, an author is only allowed minimal input on a cover. While this is frustrating as an author, as a graphic designer, I do understand it.  Authors get very exacting about their book and want to put every little detail into the cover, which can quickly become fussy and overwrought.  Also, an author may not like the graphic trend that is currently selling in their genre. In short, authors are not always the best marketers of their own books.  But from the author’s point of view, publishers or the designers may not grasp what the book is about and give it a weirdly off-tone look. Which is why you’ll find authors waiting for their covers to be revealed in nail-biting anticipation.  And it’s also why I saw this cover and thought… Oh, thank goodness! The designer completely got my Hawaii Gothic theme.  I can’t wait to get this into the hands of readers!

Authors rarely get much input into covers. Sometimes we’ll get only a “right of refusal.”  Which means that we only get yes or no—no adjustments.  And sometimes that can be used as a threat—if you say no, your book will be delayed. (If you thought publishing wasn’t a cutthroat business, think again.) But working with Varus Publishing has been lovely. They’re very willing to hear feedback and do their best to make adjustments.  Getting the right vibe of a book to readers is as important to them as it is to the authors and they have a pretty extensive “discovery” process to attempt to get all the little nuggets of book thoughts, tropes, and vibes from the author to the designer.  Which is why I feel that this cover is such a success.

So without further ado, please admire the brand new and fiery Forged in Flame cover!

Forged in Flame Cover!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRE-ORDER:  https://amzn.to/3RJYJk3

RELEASE DATE: June 30th

SIGN UP TO BE AN ADVANCE READER: ARC Form

Forged in Flame:

Ava Flynn never meant to awaken the dragon inside her—until betrayal and a dangerously seductive stranger ignite a power she can no longer deny. When billionaire dragon shifter Dalton Rosetti crashes into her life, their instant, scorching attraction leaves both of them burned by secrets, pride, and a single unforgettable night.

Three years later, Ava is hiding more than a broken heart. She’s raising a fire-breathing daughter while hiding from everyone, including the dragon slayers who murdered her father and want her next. Dalton’s discovery that he has a child changes everything—and he’s determined to protect what’s his, no matter the cost.

With enemies closing in and passion rekindling, Ava and Dalton are forced back together in a deadly game of magic, loyalty, and desire. Forged in Flame is a sizzling paranormal romance of dragonfire, second chances, and a love powerful enough to change destiny.

How Does a Dragon Work?

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A Working Dragon

In my 2026 series of paranormal romances, each stand-alone novel is linked through the character of Dante Montanari—a mysterious dragon shifter whose interference in the lives of other characters causes the romances of each book to develop. Ultimately, the plan is to have a book devoted to Dante and his own romance, but that’s currently plotted for book 8, and we’re only on number 2. Usually, when I develop my characters for mysteries and contemporary romance, I only have to worry about the everyday getting to know you stuff—like where a character works, what they’re passionate about, why they keep finding dead bodies—that kind of thing.  But with paranormal romance, there is the added layer of world-building, which means I need to decide how dragons and any other fantasy creatures actually function. And then, even worse, I have to abide by those rules (yes, the ones I just invented) in future books.

Playing by the Rules

Once the rules are set, my life is both harder and easier.  The more I know about each character, the less I have to think about some of the background noise of setting a scene.  And this applies across all genres. In a mystery, if I know that my character doesn’t drink coffee, then I don’t have to think about their order if there’s a scene in a cafe.  In a fantasy novel, some things become more complex. For instance, if a shape-shifter changes, do their clothes shift as well?  (And we will pause here for you to have this argument amongst yourselves.) I have decided that we cannot have proper werewolf-type transformations without tearing clothes, and have chosen to have clothes NOT transform.  But that means that you have to keep track of things like “where did his shoes go” in those scenes. And inevitably, no matter how carefully I establish my rules for this creature or that, I run into a scene where I wish I’d done something else.

Choosing a Course

As it turns out the easiest way to figure out the rules is to do the most horrific of all writerly tasks… write. By writing a character and working through a story, I can stress test my rules and figure out how they apply to the world and other characters.  However, since my big dragon character doesn’t have his own story until much later, that left me with specifically dragonish questions that need to be answered NOW.  Which is why book 2 of the series focuses on Dante’s nephew – Dalton Rosetti.  Dalton and Ava’s romance was the perfect opportunity to find out what makes dragons work and how their world, magic, and culture function. And also, allow me to daydream of a vacation in Hawaii. Because in my world dragons love heat and volcanoes, so of course, they would love Hawaii. This romance was fun to write because (as with all my books) it includes a heavy dose of action and danger and that meant I had to watch Hawaii 5-0 for inspiration.  Yes, I know either iteration of the show is ridiculously not true to Hawaii, but the scenery is still great.  (I may or may not be referring to Daniel Dae Kim as scenery in this sentence.  Language is always open to interpretation.)  What do you think?  What other Hawaii specific shows should I have added to my “research”?

Forged in Flame Promo Graphic with a dragon flying over a beachForged in Flame

Ava Flynn grew up unaware of her dragon heritage, raised by her human mother and stepfather. That changes when Dante Montanari’s nephew, billionaire dragon Dalton Rosetti, arrives—and sparks ignite. Their one night of passion leaves Ava with a secret baby and a future she must face alone. But when deadly enemies close in, Ava and her child are thrust back into Dalton’s world. To survive, she must decide: can she trust a bond forged in flame?  Learn More: bethanymaines.com/catalog/sirena-corbeau/

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