A.C. Warneke's blog

It’s live!!!

acwarneke — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:03:01 +0000

I hit the publish button for Stone Destiny yesterday and waited all evening for it to appear but then I got tired of waiting and went to bed. When I woke this morning IT WAsS ALIVE… I mean, it’s live!! I am very excited that Armand’s book is finally finished and published – that gargoyle has caused more ulcers than any of my other characters. I will be doing the freebie days this weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday.) If you beta read for me (again, thank you SOOO much!!) you will be excited to know that there is a little extra scene at the beginning of Chapter 8 between Armand and Rhys.

I am planning on doing an omnibus version of all three books (digital only) but I am trying to get rid of all of the flubs and a majority of semi colons in Stone Lover and Stone Romance first. Once that is done I plan on doing a gargoyle giveaway, with bookmarks, coffee mugs, possibly t-shirts, imp bumper stickers and, of course, copies of the books. And after that is done – the books are cleaned up, the giveaway is set up, the prizes are won – I will be finishing up After Blight. For anyone who is curious to know how the veil came down and what it means for the supernaturals (and humans) this is that story. I probably should have released it BEFORE Stone Destiny (and Awakening) but my brain is faulty and jumps all over the place. Had I waited, then Stone Destiny wouldn’t exist because my faulty brain is also very, very stubborn. I blame the stubbornness on being a Taurus born in the year of the Ox.

Anyhow, here are the mugs I had made up:

The mug on the left (Fall in love with an Imp) is available for sale through zazzle while the one on the right can only be won through giveaways.

My Crafty Daughter

acwarneke — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:16:22 +0000

This week was my son’s girlfriend’s birthday so my daughter was busy planning out various birthday gift ideas, from cakes to gifts. She got on the paint program and designed an elaborate cake (which she did not make) but it was very cool none-the-less. instead, she decided to go with cupcakes but with her own unique stamp on it: purple batter ranging from light on the bottom to dark on top. Then she decorated them with homemade frosting (courtesy of the middlest son, who makes the best frosting!) But, the piece de resistance is the gorgeous quilt she made – her very first attempt at making a quilt (I even had to teach her how to use the sewing machine, which she picked up like an old pro!) She cut and pieced together the front and helped tie it. (Admittedly, I did do the casing around the edges but she was working on her cupcakes at the time.) She has started a blog to showcase her amazing talent – she just doesn’t have time to update it – or write anything, really.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!! Love you!!!

The edits on Stone Destiny are mostly done. If there are any more I will probably find them long, long after I publish.

Stone Destiny goodreads giveaway

acwarneke — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:18:47 +0000

I set up the goodreads giveaway for Stone Destiny. 5 copies are going to be available for this giveaway and it ends June 16th at midnight.Of course, once it’s released I ‘ll be doing the freebie days on Amazon.

Because this is the third book in my Stone Passions Trilogy and because it is Armand’s story I have been thinking about doing a giveaway with a whole lotta swag (coffee mugs, bookmarks, hard copies of the trilogy, ebooks, etc) I am just not sure how to go about it. I’ve been looking into rafflecopter because a couple of fellow authors have used it (I have even donated a few items.) I guess my concern is making sure everyone gets their prizes, making sure they’re truly of age to be getting some of the prizes (the books) and that they actually want such things. There’s just something wrong about winning something you hate.

My beta readers are amazing, simply amazing. They are catching all of those demon flubs that I have missed on a hundred different read throughs. Stupid demon flubs. I also have to admit to an addiction to semi colons and I am working on removing as many of them as I can. It’s the way my brain thinks – all tangled up and rambling. I’ll have to go through my earlier books now that my mind is willing to see them.

Feel free to leave comments or questions, either here or on facebook. I love hearing from you guys!!

Siren Song is up for an award and needs your vote!!

acwarneke — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:54:07 +0000

http://indtale.com/rone-awards/2012/week-4

Click on the link above for the 2012 RONE Awards and you’ll find Siren Song under the Paranormal section. If you are registered with inD’tale magazine you can vote online otherwise you can print out the form and mail in your vote. There are a lot of really great books in the competition so Siren Song could really use your love!

Stone Destiny is in the hands of the Beta Readers though the window is still open if you are interested. Again, email me at acwarneke@yahoo.com with your preferred format (mobi, PDF, docx) You have until Monday at midnight. I have already gotten feedback back from Janeane – I’m impressed!! Right now I am going through the swag I have so I can put together a giveaway since this is a pretty big deal – it’s the third book in the Stone Passions trilogy and it’s ARMAND’S story. So far I have coffee mugs, frosted stein mugs, bookmarks, tote bags, and of course, a hard copy set of the three books. I am trying to figure out what else to get. I do have t-shirts but they are the F***ing Imps and I don’t know if I like them or not. Okay, I do like them but I don’t know how appropriate they are. All in all it’s pretty exciting! I just worry that I’ll have more swag to giveaway than I will have entrants!! As of now I am looking into rafflecopter to run it – I just have to figure out how it works! And, of course, I will be doing the book giveaway at Goodreads – I just have to come up with a blurb before I can set that up. I hate blurbs.

Beta readers for Stone Destiny

acwarneke — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:36:13 +0000

Well, it’s that time. I am this close to being done with the first round of edits and Stone Destiny is almost ready to go into the hands of beta readers. I figured I would send out the request now since I already have several readers waiting patiently. I am concerned with consistency, readability, spelling/grammar/ flubs, the story line, etc. and any and all feedback is appreciated.

It was an emotional roller coaster and there will be certain events that some might have issues with – but the events that happened are necessary for the overall story even if they are painful. (Just to warn the wary.)

If you are interested in beta reading Stone Destiny email me at acwarneke@yahoo.com with your preferred format – I can do .mobi, .docx, or PDF. Anything else and I am pretty much out of my element. Once I have my first round of edits done I will start sending the files out so hurry if you want to be among the first to read Armand’s story. The availability is limited so send me an e-mail before midnight EST Monday May 13, 2013.

1,001 likes on my Author Page

acwarneke — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:27:00 +0000

Stone Destiny prologue

As promised, I posted the prologue to Stone Destiny on my Facebook author page – it’s a little long to post in its entirety here. You shouldn’t have to sign in, or even have a facebook account, to read it. I am a little nervous about the reactions to who Armand’s heroine is but to me there was no one else. I am about half way through the first round of edits and then I will be asking for volunteers to Beta read. It’s coming up so be prepared. Maybe by this weekend? Again, I am very nervous about your thoughts. It should have been a light and fluffy read but Armand is a stubborn gargoyle and does something incredibly stupid. But it’s a romance so we all know that they get their Happy Ever After, even if the road is littered with shattered glass and live mines.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts. Be kind, my ego is fragile. (LOL) Comment here or on facebook or email me at acwarneke@yahoo.com.

Enjoy!!

Too hot for a coffee shop

acwarneke — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:02:27 +0000

Yesterday I posted on Facebook that I was going to be doing an Author meet and greet with a couple of other authors at a local coffee shop come June 1. Well, as it turns out, the cover I chose for the brochure made a few people a little… uncomfortable so I won’t be doing the signing. It is one of the drawbacks of writing romance novels, especially the steamier sort that flow from my warped imagination. If you are in the area on June 1 from 9 until noon I do encourage you to go and meet the other lovely authors: Elizabeth James, Andrea Johnson Beck, and Amanda Harter. The information is on my facebook page under events and below and while you’re there have a cup of coffee and support local businesses.

I am still waiting on the proof for Stone Destiny to get here – which should be at any moment, depending on when the UPS truck comes around. I promise to stay away from the scissors. And, oh my God. Last night I was looking over the promo materials I had made up for the RNC convention in Vegas that is being held in August (I really want to go but the timing is difficult) and I found a freaking mistake. It was too late to re-upload the files because the company I used (nextdayflyers) is amazing and efficient. Hopefully the font is such that it isn’t too noticeable. Hell, I didn’t notice it in the hours I spent on it. (it’s a post card with Siren Song on one side and the Gargoyles on the other. I love it, even with the little flub. I could just smack myself for it, though.) To really get the feel for it click on the image to view it full sized.

So, what are your thoughts?

acwarneke — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:25:03 +0000

I am creating a rack card to put in various swag bags and I would like your opinion. The front side is the Awakening cover (because I love it) and the back is all of my books with my website/blog, since that is the gateway to everything. Leave your comments here or on facebook or email me at acwarneke@yahoo.com. Also, if you have an suggestions for improvement let me know. My skills are limited so if you have extensive ideas I will have to convince my hubby that he needs to help an author out.

(And yes, the coupon code is legitimate so if you want a copy of Stone Lover you can use it.)

Stone Destiny update 4/30/13

acwarneke — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:12:13 +0000

I ordered the proof for Stone Destiny today!! As soon as it arrives I will be attacking it with my pencil, pen, post-it notes, and highlighter. And maybe scissors if necessary. I hope it doesn’t come down to scissors but I will so what is necessary even if it makes me cry. But for now I am not going to think about it at all so I can approach the edits with an almost clear mind.

I just formatted the files for Blind Attraction and tomorrow or Wednesday I will be putting it up on Smashwords. In the upcoming weeks/months I will attempt to finish up After Blight because it has been 75% complete for a very long time. Beck and her story are always at the back of my mind because I kind of left her in a bad place in Blight. And then the rest of the books. I have a couple of characters who are hinting that they would like their stories told (Ajreis would be okay with a shorter story. He also wouldn’t mind if it was a bonus in the Stone Passions trilogy collection I plan to put together for ereaders but I don’t know it that is going to happen.)

My daughter is making a cake. She has decided she wanted to make a root beer cake so she added root beer concentrate to the cake mix (and holy cow did that smell good!) and she added root beer concentrate to some frosting her brother had made up last week. The house has a nice, subtle root beer scent to it now and I am looking forward to having some root beer cake.

It’s Friday!

acwarneke — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:42:14 +0000

Just a quick update to say hello and let you all know where I am at with Stone Destiny…. If things go as plan and I stay away from the internet I should have the first draft of Armand’s story done this weekend; staying away from the internet seems to be key. I”m already breaking that rule – but it’s for a good cause: my readers. I have already tried writing the blurb, but you know me and my blurbs – I wrestle with it for weeks/ months and then it finally just falls together. I hope that is the case for Stone Destiny but you never know.

What’s a girl to do when the man she’s destined to spend eternity with is a stubborn gargoyle who no longer believes in Tue Love and Happily Ever After?