The Series: Caprice on sale this week

Caprice, by Lorelei Bell
on sale this week through July 23rd

Creating a world in which my characters can live in (and sometimes die), is something I so enjoy. I've posted before about the series, why I enjoy them--reading and writing them.

The trick of writing one, and having people come back for the next book, is to leave a few unanswered questions. I've had some readers (who have posted a review--not naming names), complain that there were many unanswered questions. Well, duh! If I don't leave you at a cliffhanger why would you want to return to read the next one?
Of course, the converse of this is other readers have bugged me asking "When's the next book coming out?"--I love that!

Take Caprice, for instance, the fourth book in the Sabrina Strong series. A lot happens in this book.
Synopsis:
The vampire Bjorn Tremayne has lost his reign and become a rogue, which doesn't sit well with him. But he's about to do something that will change all this; Dark World has set a bounty on Sabrina's head because she wouldn't mate with him, and he has come up with a way to trick her into bed with him. He needs to get her away from the only vampire who protects her - Vasyl. 

Sabrina's agenda was to enjoy a pleasant Thanksgiving with her family, and no vampires, Nephilim, werewolves or demons to interrupt it. Unfortunately, a demon in the guise of her Grandmother Rose has decided to attack her at this family gathering. After Bill Gannon, her neighbor and a Nephilim, saves her, Sabrina is whisked off by Bjorn Tremayne and his accomplice. 

Tremayne convinces Sabrina she isn't safe and manages to talk her into running. Meanwhile, Vasyl has fought off Tremayne's minions, but has lost Sabrina and must hide from the sun. He has to chase Sabrina across the Midwest, knowing that Tremayne's ultimate goal is to mate with her—before he, himself, has had a chance to consummate his marriage to Sabrina. 

In order to complete his duty of finding the sibyl, Bill Gannon must chase after Sabrina too, and find a way to talk her into having his children in order to save the whole Nephilim race. While all of these men are vying for Sabrina's attentions, something called an Undead who feeds on souls, seeks Sabrina—the last sibyl—for his own diabolical needs. And he is very determined to find her.

At the end [spoiler alert!!] Tremayne has been poisoned by the silver of Sabrina's dagger. Is he going to live? Meanwhile, Bill, descendant of Nephilim has died in a cave in, and Sabrina has agreed to donate her eggs in order to keep his race from dying out. Bill was charged to somehow have Sabrina bring forth a baby through him. But instead she agrees to give a donation of her eggs as his last, dying request. So, the question at the end of this one is how will this one simple thing she does affect her down the road. What will happen when Vasyl, her vampire husband learns what she's done? Vasyl was hunted down by Nephilim while alive as a priest over 1,000 years ago. He became a vampire in order to out-live and out run them. We'll just say Vasyl has no warm, fuzzy feelings for any Nephilim. He would rather see them all die.

So, I've left some rather sticky situations hanging: Will Tremayne die? Will Sabrina and Bill's child be born? And what of Ilona and Nicolas' plans to take over ruling all of the North American Vampire Association?

Not to worry. There is going to be a fifth book out soon. Still tweaking it as we speak. I'm slated to have 8 titles out eventually with my current publisher. The next four books are written, and I only need to edit the next three, and do rewrites on number 8. My plan is to put one out a year.

If you're new to the Sabrina Strong series, I direct you to the beginning with the first book. Ascension

by Lorelei Bell

After the death of her father, Sabrina Strong is hired to solve the murder of Letitia, Bjorn Tremayne's life-time mate. She is quickly immersed in romantic trysts and danger. Megalomaniac vampires are planning to take over and rule the the North American Vampire Association for their own greedy desires. 

Sabrina is not thrilled about the aspect of working for vampires in Chicago, but she needs the money, and wants to find the gorgeous and mysterious vampire who has been turning up in her dreams. Is he the one who bit her when she was ten - marked her for his own - and turned her mother so long ago? 

A unique and mesmerizing mystery blending intricately detailed fantasy and romance, twists and turns of mystery in a contemporary setting, and new insights on a vampire's life including love, passion, heartache, hope, devastation, lust and longing. 

“A truly extraordinary vampire tale . . . something to sink your teeth into . . .”~Reader Views

Caprice is on sale for $0.99 until 7-23-15.

The Series

I enjoy a good series to read. Some people would rather not become addicted to a series. But I seem to need that world where the characters come to life, and the memorable ones seem to jump off the page. Along with their world.

Harry Potter was my favorite series. The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris is another example, and I've sort of followed Kim Harrison's Hollow series. I was following Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich--which are funny and off the wall, but I can't stand some of the characters, and I hate the setting. That's just me. Same with the ABC mysteries by Sue Grafton--I can't identify with her MC, who doesn't like nature, and seems a bit too wooden to me. But I do like the "Murder She Wrote" mysteries by Donald Bain (which is based on the TV series by the same name).

Well, I guess this is why I write, to create a world in which my characters can live and have adventures. I don't follow any set rules, since it's Urban Fantasy, Sabrina Strong's character is the type of female heroine I like, she's not too ditsy, not too bull-headed, or willing to go into most situations without either a weapon or people to back her. And by far, she's not perfect, which I think helps readers associate with her more readily.

Ascension, being the first book in series took me a couple of years to create, but after I got the second book in series written, Trill, I couldn't stop writing them. It became the alternate place, the fantasy place I wanted to take my character, Sabrina. I give her new dilemmas and dangers, new guys to ponder, and sometimes new worlds to visit. Like in my steampunk novel, Nocturne, where Sabrina goes to another world.

Or, in Caprice, she goes to another state to supposidly escape dangers, and there's more waiting for her in Colorado. Here's a little bit about that book at this link.

Oh, and here is the proposed new book cover for Caprice. What do you think?

Anyway, do you follow any series? Which ones, and why do you like them?

Do You Read a Series?

Do you enjoy reading a series? I do. I prefer it to a stand-alone novel. It's what I write, and so that's what I enjoy reading. I want to get to know the main character/protagonist during the course of time. I enjoy the secondary characters, especially if they're quirky, or odd, or sexy. I hope that she/he doesn't become boring. I hate boring. I need him/her to find him/herself in some sticky fixes, and manages to get themselves out—maybe broken, hurt, in a hospital, narrowly escaping death.

I believe it was the Harry Potter series that got me hooked. Well, who can blame me? I remember reading the first one—you know, curious as to what everyone saw in this author's work. I had to see. I got done with that first one and had to get the second, the third and... well, I was hooked. I waited and waited for the next ones to come out—mind you, I bought the hard covers the day they released them (yes, I went to Wal Mart, and grabbed one of hundreds off the palate!)

I went on to read authors like Janet Evanovich, Charlaine Harris, and Kim Harrison—all of them have a series with the same main character, and the supporting cast, and whatever the author can come up with to keep you hooked and reading, waiting for the next one.

But, why do we get hooked on a series? I asked myself that and want to answer it in my own way. I think when you get into a series you've come to like the main character/protag. You know their personality, have some idea of what she's like, her views and temperament, and either you like those things in these MC's or at least you accept these things. She's become a sort of comfort to you, like a friend. You need her to tell you what's going on in her world—meanwhile escaping your own. That's how it works. Sometimes it's the place that is interesting, too. Well, no one will be able to hold a candle to Hogwarts Castle, but there are a few places I enjoy reading about.

Yeah, I think this is what it is. Like an old friend, you need to sit down and have a chat—well, she does all the talking, really. And you get to know all her quirky friends, some you like some you think are nuts, and others, well...

I've lately been reading Sue Grafton's Alphabet Mysteries. I bought several of her titles from a vendor at a local event (resale), and wanted to see if I really liked her writing, and the character. Well, I do. Now I find I've got to follow this author, and since there's a whole alphabet out there, I might be able to gobble these down quickly. Thing is, I've just about read through the G and so now need the next one, but I'm missing D. Damn!

When I created my series (I've got two, but as of now only one series has more than one title out there), I knew I needed a heroine who would resonate with the audience I was aiming for. She had to have some tough moments which had already happened to her, and many more to come. There is always at least one main mystery to solve, and one lesser one to resolve too, and a few other things... like men and romance. I'm always adding a new character. Sometimes they start out as being outrageous, and Sabrina isn't sure about them. But eventually they sort of wear on her. And really, the become her very best, most devoted friends, willing to back her up, do whatever they can to help her out.

Since I write fantasy, no reason I have to stay on the planet Earth. I've taken Sabrina to Dark World—where demons and vampires live, and lord over—and to another called Black Veil, where vampires rule (so really, do we want to go to other planets? Humm?)

Back to why I love the series. I remember closing a Harry Potter book at the end of the story and wishing it hadn't ended. I needed to see what happened after that. I wanted to be there with Harry, and his friends—such a wonderful world Rowling had created and it all seemed so real! I wanted to simply crawl inside the book, and somehow be there with them. That's what a series (or any well-written books) should have you feeling—somewhat. You've suspended your belief systems, have shared the joys, terrors, heartaches and triumphs of the main character and his/her friends. When this happens, then there's no question, you've made a fan for life.

So, do you enjoy a series? I'd love to hear about it.

Meanwhile, here's a couple links to my series. (Hah! You knew I would somehow use this to suck you into an ad for my own books, didn't you? You're so clever!)

Vampire Ascending

Vampire's Trill

The End of Sookie... Beginning of Sabrina

The Final book in the series coming out in May 2013.
I recall when I first laid my eyes on a Sookie Stackhouse novel. There were about four or five out at the time. I had to wonder how the hell I never found them before? I'd been looking for exactly this sort of read, back then (in 2006).
I bought the first one in the series, "Dead Until Dark". The cover had me chuckling. Oh, this was exactly what I was looking for. Something both dark and funny, and about VAMPIRES!
I've been reading a few of these over for a second time, now that I've got books up to "Dead Reconing". I'm a little behind, but that's okay. I'll be able to read the rest of them (two, I think?), and the last one is due out in May, and I might just buy the hard cover for once.

When I read--somewhere--that the series was coming to an end, I was sad. I'll miss Sookie's adventures.

And I want to thank Ms. Harris for having the guts to create this series (going against her agent's thoughts that it wouldn't sell), because I was inspired to create my own series...

Sure, I was influenced by Harris' Sookie books--a "southern vampire" series, but I've created a "northern" vampire series and it's definitely my own creation with Sabrina Strong, a strong lead character who happens to be a touch clairvoyant and goes to work for vampires, only because she can't get any other employment, so takes a job as a clairvoyant for Bjorn Tremayne, a vampire magnate over half the United States.
Vampire Ascending begins this exciting, page-turning series: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976511673?ie=UTF8&tag=coppemedia-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0976511673

Vampire's Trill http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Trill-ebook/dp/B006GSS29Q/ref=tmm_kin_title_0 continues it;

And my latest with steampunk themes - Vampire Nocturne http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Nocturne-Sabrina-Strong-ebook/dp/B00BD75KE0/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361635152&sr=1-17&keywords=Vampire+Nocturne  is the third instalment.

My fourth book Vampire Caprice will be out in December of 2013, and I can hardly wait to unleash it.