Happy Holidays Everyone! Support Your Local Bookstore

This year has been unprecedented in so many ways, for yours truly as well. The global Coronavirus pandemic rages on, large numbers of people are out of work or working from home, businesses continue to suffer as in-person patronage is restricted or shut-down all together. That doesn’t mean there isn’t optimism or reasons for hope. The holiday season is upon us, and as we have to take extraordinary precautions or cancel plans altogether, we can still find reasons to be thankful and rejoice – hence the proclamation in the headline.

I have never been a particularly optimistic person, and if you’ve read my books, you know that I lean into the darker things in life and entertainment. My escapism leads me into the macabre. It helps me deal with the realities of day-to-day life. My reading and movie and TV watching is on the darker side as well.

But you might be surprised to know that I adore the holidays. It helps that, to me, the holiday season starts with Halloween. One of the areas of the economy that has been hit the hardest are independent bookstores. A GoFundMe was started to save City Lights in San Francisco, and now it’s in the news that The Strand in New York is in big trouble as well.

There is a tremendous convenience ordering from Amazon, especially this time of year. And when it comes to books, Amazon and Barnes & Noble are great ways to order reading material online. However, if you can support your local indie bookstore in someway, I encourage you to do so.

My books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online yes, and many times Amazon will drop the prices (for whatever reason), and Barnes & Noble stores here in Northern California have been tremendously supportive of yours truly. However, numerous local indie stores have been supportive as well. If they offer in-store shopping or curbside pick-up, please try to support them this holiday season. Of course, I’d love for you to pick up a few copies of my writings, but hey, that’s up to you. If they don’t carry my books in-store, ask for them or you can order through their online store (if they have one).

So, if you have a book lover on your holiday shopping list, or just need new books for yourself, try to support your local indie stores.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Books on B – Hayward, California
Books, Inc. – Alameda, California
Mockingbird Books – Tracy, California
The Avid Reader – Davis, California
City Lights – San Francisco

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Chilling Trailer for The Dark Truth

Not that long ago I debuted a new trailer for my first book, The Dark Truth. Voiced by my audiobook narrator, Cheryl May, and produced by Paul Kraushaar, this extended trailer draws you into the world of newly-minted vampire Elizabeth Danae Rubis. Check it out, and then go order the book – on sale in trade paperback from $4.42 from Amazon.com.

Drum Roll Please: Presenting the Cover and Release Date for The Dark Terror

For the third time in two years I have the distinct pleasure in making a book release announcement and a cover reveal. I revel in all aspects of the writing and publishing process and I must admit, the cover reveal is almost as exciting as publish day. I am proud to announce that Book Three – The Dark Passage Series, The Dark Terror, is set to release on March 18, 2019. I frankly can’t wait.

I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to write three novels in less than three years. The Dark Terror represents the conclusion(?) of a trilogy of dark, gritty, bloody vampire tales set in modern-day San Francisco. I have a created a character I have grown to love, respect, cherish, and even fear. Elizabeth Danae Rubis is a reflection of yours truly, dare I say an alter ego. She is a foul-mouthed vampire with an acerbic wit and an unquenchable thirst. She has learned, changed and grown much during her evolution. I have been walking around in her skin for the better part of three years and she has been a lot of fun to write. Her fate you ask? You’ll have to read the book.

Thank you to my publisher, Trifecta Publishing House of Port Angeles, Wash., this cover is the best of the three is I do say so myself.

The Dark Truth and The Dark Descent are on sale now. Get ready for the final installment, The Dark Terror, coming March 18, 2019!

And Now for a Word from our Sponsors

I thought I would give you an update on what’s happening with The Dark Passage Series. There have been a few developments with regard to pricing and formats.

The Dark Truth

My debut novel, Book One – The Dark Passage Series, The Dark Truth is available as an audio book from both Audible and iTunes/Apple Books. You can listen to it for free with a 30-day Audible trial. You can get The Dark Truth, plus a second, for free. If you order through iTunes, it retails for $17.95.

Amazon.com has the trade paperback edition of The Dark Truth on sale for $5.61, which is 63% off the regular price of $14.99. You can save 10% at Barnes & Noble’s web site and get it for $13.49. They are offering free shipping. For San Francisco Bay Area Barnes & Noble stores, you can get it at Arden Fair in Sacramento, Hacienda Crossings in Dublin, and Bay Street in Emeryville.

The Kindle, Nook, and e-book formats are priced at $1.99.

The Dark Descent

The sequel to The Dark Truth, Book Two – The Dark Passage Series, The Dark Descent, is available in trade paperback, Amazon Kindle, Nook, and e-book. The trade paperback is priced at $14.99, while Kindle, Nook, and e-book formats are $2.99.

For San Francisco Bay Area folks, Barnes & Noble in Modesto, Arden Fair in Sacramento, Hacienda Crossings in Dublin have it in stock in store. If you order online from B&N, they are offering free shipping.

The audio book is currently in production. I have listened to the first four chapters so far, and Cheryl May, who narrated The Dark Truth, is doing a great job.

The Dark Terror

The third and final(?) installment in The Dark Passage Series, The Dark Terror, is done. I took a little over a week to do the self-edit. It is in the hands of my publisher, Trifecta Publishing House of Port Angeles, Washington. After they review it, it will go to their editor. I have it on good authority that the cover designer is set to begin that work.

I will keep everyone updated on cover art, a release date, and ordering information.

Thank you to those of you who have purchased the books, posted reviews, attended book signings/readings. It means the world to me and I am glad I get a chance to share these twisted stories that rattle around in the dark recesses of my mind with you.

Click here for more ways to order.

The Dark Terror is Off to the Publisher

After an thorough self-edit, and the addition of some detail to a few key scenes, I have submitted the manuscript for The Dark Terror, Book Three – The Dark Passage Series, to my publisher, Trifecta Publishing House of Port Angeles, Wash., a full three weeks ahead of deadline.

Many people ask me how long it takes to write my novels. The Dark Truth took 13 months, and I believe The Dark Descent took seven – eight months. A quick check of the version history in Google Docs reveals that I started writing on January 20, 2018. So, it took just under 10 months to write. I probably could have finished it sooner but I had a hard time closing the book on Elizabeth.

I began The Dark Truth in January of 2016 and finished it in February of 2017. I submitted The Dark Descent to my publisher on time, on deadline on January 1, 2018. The deadline for The Dark Terror is November 1, 2018.

I am quite happy with the fact that I have written three novels in less than three years, The first two are Amazon Bestsellers, and the first has been released as an audio book. Production on the second audio book got underway recently. The great Cheryl May is narrating my tales. I know what Elizabeth Danae Rubis sounds like and I think Cheryl has captured her essence quite well.

Stay tuned for release information and I am sure there will be another book tour in the works once that information becomes available. You will now have a complete trilogy of dark, gritty, bloody, neo-Gothic vampire noir to keep you up at night.

Fangs for your support. Enjoy the nightmares.

 

 

The Dark Terror … is … done

I am very happy to announce that as of 10:50 p.m. PT on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, principal writing for The Dark Terror, Book Three – The Dark Passage Series, is complete. Current word count is 60,713 but I am sure that will change before I send it off to my publisher, Trifecta Publishing House, for editing and formatting.

“I am Elizabeth Danae Rubis and I am the Queen of the Fucking Night!”

This truly has been a labor of love. These three books – The Dark Truth, The Dark Descent, and The Dark Terror – mark my first true and honest foray into fiction writing. I have put so much of myself into these books, more than I realized. The writing has been therapeutic, cathartic, nerve racking, goosebump inducing, and stress relieving – never boring, never tedious (even plowing through the scenes that had to be written just to advance the plot), always fun, always exciting.

I started with a premise and character. Elizabeth Danae Rubis. I called on my knowledge of vampire lore and the vampire in pop culture to weave a three-volume tale set in modern-day San Francisco that will, to borrow a phrase, “thrill you, chill you and fulfill you.” It is decadent and depraved. There is plenty of murder and mayhem, twists and turns, heartbreak and betrayal and blood, lots and lots of blood.

The first book, The Dark Truth, was named after a beer. And that dark truth is a stark realization of a new existence and coming to grips with that new reality. The second reflects that descent into the deeper darkness, the evolution of the character and self awareness. The Dark Terror is just that – just when you think the story couldn’t go any deeper, any darker, it does.

I was over the moon when I found out The Dark Truth was a finalist for the International Vampire Films and Arts Festival’s Golden Stake Award for vampire fiction.

People have asked me why a vampire story, where did I get the idea, why a female vampire, how did I get into vampires? I always thought that if I was going to write a book, it would be a vampire story. I have been into vampires since I was very young. I love Gothic horror. I have always been enthralled with the idea of a strong female lead vampire character. So many in the genre have been men.

Vampires are eternal, sexy, seductive, and powerful. There are so many traits that draw us to these creatures, the undead. Who wouldn’t want to live forever? Command the children of the night? Terrorize our enemies with impunity and no consequence? Possess unlimited strength?

Yet the vampire has weaknesses and determined enemies. It is the struggle between good and evil, between the light and the dark, that draws us to these stories.

Bram Stoker created the ultimate villain and defined a genre with his seminal Dracula. It is my privilege to add to that canon. I hope you find my three tales of neo-Gothic horror worthy.

Thank you for your support, everyone. Stay tuned for cover art reveals and a release date.

Announcement: The Dark Truth Now an Audio Book!

First came the manuscript, then came the publishing deal, the trade paperback and the Kindle and e-book.

And now … drum roll please …

I am happy and proud to announce that The Dark Truth, my debut novel, which dropped in November 2017, is now available as an audio book! Thank you to my publisher, Trifecta Publishing House, and my fantastic narrator, Cheryl May.

My words come alive through Cheryl’s voice. Now you can hear and experience the terror and excitement of this thrilling tale of modern Gothic horror!

Sale Prices for The Dark Passage Series

Time to take the Kindle out and read poolside! Get the first two books in The Dark Passage series for just $5 and get your summer reading started. http://bit.ly/DarkPassageKindle

The paperbacks are also on sale on Amazon. You can get both The Dark Truth and The Dark Descent for just over $20. bit.ly/DarkPassagePaperbacks

If you prefer a Barnes & Noble Nook – you can get both books for $5. Or you can get the paperbacks through Barnes & Noble as well for just over $20.

http://bit.ly/DarkTruthBNnook | http://bit.ly/DarkDescentBNnook

http://bit.ly/DarkTruthBNpaperback | http://bit.ly/DarkDescentBNpaperback

Are e-books your thing? You can get both novels for just $5 through your favorite e-book store including iTunes.

http://bit.ly/DarkTruthEbookShop | http://bit.ly/DarkDescentEbookShop