Two releases and a giveaway!

You've never read
bedtime stories like these

Today is release day for my collection of erotic bedtime stories from the Penguin Random House romance imprint, Loveswept! What's this, you say? FANTASY, on Spacefreighters Lounge? 

Yes! But don't be fooled by the cover. In BEFORE SHE WAKES, you'll also find: 

• "The Dragonfly Prince," a post-apocalyptic, recombinant-DNA story based on my sci-fi romance novel THE OPHELIA PROPHECY. 
• "Raven Takes a Pearl" and "The Kelpie's Prize," both steampunk stories. 
• "The Garden Rules,"' a contemporary story that incorporates a fun piece of nanotech. 
•  "Willa and the Wisp," a paranormal set in post-apocalyptic New Orleans. 

That leaves a single pure-fantasy story (but...DRAGON SHIFTERS!).

Big shoutout to Laurie, who served as beta reader on this one (and, well, all the other ones). I am VERY pleased with reviews so far. This from one of my favorites: 

Pure INDULGENCE!! ... Each world was so interesting that you just couldn't help but be sucked in ... Grab this now and be prepared to be whisked away to fantastical lands! I know I was captivated throughout! (The Jeep Diva book blog)

I think I had more fun with this than I ever have with a writing project. I began it as a writing experiment. And even later when my agency encouraged me to get serious about it, I never intended to seek a traditional publisher. So I tossed out all the "rules." Each time my internal critic would nag me that a particular scene or plot twist was just going too far, I very intentionally shoved her out the door and did what I wanted. And I think that's coming through in reviewer comments. Here's another example:

For those readers with a sense of adventure who are looking for a change of pace and aren’t afraid to go there, Before She Wakes is a wonderful, sexy, titillating trip to the other side of speculative fiction, that side you’ve been curious about but until now, haven’t been brave enough to try. Be bold. Take the plunge. And have some fun. (Books, Bones & Buffy book blog)

If you'd like to test-drive this one, you can read the most sci-fi story  ("The Dragonfly Prince") free. 

Sworn enemies. Dark secrets.
One last hope for peace.

And in related news ...

I got the rights to THE OPHELIA PROPHECY back earlier this year, so it has been out of print for a while. This new story collection got me motivated to get it out there again. (Especially considering "The Dragonfly Prince" was my editor's favorite, and it's a favorite of Goodreads reviewers as well.) So this is a double release week! The best part is it has a lovely new cover (by the fabulous Danielle Fine) and a significantly lower e-price than the original release. For the time being it's only available for Kindle. 

In celebration of the releases, I'm giving away 3 e-books. You can choose the title that you prefer (keeping in mind OPHELIA is Kindle-only for now). In the comments, name a fairy tale you think would make a great SFR retelling, OR list what human/animal transgenic organism you think would be the coolest to see. (I'll know your choice of books based on that. Be sure to give me a way to contact you!)

Happy release day!