No one is going to argue with the fact that 2020 is one giant dumpster fire. I’m not going to even detail the shitshow because you guys are living it too and there’s no need to rub salt into those wounds. So instead, let me give you a little light at the end of the tunnel – Book 1 in a new series coming January 12th.

I’ve got two long-running series (Imp and The Templar) and a series winding down (Accidental Witches), so at the end of last year I was thinking of starting something new. As I went over my various ideas with my business coach, it was clear that two stood out – one was a gritty, fast-paced urban fantasy set in the Imp World, the other was a comedic absurd romp of a sci-fi. From a business perspective, the decision was a no-brainer. My core audience follows me for urban fantasy (and genre mash-ups that are urban-fantasy like), so that was clearly the more solid idea from a sales perspective. But the sci-fi was so different, so fun, and I love the long-shots, those projects that are unusual and quirky and might make it big or might sell a big fat zero. The Imp Series was that sort of project for me, and that’s why most of you are even reading this blogpost right now. But I’ve had other out-there series that didn’t do so well, so it’s always a risk.

Did I mention how I eat risk for breakfast? Me, the woman who broke five ribs and punctured her lung in a riding accident and was trying to convince the doctor she should be back on her horse three weeks after coming out of the trauma ward?

But at the end of January when I touched base with my business coach again, I was inexplicably writing the urban fantasy. Why? My sister-in-law had just unexpectedly passed away from severe liver failure. Pandemic looming. Election looming. A health scare of my own. Why TF was I writing gritty UF when I should be wanting to escape into the sci-fi comedy, or the comfort of my cozy-mystery pen name, or the fun familiarity of the next Sam book? Why?

Because sometimes when shit hits the fan, you want to escape for just a few moments of peace and laughter, and sometimes you want to scream and fight and with asskicking determination, claw your way to the surface.

That was me in January. It’s me now. And more importantly, it’s Eden Alvaro trying to keep her family safe in the dystopian New Hell that is LA.

In the Imp Series, the demons have taken control of the western coastal side of the continent. There’s no fight for the USA or Canada or Mexico to reclaim those lands. If you live there and you’re rich, you’ve got two choices— abandon your twenty million dollar home and get the hell out, or invest in enough physical and magical security that you can pretend everything is fine and go on living your one-percent life. La-la-la-la, nothing to see here the armed guards and durfts patrolling the grounds will take care of any unpleasantness.

Some can leave their houses behind and try to start from the bottom as long as they have the money to bribe their way across the border and enough savings to settle in somewhere in try to get a job.The rest of us? We’re screwed. Go to work, if you’re lucky enough to still have a job. Deal with rolling blackouts and frequent water shut-offs. Shoot anyone who tries to rob you. Hope the demons or the other monsters don’t get you.

Scream. Fight. Claw your way to the surface. Because demons or not, we’re going to survive.

Preorder California Demon at Amazon, Kobo, Apple or B&N. The e-book releases January 12th, with paperback and audio available as close to that date as possible. And because waiting sucks, book 2 is releasing March 16th and book 3 sometime in June. ** Please note that if you read e-books on a non-Kindle device/app, preorder because the e-books will be going exclusive with Amazon the week after release to be available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Read. Stay healthy. Kick some monster ass.

I got a comment asking about the recipe for those roasted beaks the Lows love so much, and wanted to oblige so everyone in my demon household can enjoy the delicacy.

Honestly, when writing about them, I was thinking about chicken feet and how they are usually boiled down in a broth, but can also be fried or baked. I’ve never cooked chicken feet myself, but I know that the nails need to be removed before preparing them since nails are super hard and wouldn’t be all that easy for human teeth to chomp on. I imagined beaks were the same. But since demons eat all sorts of interesting things (like bitey fish) denizens of Hel don’t mind chewing something hard as a rock.

Of course, each region of Hel has their own special take on the best way to prepare roast beaks. All demons agree that softening the beaks by either blanching them or boiling them is necessary before tossing them in the oven (or air fryer if you’re this side of the gates). Cool them down by immersing the beaks in cold water, then get out your metal pan and fire up the oven.

Before roasting, coat the beaks with honey or butter, then sprinkle on a peppery mix, garlic, cinnamon, barbecue sauce, or Sam’s favorite— Old Bay Seasoning. Then roast those suckers until they’re golden brown and hard as granite. If you’re not chipping a tooth, they’re not done!

Guess what’s available on Amazon RIGHT NOW? If you’re ready for a fun, light weekend read, then look no further. *Paperback will most likely be out in the next 10 days, and audio August/September.

Hellhounds and squirrels and vultures, oh my!

The hellhound on her lawn is just another stray animal in need of some love—at least that’s what animal-whisperer witch Adrienne Perkins believes. She’s got a soft heart for lost souls like her vulture familiar, the four squirrels living in her house, that stray hellhound…and the sexy demon who’s been invading her nightly dreams.

But that sexy demon wants more than a romp in the sheets. He’s hunting an escapee from hell, and insists his fugitive is one of Addy’s squirrels. The cute little guy may have sold his soul to the devil a lifetime ago, but Addy isn’t about to give up a furry friend who has turned to her for protection—even if it might cost her the demon of her dreams.

Get Fiends and Familiars here.

I met Robyn Peterman a few years back at a writers convention, introduced by a mutual friend. She’s quirky and funny, a whirlwind of energy, and full of creativity. Her books are chaos-filled, comedic PNR, so of course we instantly bonded! Last year while at a readers conference in Canada, she asked if I’d write something in her Magic and Mayhem Universe. I was absolutely honored to say yes. Our styles have enough similarity that I knew this would work, and I immediately started thinking of what story I might tell in her world.

I’m just as quirky, I decided to do a take on the very dark Tennessee Williams’ play, because, of course, Williams should have written an odd, funny paranormal romance/paranormal mystery where the bad guys get caught and the good guys and girls get their Happily Ever After.

You guys are going to love Gooper and Dev, Brick, Big Daddy, and Big Mama, and of course, the Cat in my version. I know you are. And if you haven’t fallen down the delightful reading rabbit hole of Robyn’s Magic and Mayhem Universe, then get started with book 1, Switching Hour, for free. You absolutely CAN read my book out of order in the series/universe, but just like potato chips, it’s a crime to read/eat just one!

Robyn has already asked me to write another in her universe for next year, and I’ve agreed because Tennessee Williams has a lot more plays that need fixing…er, I mean given my own quirky spin. There will be more meshing of the Magic and Mayhem world along with cameos from those characters in next year’s release: The Night Of The Iguana Shifter.

Cougar Shifter Gooper Pollitt left her home in West Virginia five years ago for the Big City, but a call from her brother has her racing back. Big Daddy is ill, and no matter how prickly things were when she left, family is family.

When she returns, G finds that everything in the town and on the mountain is the same as when she left, except there’s a hot new man in town—a warlock who brews up a magical latte and makes donuts to die for. G’s family might have the vapors over her dating a warlock, but their attitudes toward Dev quickly change when he divines that Big Daddy isn’t ill—he’s been cursed.

Can G and Dev find time for love while hunting for a would-be killer?

WARNING: This story features a whole host of suspects, tons of family drama, a budding fated-mates romance, and pawpaw pudding.

Cougar On A Hot Tin Roof is available darned near everywhere, so preorder your copy HERE!

I dreaded having to do this, but I need to push the release of With This Ring back until the 29th of April.

This is an amazing, funny book, and I know you’re all going to love it. We all need some Sam humor in our lives right now, and I promise that this book is going to deliver.

I’m coming out of a semi-burnout and am frustratingly not writing at the speed I was before. That plus the trash-fire going on this year, has made it difficult to focus and get the daily word-count I needed to meet my deadline.

I’ve never missed a deadline before on a pre-order and I really hate to do it now, but I want to make sure you all get the best—that I’m not rushing and my editor isn’t rushing either. Everyone is on a tight budget, and I want to make sure my books are worth every penny. To do that, I had to move the release date 🙁

Amazon is processing the change now, and they’ll be sending an e-mail to everyone who preordered. I’m so sorry, but I hope that With This Ring is worth the wait.