I made this video for The Bonus. Do let me know what you think?
It's a lousy week, but I'll be back as soon as I can with proper updates.
Hugs,
AJ
Friday, October 12, 2018
Sunday, September 9, 2018
When blurbs and descriptions just can't capture what a novel is about: a review of Jayne Lockwood's Euphoria
Blurbs and covers are supposed to give you an instant idea of what you're getting, right? Well, I've just come across a book that just isn't describable.
When I saw the blurb, gay
romantic sci-fi, I thought, hmmm. And when I read it included male pregnancy, I
was seriously put off.
But then I remembered
how much I loved Closer Than Blood and how My Boyfriend Is A Dog (written under
her pen-name, S.A. Smythe) made me howl with laughter, I thought I should give
it a go.
Just as well, because I was hooked by the end of the first chapter.
The story starts in
the future. Earth is dying but a race of visiting aliens think they might be
able to go back in time and fix it. When Vardam travels back
in time, he takes one look at Kurt, the man responsible for earth’s
destruction, and all his tentacles are tingling.
Yes, I know. it sounds flaky, right? But you
have to read this because Jayne Lockwood has a seriously twisted mind - the
kind that produces off-beat, funny and yet sweet, mix-it-all-up humour, pathos
and romance.
Euphoria is very hard
to describe but it is awesome. I loved the characters, the writing, and the story. It's contemporary, not too deep, lots of fun, and above all, it's feel-good.
Ignore the blurb, ignore your prejudices, just
have a go. I bet you’ll love it.
PS Comparisons help, right? If you like
Christopher Moore’s The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove and Bloodsucking Fiends:
A Love Story, then Euphoria by Jayne Lockwood is a slam-dunk. And if you read
Euphoria and haven’t read Moore, you should!
Buy Euphoria at Amazon
Buy Euphoria from the publisher DSP
Find Jayne's other novels on Smashwords here
Need More Reads?
☆¸.•*¨*★☆All Screwed Up ☆¸.•*¨*★☆
Sexy,
sassy adult model Lacy Desire is in deep trouble. Having walked out on her
abusive photographer ex and wrecked a major deal, he and his underworld backers
are out for revenge. Lacy decides only one man can save her: Rex Winslow,
the super hot money launderer for the Disciples MC. His rep for violence and
mayhem doesn’t worry her because she knows a secret that will keep him in line.
Rex
Winslow, tenth Viscount Ravenshurst and financial guru to the Disciples MC, is
about to pull off the deal of a lifetime that will restore his family name and
fortune. When Lacy turns up and blackmails him into helping her, he’s furious.
Worse, her troubles bring the Horde, rivals to the Disciples MC, crashing in on
his deal. Handing her over will fix it but cold-hearted practical Rex discovers
he’s fallen head over heels. Can he give her up?
AJ ADAMS IS FREE ON KU!
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Why I'm deleting my Facebook author page
 |
| https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FVVTXJX |
First, I want to attract new readers to the Zeta Cartel series, so from now on, the first book in the Zeta Cartel series, The Bonus, will be sold at 99 cents.
As $$$ is tight for so many of us, I'm hoping the token dollar will tempt people to try me out. And cross fingers they like me enough to read my other books! Think it's a good idea? Or should I be doing something else?
Second, I'm closing down my AJ Adams Facebook page, and shifting everything to my personal page.
I'm deleting the page because Facebook won't show posts unless I pay them. I don't mind paying, but they also say my books are "unfit for Facebook advertising".
You may not know this, but Facebook won't allow authors to advertise unless it's a sweet or clean romance. Anything with a chest is automatically banned. And the words 'dark fiction' are banned too. Weird huh? Because hate speech is all over the place, and Facebook don't mind that.
Anyway, it's their business and clearly they don't want me to be a part of it.
BUT you can come and chat to me anytime on my personal page, no friendship request needed. Also, I will be blogging a bit more. I'm not sure though, how often you want to hear from me. I was thinking, maybe once a month? More? Less?
In order to connect more, I've added a field to my signup form. Any new people who sign up can choose to get notifications of blog posts. I think that might be good but on the other hand, maybe you're all fed up already with email. You can see the form here.
Third, All Screwed Up is getting great reviews!!!!! Thank you all soooo much! Seeing everyone is back to work after the summer, I will be doing some advertising next week.
If you could, mention All Screwed Up to your friends? And in book groups? Word of mouth is the best advertising there is!
I'm also posting this blog post around a few places, just to let people know about The Bonus. I'll let you know how it goes.
Finally, I am writing a Regency romance as Ellen BUT I have this idea for a new AJ novel too.
Question: do you want another Cartel story, another Disciples tale, or should I start a new series? Let me know what you think? Email me at ajadams@lepak.com or comment on Goodreads or visit me on Facebook on this post here.
Talk to you soon!
Hugs, AJ
The Bonus, dark romantic cartel fiction rated 4.5 over 88 reviews is now 99 cents!
"A beautifully twisted love story"
Damn, I just finished this book. It was unlike any other romance I've ever read. I mean after that first chapter I thought no way is this a romance novel? Read Charles M. Smith II's review of The Bonus here.
Damn, I just finished this book. It was unlike any other romance I've ever read. I mean after that first chapter I thought no way is this a romance novel? Read Charles M. Smith II's review of The Bonus here.
From the opening page I was hooked, this is in no way a typical love story it was dark and dangerous and held me completely captivated! Read Tracey's review of The Bonus here
It's a standalone story, all AJ Adams novels can be read as standalones, and it's also on KU.
About The Bonus
Chloe is a seasoned drug courier who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Facing a lingering and painful death at the hands of the Zeta cartel, Mexico’s most brutal organised crime syndicate, she persuades their enforcer to claim her.
Ex marine and dark ops expert Kyle Suarez is chief enforcer for the Zeta cartel. Ruthlessly efficient, he is feared by his enemies. When he claims Chloe, he simply expects to enjoy a well-deserved and disposable bonus.
Has Chloe made a huge mistake, or will her choice prove her salvation - and his?
Warning: This bad boy dark romance contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. It is for adults only.
Once you've read the Bonus, check out the other books in the series:
Friday, August 17, 2018
The One Thing My Bad Boys Don't Do
I've just finished the last edits for All Screwed Up, so on Tuesday, you'll be meeting Rex again. If you read Helpless, you'll remember he is the super hot money launderer for Belial's Disciples MC.
As my books go, All Screwed Up is on the lighter side of dark. 2018 has been a bit of a challenge, and so I avoided another Rip who thinks flaying a nice, light afternoon's entertainment or a Rune who will raze an entire town and laugh as it burns.
I wanted a softer hero and so we have Rex who enjoys a bit of arson, beats the crap out of his enemies, and who has no problem with the occasional murder.
Hopefully, you're thinking, "I need to read that." Or perhaps, "The woman has problems."
Either way, I love my heroes, flaws and all, but there's no doubt that some of them are a bit wild. So, I was thinking, is there anything that they won't do? And there is a surprising answer to that.
When we meet Kyle in The Bonus, my first book, he's just back from an impromptu crucifixion and enjoying a cold beer while watching his mates string up a girl. He's an enforcer for the Zeta cartel and there is nothing he won't do. However, Kyle takes in Raoul, a cat who is orphaned after Kyle kills his owner.
In the book that follows, Songbird, Arturo is disposing of his mistress by shark (a move the editor pronounced "neat, tidy and nicely ecological"). But when Raoul comes to visit and trashes his home, the cartel leader does not ice the cat, but rather spends an hour picking glass shards out of the rug.
In Fletcher, Ware adores his horse, Wolf. In All Screwed Up, Rex has a field full of rescue donkeys, and in the Beast and the Sibyl, Siv is firm friends with Saga the wolf and wildcats Bygul and Trigul.
It's not exactly a motif in my books, some stories don't feature any animals, but it is a constant: my bad boys never ever hurt an animal.
In fact, you will never see an animal die in one of my books. So you can read on, through the murder and mayhem, secure in the knowledge that the Happily Ever After includes all cats, dogs, horses and other feathers, furries and fins.
Now, if you're quick, you can still get All Screwed Up at the bargain price of $2.99. Get it now, before the price goes up on Tuesday!
Teasers
Buy All Screwed Up for$3.99 $2.99 until Tuesday.
As my books go, All Screwed Up is on the lighter side of dark. 2018 has been a bit of a challenge, and so I avoided another Rip who thinks flaying a nice, light afternoon's entertainment or a Rune who will raze an entire town and laugh as it burns.
I wanted a softer hero and so we have Rex who enjoys a bit of arson, beats the crap out of his enemies, and who has no problem with the occasional murder.
Hopefully, you're thinking, "I need to read that." Or perhaps, "The woman has problems."
Either way, I love my heroes, flaws and all, but there's no doubt that some of them are a bit wild. So, I was thinking, is there anything that they won't do? And there is a surprising answer to that.
When we meet Kyle in The Bonus, my first book, he's just back from an impromptu crucifixion and enjoying a cold beer while watching his mates string up a girl. He's an enforcer for the Zeta cartel and there is nothing he won't do. However, Kyle takes in Raoul, a cat who is orphaned after Kyle kills his owner.
In the book that follows, Songbird, Arturo is disposing of his mistress by shark (a move the editor pronounced "neat, tidy and nicely ecological"). But when Raoul comes to visit and trashes his home, the cartel leader does not ice the cat, but rather spends an hour picking glass shards out of the rug.
In Fletcher, Ware adores his horse, Wolf. In All Screwed Up, Rex has a field full of rescue donkeys, and in the Beast and the Sibyl, Siv is firm friends with Saga the wolf and wildcats Bygul and Trigul.
It's not exactly a motif in my books, some stories don't feature any animals, but it is a constant: my bad boys never ever hurt an animal.
In fact, you will never see an animal die in one of my books. So you can read on, through the murder and mayhem, secure in the knowledge that the Happily Ever After includes all cats, dogs, horses and other feathers, furries and fins.
Now, if you're quick, you can still get All Screwed Up at the bargain price of $2.99. Get it now, before the price goes up on Tuesday!
All Screwed Up
Sexy, sassy adult model Lacy Desire is in
deep trouble. Having walked out on her abusive photographer ex and wrecked a
major deal, he and his underworld backers are out for revenge. Lacy decides only one man can save her: Rex
Winslow, the super hot money launderer for the Disciples MC. His rep for violence and mayhem doesn’t
worry her because she knows a secret that will keep him in line.
Rex Winslow, tenth Viscount Ravenshurst and
financial guru to the Disciples MC, is about to pull off the deal of a lifetime
that will restore his family name and fortune. When Lacy turns up and
blackmails him into helping her, he’s furious. Worse, her troubles bring the
Horde, rivals to the Disciples MC, crashing in on his deal. Handing her over
will fix it but cold-hearted practical Rex discovers he’s fallen head over
heels. Can he give her up?
Teasers
Buy All Screwed Up for
All Screwed Up on Amazon USA
All Screwed Up on Amazon UK
All Screwed Up on Amazon Canada
All Screwed Up on Amazon Australia
All Screwed Up on Amazon UK
All Screwed Up on Amazon Canada
All Screwed Up on Amazon Australia
Thursday, July 26, 2018
All Screwed Up by AJ Adams Pre-Order and Get A Juicy Discount!
What readers say about AJ Adams
“A.J. is a talented writer. With a dark
imagination.”
“...awesome dark romance between less than
perfect people...”
“I can always count on her to weave a
fantastically well written story with in-depth, precisely developed characters
that are meticulously flawed, yet always have that redeeming quality."
"There is just something mesmerizing about AJ Adam's style of writing
that reels me in every time, even when I start out hesitantly due to a
different genre outside my favorite normal."
All Screwed Up
Sexy, sassy adult model Lacy Desire is in
deep trouble. Having walked out on her abusive photographer ex and wrecked a
major deal, he and his underworld backers are out for revenge. Lacy decides only one man can save her: Rex
Winslow, the super hot money launderer for the Disciples MC. His rep for violence and mayhem doesn’t
worry her because she knows a secret that will keep him in line.
Rex Winslow, tenth Viscount Ravenshurst and
financial guru to the Disciples MC, is about to pull off the deal of a lifetime
that will restore his family name and fortune. When Lacy turns up and
blackmails him into helping her, he’s furious. Worse, her troubles bring the
Horde, rivals to the Disciples MC, crashing in on his deal. Handing her over
will fix it but cold-hearted practical Rex discovers he’s fallen head over
heels. Can he give her up?
Pre-Order and Get A Juicy Discount!
All Screwed Up is yours for $2.99
Regular Price $3.99
All Screwed Up on Amazon USA
All Screwed Up on Amazon UK
All Screwed Up on Amazon Canada
All Screwed Up on Amazon Australia
All Screwed Up on Amazon UK
All Screwed Up on Amazon Canada
All Screwed Up on Amazon Australia
About AJ Adams
AJ Adams writes twisted love stories set in the violent world of the Cartel, Camorra, Belial's MC and Prydain.
AJ Adams novels are self-standing and although some feature the same families, you need not read them all - but it would be awesome if you did.
AJ Adams novels are self-standing and although some feature the same families, you need not read them all - but it would be awesome if you did.
Saturday, July 7, 2018
All Screwed Up Like and Share volunteers
WILL YOU HELP ME?
I am looking for help promoting All Screwed Up, my next book.
What it involves:
- You get 4 email messages over the month of August with links.
- You choose a couple of these to Like and Share on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
That's it!
If you want to help me, sign up. Anytime you change your mind, you just tell me and I take you off the list. And once August is over, I delete the list, so you won't be stuck with endless email.
If you want to help me, sign up. Anytime you change your mind, you just tell me and I take you off the list. And once August is over, I delete the list, so you won't be stuck with endless email.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Should I switch from first person to writing third person points of view? Plus a review of Dark Experiments (Forever and a Night, #2) by Lana Campbell
I write in first
person point of view (I/me/my) is where the character tells you what’s going on
directly.
I was shit scared he’d throw me to the pack, so when he stood up and walked me round the side of the house, away from everyone else, my legs went all shaky.Chloe, from The Bonus
In my novels, you get
the story as told by my girl and her man. She gets a chapter and then he gets a
chapter. (Except in Beast, where the story is told by Wynne).
I love first person
because it’s so immediate. Apart from the pure whammo of personality, you get to see what my girl and her man are
thinking, their inner fears, and you can see them fight with themselves as they
grow.
Also, as my novels
have a mystery as well as a love story plot, and my girl and her man go off and
do a lot of things without the other knowing, it made sense to switch
viewpoints from chapter to chapter.
I love the way you can
show an incident through two sets of eyes.
Like when Chloe
discovers Kyle was married before...
“He said you were some sort of devil, and that you’d killed your wife, and that you’d kill me too.”I knew the moment I said it that I shouldn’t have. The stupid thing was that I did it because I thought that wank biscuit Raj had made it up just to scare me. Kyle never said anything about a wife, nor did anyone who came to see him. There were no pictures, not one, and by this time I’d gone through all his stuff. Mostly because I have this neat thing but also because I’m a nosy cow, and spring-cleaning gave me an excuse to get into everything.So I thought it was a windup. But it wasn’t. The moment the words were out of my mouth, Kyle’s whole body tensed. Then he got goose bumps and pulled away from me. The second I saw that, I knew what it meant. It was all true. Suddenly, I was cold to the marrow.
Of course, Chloe is
petrified. She’s convinced she’s up for the chop, just like Kyle’s wife was. It
leads her directly into action, which moves the plot forward.
You'd think Kyle was a total arse, however, then he tells it from his point of view.
You'd think Kyle was a total arse, however, then he tells it from his point of view.
I was such a self-centred fucktard that it never occurred to me to talk to her. I took it for granted that she knew I would look out for her, but how could she? Chloe’s never been treated right in her life. I should have known she’d expect the worst.When she said one thing that caught me on the raw, I acted out like a whiny-assed kid and blew her off. “Let’s get some shut-eye.” Then I ignored her big, frightened eyes and pretended to sleep. She should have ripped me a new one, but she didn’t. I don’t think she could. God help me, I think she was afraid of me.
So I love what the double viewpoints do. However, the flip side
is that too much is dull.
And that’s the bit
that worries me. I’m never sure if I’m showing too little or too much. And
feedback from readers is totally contradictory! Not enough, some say. Too much, say others. Haven't even thought about it, is a common response. Just right, has also been said. So I guess it’s a matter of
personal taste.
The other problem is
that having two people tell one story is quite complex in terms of planning. I
need to track plot threads very carefully, and make sure that it all hangs
together cleanly.Over 85,000 words and sometimes more, it's quite a project.
Practice makes perfect
and the book I’m writing now, the story of Rex and Lacy, a follow-up to
Helpless, is hanging together well. I’m being totally ruthless about cutting
out background and focusing on keeping the story moving forward.
However, while I love being AJ Adams, I am painfully aware that it means I can only produce one and a half books
a year. I have lots of ideas, and I am very keen to produce four books a year.
So I’ve been wondering
if I should make a change and move on to third person point of view (she/he)
where you stand outside the story and look in.
It was all there, just as she’d suspected. This was pure gold. Cassidy heaved a sigh of relief. It had been a long shot, but it had paid off.Murder in Moscow, by Storm Chase
There is a limited
version of this where you see the thoughts and actions of just one character
and an omniscient version where you see the thoughts and actions of many
characters.
Third person is less direct, there's less dramatic impact of personality, but it would make planning the novel a lot easier. It might save me over a month just in layout alone.
Third person is less direct, there's less dramatic impact of personality, but it would make planning the novel a lot easier. It might save me over a month just in layout alone.
In part, I've already made a decision. For my sweet romance,
as Ellen Whyte, I think I’ll move to third person for my next book. Sweet
romance is much easier in terms of plot, and I think the comparative simplicity
means I won’t be sacrificing too much by switching.
But I’m not sure if
third person would work well for AJ Adams. Would you love it if I switched? Hate it? If you’ve thoughts on this, I really
would welcome your input. So let me know?
Review: Dark Experiments (Forever and a Night, #2) by Lana Campbell
A medical thriller
with fangs
This is rather an
unusual crossover in terms of genre, being a medical thriller along the lines
of Robin Cook, but with vampires thrown in.
I can’t stand Robin
Cook and medical thrillers in general but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It’s
well written and nicely paced.
I love the vampire
world Lana Campbell created. It’s rich, fun and we learn about it as the story
unfolds, so as a reader you kind of slide into it.
I liked Tiffany and
Christian as well. They’re real people, with their little quirks and
irritations. If you’re looking for trope, you won’t find them here!
As I said, medical
thrillers aren’t my thing and so I skipped the bits that were devoted to
injections, discussions of blood etc. However, I suspect fans of the genre will
love those beautifully written details.
As a side comment, I
can see Dark Experiments translating very easily into a film or television
show. In some ways it reads like a John Grissom book where the author has set
it out so it will be a snap to adapt to a shooting script.
If you’re looking for
a good read, I’d recommend this. Also, while it’s the second story in a series,
it reads brilliantly as a standalone.
You need not worry about picking this up and ending with a cliffhanger
or other loose ends. Def recommended.
PS I met the author
briefly on MeWe and she sent me her novel. I’m reviewing voluntarily.
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