In The Wind

As some of you may have heard, My publisher Breathless Press has decided to close it's doors after a long year of declining sales. The decision came after a week long process of looking at options to keep the company open. Rather than leaving the authors high and dry, the company decided that the best option was to close before financial hardship hit them like so many other small presses. For those who are supporters, we thank you for your continued support.

I admit I am gutted over the decision. Heartbroken. They gave me my first contract. I met some wonderful authors, editors, artists, promoters, and lifelong friends. I will treasure the time I spent with Breathless Press and the friendships that grew.

My titles with them will be available for a very short time. In fact, they will be gone by May 1st. You can find them here at the site: http://buff.ly/1G1NHFj or on Amazon here: http://buff.ly/1G1NHFk. Beyond that, I don't know where they will end up but I promise you will see more from me in the future. Thank you to all who supported me, purchased my stories, and left reviews.

With that said, I've decided to hang up my independent contractor shingle and offer services for layouts and formatting to indie authors. I've done some comparative shopping and think my pricing structure is pretty reasonable. If you or anyone you know is looking for someone with my skills, please point them in my direction. I have experience with both eBook and Print layouts.

Cover Reveal - His Cemetery Doll by Brantwijn Serrah

Coming October 24th!

A new novel from Brantwijn Serrah and Breathless Press

There's a woman in the graveyard.

Conall Mackay never put stock in ghost stories. Not even after thirteen years serving as the cemetery keeper in the village of Whitetail Knoll. But things change. Now, his daughter is dreaming of a figure among the tombstones. The grounds are overrun by dark thorns almost faster than Con can clear them. White fog and gray ribbons creep up on him in the night, and a voiceless beauty beckons him from the darkest corners of the graves.

When the world he knows starts to unravel, Conall might finally be forced to believe. 

Excerpt:

He hadn't slept long before he heard sounds from down in the kitchen below.

"Shyla!" he called gruffly. "Weren't you heading into town?"

No answer came from below, but the sounds of pots clanging told him his daughter toyed about down there. Perhaps she'd decided not to leave him after all and taken it into her head to now re-organize the house, since he'd so clearly wanted her to stay out of the cemetery. With a low groan, Conall rolled out of bed and stepped out into the hall.

"Shyla!" he called again, coming to the head of the stairs. If she had stayed home, she could at least do it without making a lot of noise.

"Shyla, I—"

He staggered then, as the hallway dimmed. Afternoon light flickered strangely, lightning cracking a dismal sky outside, and in the space of time afterward everything else darkened. Conall darted a glance around him as the house fell into shadow.

From the top of the stairwell, he saw the first whispering tendrils of white fog.

The heat of adrenaline shot through his limbs. Conall stumbled back into his bedroom, even as the fog pursued. His gaze shot to the window as the last gray light of day faded away and eerie darkness replaced it, like an eclipse sliding over the sun.

More cold mists veiled the glass, dancing and floating. Trembling overtook him as he spun to find another escape.

He froze, finding himself face-to-face with the broken mask of the cemetery doll.

"You—" he gasped. His breath came out white as the fog enveloped them both, leaving a space of mere inches between them, so he could still see her expressionless face. Gray ribbons wound and curled through the air around him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The doll stared up at him. He sensed her searching, looking into his eyes even though hers remained covered. She held him there with her unseen gaze, until her cool, cold hand came up to touch his bare chest.

Conall let out a low breath. He closed his eyes, and a shudder of strange ease rippled through his body. The cool pads of her fingers ran down his sternum, to his navel. The silky ribbons brushed along his side.

Then he noticed her other hand. She lifted it up, to her own chest, and she held something tightly in her fingers: Shyla's stuffed dog.

"I made that...for my daughter," he whispered. The woman with the broken mask tilted her head down toward the small toy, studying it. For a fraction of a second, her fingers appeared to tighten around it. She returned her gaze to him, then, and the toy fell from her grip into the fog, forgotten.

"Wait—" he said, but she brought her other hand up to his chest to join the first, and he recognized eagerness in the way she pressed her icy skin against his. Her face tilted to him, and then came her lips again, ivory and flawless.

"I—" Conall breathed. "I...don't understand..."

Her fingers slid up, around his neck, but he pulled away.

"No, this...this can't real. I'm asleep. I must be."

Gray ribbons danced, pulling him back to her, and she stroked his face. He sucked in a breath at her touch and found his own hand coming up to brush hers.

"You're so cold," he said. "Like stone...but..."

Her cool touch thrilled him; it made his skin tingle and the heat of his own body sing. Her perfect flesh did, in fact, prove soft under his hands, as if the contact with his worn calluses infused cold ivory with yearning. She caressed his cheek, and Conall leaned into it. Before he could stop himself, he bowed his head to her and kissed her frozen lips.

 

Teaser Tuesday Between the Lines

It's Tuesday and that means teaser! Today I am bringing you an excerpt from Between the Lines by Ivy Bateman. I love the premise of this story. An erotic writer whose characters have a fuller sex life than she does meets a political writer at a grand book launch. 

Excerpt

She felt herself grow hot—she knew she was blushing, and she should at least acknowledge his presence, but she couldn't. Devin...she'd completely forgotten the unbelievably sexy Irish writer was one of the seven authors launching a book tonight!

For some time now, she had been hoping to meet him and, had she remembered Devin was part of the book launch, she would have steeled herself for this moment. Ever since Isaac introduced her to Devin's work, she had developed a crazy, high-school crush on him. She loved his rough-around-the-edges good looks and often gazed hungrily at his author photo on the back cover of his books—cigarette in hand, sometimes smiling, sometimes not. Lara usually found smoking to be a turn off, but this didn't seem to be the case when it came to Devin. He had beautiful hands and sexy eyes. When he held a cigarette, it looked as though he was making love to it. Lara found him irresistible.

She snuck a glance at him in the reflective elevator wall. He was lovelier than his publicity photos had ever captured. He was looking at the floor and grinning slightly, a dimple adorably apparent on his right cheek. He ran his hand through his mop of dark brown hair. It gleamed in the light, begging to be touched. Lara immediately pictured his head working its way down her body, her hands tugging at his locks, maybe pushing it to go even lower...

Lara quickly stopped her imagination from running wild and was about to look away when he looked up and met her eyes in the glass. He smiled at her; a shy, slightly knowing smile...one that told her he knew what she was thinking. That was ridiculous. How could he know?

She returned his smile, or hoped she did. She may have just let her jaw drop. She started to attempt a sentence when the door chimed and opened into the lobby. For a moment, neither of them moved; they stood in the elevator looking at each other in their reflections on the wall.

"After you, Ms. Munroe," he quietly lilted.

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Gayl Taylor ~ Author Newsletter

Mia Monday

I was really excited to have the opportunity to help reveal the gorgeous cover for my fellow Wonderland author Mia Epsilon's coming release titled Take A Chance On Me. It releases on September 26th. Have a look:

Friends and lovers rarely mix well with coworkers and embezzlement cases as Charlie and Christine are about to discover.

After a near fatal accident leads to one incredible night of amazing sex, Christine and Charlie take the leap from friends to lovers.

Christine has battled many demons in the last few years. Charlie has always been her confident and support. When Charlie refuses to answer emails or texts after an embezzling scheme arises at work, Christine must come to terms with not only losing a fabulous lover and her best friend but her job as well.

Charlie carries his own scars when it comes to women. Yet there's something about Christine which brings out his protective side and makes him hope for love he's wanted for years.

Christine and Charlie must work together to catch the thief before they can secure a love of a lifetime. Can they catch the embezzler before they lose not only their jobs and each other, but their lives as well?

A Bit About Mia:

Mia Epsilon lives with her enduring soul mate hubby in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, USA. She's an avid reader of almost anything but particularly romance, with too many favorite authors to name. Mia is a never-miss-an-episode viewer of Doctor Who and Sherlock, eagerly awaits each new season, and tends to binge watch both on Netflix with a couple of pots of tea and a plate of blueberry scones. She also happily suffers a coffee and chocolate addiction which causes her to visit her favorite chocolate store, The Chocolate Fetish an abnormally high number of times.

She can most often be found at her computer, spinning new tales, or in a quiet padded nook with her e reader happily engrossed in a new story. Look for more books and favorite characters in the 'Weddings by C & C' line including: 'Wedding Belle Blues', 'Take a Chance on Me', 'When You Believe', and 'That Night'.

♦♦♦♦♦

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Gayl Taylor ~ Author Newsletter

Taste Test

I'm pleased to announce some of the Wonderland Tales authors will be participating in a roundtable discussion on WritersOnlineNetwork. Here is the link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/writersonlinenetwork/2014/08/24/taste-test-w-wonderland-tales-authors
This is exciting and a bit nerve-wracking but should be loads of fun!

I also want to share an audio excerpt of my Wonderland Tale, Tea For Three. Breathless Press' own Domino Lane splendidly narrates. Her voice sets a perfect tone for my little flirt. If you like what you hear and want to know what happens, check out the full story at Amazon, ARe, Bookstrand, Breathless Press and soon to be available on Barnes and Noble. And if you'd like the entire collection in a Limited Edition Hard Cover book, there are still copies available at Breathless Press.

Want to stay up to date with news and more? Sign up for my mailing list.

Giveaway Winners

My thanks to all who entered my Tea For Three release giveaway. Welcome to all my new followers! Without further adieu, here are the winners:

Grand Prize of a Limited Edition Hard Cover of Wonderland Tales ~ Shelley Marie

Tea For Three deck of cards and digital copy of Tea For Three ~ Ann Marie

Digital copy of Tea For Three & one other from the Wonderland Tales Collection ~ Wanda Fittro

I will email the winners to request shipping information and digital format preferences. Thanks again for making release day memorable!

Release Day ~ Tea For Three

Just like my main character Bunny, I'm late for tea! But never fear, no punishment will come (unless you enjoy it, of course). To compensate I am throwing a weekend un-birthday party! 

While I am frolicking away in Wine Country, you can spread the love and enter for a chance to win the following:

Grand Prize - 

Wonderland Tales Limited Edition Hard Cover

This beautiful book includes a handwritten personal note from each author

Second Prize - 

A deck of playing cards and a digital copy of my Wonderland Tale, Tea For Three

Third Prize - 

A digital copy of Tea For Three and your choice of one other Wonderland Tale from the series

All you need to do is enter using the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway runs from midnight August 15th until midnight August 17th. Please share this post on any of the social media sites you frequent.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wonderland

Just got the cover for our limited edition collection from Breathless Press in honor of their 5th Anniversary.  I am stunned and over the moon at how beautiful this is. I hope you can click it so you can get the full effect of this dust cover for the hard bound book. Can't wait to get my hands on it, to stick my nose inside and inhale the pages! How about you? This book releases August 1st!


“In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die: 
Ever drifting down the stream- Lingering in the golden gleam- Life, what is it but a dream?” 
― Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass