Available For Your Reading Pleasure

Yes, that would be Eye of Truth! 

As of December 2, 2013 the first in a trilogy of alchemists, elementals and necromancers became available for mass consumption. And yes, I am a little behind in posting this because once again, life has turned into a crazy mess of jumble.

In order to stay on point in the first of this post. Here's a bit of a blurb-o-rama and excerpt for your reading pleasure.

~~~Blub ~~~~

Theodyne Thespacian is a thief. Caught and imprisoned, he's done his time and vowed never to return to the life of pulse-racing excitement and easy money. But when one of his former associates tells him about the Eye of Truth—an artifact that will open worlds of untold wealth—it seems like the perfect crime. However, for Theodyne, with the brand of a thief on his face, to be caught again means death. So instead he goes to the Villa of Nicodemus Valencia, the Master Alchemist who owns the artifact… and applies for a job.

Nicodemus descends directly from the founder of the Gold School, and of all those in that bloodline, he possesses the strongest gift for alchemy. His formulas have made him wealthy, though they've failed to give him the one thing he's longed for most—love. When Theodyne appears at his Villa, he recognizes potential for alchemy and offers him apprenticeship. But then an ancient foe purged from the lands long ago reappears and threatens the Gold School, the Eye of Truth, and all the Dominical city-states. Nicodemus and Theodyne must now band together in courage to battle evil and can only hope they will not lose all they’ve come to hold dear.

~~~~Excerpt~~~~

The Count glanced up from across the worktable at Theodyne; the man looked as if his last nerve was close to the point of fraying and there was no use trying to smooth it down. Theodyne might yet prove he had no aptitude for alchemy. Then where would Theodyne be?

Back out on his own with no way to support himself and the mark of a thief on his face. He’d probably encounter the same problems no matter where he traveled in the city-states. Judging from the Count’s expression, it was going to be soon that Theodyne would discover if the supposition was true.

The Count let out a long breath and hung his head. He braced his arms on the worktable and stretched them out to his sides. “Forgive me. It’s been a very long time since I’ve taken an apprentice, and I must remember that these principles are not innate to you.”

“I understand them, I’m just having trouble putting salt with body, mercury with spirit, sulfur with soul, and seeing it in my head.”

The Count looked up. “It’s more about feeling the concepts than seeing them.” He came around to stand behind Theodyne. “Make your body loose.”

Confused, Theodyne turned to see the Count hovering over his shoulder. “What?”

“Make your arms and torso loose so I can control them with my own movements. Once you get the ritual motions down, you can bring the other aspects into play.” The Count took Theodyne’s hand in his and twined their fingers.

Theodyne’s heart kicked hard. His breath caught. Heat ran through his body like rivers of lava. All around him a deeply sensual scent of spice and forest filled his head with erotic thoughts. Theodyne’s eyes closed of their own volition. There was no escaping his desire for the Count or the danger this forced nearness put them in. He wanted to moan, but swallowed it down along with regret.

“Loose, I said. Not stiff.” The Count’s breath was a warm brush against Theodyne’s ear.

Easier said than done with the Count’s groin pressed against his backside. At least it answered the question from the night before—that was definitely flesh and not fabric between the Count’s legs.

  ~~~~~~~~~

Here's some linky links if you care to read more of Theodyne and Nico's story.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4409

Or this -

http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Truth-Cassie-Sweet-ebook/dp/B00H1KCR8K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387298062&sr=8-1&keywords=eye+of+truth+by+cassie+sweet

Or this -

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-eyeoftruth-1364819-143.html

~~~~

Now, onto another topic that of the semi-bad year I've had. I've decided the reason for this is that this year ended in the number 13.

I know. I know. Superstition be damned, but I think I might be onto something here. And with only a few more weeks left in this year, it's time to look into 2014 with a positive forecast. Right? Yep, I thought so, too.

Now, don't get me wrong, 2013 hasn't been all bad. I signed a contract with Dreamspinner. Yay!! I've branched out into new territory in my writing. Double Yay! I attended some really kick-ass conferences such as AAD Savannah and met some awesome new friends and got reacquainted with others. So, it was a win - even on a small scale. I just want 2014 to be bigger, better, more productive. And it will be....

So what Cassie Sweet projects can you look forward to in 2014.

Taste of Air is submitted and waiting a yea or nay. Kiss of Death is into its second chapter and coming along - slowly. I have a Gothic book I want to start on, tentatively titled, His Master's Summons. At least one contemporary that I really need to finish titled, Hot Water. I'm also working on finishing up a Christmas story that I will publish here as a downloadable freebie. It's a serialized account of a year in the life of ex-lovers who have been reunited after a seven-year split. Look for the first installment - The Stockings Were Hung, coming to this blog soon.(If I can figure out how to attach a permanent link to the article in the side galleys of the main page. We'll see. If not, I'll embed the article link into a post.

Thanks so much for reading.

Have a very safe and Happy Holiday season.

-CS

Countdown to Release Date

Oh boy!!

It's almost here and I'm so excited. Eye of Truth releases from Dreamspinner Press on Dec. 2. The pre-order links are up and active and I'm almost ready to bite my nails. (Notice I said almost - I quit that habit years ago.)

So what is new and upcoming besides my release date. Well, I've managed to finish the second book in the Alchemists and Elementals saga and have begun book 3. Plans are to send Taste of Air off to the pub this week (Yeah, I know it's a bad week to submit what with Thanksgiving and all) but if I don't get it out of my hot little hands, I'll be until after the first of the year, and I really need another submission this year for my peace of mind.

There are other projects in the works. One I hope I can squeeze in before next Halloween. It's a mashup between Jane Eyre and Frankenstein: The True Story but with the m/m slant. I hope I can pull it off in time to get it sent in and ready for the scary season. That would be so totally awesome. Also, I'm working on a book that will be a series of vignettes that center around a couple and will take place over the course of a year, having the holidays as backdrops. That will be me putting on a contemporary/ romcom hat. So this year promises to be a busy one for Cassie Sweet. (Then there are my other personalities' projects to get down the chute and out into the world.

Stayed tuned. There is always more to come.

- CS  

Cover Love Reveal

It's coming down to the wire on the release of Eye of Truth and my excitement is growing. It's getting hard to contain myself enough these days as it is and then this showed up in my inbox.

 See the pretty. Stroke the pretty. Love the pretty.
To say I'm thrilled with the cover is an understatement. Brooke Albrect (the cover artist) really captured the flavor of the book and the time period in which it's set. Even though it is a fantasy world based on the Italian Renaissance, I think that really comes through here.

And now back to editing the book so I can get it back to Dreamspinner in time for the release.

-CS

Post Authors After Dark and Looking to the Future

I've been very remiss in blogging on this spot and I need to hide my face in shame for the fact. Let me bring you up to date on all that's happened in the past few months.

1) Waiting on edits for Eye of Truth - but have filled out the requisite cover art form and sent it back to the art department, so yay! Cover reveal forthcoming.

2) Have finished the rough/1st draft on the second book in the series - Taste of Air - double yay!!

3) I know the first scene in the third book and it's going to ROCK! I haven't as yet settled on a title, but one hit while doing dishes today - Return from Darkness. Nah, too hokie. Hmmm, Grave Matters? Too teasing and more of a paranormal romcom sound. I'll nail it down eventually. I hope.

4) Authors After Dark - No ands, ifs, or buts about it, this is the conference to go to. Not kidding. So entirely awesome that I'm still reeling from it all. Loved every minute of it. All right, so I didn't love driving over the G25 bridge going into Savannah in the dark and pouring rain with only one functional wiper blade, but I made it to the other side and to the hotel safely so it's all good. Thank you sweet baby Jesus for Sandy, who talked me down from a major meltdown about mid-span. (Yay, me and bridges, not a good mix.)

The conference, itself, just superb. Stella Price is awesomeness personified. She and her staff put on a first-rate con that is small enough to be intimate with readers, yet large enough to draw people from all over the world.

I spoke on a panel titled: Sci-Punk Fantasy: Genre in GLBT. Great panel discussion and the audience was so supportive and engaged in the discussion. I wished I'd had cover flats or promo to give, but alas I only had goodies from my other personalities to give out. I got to talked a little about Eye of Truth and the response was positive. I can't wait to see the cover so I can start the promotional fun and giveaways. (Check back later for that.)

Downtown Savannah is a quaint little place, dripping with Spanish Moss and Southern hospitality. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for the majority of my time there and we were rather forced to stay inside or risk the heavy downpours. The last day there, the sun came out and Sandy and I walked along River Street. Wish I would have had time to do more shopping in the row of stores, but alas a key lime martini at lunch and lack of restroom facilities along the promenade in combination with my daily dose of diuretic and I really needed to hurry back to the hotel.

I am planning to attend AAD Charlotte in 2014 along with The Novel Experience in Atlanta in March. Can't wait. I love events that put readers and authors together. I'll be looking for more of those in the future. So keep in touch and watch this blog for updates.

Oh, and before I go, I have some big, big plans for this Cassie Sweet site, but first I'll have to figure out how to rearrange my main website. *panic*

Love and kisses

-CS

The Waiting Game

"I know all there is to know...about the waiting game..." All right, so I paraphrased, but you get my meaning. So, things have been a tad bumpy with Eye of Truth. I will not go into details here, but I will say that it is being looked at by a publisher and I'm down to the bare nubbins on my fingers waiting for an answer. I'm not good at waiting. Not when I feel like I haven't had a proper book release in so long. I'm just not putting out the product like I once did. I know why that is, but there isn't really much I can do about it at this juncture. You see, about a year ago I switched from working nights to days at my other job (the one that pays the mortgage). For 19 years I worked nights, and I'd get up around noon and write until it was time to get ready to go at 5pm. The problem with this is, I worked from 7p-7a, so that only gave me about 4 hours of sleep by the time I got home and got into bed. That's not enough sleep for the body to function properly. So, though I might have gotten more accomplished as a writer on that shift, I damn sure wasn't doing much as a human being. The toll on my health was telling. I had to go to days. Now I sleep--well. However, I'm just not getting the work done as fast as I used to. You'd think after a year, I'd be accustomed to the new hours and have my schedule arranged so I can maximize my writing time. Nope. Now I have a wandering mind. So books that once took me months to write are taking me double that. Grrrr. I am going to have to invest in straps for my desk chair so I can belt myself in and not get up until the work is done. Think that's a good idea? I'll work on it. But I digress. So, I have Eye of Truth at a publisher that I'm waiting to hear from. Chomping my fingernails down to the quick. (All right that's being dramatic as I don't bite my nails--they usually split before I ever get the chance.) I have the second book in the trilogy I'm working on, tentatively titled; A Taste for Air, and working on some ideas for book three. Haven't the slightest idea what I'll name that book, maybe Cold as the Grave or The Living Death. Who knows, something will come to me as I'm writing and I'll change it as happens sometimes. K...I guess I need to get back to my other projects. At the moment I'm working on one for my other personality- a little futuristic ditty that has elements of time travel and hot future cops. *rubs hands together* -CS

Here We Go Again

All right, so I don't know what happened...but someone took down my other Cassie Sweet site and I am not at all happy about it. To this end I have started this blog here on blogger to give all the news of my writing journey and the new direction of my career. Hopefully no one will take it upon themselves to close the damn account.

If you haven't guessed yet, I am just a little bit more than perturbed at this turn of events since I was about to post a blog stating how close I am to sending off my first full-length m/m romance Eye of Truth to my Samhain editor.

Kind of takes away the thunder of the moment.

Aw...so, live and learn. *shrugs* At least I know with blogger it will remain up and workable no matter what. I will also be able to link it to a future website. Thank you, baby Jesus.

It does make me wonder why some tech companies make things so difficult for people. I tried to sign into an email account I have for Cassie Sweet and it wanted my other name instead. Wanted to tie everything to that name. For real, Holmes? Maybe some people like to link all their accounts, but not everyone does. Give them the option, folks. And if they don't want to do so, guess what? - they don't have to! Works better than forcing everyone to do it,

*I think my blood pressure just went up about 20 points*

*sigh*

I am still tweaking this site. I don't know if I like the background or if it is going to stay this way. We'll see. I kind of like it for now. We'll wait to see how much it clashes with any future book covers. If that is the case, I'll have to rethink the look and feel.

But at least I'm up and running again. *insert happy dance here*

And now to get back to Theodyne and Nico. I must tweak that final scene and get it ready for submission.

-CS