'A Life Without You' Out Now!

My debut novel was released today! I'm both nervous and excited about it. I suppose every new author feels that way when they see their work baby-walk into the literary world. Don't you just love the cover???

I just got a contract from MLR Press for the next book in this independent series (Boston Boys), called Absolutely Eric. It features Eric Wesley, a secondary character in A Life Without You (he'd scowl and bitch if he ever heard anyone refer to him as "secondary").

The blurb for A Life Without You is as follows:

Jesse’s like a bar of soap: the tighter Adam holds on, the faster Jesse slips away. Or that’s how it feels to Adam. It doesn't help that Jesse has a girlfriend back home and claims to be straight, but there’s no way with all the sparks and physical intimacy flying between the two roommates.

When Adam believes he has reached his ultimate happiness, the walls come crashing down with a visit from Jesse’s girlfriend.

Now Jesse has to decide if he can come to terms with his sexuality, while Adam has to learn to accept that Jesse might never be able to crawl out of the closet.

Here's the purchase links, if you're interested: MLR Press (publisher), Amazon.com, All Romance e-books, Bookstrand. I'll keep posting places as they pop up.

Here's the Goodreads link.

Hot Hands Purchase Links

Hot Hands has been out for about a week and things are doing well :) I was very excited to see a four star review on Goodreads, and then a five star review (!)...that wasn't written by me. Super exciting for a new author, fresh out of her packaging ^.^

I wanted to list the Hot Hands purchase sites in one blog post, so I won't spam my own blog. No one likes spam, though these promo posts are beginning to feel a little spammy. I need to get my butt in gear and post other things here too!

No Boundaries Press (publisher)

All Romance e-Books

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Bookstrand

I'm told there will be more :)

Just one more thing. I'm not dissuading anyone from buying from Amazon.com, but many international countries are charged extra $2.50 per e-book and sometimes even more (for me in Iceland, my short story costs $5.34 - which is just ridiculous). If international buyers want to avoid these costs but still get a Kindle version, buying from someone like All Romance e-books, Bookstrand, or from the publisher's store is a good option. Most sales sites have Kindle compatible formats for download (.mobi and .prc). The only difference is that you'll have to download the book (one click), and then manually transfer it to your Kindle (drag and drop into the "documents" folder on the Kindle). It's easy and less expensive. You're not doing the author harm by buying the book for less in this instance - we don't see a dime from that extra cost. 

Happy New Year

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Happy New Year, people! 

I've had an eventful year - both in personal life and writing life. I wrote two full-length manuscripts and six short stories (one is a short free-bee, and I managed to get that damned fifth in the CFaG (O.o does that say "fag"?) series finished yesterday - on the very last day of the year, lol). All of these will be published in 2012, so one might say I'll be taking the year by a storm ^.^

I've met some wonderful people since I joined the m/m writer community. I felt welcome right away and I'm truly thankful to have met these new friends. They've given me more than a few laughs and loads of support.

I'm happy to be able to tackle all those other stories that have been nagging me for months, now that I'm starting the year with a clean schedule. The problem is...which one do I write first?? I guess I'll sit back and watch them battle it out.

So here's to a new year, filled with publication, more m/m reading, and fun times with friends!

Erica Pike

P.s. I may not have taken that photo, but I've been watching the northern lights all my life and although they're usually just green veils in the sky, I've seen wonderful pinks, purples, blue, and orange dance so vividly I'll never forget them.

Christmas Prizes

I'm taking part in the Stuff Your Stockings Christmas Blog Hop that takes place between 16th and 18th of December. There are just under 200 authors/publishers taking part with prizes like books, gift cards, and ornaments, jewelries, etc. We're talking over $400 in gift cards (combined) and 150+ books. How cool is that?

I'm giving away one copy of Hot Hands, one of A Life Without You, and a $15 gift card from a publisher's book shop (because buying directly from the publisher is how the authors get the most into their lint-filled pockets). I will draw three winners, each will win one of the prizes above.

I've been preparing myself for those two days by finding all the people who are offering m/m books - because that's the only thing I read these days. I figure it will give f/m readers more chance if I don't sign up for those ;) If anyone wants that list, I'll be happy to send it (just give me a few more days until all prizes are up on the official Blog Hop page.

Anyway, super fun ^.^ Super exciting!

Official Cover for 'A Life Without You'!

www.ericapike.com

Tonight is a night for me to come squeeing. I just got the official cover for my debut novel!

A Life Without You is the first novel in the Boston Boys series and features Adam Maxwell and Jesse Jefferson who share a room in a dorm. Adam is head over heels for Jesse, but unless Jesse can crawl out of the closet, there might not be a future for the two. What complicates matters even worse is that Jesse, despite his feelings for Adam, already has someone else in his life.

I don't have a release date for A Life Without You, but it should be within the next month or two.

First Cover!

My First Cover!

People! We have an official cover! No Boundaries Press is working super fast (honestly, they answer my emails within minutes if it's during waking-hours in America). It was designed by lovely Dakota Trace, and she nailed it on first try. 

This is the first of five short stories in the College Fun and Gays series. They are all independent of each other, but all take place in a college and/or dorm. The other covers will have that college building, but a different photo above it and a different color (I think). 

So far, NBP have been amazing to work with. We haven't begun on the edits, but those girls are so sweet and energetic, and ready to answer every question I have. I also get a whole lot of say in the cover art (we're working on the next two as I'm writing this). 

So yeah, Hot Hands will be out in January 2012 and will possibly be my debut - if A Life Without You won't be released by then (I still don't have a date on that one). 

Signed with No Boundaries Press

I know, I know, I promised segments, but I still haven't written a single one! I'm so sorry. It's just that things have been super busy lately.

The latest news is that I've signed three contracts with No Boundaries Press for my series of short stories: College Fun and Gays. These three stories are Hot Hands, A Grade-A-Sex Deal, and The Walls Have Ears. I'm writing the fourth, but all in all they will be five. Hot Hands will be released in January 2012, A Grade-A-Sex Deal in February, etc. When all have been released, they will be gathered into an anthology.

Each story is independent of the other, 10-15k long, and they really have nothing in common other than taking place in a college/dorm. There's a deep theme in each, like bullying, rejection after coming out, deep insecurities, and struggling with coming to terms with one's sexuality (haven't decided what the fifth will be). But each also centers around love and of course there's hot sex in every single one.

No Boundaries Press is a new publishing company. In fact, it's so new that they're only releasing their first batch of books in January 2012. I'm super excited to be working with them, because these girls are fantastic and very, very organized. They pay 60% royalty on ebooks - which is beyond generous - and chase away all of heir books from pirate sites (how cool is that??). They also hold workshops on copyright and piracy, promotions, and branding (and more to come in the future), hold giveaways and competitions. They have a book review blog that reviews books from all over the place. Aaand they have their own Promotions Director, who actively helps No Boundaries Press promote their authors.

Cool? I'd say so ^.^