romance

Indie Publishing: Cover Reveal for Scars!

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Book cover showing a man's chest with three diagonal slashes across it, entitled "Scars: A Werewolf Love Story" by G.A. Bassier.

There you have it, folks! The cover art for Scars. 🙂 This one was pre-made and came from SelfPubBookCovers.com, courtesy of artist billwyc. Check out the rest of the artist’s gallery here:

https://selfpubbookcovers.com/billwyc

I had a tough time choosing which cover to go with, but only because there were so many great options for werewolf stories and for romance. In the end, it came down to three finalists: a pretty picture of a wolf with roses around it, a gorgeous bit of art with a rose and a full moon, and the slashed chest. The image above won out because it most closely fit the title and the story itself. The main male character, Jack, actually has similar slashes on his body, albeit in a slightly different location. And it’s definitely not a “pretty” story. There’s some gore in this one, and some fairly graphic descriptions of violence. So, the ragged claw marks seemed appropriate.

As before, I had such a blast cover shopping. There is some amazing artwork out there. Kudos to the incredible artists whose images were the most delicious eye candy I’ve seen in a while. 🙂 Also as before, I did the lettering myself. I would prefer to have someone else do it, and maybe next time around I’ll be able to afford that, but for now I did the best I could. I did at least try to make it a bit more dynamic than I did with Even Heroes. That was one thing I was kicking myself over after the fact – just seeing the creativity of what others were doing with their lettering, I felt I probably could have done something a little less basic and bit more WOW.

In general, I am a lot less stressed about publishing this time around, mainly because I know what to expect from the process. And also, possibly because I’m doing more things right in round two, including getting my promotional options lined up ahead of my release, and getting some ARC reviewers on board.

Speaking of early reviews, check out this absolute gem I got from Asha over at Books and Readers:

Scars-ARC review

Honestly, this is the type of review that would make any author’s heart soar, and I am so grateful to be on the receiving end of it! 🙂

Sooo, now that you’ve seen the cover and read Asha’s epic review, are you ready to read the story? If all goes well, my next post on here will be an announcement of publication. 🙂 In the meantime, if you’re an indie author, feel free to share a link to your own latest cover art in the comments. Did you buy a pre-made, commission an original, or create the cover yourself with your mad art skillz?

More soon!

~Gretchen

Indie Publishing: The Werewolf Story

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They say the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. Perhaps in spite of my better judgment, I am eagerly preparing for my second foray into self publishing! I learned SO much the first time around. I learned about buying cover art, and how to set up my title on KDP. I learned about keywords and categories and SEO. I learned how to code an ebook, for crying out loud! I learned how to find book bloggers who might (if I’m very lucky) be interested in reading and reviewing my book.

So yeah, I’m in a (slightly) better place this time around, and I’m feeling the excitement. And also the nerves. Because despite all the knowledge I gained last time, in some ways this is starting fresh. My first book, Even Heroes, was a full-length YA action/adventure novel that had never before seen the light of day. This one is a totally different genre: paranormal romance. It’s a short piece (considered either a novelette or a novella, depending on your definition), and it has been published before, in an anthology called Transformed.

I’m choosing to self pub this one for several reasons:

  • I love the story and the characters, and I want to share them with a (hopefully) wider audience.
  • Eventually, I want all of my work (past, present, and future) to be available in one place.
  • I have two more stories planned for these characters, so this will, in time, be a series. 🙂
  • The original anthology where the piece appeared seems to be out of print, so right now nobody’s getting to read one of the best stories I’ve ever written – that definitely needs to change!

In the coming week, I’ll be sharing more details, including the cover art reveal (oooh!) and a brilliant early review I’ve already gotten from an ARC reader. In the meantime, if you like angsty romance, nice guy heroes, and female werewolves who change into raging, homicidal beasts on the full moon, I’ll be offering advance review copies to interested readers via my newsletter, so be sure to sign up. 🙂

More soon!

~Gretchen

Indie Publishing: My Writing Partner Takes the Plunge!

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Several years back, I attended a writers meeting at a nearby library. My hope was to find someone who’d be willing to read my first novel, which at the time was still grossly overlength and badly needed a fresh pair of eyes. If I could find someone else who wrote YA, we could do a beta reading exchange, and both benefit from it. At least, that’s what the little optimistic voice in my head kept saying. Sadly, when the authors in attendance split off into groups based on genre and age group, my name was the only one listed under “Young Adult.” Despite connecting with an awesome bunch of talented and friendly authors, I was still out of luck when it came to getting help with my book. Or so I thought.

On a desperate whim, I decided to reach out to the woman who’d organized the event. She wrote romance and chick lit – not even close to my category – but I knew she’d written at least two or three novels, which (combined) would be the equivalent length of mine. Plus she seemed super nice. Genre differences aside, maybe she’d be willing to do an exchange.

I was a ball of nervous energy as I sent the email. I’d tried to get help from other authors before, but no one seemed interested (who could blame them, considering the 150K word count), and at that length I certainly couldn’t afford a professional editor charging $3-4 per page. I’d been stuck on this same problem for years, and was beginning to feel hopeless.

When I started reading her reply, that feeling of hopelessness stabbed deeper. She didn’t currently have any books that she needed beta-ed. So, that was that. Then I read the next line: but she would be happy to read my book anyway. I couldn’t believe it. I think I might’ve cried a little.

Instead of just reading the book, this woman – Anna – did something even more amazing. She read it with her then ten-and-a-half-year-old son. They gave me feedback throughout the entire process, telling me what chapter they were on, what they liked, and what needed help. After they were finished, they gave me a list of notes that became my bible as I revised my novel for publication. It was more than I ever could have asked for.

In the time since then, Anna and I have become what she dubbed “writing partners.” Mismatched as we are – she writes romance and easy-going chick lit, I write dark stuff; I’m a planner, she’s a pantser – somehow it works. She began to write a new novel, and I got the opportunity to read it chapter by chapter, giving feedback on each freshly-minted scene. I’d never read something in real time before, right as the author was creating it, and it was pretty cool to be part of that experience.

It didn’t hurt that the book was hilarious, fast-paced, and had me rooting for the main character, Paige, all the way through. As Paige struggled with the ins and outs of getting started in the cut-throat real estate business, I saw my own battle to make it as a writer: the moments of elation, the moments of self-doubt, the moments of despair when giving up feels like the only sane course of action. Paige’s refusal to let those dark moments drag her down made me want to keep my head up and keep fighting too.

Several years down the road, I am still in that fight. Publishing my first novel – the one Anna and her son so generously helped me with – was a definite moment of triumph, but success still seems miles away. I haven’t found my audience yet, my sales are nonexistent, and my writing flame – once a roaring inferno in the pre-pandemic era – is barely a flicker these days.

What better time, then, for Paige to come back into my life, her adventures finally published for the world to enjoy? Reading this book is a fond trip down memory lane – making me laugh all over again at all of the horrible stuff Paige has to go through (the mentor from hell, constant babysitting, delusional clients, a haunted mansion no one wants to buy) , and also reminding me that she has to go through all that stuff to earn her success at the end of the story.

I don’t know what my own life story’s ending will look like, whether I’ll ever truly “make it” as a writer or not, but I sure am glad to have an awesome writing partner like Anna. And I am so totally, insanely proud of her for publishing her first book at long last.

Two New Books, One New Interview, and We All Lived Happily Ever After

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Okay, lots of exciting news to share:

 

New Books!

First off, I have just learned, like less than TWO days ago, that my cousin Elaine Bassier has a novel available on Amazon! How freakin’ cool is that? I think it just came out last month. Knight’s Duty is a YA fantasy and it’s the first book of the Unicorn Knight Trilogy. I’m only a few chapters in, and I can already tell you three things:

1.) My cousin is super talented.

2.) Female knight riding a unicorn = AWESOME

3.) I can’t wait to read what happens next!

I’ll be back with a full report after I finish, but you don’t have to wait for me (seriously, I’m a painfully slow reader – ask anyone in my writing group). Go check the book out for yourself right now:

Man, is it cool to see my last name on the cover of a novel! Okay, yeah, it’s not MY novel, but still. It’s cool.

Next bit of news: Transformed is officially available! The book of shapeshifter romance stories came out this past Friday. I already have my contributor copies, and they are all kinds of gorgeous.

If you haven’t already, please go check out the book:

 

New Interview!

In celebration of Transformed‘s release, I got to do an author interview to help promote the book! Topics include writing advice and habits, favorite authors and stories, and some fun facts about me, my new story, and the book. Please note: while my interview is family friendly, the rest of the site contains adult content, so be wary of exploring if that type of thing offends you. Happy reading, and a big thanks to Erotica For All for letting me invade their website!

http://eroticaforall.co.uk/interviews/an-interview-with-gretchen-bassier-astheheroflies/

 

A Book Signing!

I am super excited to be participating in a multi-author book signing at the Raven Café in Port Huron next month. The event will take place Wednesday, August 1st, from 7-9pm. If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you and I’m sure the other authors would too!

Books I Will DEFINITELY Have On Hand:

Transformed
Alternate Hilarities 3: Hysterical Realms
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What?
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dog Did What?
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Really Did That?
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks to My Mom
Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Kind (of) America

Magazines I HOPE to Have On Hand (assuming they arrive in time!):

Trysts of Fate (August 2014)
Bloodbond (May 2017)

More info about The Raven (aka possibly the COOLEST venue EVER):

https://ravencafeph.com/

 

And finally…

A Happily Ever After Ending!

Okay, so, if you read the story description after my interview, you might be thinking that my new story, “Scars,” sounds an awful lot like an older piece called “Burn.” So, what gives?

To quote Dr. Henry Morgan, “It’s a long story!” 🙂

I originally submitted “Burn” to Transformed as a reprint. However, during the editing process, the editor and publisher asked me to change the original (read: tragic and gruesome) ending to a HEA (happily ever after) that would be better suited for their target audience.

I must admit, I was initially a bit traumatized at having to make such a drastic change to my story. As is the case with most of my short pieces, the original ending of “Burn” was the whole reason I wrote the story. It was all leading up to that moment. I wondered if the story could even work without it.

The editor, Charlie Watson, told me she’d already written a version of the ending where things work out better for the characters, but I didn’t look at that version right away. Instead, I spent a few fretful days brainstorming hard about how these two characters, who are in a terrible place at the end of “Burn,” could actually wind up living happily ever after.

After coming up with something halfway decent, I looked at Charlie’s version. It was fantastic. Just chock full of emotional gems, and truly in keeping with the characters I’d written. In addition to being a first-rate editor, she’s also a crazy talented author. My first thought was, “Well, dang, maybe we should just leave it like this!”

But the new version did leave a few plot threads hanging, so I decided to go for broke and write the version I’d come up with, incorporating as many of the elements from Charlie’s ending as I possibly could (because they were awesome). After writing 4,000 words in two days and then revising like a madwoman, I sent the new text to Charlie and spent the whole night biting my nails down to stubs, wondering if she would like it or hate it.

In the morning, I checked my email and got my own Happily Ever After moment: the alternate ending I’d slaved over was approved for the book. Yay!

Although it was a HUGE challenge at the time, I couldn’t be happier with the results. “Burn” was more horror story than romance, and while I still love the original ending, I love the new version even more. “Scars” is a story of pain and loss, but also of love and healing. Several of the people who read “Burn” enjoyed it…right up until they got to the last few sentences. Then they said, “Oh, no! That’s not how I wanted it to end!”

I promise you, “Scars” will fix that feeling. 🙂

Many thanks to my awesome editor, Charlie Watson, and everyone at Pen and Kink Publishing, for giving me the freedom and inspiration I needed to deliver my very first alternate ending – and, in the process, create a whole new, even better story!

 

Before I Go…

In celebration of alternate endings, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite fanfics that also had two different endings for audiences to enjoy:

 

Lois and Clark

“The Enemy Within” by Tank Wilson and Wendy Richards

(One happy ending vs. one very grim ending – I like the happy one!)

 

Lucifer

“There’s No Music in Hell” by Solo’s Falcon

(Both happy endings and both awesome! Hard to choose a favorite! If you’re reading it for the first time, one of the chapters – the Lucifer/Chloe love scene – is posted as a separate fic entitled “No Music in Hell: A Slice of Heaven” and it’s not to be missed!)

 

That’s it for tonight, folks! Now I’m off to read more of Knight’s Duty!

Keep Writing (and Reading)!

~Gretchen

 

 

 

Werelions and Weretigers and Werebears, Oh My!

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Cover design by Amanda C. Davis

 

Those of you who know me know that I’m into werewolves. Like REALLY into werewolves. Like, when someone comes over to visit, my standard greeting is, “Do you want to watch a movie? I have The Wolfman!” (In case you were wondering, yes I get weird looks in response to this.)

I’m not exactly sure how I turned out this way (it might have something to do with how many times I watched The Shaggy Dog and Ladyhawke when I was a kid), but at some point in my life I blossomed into a full-fledged lover of all things shapeshifter and never looked back.

Which is why I could not be more excited to have one of my stories included in Pen and Kink’s upcoming anthology, Transformed. This book, which is the third in their Triskaidekaphilia series, features romantic relationships involving (you guessed it) shapeshifters. (The first two books focused on romances related to urban legends and vampires. The next one, called Haunted, will feature female ghosts – go check out the submission guidelines here: http://www.penandkinkpub.com/home/books/triskaidekaphilia/4-haunted-female-ghosts/ )

For me, the most exciting thing about being included in a collection like this is getting to read everyone else’s stories. (I mean, I already read mine – that’s old news.) So, as soon as I got my advance review copy (and did a quick check to make sure I hadn’t done anything cringe-worthy, like spell my own name wrong in the byline (don’t laugh, it’s possible)), I joyfully dove into my fellow authors’ works.

And I just have to say: Holy crap! These writers are so talented! I am so not worthy to be in their midst! I loved every single story in the book. Like seriously, I keep trying to pick a favorite, and I just CAN’T. I think what impressed me the most, aside from just the quality of the writing, was the variety. This book features many different cultures, different interpretations of what it means to be a shapeshifter (whether it’s a blessing or a curse, whether it’s something to be carefully controlled or something that should be encouraged to run rampant), and different types of romantic relationships.

And that’s not even mentioning all the different kinds of creatures! I mean, there are werewolves, yes – but they’re actually in the minority here. Beneath the beautiful cover designed by Amanda C. Davis, I discovered weresnakes, werefoxes, werehawks, werecats, werejackals, wereseals (yes, seals!). Heck, there’s even a weredragon in there!

In addition to the menagerie of shapeshifters, there are characters of all colors and backgrounds. There are straight characters, gay characters, bisexual characters. There is sex, and sometimes it’s described in great detail – however, it’s never the sole point of the story, but rather just one element that only adds to the richness of the overall plot.

Speaking of plots, there are some really complex ones involving spy games, intrigue, stolen goods and kidnapping, as well as simple plots focusing on a single moment of significance in a character’s life. There are cursed lovers. There are characters who meet for the first time, and characters who’ve known each other across the ages.

All I can say is, hats off to my fellow authors for their skills and creativity, as well as to the editor, Charlie Watson, for putting together such a diverse book.

As one reviewer already mentioned, there really is something for everyone in Transformed. (You can find more early reviews here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38262542-transformed ) If this sounds like something you’d be into, the books comes out on July 13th. (Yes, that’s Friday the 13th – it ties in with Triskaidekaphilia, which means love of the number thirteen). Check out the pre-order link here:

https://www.amazon.com/Transformed-Triskaidekaphilia-Book-Nancy-Canu-ebook/dp/B07C67DTGV

Oh, and if you’re a reviewer who’d like an ARC of the book, I believe they are still giving a few copies away on LibraryThing. You just have to scroll down until you see the pretty cover with the lady and the tiger and the title Transformed by Charlie Watson:

https://www.librarything.com/er/giveaway/list

I hope you love the book! I did! 🙂

Keep writing and submitting, everybody!

Best wishes,

Gretchen