Ericka Scott
Breaking News — StarDust Press Closing
Sunday, September 16th, 2007
Filed under A Writer's Life

Public announcement letter: permission granted to post

Dear authors and editors,

After much discussion and negotiation and evaluation, it is with regret that we announce StarDust Press is closing effective September 30, 2007. We are saddened that despite all our efforts, SDP is bleeding, and the investors have decided to cut their losses.

We know that you would all be concerned with this development, so we address all your concerns one by one below.

1. Authors and editors would be paid the royalties/editorial fees due them.

2. All books would be taken off the website and Fictionwise by September 30, 2007.

3. From September 30, 2007 onwards, all rights to the published books revert back to the author, and as such, you can submit them to other publication houses for publication.

4. For unpublished books, you may send to other publication houses as early as now.

5. For authors whose books are currently under edits, we would send you a personal email on the matter.

SDP was established to do legitimate business, however the environment wasn’t conducive to its survival. And so, we have no choice but to take this step.

Thank you for all your support and we wish for the best for you all in your endeavors.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email. Your question may also be the question of the others.

Thanks.

Raine
For StarDust Press management

Looks like I’ll be looking for a new home for The Werewolf Whisperer…

Postcards from the Dead Video Book Trailer
Saturday, September 15th, 2007

For your viewing pleasure…

Winning the Cover Art Lottery
Friday, September 14th, 2007

I’m just going to post this beautiful cover. I think it speaks for itself!

Postcards from the Dead — Coming from Cobblestone Press on October 5th!

Available Now — The Werewolf Whisperer
Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

The Werewolf Whisperer — Available from StarDust Press!

The full moon hung low in the sky and lit the yard as if it were daytime.

Her shoe bumped something and it fell with a clatter. Shit! She looked down to see what she’d stumbled over. Blessed God. It was a shotgun! She hadn’t fired one in years, not since she and her brothers had made soda cans quake in fear on the back fence. But with a shotgun, she wouldn’t need perfect aim. Heck, when they saw she had a gun, maybe they wouldn’t mess with her. Okay, so she was fooling herself. But she couldn’t help a quick rush of joy when she picked up the gun and saw that it was loaded.

Surprisingly, no one had come running at the sound of the clatter. Serena didn’t pause to wonder why. It only took her a few more strides to reach the front of the house and peer around the corner.

What she saw nearly made her drop the gun. Ben and the man were bent over. Had they poisoned themselves? Then, icicles of fear rushed through her veins. What was happening?

Ben’s form was suddenly covered in silver grey hair that almost sparkled in the moonlight. His ears had elongated and his face! She shuddered and stepped back, resisting the urge to run. The whole frontal section of Ben’s face elongated into a muzzle. Then, with shock, she realized the wolf’s savage gaze was locked on her. She stifled a scream as the thing’s mouth split open in a wolfish grin. Serena stepped back and pulled the gun up.

The wolves crept closer. Didn’t they see she had a gun? Perhaps they didn’t think she would use it. Well, they were wrong, she would.

As she ran forward, she could hear their growls. This had better work or she was dead—or worse than dead. Pulling the trigger, there was a pause when time stood still. The blast nearly deafened her. The wolves scattered.

One disappeared. She’d have to watch her back. One dashed off around the house, possibly to leap on her from behind or cut off her retreat. The other had been hit fully in the face and was now pawing at his muzzle and whining.

She ran toward the car, expecting a heavy body to leap on her at any moment. It wasn’t until she was sitting in the driver’s seat with the keys in the ignition that she stopped to take a breath. A roar at the window made her jump. The third wolf, which was the largest, was launching himself against the window. Again and again, it leapt at the door, its claws screeching as they scratched against the glass.

She started the car and gunned the engine. The animal didn’t even flinch. Fingering the can of mace in her pocket to make sure it was still there, she backed out. The wolves followed her, stalking the car.

The little Beetle couldn’t do more than twenty-five miles per hour on the washboard road. Any faster and she’d knock the whole bottom out of the car and then where would she be?

In eerie silence, the wolves ran alongside the car. Then, they began howling. Ice cold panic filled her veins.

Suddenly, another figure came dashing along the car, snapping and barking at the wolves. It was Tucker. The wolves turned their attention away from the car and toward the Labrador . Serena felt a surge of pity. The poor old dog would be torn to shreds. She had to do something.

Rolling down her window an inch or two, she pulled the can of mace out of her pocket. “Here doggie, doggie,” she called.

The wolves turned as one toward her. Faster than she’d expected, they were almost through the window. Startled, she pushed the button on the mace. It didn’t fire. Oh, my god. She leaned back as snapping muzzles filled the opening and she could feel their spittle sprinkling her face, neck, and arms. Then, there was a loud hiss and the wolves were gone. They rolled in the dirt, pawing at their muzzles while Tucker pranced around them barking. Her breath came in little pants as she rolled up the window and drove away. Tucker’s fierce barking faded into the distance.

It was a momentary victory, but she pumped her fist in the air anyway.

Now, to get into town and find Jackson . Something bad had happened to him. But he was still alive. Ben and Doc Brown had talked about sending someone back to the jail to question him.

The town was silent. There were no lights on in any of the houses, no sounds of televisions playing behind closed curtains, nothing but the roar of her car’s engine. Something really bad was happening and she knew she couldn’t stop it.

And above all, she had to find Mike. Please, God, don’t let him be dead. But he couldn’t be dead. Jackson had gone through all the trouble of calling her out to this god-forsaken place to help find him. No, she had to believe that Mike was still alive. And Jackson was the key. He knew what happened to her brother. He was the one who’d arranged the helicopter and set up the fake hospital story. Damn it, she’d make him tell her where Mike was. She grabbed the shotgun and left the car unlocked and running, just in case.

Pushing open the station door at a run, Serena started yelling his name. ” Jackson , hey, Jackson .” Waiting a heartbeat in between her calls, she listened for a reply, for any noise. She pounded on the counter and rang the bell. Still nothing. Damn it.

He had to be here or at home. She started to turn around when she spotted a door under the clock marked Staff Only.. She ran around the counter, slipping a little on the linoleum in her haste. Grabbing the knob, she twisted, half expecting it to be locked. It opened easily in her hand and she felt along the wall inside for the light switch. She didn’t want to be surprised by any wolves in the dark.

The overhead lights flickered on and she stared. It was an old-fashioned jail, just like in the movies, complete with three cells. The first two were empty, their doors standing wide open. The third one had an occupant.

” Jackson ?” she called, walking quickly forward. “You gotta tell me where Mike is. Where are the keys? I’ll let…you…” The words caught in her throat and she could only stare. It was a wolf, large and black, with amber eyes. There were clothes scattered on the floor of the cell, the same clothes Jackson had been wearing the night before. So, either the wolf had eaten Jackson and not left any blood or…

” Jackson ?” Serena approached the cell.

The story I wasn’t going to write…
Saturday, September 8th, 2007
Filed under A Writer's Life

I love the special calls that go out from publishers for holiday-themed romances. So far, I’ve written one for Halloween and Christmas…but I just wasn’t interested in working on a Valentine story. It’s not that I don’t love hearts, chocolates, and sexy lingerie. I do…but I really didn’t think I could come up with a story that was different and yet romantic…and well, DIFFERENT.

Then, the other day, I’m in the shower. The muse loves the shower. I figure it must remind her of standing naked under waterfalls in Hawaii while watching cabana boys deliver towels and margaritas (sigh) and well, over the sound of the water, I suddenly hear her voice whisper “what about….” and she outlines the most freaking genius storyline in my ear. Luckily, that was on Thursday. So I was able to dedicate my writing time on Friday to outlining it. I’m 3000 words in and it’s incredible.

I’m not going to share much about it…I don’t want to jinx it. I’m even afraid to google the theme and find out that the whole plot/premise has been done to death. I just want to WRITE the book.

And this from the writer who was just saying last week that she didn’t WANT to write a Valentine story…

The Vampire Oracle Video Trailer
Monday, September 3rd, 2007
Filed under Blurbs and Promos

Isn’t this a wonderful video trailer for the upcoming Vampire Oracle books? Thank you Sable Grey for all the wonderful artwork!

Howl at the Moon
Thursday, August 30th, 2007
Filed under Blurbs and Promos

Calling all werewolf lovers!

In celebration of the upcoming release of The Werewolf Whisperer, I’m holding a contest.

It’s easy to enter. Just send an e-mail between now and September 10th to werewolf_whispers@sbcglobal.net. To enter twice, sign up to receive my newsletter Making Mischief (and if you are already signed up for my newsletter, you’re already entered once!). Names will be drawn at midnight on 10 September.

First prize is a $10 gift certificate to StarDust Press
Second prize is a free e-copy of The Werewolf Whisperer (if it doesn’t release on the 10th, the copy will be sent as soon as it is available)
Third prize is a pewter wolf necklace

So enter soon!

THE WEREWOLF WHISPERER

The residents of Eclipse, California have a secret.

Celebrity dog trainer, Serena O’Toole, had the perfect life. She has a boyfriend, kind of, and a job she loves, well, she used to love it. And the audition for a national television spot could skyrocket her dog training show, “Woof”, to the stars…if it doesn’t bore her to death first. Then, when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, a sexy-voiced stranger calls to tell her that her brother, Michael, is missing. He’s hiding in the desert outside his new home in Eclipse, California. It only takes her a few minutes to pack her bags and head off to a town not marked on any map.

The last thing Jackson Hardy wanted to do was to involve another civilian. But, unless the horror writer, Michael O’Toole, was found in the next two days, he would die. But, from the moment Serena’s black VW Beetle rolls into town, Jackson knows he’s lost. He can’t keep his mind, or his hands, off her. She’s beautiful, talented, irresistible. Everyone in town notices her charms. . . Everyone. But Jackson knows to fall in love with her, and make love to her, would be a fatal mistake.

When Michael is found, Serena decides to stay and get to know Jackson better. When she looks in his eyes, she realizes he exudes a sex appeal she is helpless to deny. Nor does she want to. But for a man who can’t keep his hands off her, Jackson is sure in a surprising hurry for her to leave.

But someone in Eclipse is equally determined for her to stay…forever.

Girls’ Night Out
Wednesday, August 29th, 2007
Filed under Just for fun

Every year my friend Kathy and I troop off to the fair to eat junk food, drink a beer, see a concert, and then buy kettle corn and cinnamon rolls for the road.


This year, we wanted to see Charlie Daniels and Lonestar…but my daughter’s soccer practice put a glitch in that. Instead, we saw Heart. Now, long, long ago, I saw Heart in concert in college (yeah, THAT long ago). I enjoyed the concert…but except for the addition of a couple of Ann Wilson’s new songs from her upcoming solo album, they played the same music I heard on that far-away day. Ah….nostalgia.

I heated up the cinnamon rolls for breakfast this morning and we’ll snack on kettle corn tonight while watching television. We’ll go to the fair as a family on Saturday, but the emphasis will be on the petting zoo areas and the rides and the only junk food anyone will want will be cotton candy.

I’m just hoping we don’t get run down by a pig this year!

The big R…
Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
Filed under A Writer's Life

I got my Spice Briefs rejection first thing this morning. Not fun to wake up to, but I really expected it. It’s that “highly erotic” tag that I’m sure got my submission booted. Yeah…I have sex in my books described in graphic terms…but no real kink.

Not feeling too blue though…my hubby is *almost* done with Fool’s Gold…so I’m going to make my self-imposed deadline of submitting by the end of August. And I’ve carved out another hour for writing a couple of times a week. My daughter’s soccer practice on Mondays and Wednesdays. My husband drops her off, we gobble a picnic dinner at the park, then he takes the boys off to play on the equipment and I write. I got 307 words in yesterday, not much, but it was the first day…

Good things come in threes…
Monday, August 27th, 2007
Filed under A Writer's Life

I always go through three drafts of a manuscript before submitting.

Boy am I glad I did that for Fool’s Gold. After adding a scene and some dialogue to help cement the GMC, it’s a much stronger work. AND it broke the 25K mark! Yeah! My husband is working his magic as my last reader and then as soon as I get his edits incorporated, I can submit it! And then keep my fingers crossed for an acceptance instead of the dreaded R.