WOO HOO…IT’S A RODEO!

 

Hey, gang.  How the hell are ya? Well, I certainly hope everyone out there is living their best life, having fun, and making life work for ya.  😊

Okay, so I’m gonna just cut to the chase here. The Butterscotch Martini Girls are working their proverbial (not actual) arses off promoting this big Cowboy Crush Kickstarter campaign we have going on. Trust me, it ain’t easy to keep a monster like this moving! 

Why? You ask.  

Well, let me ‘splain it to you, Lucy! The average number of tiers generally offered in a Kickstarter (according to internet sources) is 5.  We have 12!  And ours are so jam-packed with stuff that it’s spillin’ out the sides. That makes this a pretty large campaign with a lot of moving parts.   

Then…out of 62,255 Kickstarter publishing campaigns, only about 37% of them ever reached full funding. Yikes!  Glad we didn’t read that before we funded.  LOL 

So…bottom line…this is a complicated campaign with lots of rewards to find, prep, price, offer, order, create (in some cases), receive, assemble (in some cases), package, and ship. Then in between all of that, we have to build graphics, keep the campaign site updated, and…oh yeah…promote. 

And…we only gave ourselves 31 days to do it in…because we didn’t feel challenged enough.  LOL  (That was a joke…it really was just sheer stupidity on my part.)

All that said…we have a large and complicated campaign with lots of rewards to source, and (with any luck at all) a wagon load of products to acquire and ship after the fat lady sings and the Butterscotch Martini Girls drink. 

Where are we now?  Oh, I am sooo glad you asked. 

We are a couple hundred dollars over fully funded.  YAY! 

But what does that really mean? 

Well, what it means is that the project is no longer in “tentative” status.  It has met its minimum budget and will now become a reality. The question is…how much of a reality? 

Huh? 

Oops…sorry.  Didn’t mean to Kickstarter double-speak at ya. 

The term “funded” is sort of like a measuring stick that draws this invisible waterline around the project that says if you don’t go over this line, the project shuts down and no one pays a thing…basically, cancelled with no harm, no foul.  On the other hand, once a project hits this waterline, it is all systems “GO”…when the project closes, credit cards will be charged, product will be ordered and shipped, and eventually all backers will receive the goods identified in the tier they backed, along with any add-on items they may have purchased. It is literally the point of no-return. 

From the project sponsor’s perspective, the “funded” waterline is simply the bare minimum mark that must be achieved in order to provide the offered products without losing money. It is pretty much the break-even point. 

So…as I’m sure you have recognized by now…the objective is to EXCEED the “goal” by as much as you possibly can. Because this is the way we make money from all the work we put in and from the fabulous stories and merchandise we pulled together to make this project happen. 

Now that you understand the meaning of the Kickstarter “goal,” it should stand to reason that you now understand why we may be continuing to email and post to social media and (forgive me) blog sites more often about this campaign.  A helluva lot of work has gone into this project and we would not be doing our stories any justice if we didn’t work our (again) proverbial arses off to make it as successful as possible.  Successful projects are what enables us to do what we do and continue to provide our readers with stories they love for years to come.  If our businesses fail, we have failed our readers. 

It's as simple as that!                  

So be sure you head on over to the Cowboy Crush Kickstarter campaign and help us do justice to these stories and to the platform. If you find one of our tiers is something you cannot live without, we would be delighted to have you back it. 

And while you are there, check out the other publishing campaigns that are active, and back some of those as well because those authors are doing exactly the same thing we are—working hard to keep their businesses healthy so that wonderful stories continue to be told year after year. 

Yes, our project has achieved the first milestone and “funded”, but that’s just the beginning.  There are still miles to go and only 20 more days to do it in. So…back us, talk about us, share our social media posts…every little bit helps. And don’t forget that Christmas trees will be in the malls by…hmmm…next week, maybe. So put one (or ten) of these tiers on your Christmas list and watch the campaign page for some updates to come out over the next couple of weeks outlining some new offerings. 

What’s coming up, you ask? 

Well, I’m currently working with a vendor to design a box sleeve for the paperback
set.  It’s going to be gorgeous and if we get enough backers at the paperback level, we will be able to add some stretch goals for upgrades.  Uh-huh, uh-huh! 

And…I just finished a mock-up of the dust jacket that will be available with the hard cover version…which is going to be stunning, especially if you get it in the upgraded color version with the 5 original color cover images inserted into the book. 

Oh…anyone interested in vellum inserts?  We have some really gorgeous ones on the drawing board right now and are figuring out how to set them up as stretch goals. 

All that and the basics too?  Yep…all that along with HOT Cowboys, savvy heroines, shot glasses, martini glasses, flasks, coloring pages, a cowboy bear, and more HOT Cowboys.  And I haven’t even mentioned the stickers, coasters, add-on novels, printed bookmarks, leather bookmarks, book buddies in display cases…and have I mentioned HOT Cowboys?  Oh…and can you say, “Martini Recipes?” 

So…back a tier and sit back and watch for the new announcements to start rolling out. ‘Cuz this campaign is just fixin’ to get good.  

Well, that’s my story, exciting and expectant, and I’m stickin’ to it. Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna run this pony for all he’s worth—let’s Rock this Rodeo!

Yeah, Baby!

Love ya,  

Check it out here...

COWBOY CRUSH KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

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NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Woo Hoo! New BMG Release...Get Yours TODAY!

Hey gang, hope everyone is doing well.  Hugs to you all.  I've gotta run because I'm working like a crazy woman on my next story, but I wanted to stop by real quick and let you know that the Butterscotch Martini Girls have a new release out.  Yay!!!

This is a collection of four stories from USA Today, NY Times, and Amazon best selling authors.  So hurry over and check it out.  The cowboys inside are as H-O-T as the one on the cover.  

👍

So head on over and check it out now.  These are some fabulous authors, and you won't want to miss out.  Just to make it even better...the book is just...

99c for a limited time only.

LEARN MORE...

That's my story, fun and fantabulous, and I'm stickin' to it.  Hang on tight now, 'cuz we're gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya,

Kayce

Witches, Gargoyles, Shifters...Oh, My!

Woo Hoo!!!  I am celebrating my butt off at this end because I have a new story coming out in Volume 2 of the Butterscotch Martini Shots series.  This box set is titled, BodyGuard, and contains four stories from four of the BMGs.  Can you say “Yeah?!”

The anchor story in this box set is a previously published, and wildly popular, story from the amazing Jennifer Ashley—titled BodyGuard.  I know…awesome how that worked out, right?  LOL

So here’s the new cover…

 …created by yours truly.  Uh-huh!  Hope you love it as much as I do.

The four authors in this set are Jennifer Ashley, Calista Fox, Tia Dani, and me, and I am ecstatic to be running in such incredible company—what talent!

The story officially releases on September 20^th, but it is...

Click here NOW to pre-order!  

The pre-order link is finally live, so go order your copy now—and it will ship on September 20^th.  And while you are there, you will want to order a copy of Volume 1 – Roses and Rodeo, if you haven’t already got a copy.


Oh, and I almost forgot...You are invited to our Book Release Party on Saturday.  You can search Facebook for Butterscotch Martini Girls LET'S PARTY Spectacular!  Or you can try this link...who knows, it might work.  LOL  And if all else fails, send me a note and I'll send you an invitation.  Have I mentioned it's been a very strange day full of strange glitches?  

Below are some quick story blurbs on the four stories included in this set, followed by an excerpt from my story, Witch’s Pass.  For those of you who have read my Delta Jane Series, you will find this series to be very similar, in that it is light and humorous.  But this time we have fun witches instead of a fun fairy godmother.  Witch’s Pass is a novella-length story that introduces some of the quirky characters you will learn more about in the full-length novels scheduled to begin coming out in 2017.

Enjoy…and don’t forget to order your copy today.  That’s my story, fun and funky, and I’m stickin’ to it.  Hang on tight now, ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

 

Love ya,

Kayce

Jennifer Ashley

BodyGuard (Shifters Unbound Series)

Elizabeth Chapman is saved from an armed robber by a giant Kodiak bear who shifts

into a large, well-muscled, and fully naked human male. Ronan, the Bear Shifter, takes

her to Shiftertown for safety, where Elizabeth learns that the mateless Ronan, alone in

the world, takes care of Shifters who have also been left on their own. Now, Ronan will

only let Elizabeth leave the confines of Shiftertown if he becomes her 24/7 bodyguard.

Calista Fox

Rise of the Damned (Forever Mine Series)

For centuries, Kage Deville has sworn to protect the mortal soul of Taelyn Abrams—even

though it means watching her die. He’s a demon fighting to keep two worlds from clashing

and she’s a human slayer summoned to life when the threat to the mortals becomes too

great. But something has gone wrong with the resurrection and unless Taelyn's memory

of her true mission returns, a world will be doomed and she will be forever lost to Kage…

Kayce Lassiter

Witch‘s Pass (SpellMaker Series)

Witch princess, Quayk SpellMaker, is in a battle of wills with her father over an

“arranged” marriage to a man she hates. Does she settle for a loveless marriage? Or

risk being without a mate and alone forever?  Gargoyle shifter, Alex McCall, is assigned

to guard Quayk and make sure she marries. But the more time he spends ensuring

Quayk marries another, the more he is drawn to the beautiful, quirky witch.

Tia Dani

Next To Die

Amanda Jackson relocates to Arizona with her new husband. Despite warnings

from a girlfriend, she can’t believe an obsessed psychopath is after her. Until she

sees her name and the words…next to die. To appease his sister, bodyguard Rick

DeLuca reluctantly agrees to keep an eye on Amanda. The dangerous mess he

uncovers reveals an ugly truth. Her perfect husband isn’t who he pretends to be.

Excerpt…Witch’s Pass By Kayce Lassiter

As a princess from a very powerful family, it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that a coven of witches had kidnapped her and had stirred up an electrical storm to impede the search and cover their trail.

While Alex didn’t think that was the case, it would be impossible for a single witch to bring down an electrical storm, so the timing of a magical storm forced him to consider the possibility this wasn’t what it appeared.

He was determined to follow the trail as long as he could, and keep an eye out for a place to wait out the storm, just in case.

In less than five minutes, the storm raged so badly he could no longer ignore it.  Trees were whipped around by the high winds, and the thunder was so loud he could sense the rumble under his feet.

Alex began to look around in earnest for a place to ride it out.  He considered shifting back, but decided with all the debris being tossed around, it was safer in his “rubber skin”, as the team called it.

While Alex’s skin never hardened to the marble finish other gargoyles experienced, his pliable skin was still tough and couldn’t be cut, punctured, shot, or penetrated by any weapon he’d ever encountered.  So he was still better protected as a gargoyle than as a human.  And the advantage he had over other gargoyles is that in a pliable form, he could still move, while they were rooted to one spot.

As he searched for a cave, or a rock outcropping where he could lay low and avoid lightning strikes, he caught movement from the corner of his eye and whipped his head back to see what it was.

At first, he thought there was nothing there.  But after a few seconds, he noticed a slight movement in his peripheral vision.  When he turned his head to look at the area straight on, it was almost like the air had a translucent finish as it shimmered in the wind.  As he stared, trying to figure out what to do about it, there was a blinding flash of light that forced him to look away momentarily.

When he looked back, the spot was gone.  Instead, there was a woman on the ground who sputtered as she cursed like a sailor, arms and legs flailing as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Alex was still in his shifted form, and blended into the background, so she hadn’t noticed him.

“Son-of-a-bitch!  You stupid stink weed.”  The woman flailed her arms and legs like a turtle stuck on its back as she fought to stand with a massively heavy pack on her back.

He shifted back to his human form so he had all of his senses, and smiled as he recognized the stunning young woman.

Quayk SpellMaker.

She still hadn’t noticed him, as she continued to issue threats and curse at whatever had pissed her off.

“I will get even with you, so help me, I swear I will.  I’ll set you on fire and I’ll take the hedge trimmers to you, and I’ll…I’ll set you on fire again.”

She finally managed to get her pack off her shoulders and bolted to her feet.  Her cowgirl hat flew off her head and she caught it neatly with one hand as she pulled twigs and leaves from her tangled black hair with the other, still cursing and stomping her feet.

When she finally looked up and saw Alex, she froze.

He smiled.  “Miss SpellMaker, I presume.”

“Who the hell are you?”  She reached for her pack, clearly reluctant to leave it behind.

Alex took a slow step closer, approaching her like he would a scared colt.

Her gaze was wild and she was poised to run, but she wasn’t scared.  She was determined not to be caught.  He could read it in her eyes.

She was the most magnificent woman he’d ever seen.  Her huge ice-blue eyes flashed fire and her thick black hair was wild around her face as she stood in shorts and pink cowgirl boots, with long tanned legs, and her hat in hand.

It was like a punch to the gut, and he swallowed hard to ease the lump in his throat.

This woman is my target.  Her father is my client, not to mention she’s a princess and he’s the freaking King of SpellMaker.

Quayk shifted slightly to get a better hold on her pack.

“Now, Miss SpellMaker, I am not here to hurt you.  But I won’t let you run.  Your family hired me to find you, and I intend to take you home.  So please—don’t try to run.  You’ll jus—.”

She bolted, abandoning the pack in favor of freedom.

“Shit!”  Alex took off after her, shocked at how fast the woman could move.  As she slipped through the forest easily, he was forced to crash through like a bull in a china shop.

As they ran, the storm picked up strength.  The trees were bent almost to the ground and limbs crashed down around them as Quayk continued to put more and more distance between them.

Alex tried to call to her, to warn her this was a magical storm, and extremely dangerous.  He doubted she could hear him.

Suddenly and ear-splitting crack sounded and he watched as a tree began to fall toward Quayk as she bolted through the forest, unaware.

He screamed, “Quayk, look out!”

She must have heard him because she looked back over her shoulder.  Her eyes grew round and she tried to outrun the tree, but he watched as the canopy of the huge pine engulfed her slender body.

Alex hurried toward where he’d last seen her.  He half crawled and half ran, as he scrambled over and through branches to reach her.

Finally, he saw a flash of pink beneath the tree, and he made his way over to the woman as she lay face-down beneath a branch.

When he finally managed to reach Quayk, the first thing he did was check for a pulse.  Strong.  He looked around and didn’t see any blood.

Maybe she just got knocked out.

He pulled a knife from his belt and began to cut branches to free the girl, as lightning flashed close enough to make the hair on his body stand out.

“Shit.”  He talked as he worked to free her.  “Quayk, come on, you have to wake up.  We have to get you out of here.  This storm is dangerous.  Come on, girl, talk to me.  Wake up.”

She groaned.

With the last branch pulled away, he was still afraid to move her, unsure what he would find when he turned her over.

He leaned close.  “Quayk, can you hear me?  Are you hurt?  Can you move?”

“No,” she mumbled with her face still pushed into the ground.

“No what?”  He asked.  “No, you’re not hurt, or no, you can’t move?”

He heard her drag in a ragged breath.  “No, I don’t want to move.  Go away.”

“All right, that’s enough.”  Anger and relief warred inside him—anger at how close she’d come to being killed, and relief that she hadn’t.  He took her snarky response as an indication she was okay.

Standing, he reached down and grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up until she could get her feet under her.

She grunted, but didn’t scream out in pain.  So as soon as she was able to stand, he bent over and swooped her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

She screamed, but he sensed no pain in the scream, so he started off in search of a place to hide from the storm as she began to kick and buck on his shoulder.

“Put me down, you Neanderthal.  I am not going home.  I’m fine.”

He reached up with his free hand and paddled her on the butt.  “Hold still or I’ll tie you up with a vine and leave you out here to drown in this storm.”

She stopped fighting.  “You’re crazy.  It’s not even raining.”

“It will be.  This storm isn’t natural.  It’s magical, and seems set on killing both of us.”

With that, another bolt of lightning struck the ground at the far side of the clearing.  Quayk screamed loud enough to blow out an eardrum, and Alex crashed through the bushes in the opposite direction as he tried to hold onto the bucking woman on his shoulder.

“Hold still!”  She was getting heavier, and harder to hold onto.

“Cave,” she shrieked.

He froze.  “What?”

She pointed off to the right and screamed again, “Cave.”

He looked in the direction she pointed as a branch crashed down behind him.  “There’s a cave over there?”

“Yes, you idiot.  Get moving or put me down before you kill both of us.”  She bucked again, but he held tight.

Energized from Arizona

A week ago I was in Arizona. Actually, I spent 10 days there and they were jam packed. What energized me the most was all the conversations about writing!

It started off with the Desert Dreams Conference in Tempe. This is a wonderful conference because the Desert Rose RWA chapter (I’m a member) is so warm. They provide a hospitality suite where anyone, author, aspiring author, agent, editor, publisher, husband (yes, we had all of these characters there) can hang out, have a snack and a drink, and chat in a relaxed area. Isn’t that unique?  I always have so much fun in that room ;-) My covers were part of the presentation on the big screen in the ballroom which was so cool. Of course, there were also wonderful workshops at the conference and even fun baskets to be won. Happily Ever After Thoughts authors donated one too.

 

Then there were the lengthy conversations with some of the romance writers that I look up to. Both Jennifer Ashley and Caris Roane were so forthcoming with insights and advice. I can’t thank them enough for spending their valuable time one-on-one with me. These ladies rock!

Next was my presentation to the Valley of the Sun RWA Chapter (I’m a member). It was great to be back in the warm fold of their smiles. This group has been my mainstay while isolated on my island and a number have visited me. They enjoyed my talk on “Refining Your Writing Process” and it felt so good to give back a little after all the support they have given me. Then later in the week a contingent of VOS friends (Cathy McDavid, Arabella Thorne, Tia Dani, H.D. Thomson) met me and my husband for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. We had a wonderful time talking about life, love, and writing.  

 

Lastly, squeezed in at the 11^th hour, was a business meeting with my wonderful critique partner Marie Patrick and my designer/formatter Carol of Bella Media Management. Hard work was started and plans made for future projects. After all these discussions, I am more revved up to work on my two current projects that ever!  So I guess I better get going. I’m so thrilled to have visited Arizona. I may just have to go back next year ;-)

Always, Lexi

Another HAPPY BIRTHDAY for me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Okay, so my birthday was a couple days ago, but I’m thinking I can make it last a week if I really try :-) Tonight I’m going out with friends to celebrate so I think today should count.

My week didn’t exactly start out on a happy note as I was in a car accident. Luckily, no broken bones and no long term injuries, so I guess that is a gift :-)

I love celebrating birthdays, mine or someone else’s. It means that we have lived another year. It gives us a chance to look back on the last year and think about what we have accomplished as well as think about our goals for next year.

This year for me has been a whirlwind because this is the year I went from an unpublished author to having two books out with Ellora’s Cave, one of which will be in print before 2013 ends (MASQUE), and a third book under contract and due out early next year. This allowed me to work with my very smart and thorough editor. I also had a great meeting with my awesome agent this year. Other highlights included spending time with my role model Jennifer Ashley/Allyson James at a conference in August along with two of my blogging buddies Marie Patrick and Kayce Lassiter. I also met new author friends and had fun with others from my Valley of the Sun writers group. Then in October I made a bunch of new friends at the Ellora’s Cave Romanticon. Wow, what a blast and what amazing people! I met tons of new authors like Karla, Andrea, Tina, Frances, Susana, and Cristal to name a few.

So how do I top this past year with this new year coming up in my life? Hmmm, well I do plan to go to Desert Dreams where I will see all my old writing friends from Arizona. I always love doing that. Then in May I will attend my first Romantic Times Convention. But first, and the best part of the year, I have convinced fellow romance writers to come visit me! Can’t wait to host Marie, Tina, Bev and Cathy in January, February and March. 

Of course, I have lots of writing projects on my to-do list including an erotic romance novella that will start a series as well as a full length erotic romance that will start a different series.

This is why I love birthdays so much. They are like personal New Year’s, full of possibilities and excitement. When is your birthday? Are you excited?

Always, Lexi