Kindle & DigiBooksCafe

Today something exciting is going on at one of The Wild Rose Press's ebook distributors! By buying any title(s) from Digi Books Cafe, you'll be entered in the Summer Hunt for a Kindle. That's right - every purchase at Digi Books enters you for a chance to win a Kindle! There's tons of great titles up for grabs at Digi Books, including Bluest Heart ($3.75) and Bet it on my Heart ($4.00) - as well as some of my personal favorite TWRP authors like Wendi Darlin, Stacey Joy Netzel, and any Wayback, TX series installment.

And speaking of The Wild Rose Press, the web store is up and running again online and, thankfully, none of the buy links have changed. The BOOKS page on my website has now been updated to include Kindle buy links for Blackest Heart and Bluest Heart, which were the only ebooks on my backlist not available in this format until now! Blackest Heart, the first book in the Ridges of Wayback, TX trilogy and 1st Place More Than Magic Novella, is available now from Kindle for just $3.00 while the second and bestselling book in the trilogy, Bluest Heart, is $3.75! Not bad, huh? I'm so glad Kindle readers get to enjoy the trilogy in its entirety. (See the third and final book in the trilogy, Bet it on my Heart, in Kindle here!)

On another happy note, the first two books in the Ridges of Wayback, TX trilogy are now available in audio through Amazon, too! If you prefer audio books to ebooks or paperbacks, buy Blackest Heart and Bluest Heart in audible for just $4.89 at Amazon (both are regularly $7.99). Readers who really love audio books can get one of these titles free at Amazon with an Audible.com 30-day free trial membership....

For a peek into Blackest Heart, the book has been featured by author Jennifer Jakes at Warm Days, Cool Nights and Hot Guys....

Writing in the Dark...

I once heard that all comedy comes from a dark place. Is it the same with writing? Sure, some people write for the love of it. Some write because they have that compulsion. They can’t live without the creative release valve. Much of what is on the market now is dark paranormal romance and romantic suspense. What compels writers to write such dark material? And what makes readers come back for more? Is it simple escapism or something deeper?

I didn’t ponder this question overmuch until I began writing my second historical romance last spring. In March 2010, my life was going through some changes and it seemed that none of them were good. My family was in turmoil, I was unhealthier than I had ever been in my life, and it seemed like my mental stability was hanging by a thread. On top of it all, I lost my daytime job and my trusty computer kicked the bucket and nearly took a year’s worth of writing files with it. While a computer specialist was recovering all that work off the old hard drive, my parents leant me an old desktop that I could work on in the meantime. Despite the fact that I was in the midst of another manuscript when my computer crashed, I started fresh with a new document and unloaded the only way I knew how.

The Regency historical was unplanned, as were its angst-ridden characters who I grew to care for more strongly than any other character I’d created before. The heroine in particular, with her devastating bouts of anxiety, I felt akin to. The story itself, though not paranormal or suspenseful, explored a dark place I hadn’t known was there to delve. Until that point, I thought I wrote for simple escapism. This Regency proved that sometimes writing comes from a place much more personal than that. It almost seemed like the manuscript was validation; a way for me to put the darkness inside me into perspective and to use it in a constructive way.

This manuscript is only half completed, but I still feel the importance of giving the story, the characters and even that part of my life closure despite the fact that my reality has improved much in fifteen months. Whether it ever hits the shelves or not, it will always serve as somewhat of a talisman. In fact, I’m as proud of it as I am of my first manuscript, Forever Amore!

Readers, it’s your turn to sound off. How much of what you read is dark material and why are you drawn to it? (Plus, fans of dark paranormal romance or dark romantic suspense, feel free to shout out your favorite titles!)

June Newsletter

This month's newsletter has officially been sent out! If you did not receive this email, you can access it for a limited time only here or join my exclusive reader newsletter by clicking the pink button on the right sidebar. The June newsletter includes a free audio book via Facebook, a special Kindle announcement as well as a character interview with one of my favorite cowboys!

Carnal Innocence...

Something pretty awesome is coming to Lifetime television. I'm thrilled that the network has added Nora Roberts' Carnal Innocence to their movie queue. When I was a fourteen-year-old girl living in a new town, I desperately needed something to keep my mind off the summer heat. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, handed me salvation: Nora Roberts' Carnal Innocence. Not only was it my first Nora; it was my first romance novel. Needless to say, it was pretty life-altering. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Lifetime adapted the romantic suspense to the screen. Carnal Innocence airs this coming Monday, June 13, on Lifetime! Who else will be watching? If there was one romance you'd love to see adapted to the big screen, what would it be?

Visit the official Carnal Innocence site to watch the movie trailer, meet Nora and hero Colin Egglesfield!

More News...

Another update for readers, this one more detailed…. Now that I’m back from vacation! First of all, let me say that as much as I love the family lakehouse, it’s good to be home and back to relative normalcy.

These next two weeks, I’ll be guest blogging. On Friday, June 10th, I’ll be at Icy Snow Blackstone’s blog discussing how legends influence writing. Next Wednesday, June 15th, I’m bringing western romance to Jennifer Jakes’ blog. Stay tuned – I’ll be posting links here as they come.

Thank you to new subscribers to my newsletter! You’ve made my week already!

If you haven’t been to visit The Wild Rose Press’s website, there are some changes being made. Until updates are fully available tomorrow or Wednesday, the site is accessible through http://www.wildrosepress.us. Also – buy links for my TWRP books may be changing. If links from my website to TWRP aren’t working, I’ll be updating those as soon as possible. And if you notice something on my website that isn’t working, feel free to email me at my contact addy: amber@amberleighwilliams.com .

Some good news from The Wild Rose Press – all my TWRP titles will also soon be available in Kindle. As it stands, only two of the four ebooks are currently available for Kindle readers through Amazon.com. Soon Blackest Heart and Bluest Heart should appear on my Amazon Author Central page for Kindle! As soon as they are available, I’ll be sure to make the announcement here!

In this month’s newsletter, subscribers will find out how to send Facebook friends a free audio book gift through my audible publisher AudioLark! If you aren’t a member of my exclusive mailing list, click the pink button on the right sidebar to subscribe. It only takes a few seconds.

Thank you to author Debra Kahn for including my Sweethearts of the West post, “Setting the Scene: The Black Hills” in this weekend’s Debra Kahn Daily.

New Sweethearts Post...

Today I posted my monthly article at the group blog, Sweethearts of the West! Learn all about my idea of the perfect setting for a western romance...the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, inlcuding its mystic history involving the Lakota Indians and why people are drawn to the mountain range from far and wide.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be doing more guest spots around the web so check back to see my itinerary!