Nefarious Volume One:
A Dark and Erotic Tale
by Lucille Moncrief
Genre: Erotic Horror
Set in a steampunk Savannah, Georgia, Nefarious weaves a tale of intrigue, hidden desires, and devious intentions.
Talcott Henderson wants to live again.
A centuries-old vampire, he longs to destroy his maker and become human once more. In order to do so, he must turn another. While he sets his sights on Elyse Delafayette, a human with a tragic past, Samuel Quartermaine, a vampire hunter with a dark secret, sets his on Talcott. Will Talcott succeed in convincing Elyse to join the ranks of the undead before Samuel can stop him?“
Curiosity bested me, and I brushed away the hair that had fallen across Ms. Delafayette’s neck. Two more teeth marks over the carotid, but these were faded. Coldiron would be very interested indeed.
My eyes lingered a bit too long on her face. She had delicate, elven-like features framed by dark curls. Her lips were like a red seal over an unblemished envelope. What secrets did they hold? What secrets would they tell?”
Get it FREE on Instafreebie!
https://www.instafreebie.com/free/gSFeY
Add to Goodreads
Talcott Henderson wants to live again.
A centuries-old vampire, he longs to destroy his maker and become human once more. In order to do so, he must turn another. While he sets his sights on Elyse Delafayette, a human with a tragic past, Samuel Quartermaine, a vampire hunter with a dark secret, sets his on Talcott. Will Talcott succeed in convincing Elyse to join the ranks of the undead before Samuel can stop him?“
Curiosity bested me, and I brushed away the hair that had fallen across Ms. Delafayette’s neck. Two more teeth marks over the carotid, but these were faded. Coldiron would be very interested indeed.
My eyes lingered a bit too long on her face. She had delicate, elven-like features framed by dark curls. Her lips were like a red seal over an unblemished envelope. What secrets did they hold? What secrets would they tell?”
Get it FREE on Instafreebie!
https://www.instafreebie.com/free/gSFeY
Add to Goodreads
Nefarious Volume Two:
Honor the Suffering
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror
Is eternal guilt the price of human empathy?
While the bombs rain overhead, Talcott Henderson and a group of fellow soldiers huddle in the cratered ground beneath the German front lines. Through the never-ending din of enemy fire, the voracious, blood-soaked machine of war haunts Talcott. Memories claw at him; kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. In the bowels of the earth a specter appears, and offers him an eternal life free of guilt.
But what is the cost of an unmarred soul?
*Includes custom illustrations
*Cover art by Jessica Dueck
Goodreads * Amazon
While the bombs rain overhead, Talcott Henderson and a group of fellow soldiers huddle in the cratered ground beneath the German front lines. Through the never-ending din of enemy fire, the voracious, blood-soaked machine of war haunts Talcott. Memories claw at him; kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. In the bowels of the earth a specter appears, and offers him an eternal life free of guilt.
But what is the cost of an unmarred soul?
*Includes custom illustrations
*Cover art by Jessica Dueck
Goodreads * Amazon
Nefarious Volume 3:
The World Is Our Exile
Can evil consume innocence?
Can the one who walks the line between both save it?
Elyse Delafayette, innocent yet darkly cynical, continues a naive flirtation with evil incarnate. Although goodness pursues her, she rebukes him. Although he seems sincere, she fears he is not.
Samuel Quartermaine, embodying darkness and light, races against time to save her from the clutches of the undead. Will she let him love her?
The third installment of the Nefarious series, The World is Our Exile is a paranormal erotic romance novella set in a steampunk Savannah, Georgia. If you love sarcastic heroines, brooding, secretive heroes, and exploring the stark contrast between good and evil, you will love this story. Get your copy now to experience a thrilling, erotic ride into vivid new world.
COMING SOON on August 21st!
Can the one who walks the line between both save it?
Elyse Delafayette, innocent yet darkly cynical, continues a naive flirtation with evil incarnate. Although goodness pursues her, she rebukes him. Although he seems sincere, she fears he is not.
Samuel Quartermaine, embodying darkness and light, races against time to save her from the clutches of the undead. Will she let him love her?
The third installment of the Nefarious series, The World is Our Exile is a paranormal erotic romance novella set in a steampunk Savannah, Georgia. If you love sarcastic heroines, brooding, secretive heroes, and exploring the stark contrast between good and evil, you will love this story. Get your copy now to experience a thrilling, erotic ride into vivid new world.
COMING SOON on August 21st!
Lucille Moncrief is a horror and historical fiction author. A stodgy old librarian in a past life, she loves poring over history books and binge watching PBS's "Secrets Of" series.
Her literary inspiration comes from the works of Poe, Lovecraft, Fitzgerald, and her favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut.
When she is not yelling at the kids to get off her lawn, you can find her staring out her window pretending to be pensive.
Website * Facebook * Facebook Group * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads
Her literary inspiration comes from the works of Poe, Lovecraft, Fitzgerald, and her favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut.
When she is not yelling at the kids to get off her lawn, you can find her staring out her window pretending to be pensive.
Website * Facebook * Facebook Group * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads
Parent? Hopeful, Newbie Writer? How to Find Time for Your Passion
Finding the time to do anything, like pee by yourself, can seem impossible as a parent, especially as a parent of small children. So, how do you do it? How do you sit down to actually write, let alone write something coherent? Or, *gasp* good?
I’ve been writing for fifteen years, but never made any serious attempts to publish until about six months ago. My child is preschool age, and I’m also a caretaker for a family member with Alzheimer’s, and another one with a cocktail of health problems. Neither of these three dependents can drive, either.
How do I do it? Well, after plucking the newest strands of grey hairs on my head in the A.M., I have a strong drink.
Of coffee, duh.
But really, this may seem counter intuitive, you may scoff at the suggestion, you may think I’m full of it, you may think it impossible, but the key is GET ENOUGH SLEEP.
I mean it. You can’t plan a story well, you can’t create compelling characters, and sure as sh*t can’t write anything remotely coherent if you are a zombie. It’s also so hard to get motivated when you are exhausted. Plus, it is just bad for your health to run on empty all the time. Please take care of yourself.
I know some of you have the misfortune of having a colicky baby. I am so sorry. My son didn’t sleep for a year after he was born. It was tough. When I get all nostalgic and broody and compelled to have another, I think back to that first year and get PTSD flashbacks and check the bank account. Hm, can I afford a tubal ligation. . .?
But, that first year of his life was when I got back into writing. That first year was when I started on the first volume of the Nefarious series. It gave me back my identity.
Sometimes as a parent, especially when the kids are little, you don’t feel like a person. Even though I was a mess and had no idea what I was doing as a new mom, finding my passion again gave me a little confidence back and kept me sane during that first year. Finally, I knew what I was doing.
Anyway.
How do I get enough sleep?
I hardly ever watch T.V. Maybe 20 minutes here and there, and usually just to fall asleep to. If I do want to watch a movie, it usually takes me three to four days to finish a standard 1.5 hour-long video because I will watch it in small chunks.
It helps that I’m an introvert, but I don’t go out much. I don’t need to, I don’t really want to. Relationships are important, yes, but I only make time for the ones that are really meaningful and ADD to my life.
I make people come to me, I don’t usually go to them. This saves me ton of time because I’m not out driving, dealing with traffic, etc. Your friends who add to your life and love and support you will come to you.
Speaking of friends and relationships, don’t waste your time on people who don’t add to your life, who don’t support you, who just take and take and bring you down. This is toxic for the creative spirit. It will stifle you. Be careful who you let into your life. The health of your relationships is truly the yardstick for your overall happiness and life satisfaction.
Trust me, you don’t need a ton of friends, you just need good ones.
The only time I use social media is for writing and publishing related things. I use it to forge meaningful relationships with other authors, market my new releases, and find promotions and newsletter swaps to participate in. I don’t use it to piddle away precious time fighting about politics. That’s just silly and doesn’t help anyone. Don’t get sucked into social media drama. Just go vote. That’s the only thing that effects change anyway.
Cat videos are awesome, but limit them to one a day.
I ask for help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And you know what, don’t be afraid to demand it in some cases, either. You are a parent, not the be all end all of your child’s life. It’s okay to have someone else take them out for a little bit. It’s all right to let them have some screen time here and there in order for you to get your stuff done. Don’t listen to all the naysayers who claim, with no real authority whatsoever, that your kid will end up an unemployed serial killer if you aren’t June Cleaver. Your life has meaning too, you know.
Like I mentioned earlier, I started writing the Nefarious series when my child was just a baby. I started out small. A paragraph here, a rough, bullet-point outline there.
I give you permission to take small steps. I also give you permission to scrap the idea of novels and concentrate on shorter works—flash fiction, novelettes, short stories. My brain was far too fried as the mother of a newborn to really do longer works, so I started out with flash fiction, and have now worked my way up to novellas. There is a market for short stories, especially ones in serial form.
This whole writing thing is like putting a drop of water in an empty bucket. Each word is the drop. Eventually, the bucket will overflow. It’s just time compounded.
Keep at it. If you don’t, you will regret it. You will seriously regret not doing what you wanted to do with your life. Time stops for no one. It doesn’t care if you are a parent, it just doesn’t care. You have to seize time by the balls.
Cut out some of the stuff you feel obligated and pressured to do that only makes you miserable and stressed.
It’s okay to say no.
I repeat, it’s okay to say no.
And honestly, most people have their heads so far up their own bums they won’t really notice you’re not taking on all that extra, thankless work. Live your life aligned with your values, not someone else’s.
I’ll give you an example.
When my former husband and I got engaged and were planning our wedding, we wanted something small and ‘traditional.’ Maybe two dozen people. Nothing fancy, nothing big and bombastic. Well, once everyone heard the news, they all felt the need to put in their .02 cents about how we should have our wedding. They wanted to invite people from across the country that neither of us had seen for years, distant cousins and the like. Oh, and they had a lot to say about the menu, and the music, ad nauseum.
So, we just went to the courthouse and tied the knot in front of the magistrate and didn’t tell anyone. Like hell we wanted or needed all that extra stress of planning some big to-do that other people insisted on and we didn’t really want.
And you know what? No one really cared once they found out we’d eloped. But all the unnecessary whinging and unsolicited suggestions given when we were planning our wedding was just ridiculous and I wasn’t going to deal with it. Like I said, I’m an introvert. The idea of some party with all eyes on me that I had to plan and pay for was my idea of a special kind of personal hell.
So, I give you permission to say no in order to advance your dream of becoming a writer.
Use a crockpot.
It saves you a lot of time prepping, cooking, and cleaning up after meal time. Thank me later.
So, to recap:
Get enough sleep.
Start now, start small.
Quite all the thankless, unnecessary work.
Be selective of your inner circle.
Use a crockpot.
Good luck, and happy writing!
Finding the time to do anything, like pee by yourself, can seem impossible as a parent, especially as a parent of small children. So, how do you do it? How do you sit down to actually write, let alone write something coherent? Or, *gasp* good?
I’ve been writing for fifteen years, but never made any serious attempts to publish until about six months ago. My child is preschool age, and I’m also a caretaker for a family member with Alzheimer’s, and another one with a cocktail of health problems. Neither of these three dependents can drive, either.
How do I do it? Well, after plucking the newest strands of grey hairs on my head in the A.M., I have a strong drink.
Of coffee, duh.
But really, this may seem counter intuitive, you may scoff at the suggestion, you may think I’m full of it, you may think it impossible, but the key is GET ENOUGH SLEEP.
I mean it. You can’t plan a story well, you can’t create compelling characters, and sure as sh*t can’t write anything remotely coherent if you are a zombie. It’s also so hard to get motivated when you are exhausted. Plus, it is just bad for your health to run on empty all the time. Please take care of yourself.
I know some of you have the misfortune of having a colicky baby. I am so sorry. My son didn’t sleep for a year after he was born. It was tough. When I get all nostalgic and broody and compelled to have another, I think back to that first year and get PTSD flashbacks and check the bank account. Hm, can I afford a tubal ligation. . .?
But, that first year of his life was when I got back into writing. That first year was when I started on the first volume of the Nefarious series. It gave me back my identity.
Sometimes as a parent, especially when the kids are little, you don’t feel like a person. Even though I was a mess and had no idea what I was doing as a new mom, finding my passion again gave me a little confidence back and kept me sane during that first year. Finally, I knew what I was doing.
Anyway.
How do I get enough sleep?
I hardly ever watch T.V. Maybe 20 minutes here and there, and usually just to fall asleep to. If I do want to watch a movie, it usually takes me three to four days to finish a standard 1.5 hour-long video because I will watch it in small chunks.
It helps that I’m an introvert, but I don’t go out much. I don’t need to, I don’t really want to. Relationships are important, yes, but I only make time for the ones that are really meaningful and ADD to my life.
I make people come to me, I don’t usually go to them. This saves me ton of time because I’m not out driving, dealing with traffic, etc. Your friends who add to your life and love and support you will come to you.
Speaking of friends and relationships, don’t waste your time on people who don’t add to your life, who don’t support you, who just take and take and bring you down. This is toxic for the creative spirit. It will stifle you. Be careful who you let into your life. The health of your relationships is truly the yardstick for your overall happiness and life satisfaction.
Trust me, you don’t need a ton of friends, you just need good ones.
The only time I use social media is for writing and publishing related things. I use it to forge meaningful relationships with other authors, market my new releases, and find promotions and newsletter swaps to participate in. I don’t use it to piddle away precious time fighting about politics. That’s just silly and doesn’t help anyone. Don’t get sucked into social media drama. Just go vote. That’s the only thing that effects change anyway.
Cat videos are awesome, but limit them to one a day.
I ask for help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And you know what, don’t be afraid to demand it in some cases, either. You are a parent, not the be all end all of your child’s life. It’s okay to have someone else take them out for a little bit. It’s all right to let them have some screen time here and there in order for you to get your stuff done. Don’t listen to all the naysayers who claim, with no real authority whatsoever, that your kid will end up an unemployed serial killer if you aren’t June Cleaver. Your life has meaning too, you know.
Like I mentioned earlier, I started writing the Nefarious series when my child was just a baby. I started out small. A paragraph here, a rough, bullet-point outline there.
I give you permission to take small steps. I also give you permission to scrap the idea of novels and concentrate on shorter works—flash fiction, novelettes, short stories. My brain was far too fried as the mother of a newborn to really do longer works, so I started out with flash fiction, and have now worked my way up to novellas. There is a market for short stories, especially ones in serial form.
This whole writing thing is like putting a drop of water in an empty bucket. Each word is the drop. Eventually, the bucket will overflow. It’s just time compounded.
Keep at it. If you don’t, you will regret it. You will seriously regret not doing what you wanted to do with your life. Time stops for no one. It doesn’t care if you are a parent, it just doesn’t care. You have to seize time by the balls.
Cut out some of the stuff you feel obligated and pressured to do that only makes you miserable and stressed.
It’s okay to say no.
I repeat, it’s okay to say no.
And honestly, most people have their heads so far up their own bums they won’t really notice you’re not taking on all that extra, thankless work. Live your life aligned with your values, not someone else’s.
I’ll give you an example.
When my former husband and I got engaged and were planning our wedding, we wanted something small and ‘traditional.’ Maybe two dozen people. Nothing fancy, nothing big and bombastic. Well, once everyone heard the news, they all felt the need to put in their .02 cents about how we should have our wedding. They wanted to invite people from across the country that neither of us had seen for years, distant cousins and the like. Oh, and they had a lot to say about the menu, and the music, ad nauseum.
So, we just went to the courthouse and tied the knot in front of the magistrate and didn’t tell anyone. Like hell we wanted or needed all that extra stress of planning some big to-do that other people insisted on and we didn’t really want.
And you know what? No one really cared once they found out we’d eloped. But all the unnecessary whinging and unsolicited suggestions given when we were planning our wedding was just ridiculous and I wasn’t going to deal with it. Like I said, I’m an introvert. The idea of some party with all eyes on me that I had to plan and pay for was my idea of a special kind of personal hell.
So, I give you permission to say no in order to advance your dream of becoming a writer.
Use a crockpot.
It saves you a lot of time prepping, cooking, and cleaning up after meal time. Thank me later.
So, to recap:
Get enough sleep.
Start now, start small.
Quite all the thankless, unnecessary work.
Be selective of your inner circle.
Use a crockpot.
Good luck, and happy writing!
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive guest posts and a giveaway!
July 28
kickoff at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
Mythical Books – GUEST POST
July 29
Jazzy Book Reviews
July 30
For Love of Books4
July 31
Books Dreams Life
Bound 2 Escape
Aug 1
The Reading Diaries
Book Bangers Blog
Aug 2
Tales of A Wanna-Be SuperHero Mom
Spunky N Sassy
Aug 3
Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews
Wonderful World of Books
Aug 4
Rabid Readers Book Blog – REVIEW
The Reading Addict
Aug 5
CelticLady's Reviews
Aug 6
Mello & June
Aug 7
The Book Town
Indie Wish List
Aug 8
Must Read Faster
Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
Aug 9
Blog of Author jacey Holbrand
Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
Aug 10
Traci Hayden
AC Squared Book Blog
Aug 11
A Mama's Corner of the World
Sapphyria's Book Reviews
Aug 14
Pick a Genre Already
My Book and Music Obsession
Aug 15
The Authors Blog
Always Love Me Some Books Blog
Aug 16
The Avid Reader
Lisa-Queen of Random
Aug 17
Sylv.net
Romance Novel Giveaways
Aug 18
The Bookworm Chronicles
Circle of Stalkers
Aug 20
U.S. - Brazil Book Review
Aug 21
Casey's Corner
Turning Another Page
Aug 22
Ourbookstars
Port Jericho
Aug 23
Yah gotta read this
Queen of All She Reads
Aug 24
The Blackwood Blog
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
Aug 25
Shh, I Am Reading
Aug 28
6 Feet Under Books
SnoopyDoo's Book Reviews
July 28
kickoff at The Silver Dagger Scriptorium
Mythical Books – GUEST POST
July 29
Jazzy Book Reviews
July 30
For Love of Books4
July 31
Books Dreams Life
Bound 2 Escape
Aug 1
The Reading Diaries
Book Bangers Blog
Aug 2
Tales of A Wanna-Be SuperHero Mom
Spunky N Sassy
Aug 3
Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews
Wonderful World of Books
Aug 4
Rabid Readers Book Blog – REVIEW
The Reading Addict
Aug 5
CelticLady's Reviews
Aug 6
Mello & June
Aug 7
The Book Town
Indie Wish List
Aug 8
Must Read Faster
Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
Aug 9
Blog of Author jacey Holbrand
Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
Aug 10
Traci Hayden
AC Squared Book Blog
Aug 11
A Mama's Corner of the World
Sapphyria's Book Reviews
Aug 14
Pick a Genre Already
My Book and Music Obsession
Aug 15
The Authors Blog
Always Love Me Some Books Blog
Aug 16
The Avid Reader
Lisa-Queen of Random
Aug 17
Sylv.net
Romance Novel Giveaways
Aug 18
The Bookworm Chronicles
Circle of Stalkers
Aug 20
U.S. - Brazil Book Review
Aug 21
Casey's Corner
Turning Another Page
Aug 22
Ourbookstars
Port Jericho
Aug 23
Yah gotta read this
Queen of All She Reads
Aug 24
The Blackwood Blog
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
Aug 25
Shh, I Am Reading
Aug 28
6 Feet Under Books
SnoopyDoo's Book Reviews
