Bewitching Book Tours: Now Scheduling a 2 Week Tour for Halloween Fantasies

Bewitching Book Tours: Now Scheduling a 2 Week Tour for Halloween Fantasi...:






Bewitching Book Tours is now scheduling a 2 week tour for Halloween Fantasies by Katie Salidas
The tour will got from October 17- 31


Looking for Interviews, Guest blogs, promo spots, and reviews. Ebook copies on hand for reviewers.

Please contact Bewitching Book Tours or follow this link:
http://bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/2011/08/now-scheduling-2-week-tour-for.html?spref=fb

Vampires & Werewolves: Mortal enemies or kissing cousins? Mythology holds the secrets.



For me, Mythology is a wonderful treasure-trove of ideas. Just look at all of the magnificent tales that have come out of them! Medusa, the Cyclops, the Hydra.

The vampires in my Immortalis series are based in Greek Mythology. They were born of an unlikely union between the Keres and a wounded human soldier. Daughters of Nyx, goddess of the night, the Keres are described as winged female death spirits with an insatiable lust for human blood.  Neither good, nor evil, they were there to send the already dying on their way to Hades. What a perfect creature to be the mother of our first vampire, right? So, vampires are part demigod, and part human with a lust for blood that is matched by nothing else.

Vampires may be my first love, but werewolves come in a very close second. So, naturally, when it came time to add them into the Immortalis series, I had to go back to my Greek Mythology roots to make sure they had their own rich history.

Greek Mythology already had some pretty awesome monsters, and surprisingly enough, werewolves were already accounted for too. It didn’t take me long to spot their legend.

In ancient Arcadia, there lived a king, Lycaon. Lycaon had many sons but only one daughter. He kept her safe and locked away so that no man could have her. But that did not protect her from Zeus. What Zeus wanted, he got. So he bedded and impregnated Lycaon’s daughter. This enraged the king. He sacrificed the child, a son, and fed the flesh to the god. When Zeus figured out the treachery, he punished Lycaon by turning him into a wolf, the first of many werewolves.

That is just the shortened version of the story, but you see how wonderful Mythology can be. Even back in the ancient world they already had the monsters we love today, and many, many more.

So both creatures are a product of the gods meddling with humanity. They already have a lot in common to begin with. It’s a shame most books portray them as enemies. I like to think that since the supernatural community is so small, they’d probably do best by getting along.

So, with that said, in Pandora’s Box, I tie these two legends, these two creatures, together, revealing their rich history to each other, and showing you why it’s so important they work together.  

What is Paranormal? Is it Horror? How closely are they related?


When I originally began writing the Immortalis series, I mistakenly thought I was writing horror. I assumed that because I was using vampires (and later, adding other supernatural creatures) that this automatically put me into the horror category. But as I researched more into the various genres, I found that there was a definite distinction in how you classify things. Technically speaking, I write Urban Fantasy, a sub-genre comprised of Fantasy and Paranormal.

The creatures in the paranormal realm are the things that “go bump in the night” and scared the crap out of us when we were little. Let’s face it, some of those creatures still scare the crap out of us. Take Zombies for example. Nothing scares me more than a half-dead corps running around looking for brains to eat. However, on the flip side, I don’t find vampires the least bit scary. Yes, I do have a screw loose, but this is where I feel the distinction comes into play. No, not my mental issues, the fear factor.

Horror is meant to scare us. It’s meant to make us look over our shoulder to see who might be there. It’s meant to get our imagination working and to see creatures lurking in the shadows. It’s also meant to be intensely gory and gruesome. When that zombie comes to attack, you get every last detail down to the taste of the spongy gray matter being mashed in between the zombie’s rotted teeth.

Paranormal, on the other hand, is meant to entertain using the elements of the supernatural world. Sure, there is an element of fear there, and there can be some gory details, but that is not the driving force in a paranormal story.

Urban Fantasy, which is the sub-genre that the Immortalis series exist in, uses the paranormal creatures: vampires, werewolves, witches, and yes, there is a zombie too, in a modern-day setting. Originally having some horror roots (remember that was what I originally thought I was writing) It does allow for some of the gory and gruesome details you would come to imagine with drinking blood and killing your prey to survive. However, since my protagonist is the vampire, I get to soften it a bit by giving you the reasons behind the bloodlust and the feelings she has while taking her prey. In a way I have attempted to take the gory and give it some intimacy. At least, that’s what I was going for. But either way you see it, I think the Immortalis series strikes a nice balance between those scary creatures and the mystery of their dark world.



So, while the roots are the same, it's the intent that separates horror from the paranormal realm.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject! Please feel free to comment.

Writing fast vs writing slow, which one is better?

So, I was asked this question a while back and wanted to touch on the subject again, especially since there is some debate about the speed in which Indie authors put out books.

Some writers can knock out a novel-length book in just a few weeks, while others take years to complete their work. Is one truly better than the other? I don’t think so. I think you have to write in your own time. If you rush the muse, you might not get the best results. On the flipside, if you take too long, your muse might get bored with you and leave. The ultimate goal as a writer is just to sit down and write something every day. Even if you don’t write very much, let’s say 500 words a day. If you commit to it and do it every single day that 80k (average novel length), would only take you 160 days to write. That’s a complete novel in less than 6 months. Not too shabby right? When you look at the numbers like that, you can see it is very doable to complete a few first draft books in a year.

Please note, I said, firs draft! These are not ready to hit the press yet. Do not ever attempt to publish something that has not had a chance to be properly critiqued and edited!

The more you write, the easier it comes. When I first wrote Immortalis Carpe Noctem, book one in the Immortalis series, it took me 5 years from start to finish. Not all of that was writing time, I spent a good year in the revision phase alone, but for arguments sake, we’ll just call it 5 years. While I was writing it, I had ideas for other stories including book two in the Immortalis series. By the time I was ready to write it, It only took me about 6 months to pen the first draft of Hunters & Prey . The same thing happened when I began writing the third book in the series, Pandora's Box. I finished that one in a shorter amount of time.

Once you get into that writing habit it really takes over and it becomes less about word counts and speed and more about getting the story down on paper.

So, slow or fast, either is fine. Just be sure you are writing something every day. That's the key!

If you have a writing or publishing related question you want me to answer, please feel free to contact me at Ksalidas [at] cox [dot] net.

House of Immortal Pleasures - FREE





In honor of the year anniversary of this novella (OK, it's a little late...), we've decided to offer, for free on Smashwords.





This offer is for a limited time and is only available on Smashwords.com. There is no coupon code necessary. Just follow the link and download the best compatible version to work with your ereader.



Don't have an ereader? That's Ok too! They have PDF versions at Smashwords. Read the novella right on your computer.

Now you have no excuse to take advantage of this awesome offer! =p






Ebook Description


Sometimes the only way to mend a broken heart is to get back in the saddle. At least that is how Daphne’s friends see it. And since Daphne isn’t showing any signs of letting that happen, they take it into their own hands. With a few shots of liquid courage, a pat on the ass, and a donated gold card, Daphne is unwillingly sent into a fantasy room to meet her creature of the night, Connor.


Parental Rating:


This book contains content that may not be suitable for young readers 17 and under.

Fright Night - a fun revision of the 85 classic (Review)

1985 Trailer

2011 remake (yes I picked the UK version because it had David Tennant in it and I just love him.) =p

So, we all know the premise is the same, otherwise it wouldn't be a remake. A vampire moves into quiet suburbia and starts killing/turning people and it's the neighbor who discovers what is going on. No one believes him, bla, bla bla, and action and adventure ensues. 

Paying homage to it's campy 80's roots this version manages to mix scary and comedy together nicely. I don't think the movie takes its self too seriously, as well it shouldn't. There were gory scenes, sure, but they did them in such a way that you almost had to laugh at the blood splatter and the sound effects used. At one point a vampire is staked in the heart and looks at the human and says "you missed." That kept very well in line with the original tongue in cheek nature of it's 80's predecessor. 

Like all vampire flicks, we are reminded of the rules: Vampires cannot enter a house without invitation. Well in this case, abandoned homes don't count. Remember this! Vampires, in this film, do not show up on film (an update to the old mirror trick that is more commonly known but not a "new" rule to the genre.) Vampires, of course cannot go out in the sunlight (there is an interesting, surprise, sudden death involving this rule.) And a vampire must be staked through the heart to die. Remember that too. It has to go through the heart... No missing by an inch... =p 

They even threw in a few jabs at twilight and if I'm not mistaken the True Blood TV series. "Jerry... That's a terrible vampire name." Reminds me of when Sookie Stackhouse was picking on "Vampire Bill." It was cute and got its intended laugh. 

Another homage to the 80's classic that made me smile, they managed a cameo by the original man who played Jerry, Chris Sarandon.

Colin Farrell takes up the reins as Jerry, and I feel he had a very interesting animalistic take on the character. From the moment he steps on screen you can tell he is not human. His actions, facial ticks, and speech patterns are all "something else." It was almost to the point of being too over done, but really, when you look back, he nailed the "beast" side of being a creature of the night! Kudos there. One of the scenes where you really see this happen is the "beer" scene. Without giving away too much, Jerry asks Charley if he can borrow some beer since he has a woman coming over shortly. The purpose of this scene was to show that Charley has figured out what Jerry is and for Jerry to try and get Charley to invite him inside. It was a longish scene but highlighted Colins vampire mannerisms well!

Moving on... The role of Peter Vincent was played by David Tennant and instead of being a real vampire hunter, he is a drunken magician (illusionist)with a healthy interest in the occult. (In keeping with the tongue in cheek nature, there were quite a few lines about buying occult items off of ebay.) I'm not alone when I say this but I feel like David was channeling Russel Brand a bit strongly in this role. Not that I minded much. It was a fun character to watch. And I just love the actor David Tennant!

Finally, we get to the main character, Charley, played by Anton Yelchin. Not much to say here. I enjoyed his somewhat geeky nature and I felt he fit the role very well.

As with all remakes, there has to be some modernization and that's where the big differences are in this version. The biggest revision was the choice to film this for 3d viewing. Now, I end up with a headache every time I try to watch a 3d movie, so I chose to watch the regular version. The gratuitous use of CGI and 3d effects were a little "much," and very obvious, but they did not detract from my enjoyment of the movie. I'm guessing, for those who do see the 3d version, the blood splatter and geysers will be a wonderful effect. 

The location seems to be a Las Vegas suburb. I say "seems" because I am a Las Vegas native and while I saw the use of the Strip and skyline, the neighborhood did not resemble any Vegas suburb I know of. We don't use Waste Management for trash, its Republic Services. There are no basements in Vegas. All homes are built on a slab. Our roofs are all tile here. I could go on, (Hollywood should really get this right.), but I won't harp. Hollywood and I do agree on one thing though, Vegas make a perfect location for vampires. They state it, just as I have in comments before, that the night life here and the transient nature of the city make for a perfect breeding ground for the undead!

All in all, this was an entertaining and fun revision of the 85 classic. One I will add to my collection when it comes out on DVD. A solid 4stars!

New Bookmarks! And a tip for Self-Published authors.

Freebies and giveaways are a way to build good will and can potentially bring people back to your work. Bookmarks are especially handy for this as they are a multi-use item. But how do you create them and how much is this "freebie going to cost?" That's a huge question. 

As a self-published author, you know already the cost of putting together a book: the editing, cover design, etc... Now, on top of all of that you have to shell out more money to make things to give away, with no guarantee of return on investment?!! 

It might feel that way, but making these marketing tools doesn't have to be a big expense. You just have to find the right printer to do the work.

And bookmarks, while a free giveaway items are not a pointless thing to sink money into. They are a multi-use marketing tool. A bookmark is something we all use. I have tons of bookmarks, some I love to collect and keep and others are put to good use in many of my favorite books.  By giving yours away to people, you are planting a seed. That person may not buy your book today, but they might just use your bookmark when sitting down to read. Each time they use it, they see your book’s image and your information. That can eventually lead to a sale.

Each bookmark you create should have two essential items on it:  your book(s) image(s) and a place where can go to find you (Website or Blog).

You can create your own images using photo editing software and then send them to the printer of your choice. Remember to do your homework and find the best price for your printing needs (because you are just going to give them all away. Don’t break the bank on giveaways). The best bang for your buck I’ve found so-far is http://gotprint.net

I recently had a few new bookmarks created for my Immortalis series. 
 Back of each bookmark (in color)
Front of each bookmark (full color)


For 1000 of each bookmark in full color, I spent around $100. That breaks down to around 0.03 per bookmark. At that price, you can easily justify just giving them away! 

So, like I said, do your homework. You might find something even cheaper. Or, you can take my word for it and use http://www.gotprint.net


Happy Marketing!!

Read more tips and tricks in my handy dandy little guide.

Available exclusively on Kindle!

Author Spotlight with Bella Marie

Introducing the  wonderfully talented Bella Marie, author of the Time Well Spent series. Available at Amazon.com


K.S.  Hello Bella and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself. 

Hello Katie, thank you for having me.  It’s always a pleasure being here with you.  Let’s see, small introduction.  It has been an eye opening journey writing, publishing, interviewing, getting feedback from my readers and just meeting people along the way.  I have been writing for several years, published my first book in November of 2010, and I have met some lovely people along the way.

K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

My writing quirks seem to change and evolve, depending on my moods I guess.  The one pretty consistent quirk is listening to Andrea Bocheli while I write with head phones on.  No one else that I have tried works, has to be him and it has to be through head phones, not just through speaker.  As long as I have my head phones on, I can write anywhere for the most part.

K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

I have written off and on for years, since I was young.  Started journaling very young as well, it was a good escape.  I started writing erotic stories when I was bored one day for a friend and well, they grew very popular so I wrote a lot of them.  A friend encouraged me to put them together and publish them, which I did and it started me on the path that I am on today.

K.S.  What genre do you write?

I write in Erotica but I have been expanding my work into paranormal erotica, as well as dabbling in fantasy, true story and romance.

K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

That is a harder question then when it was has been asked in the past.  Martin Sharlow inspired me the most to start writing and publishing, but I have met some wonderful authors that have inspired me a great deal as well along the way, you being honestly the reason for me to try my hand at vampire erotica because of reading your House of Immortal Pleasures book and loving it.

K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

That no matter how many times you go through your books, pay an editor, have pre-readers, there can always still be mistakes in your book and that is difficult when you are a perfectionist.  I strive to make sure everything is well polished, no mistakes and once in a while something will sneak by all channels of editing.  I just correct it immediately when it is pointed out, realize that it is rare that I have ever read a book done by anyone that doesn’t have at least one mistake and move on. 

K.S.  What inspires you?

There are a lot of things that inspire me.  In writing, I can be inspired by the simplest thing to create a story, be it erotic or an idea for a children’s story, two totally opposite ends of the spectrum in writing. For instance, just today I saw a picture of a hamster with a pretty pink flower on her head that looked like a hat.  I thought of three ways I could use that in different stories for children to teach manners, originality, and diversity.

When it comes to overcoming the long list of everything that has be accomplished rather it be in my personal life or just in writing & preparing my books, I would have to honestly say that I have found the best group of writers in the world to help encourage me, and they all inspires me to be the best that I can be.  It is a group I found on Facebook, Indie Writers Unite.  Everyone is so supportive there, and they don’t make you feel stupid for asking a question that seems like everyone should know the answer to it already.    

K.S.  Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?


This is the same book as the Time Well Spent Series - The Complete Collection with some changes. My readers wanted to read the stories with names instead of without them, so I have added names, as well as modified a few of them. These stories are quick read, almost 32000 words in the book with explicit adult erotica that is sure to interest most desires!

Some stories contain encounters with friends, strangers, public places, anal, oral, toys, lesbian, spanking, etc. Something for everyone!

(Note: Sample may not be appropriate for all readersRATED R  :O)

The New Beach House

It’s a beautiful evening, perfect for a drive.  Dean has worked really hard to make tonight special for them.  He’s a contractor, designs and frames houses to give his customers their perfect dream home.  The home that he has been working on for the last several months is his dream home.  He wants to share it with someone who will appreciate it as much as he does, who will know that he put his love in it for them with each nail.  Tonight’s going to be very special; he’s going to ask Annie to spend the rest of her life with him in what he hopes will be their new home.

He thinks of his Annie, his best friend and lover as a smile spreads across his face.  She’s petite, only 5’2” with light brown hair and matching eyes that are both beautiful with all their changing shades of brown.  She has large breasts that he loves to worship while spending a lot of time just sucking her nipples.  He loves it when she gets close to having an orgasm just from his sucking both of her nipples together.  It just takes a simple touch after enjoying listening to her sighs of pleasure, the little cries as he bites then sucks away the light pain while she is riding the waves of ecstasy.  She goes higher and higher with the wonderful little noises she makes, exploding as she cries out from her powerful release yelling his name.

He needs to focus more on the drive to pick her up or he is going to cum right there in his pants in the truck, and that would be a waste.   Besides, the anticipation is better with the forced wait for release.  He’d called her early that morning when all his plans were complete to ask her to go out for a drive that evening with him.  Annie was excited to hear his voice, he had been so busy lately that they hadn’t spent much time together.  She promised to pack a picnic dinner for them and he told her that he would bring the wine.  As he pulls into her driveway he sees her waiting for him on the front porch with a basket in her hand, a blanket over her shoulder and a big smile on her face. 



K.S.  Where can we buy your novel?

My book is available on both Smashwords since it has been accepted for premium status http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/73980
The new Hard Copy will be available within the week as well.

K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

Twitter: @Author66Bella

K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

Don’t give up!  Everyone seems to say that but it is the best advice.  It can be discouraging sometimes with all that needs to be done, but never stop improving your work, growing and learning, and meeting new and wonderful people.  There is what I like to call “Grumps” in the world.  Don’t let them get you down.  Don’t forget to smile and celebrate all accomplishments, no matter how small they seem to be.


Please include any promotional photos of you and/or your book as well as any links to YouTube trailers.

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.