New Release: Blood in the Past by Jordanna East

Out today! Blood in the Past by Jordanna East

The Storm and the Darkness- Synopsis

With July 1 looming as my projected publishing date for The Storm and the Darkness, I realized it was time to stop putting off updating the synopsis. The one I had was too detailed, and a bit sloppy. So I’ve created two versions; one for this site, Amazon, and other sites that may feature the book, and one for the back of the book.

I’m posting them both here, and welcome any feedback on either!

Shorter Blurb (Book Cover)

(Special thanks to Jennifer Stevens for helping me on this one)

Ana Deschanel has made a terrible mistake. The only chance of protecting the other people involved is to flee New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of Summer Island.

Summer Island, Maine (population 202) is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, especially her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Her only lifeline is the kind but odd caretaker Alex Whitman. Showing up at all the right moments, he warns her she is completely unprepared for a Maine winter. As the first winter storm approaches to whispers of an island shutdown- Ana realizes that she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.

After a surprising encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something to him. Unprepared for the Maine storm, she slips and falls onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, but she remains unconscious. As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn there are other, more sinister forces at work closer than they ever imagined.

With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.

Longer Synopsis

Ana Deschanel has made a terrible mistake. In one singular and desperate lapse in judgment, she put everything- and everyone- she cares about in jeopardy. She knows the only chance of protecting the other people involved is to leave town, so she flees New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of an old Victorian on the shore of Summer Island, Maine.

But Summer Island, population 202, is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, including her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Calls home to her best friend and cousin Nicolas only leave her feeling an empty sense of regret at what she left behind. Her only lifeline is the kind, but odd, caretaker Alex Whitman, who continues to show up at all the right moments, reminding her that she is completely unprepared. As the first winter storm approaches- amidst whispers of an island shutdown- Ana is struck with the realization that she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.

After a surprising, but charming encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something important to him. Along the way she has a terrible accident, slipping and falling onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, and work to save her life, but she remains unconscious as the storm rages outside. Back home, Nicolas begins to worry when he hasn’t heard from Ana, and he enlists the help of his friend Oz to investigate the situation.

As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn that there are other, more sinister forces at work, involving someone they have known their whole lives who is harboring a dark secret. With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.

Last Chance to Read St. Charles at Dusk Free on KDP Through 3/31

St. Charles at Dusk will be free to borrow through the Kindle Lending Library for two more weeks only.

I posted last month that I was removing St. Charles at Dusk from KDP Select (the Amazon program that makes your Kindle book available on the Kindle Lending Library, and gives writers a share of the profit anytime a book is downloaded), as the program requires you to distribute your work exclusively through Amazon while you’re enrolled. I’ve had readers express interest in the Nook, Itunes, etc versions and this will allow me make it available in those formats as well.

St. Charles at Dusk will be in the program through March 31st. So, if you’ve been looking for a chance to read it, risk-free, before the sequel comes out (Spring 2013!), then, here you go! (Note: To download, you actually need to search for the book via your Kindle device or software)

Cheers,

Sarah

New to series? Read more here.

Aaaaaand….We Have a First Draft!

It’s coming, precious!

 

There are not words adequate enough to express my happiness and relief in finally finishing a first draft of The Storm and the Darkness. HOO-FREAKING-RAY!

I started this story, which will be the second published book in the House of Crimson and Clover series, as my NaNoWriMo project in 2010. It sat for a couple of years (at the same 50k words where I left it) while I worked on other projects, and I picked it back up again in December last year to polish it up and get it ready for publication. 

St. Charles at Dusk- Prologue – (Installment 4 of 4)

In September of 2011, I self-published my first novel, St. Charles at Dusk. This year I have also submitted it for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. You can read more about this series here.

St. Charles at Dusk started as a standalone story, but since then I have written several additional stories about the two central families, the Sullivans and Deschanels. This has turned into a series, The House of Crimson and Clover, and I am currently working on editing the second book, The Storm and the Darkness for publication in 2013.

St. Charles at Dusk- Prologue – (Installment 3 of 4)

In September of 2011, I self-published my first novel, St. Charles at Dusk. This year I have also submitted it for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. You can read more about this series here.

St. Charles at Dusk started as a standalone story, but since then I have written several additional stories about the two central families, the Sullivans and Deschanels. This has turned into a series, The House of Crimson and Clover, and I am currently working on editing the second book, The Storm and the Darkness for publication in 2013.

Seeking Beta Readers for The Storm and the Darkness

I am looking for beta readers for The Storm and the Darkness, the next novel in The House of Crimson and Clover series.

St. Charles at Dusk- Free on KDP Through 3/31

Actually, its been free on KDP for about a year, but I’ve decided to remove it. If you’re not aware, the KDP program puts your novel in the Kindle Lending Library (a virtual library that is free for Prime members to borrow one novel at a time), but with the stipulation that you are not allowed to publish your novel in e-book format on any other channel. Which means you can’t sell it through anyone except Amazon. This pays off for some of the more popular writers, but due to the updated algorithms at Amazon (which many others, far more knowledgeable than I, have written about at length), has actually given me almost no downloads. Thus, I’ve decided to remove it, and to start focusing on other channels (BN, Itunes, Smashwords, etc). It will still sell on Amazon as well, just not as a free-to-borrow option.

St. Charles at Dusk- Prologue – (Installment 2 of 4)

In September of 2011, I self-published my first novel, St. Charles at Dusk. This year I have also submitted it for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. You can read more about this series here.

St. Charles at Dusk started as a standalone story, but since then I have written several additional stories about the two central families, the Sullivans and Deschanels. This has turned into a series, The House of Crimson and Clover, and I am currently working on editing the second book, The Storm and the Darkness for publication in 2013.

St. Charles at Dusk- Prologue – (Installment 1 of 4)

In September of 2011, I self-published my first novel, St. Charles at Dusk. This year I have also submitted it for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. You can read more about the series here.

St. Charles at Dusk started as a standalone story, but since then I have written several additional stories about the two central families, the Sullivans and Deschanels. This has turned into a series, The House of Crimson and Clover, and I am currently working on editing the second book, The Storm and the Darkness for publication in 2013.