Happy Holidays!! Year in review and sneak a look at 2015

It's been a rough year for some of us...2015 will be a big relief!

If you haven't heard the story of my mom's broken collarbone...you weren't paying attention to...lol!

Long story short, a bad medication reaction can cause a bad fall and healing takes a lot longer.
Since July, I've been busy and unfortunately not writing much.

Don't get me wrong, I love my family...but when you work from home, you're the designated caretaker/driver/etc. Which set back my writing  A LOT.

In an effort to get myself back on track, I created an evil twin CC Dragon and have begun releasing revised/ re-titled paranormal cozy  mysteries with a psychic heroine I wrote back in the day.
Check it out here:
Pre-order Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Mansion-Queen-Deanna-Paranormal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00QSNV82C

I'll be putting out book 2 in February (also revised, re-titled etc...).

Then I'll be continuing the series in 2015 :)

As for the HOT HOT HOT stuff...My 2015 plan is busy.

Men of Alaska Fans--have no fear. Mr. Moose is on the case!

I'm planning at least 3, hopefully 4, Men of Alaska titles.

Plus 1 Love Shack MM cowboy shifter, for those who can't wait for Hank and Frankie ;)

Conference Plans for 2015...

I'll be around ;) Signing at all of the events below...Visit me for good swag and print books!

April: The Novel Experience in Vegas
http://novelexperienceevent.org/

June: Readers and Authors Get Together in Cincinnati Ohio
http://readerauthorgettogether.com/

August: Authors After Dark in Atlanta
http://authorsafterdark.org/

Life Gets In the Way...and some Changes

I hate excuses and pity parties! I HATE them...because writing is a job. Yes, we all get sick. Take your sick days as needed and keep plugging along. I'm not suggesting we don't need time off or things don't happen to throw us off. Big illnesses, deaths in the family, and so on can derail us for weeks. But true writers write...we can't help it. We'll find a new routine and eek out the time to get something done.

And we all NEED vacations. Take them :)

When my mom went into the hospital and I suddenly became a part time care giver and driver...my normally very productive writing schedule was tossed out the window. Everything has revolved around her needs and appointments. For a time she couldn't be left alone. A big chunk of time for writing has been very hard to get. Maybe I'll get one day off but I still need to clean and do laundry and other errands for myself.

So I've been editing, noting out story ideas, and promoting around my other duties. In a week or two, the doctor follow ups will be done and hopefully things can go back to mostly normal. Her recovery has been steady. I'm frustrated that I'm not writing a lot like before but I'm still finding ways to spend time with my writing.

I didn't share a lot or in detail about my mother because so many writers out there are guilty of whining or worse--lying. People are bullying them. Or life kicked them. How do you know what's true and what's not? (Maybe I'm really jaded but several writers have been caught lying about being bullied for sympathy sales and it's disgusting).

Plus, setbacks happen in life. Whether it's health or a book doesn't sell the way you hoped. Stuff happens. It's frustrating (oh yes, it is! I want to be writing all day!!!). But I wasn't raised to be 'oh poor me' and all that. You do what you have to do and get on with it.

Don't misunderstand. We all vent a bit at times. Life can be frustrating. If I let myself go negative, I can stay there for a long time and get really down. So I try not to put that on FB or in social media too much. Minor things like the dentist--we can all relate to that. But private stuff in detail, that's just not me.

Changes...

There was a time when I had a novella releasing a month but that time is over. Partly because I parted with a publisher who wasn't handling things professionally. This stuff happens too. You think something is working and whammo, someone lets the truth slip out. I like the truth but it radically changed my writing plan.

But that's neither here nor there.

I'm not playing the victim card because I'm not. But I feel I should share that there will be big changes from me. The last two months have hijacked my writing, more or less, and my publisher preferences have changed. Therefor, I won't have as many releases happening in the next six months.

The good news???? I'm going to be branching out to a new genre and longer books. Hopefully it's a success. A little risk can be scary but when so much is changing, why not dare to do something different?

Next release:
Blake's Home (MM rancher/ shifter) Oct 14th from Loose Id

More planned in the Men of Alaska series!

For now, I'll keep the new genre and that stuff to myself...until I have more concrete dates and so on.

AAD Wrap Up...

Now that I'm sort of caught up (edits turned in), I can start to recap AAD.
I still have a lot of laundry to do...lol

I ran into a reader at the gate at Chicago's Midway Airport and Lisa and I chatted...more AAD people arrived. Desiree Holt cut it close connecting from her other flight in from Texas but we were all good. Nice flight...

The trouble started with the hotel. I'd shipped 4 boxes. 2 for the welcome bags and 2 full of swag I'd hand out. It shouldn't take over an hour to locate properly labeled boxes...so I missed part of the Midnight Rodeo.

But I wasn't the only one....many others were hunting down boxes. The hotel service overall was slow. The restaurant was a repeat offender in this area. My hair dryer in the room died and the replacement one took a while and the new one sucked...cut out constantly. I was really unimpressed. The room we had for the book signing was packed tight. I've never been so scrunched in at any book signing and I've been doing this for a while!

So that's the bad stuff. And it had to do with the hotel...

Now to the conference :) The Midnight Rodeo was at 4pm but it was fun. A mechanical bull was there for people to ride and take pictures with...I did neither. lol BUT they had awesome goody bags. A bottle of water and a cookie ! Yes, this is what you need the first day because everything in the hotel was overpriced...we needed the water! Thank you!!

The Welcome event was nice...it went the full 2 hours but lots of readers got great prizes. As an author, I couldn't win anything so it lacked anticipation for me but Mr. Moose liked the cup on the table...

The next day I was going to have breakfast with one author and it grew to a big table...What fun!

That day Isabelle Drake and I had planned to camp out and give away goodies.

The little squeezie moose became popular! And those pens, you might think you have enough pens and pass them up...but they have 3 inks in them! Many readers started clicking away...they make me feel like a kid again :)

Thursday was the Author Reception I was a part of. More goodies given out  :) Chatting with readers and bloggers! I was so tired after that, I couldn't even go to the Bookie awards. I grabbed dinner and talked with readers/writers/bloggers. Mr. Moose already had a following...

I kept up with the awards on FB via my phone. Desiree won 5! WOW!

Friday, Isabelle and I did the same thing!! A little in the AM, lunch and then more swag giveaways in the bar area. Roz Lee and others joined in.

That night was the Leather & Lace party...Mr. Moose was popular by then and drinking a rum and coke ;)

The next day was the signing. I didn't bring books, just swag and some postcards for my latest ebook releases. That worked out okay...

Did you get a moose? That was my question to those who passed by :O)  I got a lot of interesting looks but most stopped and checked out the fun of the Men of Alaska series!

I gave away all the stress reliever moose that I brought to AAD! And 99% of the pens! Whoohoo!

That night was the Sins/Virtues Ball. After the long signing, I really needed a nap and night off, but the table that I was at was Sloth. So it totally fit. I went in PJs and we got to hang out without having to look fancy like the others :)

Lizzie T. Leaf was a generous hostess and so nice! Mr. Moose loved his gift bag:

I had a really early flight Sunday morning so I ducked out after dinner (good cheescake!) but it worked out. 

I was home early and could check on my mom (who had broken her collar bone less than a month earlier and, while she had my dad, he's not the best caretaker). Then I could relax and sleep in my own bed.

Mr. Moose was beat... but he loved meeting everyone :)

We'll be at AAD Atlanta! Until then, Mr. Moose is tucked in. He'll play online but first he has to oversee Men of Alaska 3: Sterling Rose!

Post AAD and Sterling Sunshine Party

Survived my first ever Authors After Dark con! That is an awesome place to meet readers.

I'll be going next year as well. Atlanta in August will be hot but most of the time, I'll be camped out hanging with readers and passing out swag!

I gave away a lot of squishy moose to celebrate my Men of Alaska series :)

To further celebrate Sterling Sunshine...I'm having a FB event!!

It'll be August 23rd and there will be prizes.

Join here and get all the details: https://www.facebook.com/events/268186606722209/

Off and AAD

Sorry I'm been MIA...family stuff that included a hospital stay for a close member sucked me away from my writing world.

Updates...

Totally NEW Website layout!!

check out : www.cheryldragon.com

Sterling Sunshine is doing great on Amazon (thank you!!!) and has gotten great reviews (thanks again!)
It's up at Nook now :)

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sterline-sunshine-cheryl-dragon/1119955780?ean=9781623002480

Don't worry, I'll be working on Men of Alaska 3 (Sterling Rose) in August...

In October, I'll have a new release that is MM rancher/shifter themed. Blake's Home will be out just in time for Gay Rom Lit! 

Also in October...Black Cat Strut will release. It's a short quickie that you can pre-order now:

It'll release in time for Halloween (it's a MM halloween themed story). So another MM in October!

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Cat-Strut-Cheryl-Dragon-ebook/dp/B00LTVGBAW

As of Aug 6th, I'm off to Authors After Dark in Charlotte! I'll have some news to share from there...something to blog about :) I have a lot o brainstorming/planning to do. But there is still family stuff to deal with when I get back, so don't think I'm ignoring my writing. Just have to balance things differently for a couple of months while I help out...

Men of Alaska 2 is out :)

The wait is over!! Sterling Sunshine (Men of Alaska 2) is live :D

NOTE: Loose Id has my other Menage Titles 40% off...for anyone looking for a sale!

Sterling Sunshine

Men of Alaska 2

MMMF Erotic Romance

By Cheryl Dragon

7/15/14

Link: http://www.loose-id.com/men-of-alaska-2-sterling-sunshine.html

Kindle: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sterlingsunshine-1570869-149.html

Nook: Coming Soon

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sterlingsunshine-1570869-149.html

Blurb:

Gretchen isn’t in Sterling to find men. At least she keeps telling herself that. She has a new job to do promoting local businesses. Still, she can’t resist hoping she’ll find the right group of hot men to really make her dreams come true. She already has her eye on a certain sexy trio, and when they fail to make the first move, she uses work to make a meeting happen. Alaska is definitely bringing out her bolder side.

Tony and Ross are eager to date and seduce the voluptuous beauty but their third lover is a roaming pilot with notoriously bad timing. Do they count him in or out? Should they wait for him to show up or move on her? The attraction proves too hard to resist, but Matt turns up just in time to make it a foursome. It complicates the relationship but adds to the passion. Besides, love and lust aren’t practical.

The deeper Gretchen gets into the lives of her three men, the more she knows they need to be shaken up and she’s just the woman to do it!

Team Taste the Rainbow Blog Hop Stop

We're celebrating GLBT and I write lots of MM...I do ;)

But the bisexual men don't seem to get as much attention.. though they get double the love! 

But they also have to share and negotiate female and male needs.

I love the complexity and the passion of group relationships. 

So I'm going to brag on my MMMF series: MEN OF ALASKA

Women going to Alaska for a friend's wedding get A LOT more than they bargained for :) 

There are plenty of men in Alaska but they never expected this...

Sterling New Year is book 1

Sterling New Year

By Cheryl Dragon

Released 12/31/13 by Loose Id

Genre: Contemp M/M/M/F erotic romance

Series: Men of Alaska Book 1

Blurb:

Melody's stuck in Sterling, Alaska over the holidays, sewing custom dresses for her friend’s wedding. She'll do anything for her friends and is determined to be the best maid of honor she can be. There are just a few very sexy distractions.

Dale, Jason, and Ryan are lovers with an eye out for the right woman to complete their family. They're happy to let Melody use space to make the dresses, but Dale especially doesn't expect the perfect woman for them to show up in their small town. How are they going to explain Sterling's unusual relationships? Even so, the trio is definitely interested in more than simply helping out with the wedding but can they win Melody over?

Melody has never been anywhere like Sterling—where group relationships are a tradition. She can’t pass up the experience of three hot men in bed but rearranging her life for them, or any man, is a ridiculous idea. Normal marriages don’t last and she’s had repeat wedding dress clients to prove it. What the quad has is more than sex but they have a lot of baggage to sort through for her to make it a Sterling New Year.

Link: http://www.loose-id.com/sterling-new-year.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sterling-New-Year-Men-Alaska-ebook/dp/B00HMCOX9S

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sterlingnewyear-1387184-149.html

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sterling-new-year-dragon-author/1118610551?ean=9781623006617

Book 2 is MMMF as well (releases July 15th)

Sterling Sunshine

Men of Alaska 2

MMMF Erotic Romance

By Cheryl Dragon

7/15/14

Link: http://www.loose-id.com/men-of-alaska-2-sterling-sunshine.html

Giveaway?? Why Yes! Comment below for a chance to win an ebook copy of Sterling New Year (if you already own it, another of my GLBT Loose Id titles will be substituted)...The Hop ends on the 18th. Winner will be posted on this blog on the 19th :) 

Enjoy the Hop!! Check out all of my books at www.cherydragon.com

Sign up for the newsletter over there on the right upperhand side.

Friend me on FB:  https://www.facebook.com/cheryldragon

And join Cheryl Dragon's Lair (my FB group. There is fun and hot pics of men): https://www.facebook.com/groups/544479725656900/

Hop Along My Friends :)

Cover Reveal! Men of Alaska 2: Sterling Sunshine

Sterling Sunshine

Men of Alaska 2

MMMF Erotic Romance

By Cheryl Dragon

Release Date: 7/15/14

Blurb: 

Gretchen isn't in Sterling to find men. At least she keeps telling herself that. She has a new job to do promoting local businesses. Still, she can’t resist hoping she’ll find the right group of hot men to really make her dreams come true. She already has her eye on a certain sexy trio, and when they fail to make the first move, she uses work to make a meeting happen. Alaska is definitely bringing out her bolder side.

Tony and Ross are eager to date and seduce the voluptuous beauty but their third lover is a roaming pilot with notoriously bad timing. Do they count him in or out? Should they wait for him to show up or move on her? The attraction proves too hard to resist, but Matt turns up just in time to make it a foursome. It complicates the relationship but adds to the passion. Besides, love and lust aren't practical.

The deeper Gretchen gets into the lives of her three men, the more she knows they need to be shaken up and she’s just the woman to do it!

Link: http://www.loose-id.com/men-of-alaska-2-sterling-sunshine.html

Thank you Menage Fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!

I've nominated for 7...I think I counted right...7 ménage romance fan's awards!!!!

Thanks so much :) I can't even believe it!

Voting is now open...so please vote! There is no limit...

As we say in Chicago, Vote Early, Vote Often!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Jfx3QJppMCsvcpWXlrT68qzMDqnvfHk5-21X0VV9Dm8/viewform

There is some amazing competition so hopefully I can succeed in one category!

I'm really excited that Sterling New Year is up for best Holiday Ménage! It's doing wonderful on Amazon thanks to all of you!!

                                    Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,095 Paid in Kindle Store 

• #25 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Holidays

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Sterling-New-Year-Men-Alaska-ebook/dp/B00HMCOX9S

 

Thanks again and please go vote for your favs, whoever they are! I love these awards because they celebrate a genre I can't get enough of! I love writing it and love the fans out there who can't get enough either :)

 

You're Invited to a New Year's Eve wedding in Sterling! A hot new read :)

One more day left in 2013...ready to ring in the new year??

I wish everyone the happiest of New Years! Please be safe while you're out partying.

I hope you'll take a minute to check out my new release with a wedding at midnight...because you're certainly invited :)

Big ménage relationships are a tradition in this small Alaska town...

Sterling New Year

By Cheryl Dragon

Released 12/31/13 by Loose Id

Genre: Contemp MMMF erotic romance

Series: Men of Alaska 1

Link: http://www.loose-id.com/sterling-new-year.html

Blurb:

Melody's stuck in Sterling, Alaska over the holidays, sewing custom dresses for her friend’s wedding. She'll do anything for her friends and is determined to be the best maid of honor she can be. There are just a few very sexy distractions.

Dale, Jason, and Ryan are lovers with an eye out for the right woman to complete their family. They're happy to let Melody use space to make the dresses, but Dale especially doesn’t expect the perfect woman for them to show up in their small town. How are they going to explain Sterling's unusual relationships. Even so, the trio is definitely interested in more than simply helping out with the wedding but can they win Melody over?

Melody has never been anywhere like Sterling—where group relationships are a tradition. She can’t pass up the experience of three hot men in bed but rearranging her life for them, or any man, is a ridiculous idea. Normal marriages don’t last and she’s had repeat wedding dress clients to prove it. What the quad has is more than sex but they have a lot of baggage to sort through for her to make it a Sterling New Year.

Link: http://www.loose-id.com/sterling-new-year.html

Excerpt Link: http://www.loose-id.com/sterling-new-year.html#product_tabs_Excert