You're Lucky, I'm Lucky . . . The Bannister's Lucky!

I am very lucky to have friends who have supported me throughout the years in this crazy writing endeavor. One of those amazing women has set about creating a crochet doll (2 I should say -- one for the live character and one for the dead one). She is amazingly gifted, and especially so with her hands. (Down, perverts!) The link below takes you to her progress as she crochets. Eva here.

The dolly will be doing some fascinating trips around L.A. and other parts. If you can suggest a place she can go, send me a line to: ilyanaknight@gmail.com I'd love to hear where you might see Ivy, Eva, Ahx or Aiden wandering!

We've Got My Precious!

And we loves it! Golum, Golum! Thank you HoneyandOllie for the gorgeous earrings! Spooky and wonderful! Now to take a pic and show what they look like, and eagerly await the Pretty Death  -inspired ones! Getting giveaway stuff ready!

Also got my first review off Amazon! LoveAndBooks  liked it! Go check it out!

Had lots of great feedback both from Facebook and from Amazon comments and reviews. I'm so glad that the Mayan Myths are new and interesting. I've had a cool mix of readers like it so far! Here are the links to both pages:

I'm so excited and happy that it's out! Keep reading, I promise more will come . . . .SOON!

Flying Away On a Wing and a Prayer...

"Pretty Death" is winging its way across computers, Kindles, Nooks and assorted other e-readers. Thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy, recommended one, written a review, told a friend or even said: "That crazy girl from  ( fill in blank here ) finally did it."

My forthcoming short story will be part of an anthology with Bonaparte Press, coming out Fall 2011. It is not an urban fantasy, but a contemporary erotic romance, replete with a hot Scot, corsets and steamy outdoor scenes. Can't reveal much just yet, but I hope readers will enjoy it!

Now back to work, and compulsively, erratically and hopefully checking Amazon!

Also, don't forget to like my Ilyana Knight page on Facebook, http://www.ilyanaknight/facebook.com





Yes, I used to watch "The Greatest American Hero."

Gonna Get Me Some Book Club . . .

Having some wine, cheese, fruit and raunchy talk with some fabulous ladies this evening. The book this month was "Witch Fire" by Anya Bast.  Any suggestions for the next month? Print books or eBooks would work! Feel free to suggest your own work as well!

Nefarious Plans, Dirty Deeds . . .

So, some nefarious planning is underway at www.ilyanaknight.com ! Always with an eye out for "pretties" (both of the male persuasion and sparkly baubles) I have scoured and found the perfect item for the first "Pretty Death" Giveaway. Let me tell you . . . They are GORGEOUS! Many thanks to the artist in question, who can be found at honey&ollie. More info and pics in the coming days!

And as if Ms. Honey&Ollie were not amazing enough for her art, here's a little bit of inspiration from her own blog that made my mind blossom: Clearance Buddha & The Eightfold Rabbits.  In particular, one phrase resonated, in her explanation of The Eightfold Rabbits: "[T]hose little ideas for stories or projects or paintings or shawls, the ones that proliferate and breed in the dark corners of the imagination."

I'm off to chase my eightfold rabbits, as I raise my sparkling lime water to you, Ms. Honey&Ollie!

Shiny, Shiny! Look Out Behind Me!

Yes, it's from an 80's song. No it's not a comment on my BUM!

Web Tech Guru has been making with the magic and turning the site "shinier." (Yes, I am a big dork who loves Joss Whendon's "Firefly").  Go see it at http://www.ilyanaknight.com!

It's Out! It's Out!

EEeeeeeeek! It's finally out! "Pretty Death" is finally out! It's been a long process from idea to publication and there are a lot of people to thank!
Thanks to publishers, editors, friends, family and readers, it is out there, wending its way to someone's e-reader! Thank you everyone!

Now back to plotting and writing Book 2 of the Intra Venous Files, and whipping the two stories I'm doing for Bonaparte Press into shape. It's going to be a busy year! Yaaaaay!

"Pretty Death" is out!

The day I've been waiting for with bated breath is here! My debut novel is out on Amazon and Aurora Heat! Go out there and support a new author, PLEASE!

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Okay. So it killed me, but I came back.

There isn't much Ivy Vasquez hasn't seen living under the neon lights of Hollywood. Or so she thinks. When she stumbles upon the murdered remains of a Gothic superstar, her entire world is upended. For the darkness of the City of Angels is filled with shamans, Mayan demons and death at every turn, and it is up to her to uncover the killer before she is the next victim. With a computer and her own guide to the Other Side, what's a girl to do to stop the killing? Trust the compelling shaman who could destroy her? Or pave her own path to a "Pretty Death."


It's been a wonderful learning experience, and made me more aware of my own foibles, and strengths. Now comes the learning curve as far as promo. Any ideas from the veterans?

Three . . . More . . . Days!

Been sleeping way too little, jonesing on caffeine, and obsessing way too much about the upcoming release of my first book, Pretty Death. It's an e-book and it's being published by Bonaparte Press, as part of their Aurora line.

Three more days and I'll be a published author. I sold a story and it'll be up on Amazon, Smashwords . . . sky's the limit! Sure, it's not "The Great American Novel," but frankly, once you meet me, you'll understand why that just doesn't apply.
WARNING:  My ideas have demons, shape-shifters, curses, hunks, and lots of naughty bits . . . okay, tons of naughty bits (Read: SEX). And as the rest of the stories come out, they will get naughtier.

So, in three more days, BUY THE BOOK! <---Not so subliminal message!

Man, That Woman Makes a Mean Cuba Libre!

Had a wonderful evening of conversation and food, along with delicious Cuba Libres with fresh lime with Ms. Ava Chandler, a fellow author from Bonaparte Press. She's ballsy and fun, and she wrote an awesome story in the anthology, Urban Moon.


It's good to get some feedback from other authors, and toss out ideas, especially when they have a wicked imagination!
Cheers to Ms. Ava Chandler! To many more Cuba Libres and talks!

What's in a Website?

So, everyone is asleep, even the dogs, for once! Uninterrupted writing time, right? Well, sure, but with a release date coming up, I'm trying to tie up loose ends so that the website looks shiny and not half-done.  It's been on the bottom of my to do, and suddenly has made its way to the top!!

Looking at all my favorite writers of romance and fantasy (urban and other), I've been trying to come to a better feel of what they express in the site, and what I as a fan look for when I go to their pages.  If you have the time, or curiosity, check out the following ladies of the wicked pens:

www.anyabast.com
www.shaylablack.com
www.sylviaday.com
www.kimharrison.net
www.virnadepaul.com

Now back to working on mine!

August 21, 2011. Pretty Death.

This is D-Day! Or rather, First Release Day! In "Rocky Horror Picture Show" terms, I am a "Virgin," and "Pretty Death"with Bonaparte Press will be the first book I publish. The first of many more (fingers crossed) and a story that has been a long time coming. It has morphed over time, and the entities that inhabit my paranormal streets of Los Angeles have changed and expanded. A fascination with shapeshifters, shamen, Mayan mythology and other things that slip in the shadows has made its way onto the page. Now I hope there are enough of you out there who will enjoy it as well.
Plus, if you don't like it, Ivy will hack your email. (Just kidding! See, she's a fictional character, right?)

Now to put more meat in the webpage!
TTFN!

Out of Touch, Much?

Holy Guacamole! This has been a summer of motion! Moving, change in work, deadlines, family things. There's always something, but now with my new and improved OS, my laptop is flying! That is when I don't have to stop and install a new driver for something that was tooootally outdated on my previous OS.
Now I can buckle down and fix the site, work on the As Yet Untitled Short Story, due this month!

PRETTY DEATH now has a release date: August 21, 2011! I am ecstatic!  More gushing to follow!

Yaaaay!

Dudes with Long Hair

Listening to "Eddie, (Ciao Baby)" by The Cult, and remembering Ian Astbury in his heyday. Am I totally dating myself by pointing out how HAWT he was? Long black hair, awesome vocals and ...well, just that look.

Fangirl in Action

Holy Guacamole! I have met some amazing women this weekend! Linnea Sinclair, Rosemary Laurey, Anya Bast, Virna DePaul, Leanna Renee Hieber, Kelsey Maxwell... Dayam! I was Fangirl! in action! I''l have to post more  about the conference,but it was great to meet and talk to such creative an amazing women. I have been so lucky! I have SWAG and I've added so many authors to my To Be Read Pile! Now I have to get cracking on the revisions of my "Soul of Desire" story! So excited and happy!

Book news!

Oh, and  have to spill! "Pretty Death" is coming out Summer 2011, and then my Paranormal Erotic Romance, "Soul of Desire," will be coming out on its heels in the early Fall of 2011. That will be followed up by a short story in a new anthology in December 2011!

Website, Website, on the Wall...

Okay, trying to make the site functional and useful, as well as shiny and, delicious! My wonderful life-long crush is helping me put this together in his (ehem) spare time. I have been given tasks, as well as a timeline (eeek!) to get htings accomplished if I want them in order before the Lori Foster Reader and Author Get Together 2011. I'm running on all cylinders, hoping to get this done in time, and I have promised many favors to my webmaster if things are in order by then!
Let me know what you think about my work in progress!

Maya, Maya Everywhere

So, I know there has been a tremendous upswing in stories related to the Mayan End of the World in 2012.  Even though it's not an "End of Days" story-line, my novel for Bonaparte Press, "Pretty Death," has Mayan Mythology.  I figured as an ex-pat Angeleno, what better mythology would work in Los Angeles?

What are some typical associations you  make when you think of Mayan myths?
I researched this waaaaay too much, and still took some liberties, but I hope it makes for an interesting read!

This is Just to Say...

(Sure, I ripped off William Carlos Williams, so sue me!)
Read Lynn Carmer's newest book from Bonaparte Press (www.bonapartepress.org)! It's titled "Just Don't Go" and it's great!  I laughed out loud at Tiny's antics and Tess' goof ups! And Kade...yum! Lynn's got such a great comedic voice in this story. You should all go and shamelessly buy multiple copies of her current novel, and while you're at it, buy the ones previous to it as well.
Yes, she's a friend and a fellow "Bonapartian" but she's also a good author! I've got all her stuff on my Kindle, and therefore you should too.
</shameless attempt at hypnosis>
Go, Lynn!

Bright and Shiny...

"Chimney falls and lovers blaze,
I thought that I was young..
Now I've freezing hands and bloodless veins
As numb as I've become...
How will you know if you found me at last?
'Cause I'll be the one, be the one, be the one, 
With my heart in my lap.
I'm so tired, I'm so tired.
I wish I was the moon tonight..."

I've been listening to Neko Case, and there is something incredible about her voice. It is so unique, so vibrant and enchanting. Each changing pitch is evocative and her lyrics... DAMN! I am so envious of a talent that can pull you right into her world and twist you so viscerally.

So this is how I came to this Blog. The voices inside (no, not the kind that men in little white coats come after you for) have been clamoring, and bit by slow bit I've placed their stories on paper. I've tried to make each one true to his or her story, and hope that you enjoy coming along for the ride.

For now, I'll sit back, play some Neko Case, and relax now that book number one is done and on its way.

Soon I'll wait with bated breath to see if you like it, and "I'll be the one, be the one, be the one with my heart in my lap."

Now to sleep, and dream of resolutions to plot bunnies.