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!