posts in
Equilibrium
Equilibrium is here!
August 1, 2018
Yay! Today's the day the Superpowered Love series comes back to life, and I'm so excited. The new and very much improved Equilibrium is available at Less Than Three Press and these other vendors (more to come as they pop up) now!
For those of you who are new around here, welcome! The Superpowered Love series focuses on the amorous adventures of a people called the "awakened". These people exist in our own society, just under the surface, keeping themselves as safe as possible by staying secret. Different pockets of awakened individuals have different emphases. In Cleveland, there's a large group dedicated to charitable works and saving lives (see book three when it arrives, Nobody's Hero); in DC, there are awakened agents planted in all levels of government and military operations who keep things on the DL for their people (see book four, Losing Better, and book eight, The Takedown); in Pittsburgh, awakened folk seem to just go about their daily lives without a whole lot of organization one way or the other (see book two, Riot Boy, and the upcoming book eleven); in Virginia, awakened families have a meet-up once a year at a resort town to talk about the issues affecting the community (see book ten, eventually!).
They all have two things in common, though: superpowers and romance. Lots and lots of romance, sometimes complicated by their superpowers, sometimes, er, augmented.
And now's a great time to hop on board, with this new, second edition of Equilibrium! And look out for Riot Boy, re-releasing next month, equally renovated and ready to go. ♥
For those of you who are new around here, welcome! The Superpowered Love series focuses on the amorous adventures of a people called the "awakened". These people exist in our own society, just under the surface, keeping themselves as safe as possible by staying secret. Different pockets of awakened individuals have different emphases. In Cleveland, there's a large group dedicated to charitable works and saving lives (see book three when it arrives, Nobody's Hero); in DC, there are awakened agents planted in all levels of government and military operations who keep things on the DL for their people (see book four, Losing Better, and book eight, The Takedown); in Pittsburgh, awakened folk seem to just go about their daily lives without a whole lot of organization one way or the other (see book two, Riot Boy, and the upcoming book eleven); in Virginia, awakened families have a meet-up once a year at a resort town to talk about the issues affecting the community (see book ten, eventually!).
They all have two things in common, though: superpowers and romance. Lots and lots of romance, sometimes complicated by their superpowers, sometimes, er, augmented.
And now's a great time to hop on board, with this new, second edition of Equilibrium! And look out for Riot Boy, re-releasing next month, equally renovated and ready to go. ♥
Cover Reveal and Re-release News
July 6, 2018
Today's the big cover reveal for two of the new Superpowered Love covers: Equilibrium and Riot Boy! I'm so excited by what Less Than Three and artist Natasha Snow have come up with for these.
These aren't just lightly edited re-releases either. Very few authors get the opportunity to go back to their first published book and level it up, but re-releasing with LT3 is giving me just that. New, better content will be added; focus will be shifted to reflect the book's new home; and of course, other nips and tucks here and there will make Equilibrium shine. I can't wait to share it with everyone again. ♥
Equilibrium is coming in August, but you can pre-order both books now at Less Than Three! Click the cover to head over to the pre-sale pages.
Happy Birthday, Babies + A Giveaway
August 23, 2016
I happened to be looking up my publications today, just to get a complete list, and of course I started with Equilibrium. It was my first ever published novel--for any of my pen names or genres.* It all began because I was having a rough year, or couple of years, I guess, and I had been writing strictly horror and dark fantasy--with queer protags, obvs. My best friend, Tara, said to me, "Why don't you write something for me?" Because I guess she didn't like me giving her nightmares or whatever--can you imagine? Some friends had gotten me into romance as a genre (I've always been into romance in general) a few years previous, and so I said, "Yeah, I can totally do that."
And Equilibrium was born. Because superpowers + a character for Tara (Sam is totally Tara's) + fast and hot romance sounded like an awesome idea to me. So five years ago, on August 23, 2011 Loose Id was cool enough to publish it, and the surprising saga of Superpowered Love began.
It's been a wild ride, lemme tell you. Oh, the things I didn't know back then. I made mistakes with Equilibrium, but I'm still really proud of it and think fondly of Sam and Hansen. I knew before I finished it that I had a lot more to do in their weird little world, and I'm also kinda proud it's still going. I'm near to finishing Superpowered Love Book 8 now. Book 8. How even.
So now, I want to reflect on things I've learned since that first, wonderful experience with Equilibrium. Because, hey, it's a blog. That's what they're for, right?
Thing 1: Say the words. Bisexual, trans, asexual, queerplatonic, whatever it is, say it outright. Not only is it empowering to read, but not seeing it there looks like pussyfooting around or hedging bets--and is hurtful. My own specific experience with this relates to "bisexual"... mainly because I was unaware of the gross and bi/pan-erasing "gay for you" trope when I started out writing romance, but that's a whole other thing.
Thing 2: Write it, because someone out there needs it as much as I do. Everyone knows that m/m romance, particularly when it relates to cisgender dudes, is the most popular when it comes to LGBTQIA romance. People have discussed this extensively. When I started out, I was afraid that adding in f/f stories to a series that had primarily been m/m would piss people off. I mean, it probably does... but they're not the ones I wrote it for. I wrote it for the ones like me.
Thing 3: Don't be afraid, just be diligent. So many of my very, very first books contained... so many white, cisgendered protags. There is absolutely no excuse for it. I've tried hard to do better, and I know I'm going to fuck up now and then, but I also know that if and when I get told, I will listen and ask (when appropriate) and I will do better still. And I will work super, super hard not to fuck up, in the mean time.
Thing 4: People are great. Writers tend to burrow, seeing as many of us are introverts and derive our powers from the dark energy from alone-time. But being around book people, writers, readers, publishers, editors, whatever, be it in virtual or meatspace--it's great. The vast majority of people I've met on this wild ride are so supportive and open-minded, and so many of them have become true friends. People are all right, after all.
Thing 5: Hard work pays off. At least in this field, it does. It took me a long time to go from nothing published, to a few shorts, to enough novels that I sometimes forget my own count. It's not luck, though. It's working hard, striving to be better, accepting help, learning from mistakes, and pushing through obstacles. Sometimes it hasn't been possible, due to health or family or whatever, but when it was I worked, and that paid off. Good to know, because sometimes, you have to wonder, right?
Okay, five years, five things. Maybe after ten years I'll be back with five more... okay, no, I'll never remember to do that. It's a nice thought, though!
You know what, if you read through all that, you deserve a prize. Leave a comment here with a way to reach you--or retweet/reblog it so I can see--and I'll give away a print copy of Equilibrium/Riot Boy to someone at the end of Friday, August 26. Because hey, that's my birthday... and I'm a lot older than 5... ♥
*KV Taylor sold Scripped first, but it was published later, so Equilibrium gets the prize~
~Various~
April 28, 2014
Yes, today I have ~various~ updates to share.
First, I'm hanging out with the fab folks at The Novel Approach today talking about working with the wonderful Ruxandra Lache on the Fairy Compacts series. I'll be revealing one of her illustrations here on the blog, and of course there will eventually be thumbnails of them all on the excerpts page, but one thing at a time, right? There's also an opportunity to win a copy of the second book in the series, Life as a Fairy Thrall. And don't forget, the first book, The Dangers of Fairy Compacts, is a free read.
Second, I have some reviews to share from the last few weeks, wee~
1. In Distress got 4.25 stars from Melanie over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words--and a really fantastic, thoughtful review. Thanks so much, Melanie.
2. Equilibrium got 4.25 stars from Teresa at Prism Book Alliance--which just made me so happy. Sam and Hansen! My first babies. ♥
3. Elizabetta at Love Bytes gave In Distress 3.5 stars--and excerpted one of the silliest bits of the whole thing, which also makes me very happy. (Cum-cicles. IDEK sometimes, with Eddie. This guy.)
4. By the River got not-quite-4 stars from Sandra at My Fiction Nook: ...something to take with you to the beach on a hot Summer day to devour while the wind is in your hair and the sound of crashing waves in your ear. Awesome.
And I'm gonna hop over and visit Sandra next week, too, so I'll update when that happens. Until then, just over here finishing work on Fairy Bound to get the for Raven contributors their Special Editions asap. Everyone else, look for it late May. For now, there's some inspiring music that's just been added to the excerpts page. Excerpts themselves to come soon.
Release day for Eddie and Callum!
March 25, 2014
|
| Cover by PL Nunn |
Yay, In Distress exists! As usual, for the moment it is only available at Loose Id, but Amazon should follow shortly, and others after that. I'll keep this post, the book's page, and the sidebar over there updated as developments unfold.
And I know that's inconvenient for some, but hey, LI has all the formats you need (mobi = prc), plus they're doing an awesome sale on Equilibrium, for those who'd like to see where this whole Superpowered Love thing began. Sam and Hansen for only 2.99. Wowwwww, right?
How shall I celebrate all this fabulousness? Well, with a bottle of prosecco obviously.
Wait no, not til 5 o'clock. Honest. Okay, 4.30. >.>
In the meantime, there's all kinds of great stuff going on. Over at Joyfully Jay, there's "a nice, dirty excerpt" happening along with a contest to win a copy of the book. Thank you for hosting my oh-so-nsfw excerpt today, Jay ♥ and I hope y'all enjoy it.
She said she's reviewing it today too, so I'll update this post --
ETA: Oh look, here it is! A super-thoughtful and fabulous review culminating in 4.25 stars. Thank you so much! /ETA
ETA: Oh look, here it is! A super-thoughtful and fabulous review culminating in 4.25 stars. Thank you so much! /ETA
I'm also over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words talking about the inspiration for Eddie's story, in all its weirdness, and the Missed Connections collection--and there's a chance to win a copy there, too. Thanks for the spotlight, Melanie ♥
Phew okay! I think that's it for the moment. Woohoo, Missed Connections: In Distress!
ETA 3.30pm: In Distress on ARe. Yay!
ETA: 9.20pm: In Distress on Amazon~
Sci-Fi Extravaganza~
January 3, 2014
So yesterday was National Science Fiction Day, and so LI is having a sale through midnight on the 5th to commemorate it, with a ton of Sci Fi themed books a dollar off. Woohoo! If you've never read sci-fi romance, I defffffinitely recommend giving it a shot. If you already have--hey, have a field day!
I absolutely love it, and some of my favorite authors are on sale here. I know I talk a lot about comics, but I was also raised on Star Trek (I have an extensive collection of figurines and books that I will someday enshrine in a "Star Trek Room", I assure you), so... yeah. I love it a lot. Aliens, space pirates, werewolves... I mean you can't lose, right?
And if you've been waiting to read the very first Superpowered Love book, Equilibrium, it's part of the sale, too!
Yyyyeah Loose Id has really been doing some awesome sales and incentives since they revamped the whole website for the slicker experience--and all the stuff they used to do too, like curating the 'staff picks' (Re-Entry Burn is on it for the first part of this year. *So proud*). So if you don't normally go over there, maybe put it on your list of stops. Deals all over the place, lately. Of course, authors always love it when you buy from the publisher. We might be a liiiiiittle bit biased. Ahem.
And in other news, I am happy to report that In Distress (Superpowered Love 6--god have we come that far already?) has been submitted in its earliest form to my fabulous editor Raven, and now we shall see what comes of it. Eddie and Cal were so. much. fun to write. And after the frankly horrible year that was 2013, finishing on that note was just the thing I needed. It's a lot more in the fast-paced Equilibrium vein than the thinky Re-Entry Burn one, but part of the thing I love about writing the SL books (and for LI!) is that it gives me the freedom to mix things up like that. I hope it keeps y'all from getting bored with them, too.
So if you haven't met Eddie and Callum, definitely hop over to the In Distress page and say hi.
Back with more news soon!
They say it's your birthday...
August 21, 2012
... it's my birthday too, yeah!
God, I know, worst birthday song ever, right? My mom used to play it every single birthday to wake me up, and I'd sigh and pull my pillow over my face. Because as much as I love the Beatles... seriously, Macca? Why?
But it's appropriate nevertheless, because August 23 is Equilibrium's birthday. Yes, it has been live for a year now. And a few days after that is my birthday. Seeing as Equilibrium has just gone into print with Riot Boy attached, there's really only one thing I can do, isn't there?
Yep. Giveaway.
Booty: A print copy of the Equilibrium/Riot Boy omnibus. I'll graffiti it up for you, if you want. Here's a horrible picture I took with my iPhone the day they arrived because I was just so damn excited. In spite of the quality, you can see that the books themselves are freaking gorgeous.
This giveaway is open to anyone 18 or over--as in international. I'll send it to you wherever you are.
ETA: If your email isn't in your blogger profile (or the profile of whatever account you use to comment!) please be sure and include it in the comment so I can track you down and tell you that you've won. :D
ETA2: If for some reason blogger is being a dick and won't let you post, just email me at kate@kateyhawthorne.com, and I'll post it for you in the proper order.
God, I know, worst birthday song ever, right? My mom used to play it every single birthday to wake me up, and I'd sigh and pull my pillow over my face. Because as much as I love the Beatles... seriously, Macca? Why?
But it's appropriate nevertheless, because August 23 is Equilibrium's birthday. Yes, it has been live for a year now. And a few days after that is my birthday. Seeing as Equilibrium has just gone into print with Riot Boy attached, there's really only one thing I can do, isn't there?
Yep. Giveaway.
Booty: A print copy of the Equilibrium/Riot Boy omnibus. I'll graffiti it up for you, if you want. Here's a horrible picture I took with my iPhone the day they arrived because I was just so damn excited. In spite of the quality, you can see that the books themselves are freaking gorgeous.
To enter: Comment on this post and answer me one question: if you could have one superpower, what would it be? Feel free to include the why of it all, too.
To win: Well, that'll be up to random.org. On August 26, at the end of the day (midnight, I mean), I'll enter the number of comments in and let it pick one of y'all.
This giveaway is open to anyone 18 or over--as in international. I'll send it to you wherever you are.
ETA: If your email isn't in your blogger profile (or the profile of whatever account you use to comment!) please be sure and include it in the comment so I can track you down and tell you that you've won. :D
ETA2: If for some reason blogger is being a dick and won't let you post, just email me at kate@kateyhawthorne.com, and I'll post it for you in the proper order.
Newsletter Time
August 6, 2012
There's so much going on right now, I think the only way for me to make sense of it is to do a bullet-point newsletter of sorts. So, heeeeere we go...
Thank You
Thanks so, so very much to everyone who made the first week of By the River being alive so much fun. Thanks to everyone who commented and hung out at the PantsOff blogoversary post, thanks to Joyfully Jay for not only reviewing the book (kindly!) on the first day, but also for letting me invade with pictures of my river. Thanks to everyone on twitter and tumblr who put up with me freaking out all day on the 31st... and, okay, all week. Thanks to everyone who dropped by to comment, sent an email, tweeted, and, oh god, read and rated/reviewed anywhere.
True story: I was in miserable pain pretty much all week because my back went out. I can't even complain though because my life is awesome.
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, you'll find me over at Buffy Kennedy's place with a blog about superpowers. Ah, mmm, reminds me it's about time for another comic book update--but no, I mean superpowered love style superpowers. Buffy's site is lively, intelligent, and sweet, and recently reviewed Equilibrium, so it seemed an appropriate topic--plus there will be a giveaway. I'll update this post when it goes live, but heads up.
On Thursday I'll be hanging out over at The Romance Studio's release party site all day with a bunch of cool authors. There will be excerpts, romantic ramblings, and of course prizes for all. These parties are always a lot of fun--if bad for my bank account. I'll post here when it happens and of course I'll be chatting it up on twitter and tumblr too.
Coming Next...
With By the River off and running, I've been getting some questions about what's up next. In order--as best as I can manage, here's what the Hawthorne schedule looks like:
1. Life as a Fairy Thrall. #2 in the Fairy Compacts series will go out to everyone who contributed to the Raven Campaign next week--at which time I'll also have an excerpt available. The book will be for sale to all on September 1, 2012.
It's an adventure in Faerie from Tam's point of view, with some really gorgeous illustrations by Ruxandra Lache. And of course, magic and wingsex are guaranteed.
If you haven't picked up a free copy of #1: The Dangers of Fairy Compacts, it's there for the taking.
2. Fairy Bound. #3 in the Fairy Compacts series will go out to the Raven contributors in early October, and will be available for sale on November 1, 2012.
This is the final chapter in Aeron and Tam's story, and the telling of it is split between them. More interesting magic, more inventive wingsex, and hopefully the happily ever after they deserve, after so much trouble.
3. A freebie. By winter, it'll be time for another one, don't you think? I can't say too much about this one yet, but I'll tell you who the PoV is as a massive hint:
4. More superpowered love.
In all this Faerie and fairy-tale stuff, you might think I forgot what I was doing, but no, I swear, I didn't. There is more superpowered love than anything else on the horizon, my friends, and I hope very soon to have news in that vein. Until I can speak more freely, I'll just say that I have 2 full novels and one free short just about ready to go. I hate to be vague, but the timing is totally out of my hands. That said, if the second of those two books gets a "yes" from the publisher, that's the moment the free short will arrive--in celebration. And it'll have to do with...
And that's all the news there is for now. Thanks again, everyone. If you think of any more questions, just let me know and I'll do my best. Much love!
!!!ETA!!!
Oh wow. Yeah see, so much going on I even forgot this:
Equilibrium and Riot Boy in one gorgeous paperback. I got mine the other day. It's fucking incredible. Check it out, y'all!
!!!ETA!!!
Print!
Oh wow. Yeah see, so much going on I even forgot this:
Equilibrium and Riot Boy in one gorgeous paperback. I got mine the other day. It's fucking incredible. Check it out, y'all!
Superpowered Worlds
July 19, 2012
Hey y'all! No, no, I'm not back to rant some more. Just a heads up that I got to be a part of...
Spectacular Series Week over at Joyfully Jay. Yeeeeah! My topic is "The Links that Bind", in which I discuss linked series like the superpowered romances I do--the ones nicknamed "superpowered love", yes. Unlike the Fairy Compacts series, the superpowered love books don't continue the same story, but tell different stories that take place in the same world, so it seemed an appropriate topic. Swing by and check it out and you can enter to win a copy of one to see for yourself.
Unless you have them all, in which case thank you. Swing by so I can, like, hug you or something.
But if you're not following Jay's Series Week, definitely check out the whole thing. Jay, Melanie, and Sammy are bringing it--plus Melanie's doing stuff at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words in the same theme this week.
I <3 my groaning to-read list.
In semi-related (at least, for me!) news, there's a write up for Equilibrium over at Pants Off Reviews--Darien gave the book 3.5 stars, mostly because Hansen worked his geek charm. Woohoo, awesome! It's her blogoversary party, so definitely check out all the delicious giveaways and other pants-losing things, because that shit is wild already and it's just getting started. Anyhow, more on that later!
And no, I did not time it so that my blog post at one would actually be relevant to the review at the other. For one, I had no idea they'd be at the same time, and for another, I wrote that blog post like a month ago, I swear. Couldn't have planned it if I'd tried. <3
Thanks, lovely people, for letting me invade your corners of the blogosphere.
Spectacular Series Week over at Joyfully Jay. Yeeeeah! My topic is "The Links that Bind", in which I discuss linked series like the superpowered romances I do--the ones nicknamed "superpowered love", yes. Unlike the Fairy Compacts series, the superpowered love books don't continue the same story, but tell different stories that take place in the same world, so it seemed an appropriate topic. Swing by and check it out and you can enter to win a copy of one to see for yourself.
Unless you have them all, in which case thank you. Swing by so I can, like, hug you or something.
But if you're not following Jay's Series Week, definitely check out the whole thing. Jay, Melanie, and Sammy are bringing it--plus Melanie's doing stuff at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words in the same theme this week.
I <3 my groaning to-read list.
In semi-related (at least, for me!) news, there's a write up for Equilibrium over at Pants Off Reviews--Darien gave the book 3.5 stars, mostly because Hansen worked his geek charm. Woohoo, awesome! It's her blogoversary party, so definitely check out all the delicious giveaways and other pants-losing things, because that shit is wild already and it's just getting started. Anyhow, more on that later!
And no, I did not time it so that my blog post at one would actually be relevant to the review at the other. For one, I had no idea they'd be at the same time, and for another, I wrote that blog post like a month ago, I swear. Couldn't have planned it if I'd tried. <3
Thanks, lovely people, for letting me invade your corners of the blogosphere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons