A Cat for Troy received a Silver Medal (2nd place) in the 2021 ReadersFavorite Book Awards! I am soooo thrilled… I mean, I HOPED, right? But to actually have it happen!!! OMG! See the Award Page here! I’m so thrilled!!! Oh, I said that already… well, but I am! LOL.
Earlier this year, A Cat for Troy received a 5-star review from them, as well, so I’m double overjoyed!
After much thought, consideration and discussions with People In The Know, I’ve decided, now that I have the first 3 books of Wishes & Dreams published, and #4, Coveted Mate, is available for pre-order, to make the first book in the series, Wishes in a Bottle, perma-free. This is a magical genie paranormal romance!
You can get your FREE copy here!
The mysterious stranger disappeared from her life as suddenly as he’d arrived… then emerges from an old bottle in the attic
After 600 years of being bound to a magical bottle, Julian is beginning to wonder if he will be trapped as a Djinn forever.
Centuries ago in plague-struck Italy, Julian DiConti cast a powerful spell in desperation to have the magical power to be able to help his people who were dying in horrific conditions. The spell goes spectacularly awry, leaving Julian enslaved to a Djinn bottle, bound to grant three wishes to each Master of the bottle until the spell can be broken. More than anything, Julian longs for a normal life – for a home, and a family. After six hundred years, however, he has begun to despair of ever being freed from the spell.
She’d gladly free Julian from the spell, if only she knew how.
Enter Alessandra Taylor, a young woman who has followed her calling to help others, in the face of vociferous disapproval from her family. Working at a shelter for battered women, she’s thrilled to meet the reclusive Julian DiConti, whose collection of garments from third world countries has provided funding for shelters across the country. When Julian turns out to be a Djinn from the old bottle she found in her attic, she empathizes with his despair.
But one by one, she’s forced to use the precious wishes to help others.
Although she’s willing to free him, he can’t tell her how, and once she has made her third wish, the magic of the bottle will whisk Julian away and out of her life forever… unless she can somehow figure out how to free him.
Wishes in a Bottle is a dreamy paranormal romance novel with a happy ever after and no cliffhanger. It’s the first book in the Wishes & Dreams paranormal romance series by romance author Allie McCormack, featuring Djinn and Shapeshifters! Plunge into the magic and enchantment of an unconventional and, dare we say it, out-of-this-world love story.
This great review on 08/30/21 is by Mary on Amazon:
I loved this trilogy so much I wanted it to keep going when it ended! There is an intimate scene, I believe in book 2, so heads up about that. The story, characters, setting (did you love Aladdin as a kid??), all amazing. There were 1 or 2 plot points that had me wondering for a while, but the author eventually circled back and cleared everything up. It is one continuous story so i recommend buying the trilogy. Thanks to BookBub for bringing it to my attention during a sale! I usually don’t love vampires, but I like how the author portrayed their nature in this story. And can we just all have an Alyssa in our lives?! Or BE an Alyssa?! 🙂
For years I’ve been an avid medieval fantasy roleplayer in SecondLife. A few years back, a roleplay city I was in held a Short Story contest. Dredging my mind for ideas, I remembered a short but hilarious roleplay I’d done back in, oh, maybe 2010 or so. It took me two days, but I managed to hunt up the chat log of the original roleplay to refresh my memory. Then, using that as my inspiration and guide, I wrote up a short story and entered it in the contest. And it won!
So it suddenly occurred to me… why not publish it? So I pulled it up, dusted it off and edited the heck out of it, and here it is! It’s a very short, short story of only 2,250 words, or about 6 pages. Anyway, here it is!
An Almost Marriage is available as eBook only, on Amazon, Apple, B&N, Google Books and Kobo!
Today, When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy boxed set appeared as a BookBub Featured Deal for 99 cents. Tonight at roughly 9 pm, When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy hit the #1 Best Seller rank for Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy!
I only keep the badge for as long as it stays in the #1 slot, but… I can keep the memory forever!
I’m also very sure that it also didn’t hurt that my book was the very FIRST deal at the top of Sunday’s BookBub Featured Deal newsletter!!!!
This is the third of my books that’s received a 5-star rating from Readers’ Favorite! Okay, I have to admit, when the email came, I looked at it several times and finally decided not to open it, because I wanted a good review so much and it was like I was pushing my luck to go three for three (A Cat for Troy and When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy have already gotten 5 stars from Readers’ Favorite. It actually wasn’t until the next day that I summoned up my nerve to go see the review… and I’m so glad I did!!!
What the reviewer had to say:
Wishes In A Bottle is a highly engaging romance novel that fans of the paranormal sub-genre will get a lot out of. One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this novel was how well developed, human, and engaging the characters were, especially Alessandra and Julian. Alessandra and Julian are both selfless and high-impact characters that are easy to invest in, and the relationship that develops between them is a joy to follow. The plot is complex and captivating and captures the story’s emotion and characters well, taking you on the journey with them. I also particularly appreciated the fact that the magic system was consistent and easy to follow. Author Allie McCormack has masterfully crafted a magical and charming romance that you will find hard to put down, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to fans of paranormal romances or those looking for a believable and character-driven romance story.
Click here to read the full review.
Readers’ Favorite has awarded 5 stars to When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy!! What the reviewer had to say:
This review covers the three books in the When Darkness Falls trilogy. Things that will immediately capture the attention of the reader include the exquisite writing and the cunning plot. Allie McCormack’s prose flows gracefully and I enjoyed that she is consistent in style and voice. The setting is a well-imagined sixteenth-century desert world that offers visually enticing imagery. The different races that occupy this world are well-written and readers will immediately get the feeling that this world exists under thinly-veiled tension. The conflict grows stronger as the reader moves through the books; each chapter is emotionally fueled and written to deepen the story steadily. Every fan who enjoys elaborately developed characters, strong romance, and robust conflict in a tale will find When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy irresistible. A story of forbidden love with characters who are real, written with emotional depth, and evolving through the plot in a way that feels natural. The writing is vigorous and the characters appealing. Overall, this trilogy offers the perfect escape for fans of the paranormal romance genre.
Click here to read the full review.
This fall, probably late September, I’m going to go on a cross-country, hopefully inspirational (<–hopefully) trip. I’m going to do some touristy-things along the way, like the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, the St. Louis Zoo, Central Park in NYC, plus stop to visit family and friends, but the main purpose is to visit the Hudson Valley in New York. My Wishes & Dreams paranormal romance series is set there. I have 3 books out now, and the 4th is halfway done, but I’m setting that aside until I get to the Hudson Valley. I plan to stay a day or 2 (or 3 or 4? who knows?), drive along semi-rural and rural areas, through the hills and woods, visit my grandfather’s old house which is the basis for my inspiration for the setting. And simply get a “feel” for the area, which I haven’t visited since I was 20. I was in the Army then, and on my way to a NATO posting in the Netherlands, and I stopped a few days in NYC to do the tourist thing and visit my grandfather’s brother- and sister-in-law, who had always been known to me as Aunt and Uncle. My grandfather died when I was only 8, but he owned the house along with his in-laws, and so it’s still in the family, and I hope to visit.
This will be a very loosely structured road trip. I’m not making plans or timelines. I do want to stop one night at Holbrook and stay in the WigWam Hotel, in, yes, a wigwam. I’ll head on across the country, taking my time and stopping to take pictures or visit touristy places as I want, but roughly heading for the Hudson Valley. I plan to hopefully stay in AirBnB’s across the country and back. After I leave the Valley, I’ll head to NYC and see a very close old friend from SecondLife, whom I’ve never met in person but we’re, like, sisters-from-another-mother. I do want to take a carriage ride around Central Park, and maybe get a tour of NYC, even if it’s just grabbing a cabbie and having him drive me around. Then I’ll head down to the Carolinas and spend a day with my mom and stepdad, and another close friend who’s also one of my biggest fans and a beta reader as well. Next, to Nashville to have lunch with an old SecondLife friend and fellow writer (and one of my reader fans!), and catch up in person. After that, I’ll head down to Alabama and see another close SecondLife friend to meet face-to-face for the first time. He’s really into grilling, and has promised to make me steaks and ribs on his grill while I’m there! Then I’ll head up to St. Louis and visit the zoo, and maybe drive by my grandparents’ old homes in Kirkwood. So probably I’ll start wending my way home after the zoo. I’ve really always wanted to see Las Vegas, but I don’t think this is the right time for that… when I think about adding it in, it doesn’t “feel” right. So, maybe save that for another trip another time that doesn’t involve going all the way across the country and back.
The big question here is…. after leaving Alabama, do I head South and go send a day or two in New Orleans? That would be really REALLY cool… but I’ll have been on the road probably at least a week and a half by then, and I just might not have the energy. We’ll see… I could also save it and do another road trip just to go to New Orleans!
I’m disabled and can’t walk for long, which is why tourist things aren’t high on my priorities, and also why I’m keeping this as open-ended and loosely structured as possible. If I run out of spoons* I can just hole up in whatever hotel or AirBnB I’m in for a day or two. If I LOVE the Hudson Valley I can spend a week there. Any time I want to diverge from the plan, I can. No stress, no pressure. I have a packing list with checkboxes (I love lists!) so I won’t forget anything important, my kids will take care of my cats, I don’t have any date I “have to” be back by.
The whole idea is to have FUN, relax, and get inspired!
OMG! Last night I got an email from Readers’ Favorites (that I’d totally forgotten I’d submitted to), that I had a new, 5-star review for A Cat for Troy!!! I was absolutely blown away, and immediately all plans to write last evening totally went to hell, because I couldn’t stop reading the review and giggling and hugging myself! LOL! I’m in better shape today, and planning to get back to my work in progress after I get this post out, I just had to SHOUT!!!!
What the reviewer had to say:
A Cat for Troy is a wonderful slow-burning paranormal romance! Allie McCormack has penned a thrilling, action-packed story that moves along at a decent pace. Although this is part of a series, I had no trouble reading it as a standalone. However, I believe the other books tell the stories of other characters in this book so it is recommended to read them all to get the full picture. This is more than just a paranormal romance; it’s about two people who find each other against the odds, against everything life throws at them. This is a very different take on shifters, as most shifter stories focus on mating and bonding right from the start. It is a clean story with a nice storyline and some likable, well-developed characters you will relate to instantly. Get ready to lose yourself in a magical world you’ll be sorry to leave – and try to stop yourself from looking at your family cat in a completely different way!
Check out the Readers’s Favorite review!
RELEASE DAY! The third and final book of my medieval Arabian Nights style trilogy, When Darkness Falls: Book III: The Prophecy, is available NOW as ebook, paperback or hardcover!
The boxed eBook set, When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy, is also available now!
So on Monday, my Muse drove me back to my paranormal romance series, Wishes & Dreams… even though I’d actually planned on switching genres for a bit and working on the 3rd book in my Sons of the Desert multicultural romance series. However, when the Muse demands, I obey. So Monday evening, I came to my desk and opened up my Wishes & Dreams project in Scrivener, to read the 55k that I’d already had written on the 4th book, during NaNoWriMo 2018. OMG that was almost 3 years ago! Un-freakin’ believable. How could that much time have passed? Oh, I digress. So I open up Scrivener, and spot another book listed beneath #4. Um, okay?
So I open it, expecting to find some kind of jotted notes for a rough plot idea (happens all the time). Instead, I find a bunch of actual scenes, including the first 2 chapters, for a total of 12,000 words. NONE of which do I even remember, much less remember having written! I’m reading through it, thinking, “I don’t remember this. I don’t remember this. I don’t remember this.” Seriously. Even when I got to the end… still, absolutely none of it was familiar! I know I wrote it, because here it is, on my computer, in my Scrivener project. It’s not like someone broke into my house, created a new file folder and write 12k of a story and snuck back out. If it’s there, I wrote it. It’s a mystery.
Oh… and it’s pretty damned good, too!
So now I officially have TWO more planned books in the Wishes & Dreams series! LOL!
So When Darkness Falls is all done. Book 3 is coming out THIS THURSDAY! July 1st! Excitement!
So, remember last week’s writing plan, I was going to switch genres and work on Michael’s Quest, the 3rd book in my Sons of the Desert series? Well, that went out the window on Monday. I was driving along coming back from a trip to Santa Barbara, and my Muse shows up, and she’s ALL about the fourth book of the Wishes & Dreams series (working title ShadowCat). No amount of coaxing could persuade her we were interested in Michael and Claire. So, um, I guess we’re doing that, LOL!
I’m still planning on taking it slow though… especially with a new release coming out this week, I’ll have lots of Release Day tasks to do! (Seriously… you have NO idea!))
OHHH! And please note, I now have pretty, all-new banners for my Blog now! 🙂
Also, last but not least, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter and keep up on important news, previews, cover reveals, and so forth, as well as a monthly excerpt from either published books or works in progress, and a Recipe of the Month!
(Not in any particular order except if indicated)
So When Darkness Falls is all done. Book 3 is coming out on July 1st, but that’s all done and formatted and ready to upload to all the various platforms.
This weekend I’m not planning on anything involving actually writing; I’ve got some author takeovers coming up for the release of the Trilogy and I’ll be getting together stuff for those and relaxing (gulp… yep… I said relaxing! I’m trying to remember how that works…). I also want to work up some more excerpts to post on social media from The Dark Lord and The Prophecy (playing with graphics comes under relaxing, btw).
Oh! I forgot! And I have to edit ALL my book listings for When Darkness Falls books on ALL the platforms, to include a disclaimer for those who don’t understand that a trilogy is different from a series, in that it’s actually one story split into 3 books, and that books 1 & 2 have cliffhangers. I already got one seriously nasty review on GoodReads from a reader who was all up in arms that there was a cliffhanger.
Next week, I’ll be starting to think about Michael’s Quest, the 3rd book in Sons of the Desert, my multicultural contemporary romance series set in lovely Santa Barbara, California. I’ll be working on the third book, Michael’s Quest. You can read more about this series here. I’ll be reading the 35k I already have written, and working on character interviews to get the characters better set in my head. I’m not sure if I’ll actually be doing any writing on it this week; this year I’ve been pushing myself pretty hard, and I’m needing the bit of a break, which is also one of the reasons why I’m switching genres for the moment.
Also, last but not least, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter and keep up on important news, previews, cover reveals, and so forth, as well as a monthly excerpt from either published books or works in progress, and a Recipe of the Month!
(Not in any particular order except if indicated)
RELEASE DAY! The second book of my medieval Arabian Nights style trilogy, When Darkness Falls: Book II: The Dark Lord, is available NOW as ebook, paperback or hardcover!
It’s been awhile since I’ve updated my Writing Plan… and NO! not because I haven’t been writing, but because I have been writing, and totally focused on When Darkness Falls. Book I: The Palace just came out on June 3rd; Book II: The Dark Lord is coming out this week, Thursday, June 17th, and Book III: The Prophecy is coming out July 1st. Also on July 1st I’ll release the boxed eBook set, When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy.You can find all the buy links here, as the books not yet released are available for pre-order 🙂
At the moment, I’m in the throes of the very last step, a read-thru on my Kindle of the 3rd book. Once that’s done (today! I’m on the last 2 chapters) that will head over to my Mac to get formatted in Vellum, and fini! Well, I mean, I still have to format it, but you know what I mean 🙂
In other news… I’ve gone WIDE! This means that my books are no longer exclusive to Amazon (and no longer in Kindle Unlimited). You can also buy them on Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo. In addition, Amazon has also come out with hardbound book printing, so all of my books are also available as both paperback and hardbound on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! You can find the universal book links to all my books in the My Books section below.
For my next project, I’m taking a break from paranormal romance and heading back to Sons of the Desert, my multicultural contemporary romance series set in lovely Santa Barbara, California. I’ll be working on the third book, Michael’s Quest. You can read more about this series here.
The reasons for the change of genre/series are two-fold: 1) I really do want to finish this 4-book series; which, by the way, also has two possible spin-offs 😉 and 2) I’m planning a writing road-trip in the fall, where I’ll go to the Hudson Valley north of NYC. The Wishes & Dreams series is set here, and I’m thinking being there, driving about and spending some time there, will give me added inspiration!
Also, last but not least, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter and keep up on important news, previews, and cover reveals!
(Not in any particular order except as indicated)
My new bookmarks for When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy just arrived, in time to go onto the new shelves with the rest! You can see it, standing up on the shelf beside the hardcovers.
On the right you see the photo coasters for each book, underneath the mug for that book, along with pens with the book title and cover inside each mug. I’ve already ordered the mugs, pens and photo coasters for When Darkness Falls, they’ll be here in a week or so 🙂
Yes, I know it’s self-indulgent but I can’t help loving my swag!
Okay, I couldn’t stand it, I added a 3rd stack, only 2 cubes high. Now it’s REALLY done & ready for my next 3 books (When Darkness Falls trilogy), the last of which will be released July 1st. The hardcover & paperbacks of book 1 are already en route 😁💖
was running out of room for my books on my little wire bookrack, so I ordered a set of modular cubes from Michael’s, and spent the evening doing Bookshelf Assembly… all done! Well, I might add a fourth cube to the right stack,but I rather like the setup this way. I still have 2 cubes left to assemble, I might make a third stack with just two, that’ll llook kinda neat, and I’m going to need the room when I have all 3 books of the new trilogy out in July! For now, I’ll wait and see how things go. Mostly because my hands are sore and aching from all the assembly 😉
I now have my first 6 books as hardcover (top shelf) from Barnes & Noble… YAY n stuff! I’ve ordered the first book in When Darkness Falls, which was just released last week, but it won’t be here for a couple weeks at least, as it takes longer for hardcovers to print.
I got them from B&N because Amazon’s hardcover printing is still in beta phase, and they don’t allow author copies at cost. B&N doesn’t offer them quite at cost, but still half of the selling price.
When Darkness Falls: Book I: The Palace is now available for sale on multiple platforms: Barnes & Noble/Nook, Apple, Google Play, Kobo, and of course, Amazon! Click Here for the Universal Book Link to purchase from the store of your choice!
This is the first book of the trilogy, and they’re meant to be read in order. Book II: The Dark Lord will be released in 2 weeks, on June 17th, and then Book III: The Prophecy will be released 2 weeks after that, on July 1st. At that time you’ll also be able to get the boxed eBook set of all 3 books.
The books will all be available as eBook, paperback or hardcover.
Here’s the synopsis for the trilogy:
Ruled by a gracious, wise Sultana, the humans of the great desert city of Al Khair dwell in uneasy peace with the vampires and demons who claim the lands as their ancestral homelands under the leadership of an ancient, powerful vampire. Their shaky truce becomes strained when a young human woman arrives from distant lands.
Orphaned since childhood and outcast, Alyssa joins a caravan to the fabled Al Khair where she seeks only to make a new life for herself. A life that quickly becomes complicated when she draws the attention of the Dark Lord himself.
A thousand years ago, Lord Damien permitted the humans to build their city. When he senses a new, immensely powerful magical being in the land, Damien suspects the humans of plotting to overthrow him. Furious, he searches for the source of this power, but he cannot stop thinking of the young woman in the tower who had seen through his glamour spell that cloaks him from humans.
When he discovers that Alyssa is the mysterious being he has been seeking, his determination to have her for his own threatens to pit the two races, human and vampire, against each other in all-out war.
Also, check out the amazing book trailer!
I’ve really been struggling with trying to decide whether to stick with Amazon exclusively, or to go with WIDE publishing. In order to have my ebooks available on Kindle Unlimited (free to read with monthly subscription), they have to be exclusive to Amazon. That means they’re not available in Nook (Barnes & Noble), Kobo, Google Play or Apple Books. So I might be missing out on sales by not having them available on those platforms. But… MOST of my royalties at this point (about 70+%) come from KU page reads. A full read-through on KU pays about the same royalties as if I’d actually sold a copy of the book. So I might lose the current royalties I already get. Keeping mind my books will still be on Amazon, just not *exclusive* to Amazon, just not in KU. On the other hand, we’re not talking about a significant amount of money; I can take myself out to dinner someplace reasonably nice for a steak once a month on my royalties. No risk, no gain… and the financial risk is, honestly, pretty negligible.
But there’s a happiness risk. It’s not just about the royalties for me. When I see a book sale, or a bunch of KU page reads, I don’t squeal “money!” …. I’m jumping up and down squealing “somebody’s reading my book!” and I get all excited about that. That’s what keeps me going, that’s why I write and publish… to have people read my books. No, I don’t have them for free, because I do believe my stories, my creativity, my effort, have value, but it’s never been about the money (not that I’d object to making more, of course!). LOL. But I do risk losing those KU page reads, and being left with the sprinkle of eBook sales.
So… what do I do? Honestly? I don’t know. I joined the Wide for the Win Facebook group for writers who have published WIDE, and I’m taking 3 of my books… Truck Stop, SwanSong and Castles in the Sand… out of KU when their contract term ends May 22nd, and going WIDE with those, while keeping the paranormal romance series on Amazon and KU. But part of me keeps whispering “Just DO it with all of them…”
I’m seriously torn *le sigh*
