Hexes & Kisses from Seattle: Cover Reveal

This is the second time, and hopefully the last one, I write this post because after composing a long, and rather witty story about Hexes & Kisses from Seattle my next series’ release, I clicked on the wrong arrow and deleted everything. The lesson here is to always save, every step of the way…

Anyway, you came here for a cover reveal, and I’ll give you three because I’m nice that way.

Lavender & Cinnamon: Book One

The pastry chef witch & the billionaire dragon-shifter: Not your usual meet-cute…
So… it doesn’t happen every day that you see a dragon shifter’s junk, up close and personal. 
Well, you’d think it’s this witch’s lucky day, but nope. Not even close. In fact, this day has been disastrous so far.
But let me rewind the story for you. Hi, my name’s Aubrey, and I own Lavender & Cinnamon, the award-winning pastry shop conveniently located in one of the coziest neighborhoods in Seattle. My life’s filled with cupcake and hexes, and I like it exactly the way it is.
Yesterday, I received ominous news from Mr. Stuart, my landlord—you guessed correctly, he’s the owner of the junk mentioned before. Anyway, he wants to evict my shop to build a high-rise on top of it.
The last thing I need is a domineering billionaire who thinks he can do whatever he wants because he’s rich. Sure, the man is unbearably handsome, generously endowed (I took a good look at it) and makes me weak in the knees… but rest assured I won’t give up my shop without a fight.
PS
If you want to know more about the junk incident, you need to buy the book…

Lavender & Cinnamon: Book Two

Hi! It’s me, Aubrey, again! Lavender & Cinnamon remains open! Yeah for me! 
Unfortunately, that’s the least of my worries.
It turns out Andrew (you remember Mr. Stuart and his enormous… attitude) and I were hexed and chained together by an invisible rope. It could be worse, you might think, being him a hunk and all.
I’d agree with you if it weren’t for the small detail of the striking blonde who just entered the scene. She’s Andrew’s fiancée. What?
Did you see that coming? I sure didn’t…
Andrew better have a very good explanation for forgetting to mention he was engaged while he was enthusiastically groping me, or the chain hex will be the least of his problems.

Lavender & Cinnamon: Book Three

Where were we? Right… I’m Aubrey, the witch and pastry chef from Seattle who got hexed alongside a handsome dragon-shifter.
In the meantime, I might’ve fallen for the hunk (okay, I’ll admit I’m head over heels in love with him), and he seems to be quite smitten with me as well—which, given my sparkling personality, shouldn’t come as a surprise. 
The only problem is that both my dad and Andrew’s ex-father-in-law are vehemently opposed to our idea of happily ever after and are fighting us with fangs and spells. Plus, it would seem that our story started a few centuries ago…
But love always conquers all, right? 

Hexes & Kisses from Seattle: Cover Reveal

A Vampire’s Thirst: Adrian–Cover Reveal

It’s official, in 2017 I wrote more books than I could publish, but hopefully, I’m right on schedule with my contribution to A K Michaels’ A Vampire’s Thirst series. Adrian will release January 19th, 2018, starting this new year with a personal bang, because I not only wrote the story, but I also created the covers for this brand-new series. I know I’m biased, but I really love this cover!

Vampire Thirst Monica La Porta Final

A Vampire’s Thirst: Dark, Dangerous, and Undeniable
In his two thousand years on earth, Adrian, a day-walking vampire, has seen it all and done it all, and it’s left him jaded and aloof. He governs every aspect of his private life with an iron will, but his control is threatened when he begins suffering from a mysterious thirst wreaking havoc on his mind and body to the point that he fears for his sanity.
Lavinia, a werewolf half-breed, longs for stability, something she’s never known after a childhood spent on the run from purist shifters intent on ending her kind. When she finally believes her life is set on the right path, her roommate is savagely murdered, and Lavinia is thrown into a nightmare of hellish proportions.
On the night of the Directive’s Masquerade Gala, the thirst plaguing Adrian irresistibly draws him to Lavinia, like a moth to the flame. It’s an encounter that changes their fates forever.
Fleeing her enemies, Adrian and Lavinia fight for their lives while the fiery sparks of their passion threaten to burn them to cinders.
Monica La Porta brings you book 4 in A K Michaels’ brand-new world, A Vampire’s Thirst, full of hot as hades alpha males in this smoking paranormal romance story.

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon DE

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

iTunes

Kobo

A Vampire’s Thirst: Adrian–Cover Reveal

A Vampire Thirst

Surprise Cover Blood and LogoI can’t believe that it’s fall already. 2017 has been, so far, one of my most productive years as a writer, and the best is yet to come. Among the many projects I’m involved, A Vampire Thirst sees me in the double role of invited author and cover artist, and I can’t wait to share more of it with you… but all in due time. If you wish to know more about this exciting new world created by New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author A K Michaels, pop over to the A Vampire Thirst’s Facebook page for cover reveals and snippets. My cover is up next.

A Vampire Thirst

A Wolf’s Hunger: Kendall ~ Sneak Peek

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If you have read Ax: A Wolf Hunger Alpha Shifter Romance, you’ve already met his brother Kendall, who is dealt the worst possible hand. In the same week, he buries his father and his betrothed runs away with his brother Ax. Several readers asked in their reviews for Kendall’s story, and I listened. I don’t have a cover for Kendall yet, but here is a snippet from the book that should come out in the next month.

A Wolf’s Hunger Series

Prologue

Kendall grabbed his fishing vest from the back of the chair and headed out of his office, thanking the Goddess it was Friday and a whole weekend of much-deserved solitude awaited him.

A week dealing with the aftermath of yet another renegade attack on the Seattle Pack’s property would be enough to sap any alpha’s energies, but combine marauders with two weddings and you have the perfect storm. Kendall would’ve rather confronted murderers and thieves than doling out good wishes and smiles to the newly-married couples. The look of happiness on those faces mocked his true feelings regarding mating. Although he couldn’t prohibit people from looking disgustingly cheerful in his presence, they could, at least, show a fucking bit of respect for him. He wasn’t asking that much, was he? But no, members of his pack insisted in getting hitched and wanted the alpha to perform the ceremony.

He was already closing the heavy wooden door of his office when the phone on his desk rang, interrupting his morose thoughts. Any call coming from the landline meant business, so he lowered the handle and stepped into the large foyer, eager to start his weekend. Every month, he reserved a few days away from the pack, and only Little Wolf, his beta, knew his whereabouts. Kendall never went far—his sense of duty wouldn’t allow him to forget his responsibilities—but he was free to get drunk without anyone pitying him.

“Are you going to answer that?” Little Wolf asked from the veranda.

“It’s past five pm.” Kendall walked past his beta, who lounged on the comfortable glider bench with a cold beer handy.

“It’s still ringing.” Little Wolf looked over his shoulder.

Damned their sensitive ears and that blasted phone.

“It’ll stop.” Kendall grabbed his cowboy hat from the hook on the porch column.

“It could be important.”

“They’ll call back on Monday.” Kendall brought a finger to the brim of his hat and lowered it to shield his eyes from the afternoon glare.

The long days of summer made for good fishing and hunting trips, or just good, old-fashioned hideouts from society. A man deserved some privacy to nurse a hangover, and he couldn’t wait to start his drinking project. The vest and the poles hanging from the frame of his Rubicon Jeep were just for show.

“I don’t know about that.” His beta scratched his mane, his brow furrowed. The persistent rings cut through the peace and quiet like screeching banshees. “Did you turn off the answering machine again?”

“It’s the fucking weekend.” They had this conversation before and agreed to disagree on the holiness of Saturdays and Sundays. “The pack has priority, but the rest of the world can go—”

“I’ll go and see who it is.” Little Wolf raised his big body to his full height and stomped inside, taking a long swig from his beer.

“Suit yourself.” Kendall walked to the front of his Jeep and grabbed the bar to hoist himself up on his seat. His foot itched to press on the accelerator, but he waited until his beta reappeared at the porch. It might be important and Little Wolf would call him soon after while he was driving.

“So?” Kendall leaned out of the door-less frame, giving his friend a raised brow and added a scowl for good measure.

Little Wolf stopped under the shade of the porch, a smug smile on his large face.

“What did you do?” Kendall growled.

“I accepted Juliette Kewada’s invitation for you.”

“You did what?” Kendall purposely didn’t answer Juliette’s email about the Summer Solstice Celebration organized by the Honolulu Wolves, her pack. He didn’t want to fly to Honolulu for the weeklong party and spend the entire time fending off questions about the disgraceful end of his betrothal to Aimee.

Even though almost a year had passed since his dear brother stormed in and stole his future bride, people still felt necessary to pester Kendall with friendly advices and unrequested words of wisdom about the Hunger. No, he definitely didn’t want to hear anything else about how Ax and Aimee didn’t have a choice because the Hunger marked them as soulmates. He didn’t care about old folklore or fated mates’ tales. His heart lay broken in his chest and only darkness resided in it.

Little Wolf answered his rhetorical question with a shrug. “I couldn’t say no.” He finished his beer before adding, “She says, ‘He’s coming, right?’ and you know how those alphas are, they’re all bossy and make demands, and I says, ‘Of course. He wouldn’t miss it for the world.’”

“I’m going to have your hide—”

“Some Hawaiian diet will do you good.” Chuckling, Little Wolf winked at him. “I don’t think there’s another woman from here to Seattle that you haven’t bedded already.” Little Wolf reached down into the beer cooler to pick up another can. “You need a change of scenery.”

“And you need to find another pack and soon.” Kendall floored the accelerator and left before he would strangle his beta.

A Wolf’s Hunger: Kendall ~ Sneak Peek

Release Day for Ax: A Wolf’s Hunger Alpha Shifter Romance

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I’m pleased to announce that my contribution to A K Michaels’ A Wolf’s Hunger world is live. Writing Ax and Aimee’s story was a nice change of pace and a a much-needed break from my other series. I’ve had lots of fun creating a Wolf Pack living in Washington State, and I’m planning to write more stories set in the same universe.

Ax: A Wolf’s Hunger Alpha Shifter Romance

A Wolf’s Hunger: It can’t be stopped
Axelrod McKenzie left the Seattle’s Wolf Pack ten years ago, swearing never to return. The sudden death of his adoptive father and alpha of the pack forces Ax to go back on his word.
Suddenly plagued by a gnawing hunger that consumes him from within, Ax must confront his inner demons and his half-brother, Kendall; a brother Ax resents because by pack laws Kendall will inherit the alpha seat vacated by their father.
Little does Ax know that his life is going to get way worse before it gets any better. But the moment he has a glimpse of Aimee, Kendall’s fiancée, Ax’s life is forever changed by the revelation that the she-wolf is his fated soulmate.
Passions run high as the three of them must come to terms with their fates. Will love triumph over a family feud that has lasted for decades?

Release Day for Ax: A Wolf’s Hunger Alpha Shifter Romance

The Lost Centurion: The Day After the Bookbub

Let’s start today’s post by saying that I am not impressed by the data I collected at the end of the first day post-Bookbub. The day’s earnings were lukewarm at best, something I’ve achieved by myself on a good day without any promo.

At the moment, ranking for The Lost Centurion have disappeared from its Amazon page, but the last time I checked, it was lingering at #40. I will add the latest ranking as soon as I have it.

Amazon Downloads: 1,865

Amazon sales: $38,11

I’ve realized only now that The Lost Centurion is still available through Smashwords and not D2D, while the rest of the Immortals series is sold wide through D2D.

Smashwords Downloads, data from the last three days: iTunes 1,575, Nook 1,032, Kobo 35. Frankly, those numbers have pleasantly surprised me. I didn’t expect the promo to be so successful wide. This is definitely uplifting and mitigate what I said a few sentences ago, at the beginning of this post.

D2D Sales: 105.74 – 95.39= $10.4

Reviews received on the day after the Bookbub: 3 – ranging from 5* to 1*, bringing the total number of reviews to 213, with an average of 4.2 out of 5.

I’ll post again tomorrow with a final report about this promo.

PS

Amazon ranks reappeared:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Vampires
  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Angels
  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Ghosts
The Lost Centurion: The Day After the Bookbub

The Lost Centurion: Bookbub–First Day Results

Here is the data at the end of the first day of The Lost Centurion’s Bookbub promo:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Paranormal > Psychics
  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > New Adult & College

So it went from #130 up to #14, not the podium, but at least in the first 20 free bestsellers page.

Amazon downloads: 8,417

Amazon sales: 33 books (mainly in the Immortals series) = $79.17 earned on April 25th.

Wide downloads: I’m waiting for D2D’s results.

Wide sales: I’m waiting for D2D’s results, but as of yesterday, the whole month’s earnings totaled $95.39.

Reviews: 1 review off the bat: 4*, lucky number 210 (It’s probably from the Freebooksy promo)

Conclusions so far: In the past, I made the Bookbub money back on the first day, but as I said in yesterday’s post, The Lost Centurion has been free for a while, and I’ve promoted it at least once every other month. Plus, it’s 2:01 am in the US as I write, and there are already 419 downloads on Amazon. I’ll report later in the day with more stats.

The Lost Centurion: Bookbub–First Day Results

The Lost Centurion’s Last Hurrah

61Gc7i5E7ZLIn the indie authors’ world, smart minds have been wondering  for a while if the era of the permafree has passed its prime. At the moment, I can’t remember when I first put The Lost Centurion for free, but it’s definitely longer than a year, probably two. The number of free downloads per day has dramatically decreased, which translates in fewer sales for the rest of the series. When I was accepted for a Bookbub for today, I decided it was time to put The Lost Centurion back to paid as soon as the promotion ends. Because Bookbub accepted me just before I was about to leave for two weeks, I only had two days to look for additional advertising venues, and only Freebooksy was available. Bookgorilla was all taken for the month, and Robin Reads rejected me. So, I stacked a Freebooksy yesterday, April the 24th,  Bookbub today, April the 25th, and I’ll send my newsletter on the following day. I am in Europe as I write, and Bookbub will start in six hours. I’ll write back in a few days to report final numbers. Meanwhile, thanks to the 936 downloads brought by Freebooksy, The Lost Centurion starts at #146 in the Amazon Free chart, and it’s #1 in a few categories: angels, psychics, demons and devils. I don’t expect spectacular results with Bookbub because this is the third time this title is promoted by them (the first time it was by itself, and the second as part of a boxed set), but it’s a good way to end a permafree nonetheless. Talk to you soon.

The Lost Centurion’s Last Hurrah

Coming Soon: A Wolf’s Hunger Series

Promotion PosterI was invited by NY Times Bestselling Author A K Michaels to participate in her new project, A Wolf’s Hunger, and I’m very excited to see this new world coming alive thanks to the contribution of a group of a very talented novelists. Besides yours truly and the great A K Michaels, the list include several NY Times, USA Today & Amazon Bestselling authors: Julia Mills, Desiree A Cox, Cathy Jackson, Bella Roccaforte, and Kristina Canady. Cover by Sassy Queens of Design.

Stay tuned for more!

Coming Soon: A Wolf’s Hunger Series

The Fifth Moon’s Wolf: Cover Reveal

In the last twenty-five days, I’ve been working nonstop on my newest project, The Fifth Moon’s Wolf, a brand new paranormal series set on a distant planet, several hundreds years from now. It has been an exhilarating month of February, and I’m barely breathing now, but I was able to finish the book, and create the covers and several banners. The house has yet to recover from it, but Spring is here, so I can look outside at the pretty cherry blossoms and forget that I should be cleaning the mess that has accumulated all around me. So, what do you think?

The Fifth Moon's Wolf 800

The Fifth Moon’s Wolf: Cover Reveal