Guest post:Gemini Rising by Jessica O'Gorek

Excerpt #1

Onyx floated near the window of Violette’s room. He observed her sleeping face. The new scratches on her cheeks and dirt under her nails were a painful reminder of the mess he’d made. Everything had gone smoothly until he’d been unable to resist a little touch. He’d just wanted to feel her before he ruined the one chance he would ever have to get close to her. He had planned on taking over Slate long enough to proclaim his love for Eleanor and thereby ruining the boy’s hold on Violette’s heart. A nasty plan, but better than having to live with the thought of Slate having her to himself.

He never thought his reaction would be so explosive. Her hand had been so soft, warm, and the look in her eyes was liquid desire. When he’d led her up on her knees, his craving to be touched by her had overwhelmed him. It was like giving into a carnal sin, allowing a human to have power over him. For any human to get this close to a Gemini, in a peaceful fashion, was unheard of. A shameful need had begun to work its way into his psyche. The fire leapt out of control and turned into an incredible rage, a rage so whole and powerful, he had been consumed with Slate’s human adrenaline when he had attacked her. How could this lovely, weak little creature have such an influence over him? He considered this longing to be an inadequacy within himself, one that he could not conquer. He was then determined to kill both her and Slate. He had lost his temper. Never before had he felt he would wither away if he didn’t take a soul. He’d always been able to pick and choose his victims, but Violette had unknowingly chosen him. The thought of facing Tork with this information drove him to the grim conclusion that he had no choice.

Looking down at her now and how peacefully she slept, he was so very glad Slate had broken free long enough to chase her away. She did not deserve the fate he would’ve given her. His guilt was eating at him now. He had to destroy this place, but he was not sure he could leave her to perish. Frustrated, he sank to the cot beside her and laid his head down on her belly. She slept soundly, oblivious to his silent apology. If he stayed away from her, he could not hurt her. So he would follow Slate and learn where his strength to fight him off stemmed from.

"Sleep, little one," he whispered, and sank through the floor, on his way to the cellar.

STARTING OUT AS A WRITER- 5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

When you are targeting your audience and deciding who to market to, leave your options open. I started writing my book as an adult paranormal romance and my 13 year old daughter started whining that she wouldn’t be able to read it because it had sex in it. I am so glad I listened to her because when I asked my publisher about making it a YA book they agreed that it was an exploding genre and they were more comfortable supporting the book as a YA Paranormal Romance. Sometimes your kids are your best critics so make sure you listen to them!

When you are marketing your book, use pictures! That’s right; the age old saying that pictures are worth a thousand words, is very true. Graphics will grab the attention of consumers faster than any words, (other than four letter words and the word sex) so besides your book cover, what can you do? Make sure you have a great picture of yourself, or even an avatar, that you use consistently on every social site. If you have characters that people will cheer for then make some team badges with their faces on them! Can’t do graphic art? Hire an artist for a small fee to make some art for you. Make sure you buy the right to the art work as well so you can use it over and over again. You can use images on anything, Facebook posts, groups, Twitter, blogs, websites, anywhere!

When you get a bad review, walk away. Seriously. Close the web page, turn off the computer and take a few deep breaths. Then, after you cry, scream, or laugh, get back on the internet and thank them. Yes, I said thank them! This is the best response to all bad reviews. It shows you are mature enough to accept the criticism and that you are willing to learn from and grow with your readers.

Brag about yourself and your work! This is still one of the hardest things for me to do. One of my mentors told me that if I wanted to be famous, or be perceived as important, I had to act like I was. I was a little horrified by this at first but I have practiced acting like I’m someone important and I think I’m finally getting the hang of it!