Set William Free!!!

Oh my. 
Typically I don't read reviews of my books. 
It either puffs up my ego or smashes it. Neither is good. But today I traipsed into that land and wow. WOW. Some people are angry at me. 
They want William, they want to spend time with him and they want to know that he's okay. 
I want the same things. 
Truly I do. 
Thing is, if I rush the story it won't be good for anyone. 
Consider, each book jumps about seventeen years or so, with the exception of Lipstick and Bolsheviks. It went crazy on me. Part one opens in 1905, only nine years after the end of Bluestocking Girl. Part Two opens in 1917. This is crucial to the story. 
The historical part of The von Strassenberg Saga thus far spans 40 years. The contemporary part spans only a month. Book 3 closes in 1917 and we still have three more "Marias" to get through, and a gap of about 70 years to close. 
Things are coming together, I promise. With more revelations and more twists but you have to trust me. It's more fun this way. If you're like me, you don't want to know yet because if you did it would ruin the big AHA! that's coming. 
Stick with me, I know how it ends and you'll love it. Trust me, you want this to happen....

No idea what I'm even talking about? Start with Filter today for $2.99 on Amazon. Now through November 12, 2013 it Filter will be available on Amazon Prime. 

Lipstick & Bolsheviks, How It Will Go

I've had some questions about how book 3 will work, considering it is being released in two parts. 
Part one of Lipstick and Bolsheviks will be released within days. 
My full-length novels are always priced at $2.99 upon release. 

As part one is only the length of a novella, it will be available for .99. 

Part two will be priced at $1.99 upon release. The combined novel will contain both parts and be priced at $2.99.  

The physical copy will not be available until both parts are complete and properly formatted. 

My apologies for the confusion but I blame Katie, who wanted her own spotlight.

Arabella: A Prequel to Things to Come

She stared hard at the dark expanse of water, trying to see how she came to be here. Alone.

Everything was muddled. There had been a large piece of their ship floating nearby and a good thing too, for she could not swim.

The ship, she realized, seeing beyond the dark waves to the memory of black sails that had billowed against a clear blue sky. The captain’s fury and the wailing women. Terrible booming and cracking sounds and then fire and smoke. And then she was alone and drifting.

Arabella pressed her hand into the sand, turning slowly to her back. Her salt and sand-crusted skin felt like curing leather pulled taut across her bones. She would die of thirst as she watched the ocean, waiting for the moonlight to catch on the mast of ship, waiting for the navy to miraculously appear and take her home.

What she saw was not a ship but a curious shape rising out of the water not too far from shore. Was it some great fish? A dolphin perhaps? No. Silhouetted against the moonlight, she saw the shape of a man—head, broad shoulders and the gleam of eyes. Eyes that locked on hers. “Are you from the Swan?” she called in a tremulous voice. He did not respond. “Are you a member of the crew?” Arabella tried again.

He only stared, bobbing back and forth along with the tide.©2013GwennWright

#TeaserTuesday Katherine's Journal

Only one Teaser Tuesday left until the big day!
And it's a good thing. It is getting very difficult to tease without spoiling for those who have not been on this journey with us from the beginning. 

From Katherine's Journal:

We had one last night together before everything fell to pieces around us and I fear I must tell you quickly. Doctor von Strassenberg appeared today. He looked harried and at a loss. “I need you to behave yourself. It is vital that I check your condition. I ask that you trust me to do this,” he said quickly. He ignored all my questions and would not tell me what the matter was. I have never seen him in such a frenzy. He poked and prodded at me. I will spare you the details, they are not pleasant but I believe they were necessary. I feel it will not be much longer. It is with great risk I pen this final story of my love. The doctor says he will move me soon, that the time is near. Has it been so many months? I cannot believe it. He says he is bringing the monster back later this day. It cannot be helped he says. He has no time to prepare another cell, everything is upended. Nothing is going as it is meant to, he wails at me as though it is my doing.

She is coming. Viktor’s betrothed. ©2013GwennWright

There's still time to get caught up! The von Strassenberg Saga is available for Nook, Kindle and in paperback. Enter to win a paperback copy of Katherine's Journal! http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/43083-katherine-s-journal

Lipstick and Bolsheviks: Peter meets Abbie

#TEASER
#VSsaga
#LipstickNBolsheviks

“Shall we sit,” he gestured at the chairs.
“No,” but she sat anyway.
He took the chair beside hers, pulling it around so the table wasn’t between them. She hated him. She was trying really hard to hate him but looking at him was distracting her from her intense loathing of him. 
“Why did you break into my house,” she demanded again before she could linger too long on how the sleeves of his shirt stretched across his biceps. In an effort to ignore his ridiculous magnificence, she snatched up her phone, idly tapping the weather app, checking the weather in Singapore. 
“My dad asked me to.”
She jerked, nearly dropping her phone again. He wasn’t supposed to admit to anything. Abbie was behind them, watching, waiting for her turn, but Rocky wasn’t sure how to proceed. Peter was supposed to deny everything. He wasn’t supposed to actually be honest. Somebody who goes around giving himself a fake name and breaking into your house doesn’t resort to honesty without threat of death. 
But he had. 
“I didn’t want to,” he continued. “And actually I got reamed for,” his shoulders lifted in a shrug. “For mishandling it.”
“I’d say.”
He caught her eye, seeming somewhat affronted by her obvious insult to his B&E skills. “Yeah well, my father may have taught me how to be a convincing liar but he forgot to mention how to break into a house with a state-of-the-art security system.”
“Bad parenting,” she tapped on the ten-day forecast. “Someone should report him.”
Peter snorted and fell into silence. 
She was working up the courage to go ballistic in a public setting. The observers at the other table would certainly appreciate a good show, she told herself. 
“Look,” he said, just as she had decided to open her mouth to let loose. “I didn’t want to do it. I’m not really even sure what’s going on.” He ran a hand through his rumpled hair. “But he said if I didn’t he would cut me off.”
“And you believed him?”
“He was pretty convincing.”
With a long strengthening sigh, she silently reminded herself that there could be no mercy, no understanding. William was missing and no one was talking. She had to freak out. Knocking her chair out behind her, Rocky leapt to her feet. Peter didn’t follow suit. He was supposed to follow suit. She was supposed to thump his chest and get in his face but he just sat there, looking up at her in expectation. She caught herself before she could throw an exasperated look back at Abbie.

            She could yell at him just as easily from this vantage point, she decided. “I don’t care what your rich daddy threatened to do,” she jabbed her finger in his face. “You broke into my house,” her words crescendoed. “You planted pills!”

            He opened his mouth to object but she stepped closer, nearly pressing her legs against his kness. Glowering down at him, her eyes locked on his, she growled, “I don’t care about your psychotic excuses or your psychotic daddy. I don’t want anything to do with you. You’re unhealthy for anyone with a brain.”

            She spun on her heel and nearly ran to the door to the thunderous applause of the girls, who apparently adored a good-looking man but liked a strong-willed woman even more.

            Across the room, Abbie watched as Rocky disappeared out of view. The girls laughed uncontrollably and wiped away fake tears while making boo-hoo faces at Peter. Before any of them had a chance to get up and interrupt Phase 2 of their plan, Abbie tucked her purse under her arm and strolled over to Peter. His face was in his hands, fingers rubbing his eyes. He hadn’t noticed her approach.

            She cleared her throat a little. He looked up and she felt her stomach clench and her breath catch. Rocky had warned her. William was handsome and very striking but Peter, well he was something like a god. He was Calvin Klein model material, only on a much larger scale. Her knees went a little weak, not just at the effect of his bronzed godlikeness but at the tragically beautiful pain in his storm-blue eyes.

            “Can I help you?” He seemed a bit annoyed.

She had forgotten to speak. “Um,” she pushed a stray curl behind her ear. “My, uh, I work for Mr. Drexler.” She stuck her hand out awkwardly.

Peter rose to his feet with some reluctance, making her feel like a tiny child beside him. He was so much taller than she was, taller even than William. A breath of silence passed between them. He just stood there looking unimpressed so she stumbled on. “I was, um, so you know Miss von Strassenberg?”

            He regarded her cautiously for a moment before asking, “Is that a problem?”

            “No, no,” she laughed and readjusted her purse beneath her arm. “No it’s just, well no one has heard from Mr. Drexler’s son for a week and so Mr. Drexler asked me to follow Miss von Strassenberg,” her words were faltering and she knew it. She was suddenly quite certain he would see through their weakly plotted scheme. She shrugged helplessly, “Never mind. I’m supposed to follow her and see if she does actually know where he is.” He was just staring at her as though she obviously must have more to say than just that but she was out of words. She had never been a good liar. Making a helpless gesture she sighed, “Never mind,” and turned to leave.

            “I haven’t seen him. Not that we’re pals or anything. He could fall off the face of the Earth and I wouldn’t know.”

            “Okay, well thanks anyway,” Abbie smiled up at him. “I hope he decides to reappear soon. I’m kind of tired of following her around.”

            A secretive smirk tugged at his lips, “I know the feeling.”

            “Sorry?”

            “Nothing. Listen,” he cleared his throat. “Since we’re here, would you like to grab some coffee? We could sit around and swap stories of the erratic Miss von Strassenberg.”

            He didn’t realize it but the trap was now sprung. Despite a few off-script deviations, their plan was working. Now Abbie just had to work her feminine wiles on Peter and hopefully by the end of the night she would be strolling arm-in-arm with him into Castle von Strassenberg. ©2012GwennWright

YA Indie Carnival--Spotlight

Yea. My post is a little late, but it's Refracting Light's fault. 
She distracted me.
My Indie Idol is Tess Oliver who commandeered my day with her YA paranormal romance, Camille. 


From GoodReads:
At a time when society conforms to the strictest rules and most proper etiquette, sixteen-year-old Camille Kennecott and her guardian, Dr. Bennett, live a most unconventional life. They hunt werewolves.When unwitting victim, Nathaniel Strider, wanders into one of their full moon pursuits, Camille and Dr. Bennett believe they have found a specimen for their study. Finding a scientific key to unlocking the mystery of lycanthropy would end their late night excursions. Yet beneath the irresistible exterior, Nathaniel is transforming into a flesh-tearing monster, and as each experiment fails, Camille loses another inch of her soul to him. In a month’s time, she must face the prospect of destroying the boy who has stolen her heart.


Camille is set sometime in the early twentieth century, when girls were expected to be all lace and manners. The story takes us to the dirty, nasty side of London and Oliver brings it vividly to life...the soot, the rotted teeth, the refuse in the gutters. More importantly, she brings the enigmatic bad boy about town, Nathaniel Strider to life. For me, Strider is right up there with LJ Smith's Damon Salvatore of the Vampire Diaries. It was the romantic tension, the emotional turmoil and the unexpected AHA! moment that kept me engrossed for an entire day (even at my niece's birthday party...it helps to have your Nook on your phone). 
Camille was definitely worth the 99 cents I paid for it, worth that and so much more! What a fun romp. And you can bet your bippy I'll be reading BitterRoot Crossing as well. And anything else by Tess Oliver. 

Visit our other carnies:

• Fisher Amelie (Author of The Understorey)
• K. C. Blake (Author of Vampire Rules)
• J.L. Bryan (Author of the Paranormals series)
• Courtney Cole (Author of The Bloodstone Saga, Princess & Guardian)
• Rachel Coles (Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie and other stories)
• Laura Elliott (Author of Winnemucca)
• Wren Emerson (Author of I Wish…)
• T. R. Graves (Author of The Warrior series)
• P.J. Hoover (Author of Solstice)
• Kimberly Kinrade (Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden Mind)
• Patti Larsen (Author of the short story, Henry and the newly released Run)
• Michelle Leighton (Author of the Blood Like Poison series, The Reaping, Wiccan,Caterpillar, and the upcoming Madly series)
• Lexus Luke (Author of Manitou and The Sky People Saga)
• Amy Maurer Jones (Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy)
• Alicia McCalla (Author of the upcoming debut novel Breaking Free)
• Cheri Schmidt (Author of the Fateful series and Fair Maiden)
• Madeline Smoot (Author of Missing)
• Dani Snell (Refracted Light Reviews)
• Cidney Swanson (Author of Rippler)
• Cyndi Tefft (Author of Between)
• Suzy Turner (Author of December Moon and Raven)
• Nicole Williams (Author of Eternal Eden and the much anticipated sequel, Fallen Eden)