October Newsletter

Happy October! 

Nurse, Vampire Mistress, or Catwoman... my Halloween costume is still up in the air, but one thing is for sure... I am LOVING this weather! Cool air has finally hit our beach town, and I have been pulling out the spooky decorations, scarves, and pumpkin candles, embracing this season with both arms WIDE open! 

Last weekend, I spent a few rain-soaked days in Savannah, Georgia at the Sassy in Savannah signing. There were over 40 authors signing books and over 400 readers -- it was insanity! Signings are one of my favorite parts of being a writer, there are few things that match the energy and excitement of hundreds of passionate readers gathered in one fan-girling place. I did a video on it once, if you want to check it out, click here. 

And if you missed my last newsletter, Hollywood Dirt released on September 7th! It hit the New York Times Bestsellers list (twice!), the USA Today Bestseller List, and the Wall Street Journal List! It also accumulated over 4,000 five-star reviews!!! If you are interested in this book, you can read the first three chapters and see purchase links here. Thank you to all of the readers who helped to make this book a success!

This month I am trying to catch up on my reading and figure out what the heck I am going to write next. I don't know why I am struggling with this. I have three books half-started on my computer and I don't know whether to go with one of them or start fresh with something else. I think napping helps. And cookie dough. And reading. And decorating the house with skulls and spiderwebs. 

Last but not least... in just ONE MONTH the third book in the Deanna Madden series releases! It's called If You Dare and I'm including a sneak peek at it below... read at your own risk! :) If you aren't familiar with the series, it is erotic suspense, with each book written as standalones, no cliffhangers. It is suggested that the books be read in order, so start with The Girl in 6E!

Instagram pics below:
- at the Sassy in Savannah book signing, with my PA Tricia
- our new puppy facing off against his biggest enemy... the urine spray!
- before the cool weather hit.. writing on the back porch

exclusive excerpt: if you dare

PREORDER NOW

from If You Dare, the third book in the award-winning Deanna Madden series...

MY APARTMENT'S FLOORS are concrete, painted over thirty-some years ago with white latex paint. In some places, the paint peels. In others, it's worn through, a dirty tan shade beneath. I kneel on the floor and scrub, a green Scotch-Brite pad in each yellow-gloved hand, protection that extends up to my elbows. The concrete is hard, my knees damp against my jeans, and I work my way from one side of the apartment to the other.

Scrub.
Scrub.
Scrub.

I stop every three or four feet to pour down more bleach and to wipe up behind me. 
Scrub.
Scrub. 
Scrub.
I open the window and stick my head out. Sunday night's rip of cardboard making today's to-do list one step shorter. Inhale to clear my lungs. Look down a hundred feet, at the crumpled mess of dirt, grass, and trash, and get dizzy. Pull in a breath and my head, walk back, and get back on my knees. If I wasn't hiding evidence, I'd turn on my webcam and do this naked. Get a few thousand bucks richer in the six hours this is taking.

Scrub.
Scrub.
Scrub.

And this is only step one. Step two will involve powder, then solution. Step three will involve another round of bleach. The floors, then the walls, then the windows. Somewhere in the corner of my mind, Lil Jon gets crunk.

"Move in with me."

I looked up from the magazine, my elbows on the bed, belly flat, feet kicked up to the ceiling. "I can't." Not that I hadn't thought about it. I had. Thought, envisioned, fantasized. It'd be great. We'd do laundry together, have impromptu sex, make late- night brownies, and pick out throw pillows. Then I'd kill him, and the fantasy would be over.

"Come on . . . it's got two bedrooms. You could have a separate one if you wanted."

"And leave all this?" I tossed a sloppy hand out, sweeping it around in a gesture that encompassed all of the grandeur of the Mulholland Oaks apartment building.

He laughed, putting a knee next to me on the bed and sitting down, his hand rolling me over onto my back, then lifting me up and toward him until my head rested in his lap. "Yes. Leave all this. The new house is gorgeous . . . but it's lonely. It needs you."

I made a face. "I saw the pics. The new house needs nothing. You're a big boy. Fill it with masculinity and fishing pictures."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and stared down at me. "Please?"

I sighed, looking up and meeting his eyes. God, those eyes haunted me. They were golden retriever eyes, the kind that begged while putting all of their trust in you. "I can't. You know that. I like it here. This . . . this is my safe place."

"I want to be your safe place."

"You're not. You're...you're the door to everything that isn't safe. And it's okay. It's what I love about you, but it's also what scares me."

"Just say it again." His thumb was soft when it brushed across my mouth.

"I love you."

He smiled. "Think about it."

I smiled. "Okay."

But I never would have moved. I knew that. He had to, deep inside, know it too. 
Scrub.
Scrub.
Scrub.

If you are on Goodreads, please consider joining my group!

Shh... {Smut, Heroes, & Happily Ever Afters} has over 3,000 members and we'd love to have you as a part of our book-loving community!

Shh... Calendar and Top Links!

*note: below links won't work unless you join the group here.

Giveaways section - over $500 has already been awarded!

TopPick of the Week - next week we discuss Broken Heroes!

IndieSTAR Chat - Right now, we are chatting with Jennifer Probst, Lili St Germain, KA Tucker, and Nashoda Rose!

SPOTlight On - This month's Author Chat is Pepper Winters!

In parting, if you are one of the readers who picked up Hollywood Dirt, enjoyed it, recommended it to others, or left a review, I just wanted to give a big extra THANK YOU. It is because of your support that I can write, you all inspire me in so many ways. Thank you all for making Hollywood Dirt such a huge success, I truly appreciate all of your support.

And get excited... Halloween is almost here! And by the time the next newsletter hits, If You Dare will be on shelves! 

Hugs,
Alessandra