Take a stand and let the world hear you roar against sexual violence.
August 17-24th is the third annual Mending Mads silent auction to raise money for RAINN. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) is the nations largest anti-sexual violence organization. The Mending Mads silent auction came about after researching the recovery process of sexual assault survivors. Last year $466.17 was raised and sent to RAINN. President and founder, Scott Berkowitz, wrote a lovely letter to say thank you for the donation. I’m looking for ebooks, signed paperbacks, bookmarks, swag, care packages; any goods or services you can offer as prizes for the auction.
********If you are interested in donating items or have questions, please email me at BridgetBlackwoodAuthor@gmail.com for more information.************
Why did I choose RAINN as Mending Mads charity of choice? One of Worth magazines top 100 charities, RAINN has helped 2.2 million people since 1994. When money is donated, ninety-three cents of every dollar goes directly to helping survivors.
How Donations Help
• Allows an average of 558 survivors to receive help through RAINN’s hotlines each day
• Improves sexual assault laws and policies to ensure that survivors get the justice they deserve
• Educates more than 130 million people per year on prevention and recovery through relationships with the entertainment industry, the media, and local communities
• Expands the use of DNA to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits
Enlists the help of college administrators, Congress, and students on hundreds of campuses to hold colleges accountable for preventing and responding to sexual violence (rain.org)
If you’d like to see more in-depth financial information from RAINN (Form 990 Audited, reports), then please visit RAINN
The weather is crazy in my neck of the ‘burbs. One day is warm and the next is frigid. Summer will be here before I know it. *sob* I am a winter person, but I’ll deal. Heading into a very busy season and I have so much to share with you. Strap in, because here we go!
Facebook Events where you can chat with me and other authors plus WIN PRIZES!
August 12th & 13th 2016. Once Upon a Book is being put on by the fabulous author Stacey Rourke at the Bavarian Lodge in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The list of attending authors is loooong. You can pre-order books from some authors at the same website you can purchase tickets.
PennedCon STL 2016 is gearing up to celebrate our 3rd year in St. Louis. Join is September 23/24th for a two-day book signing event with over 130+ authors, learn from industry leaders about how to publish, market and grow your brand, join us for our keynote speakers, join in with games hosted by authors, panels, a luau awards ceremony any more! – Rick and Amy Miles
I’ll be sharing a table with my writing partner in crime, Astrid V. Tallaksen. We are ridiculously excited to be together.
PennedCon raises money for a charity scholarship with Action for Autism
Show love for World in Shadows by sporting a shirt from their favorite hangout.
April 26th is the re-release of Belong to the Night with Booktrope Publishing. This copy is revised from the original copy that is currently available. There will be a party on facebook with ebooks, signed paperbacks, and swag up for grabs. Don’t miss out, I’m especially generous with gifts on release days ;0)
While you wait, watch the trailer for Belong to the Night and add it to your Goodreads.
Need something to listen to? How about giving the Belong to the Night YouTube playlist a try. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel!
Several birthdays, holidays, and visits from family are coming up for the Blackwoods. I’m busy working on Lost in Paradise and thinking about what I want to do with Made of Stone. So many little surprises for the following months that I can’t share yet and it is KILLING me. Secrets are not my forte. Keep an eye out for more because as soon as I see green lights I am telling the world!
In preparation for tomorrow’s re-release of A Scarlet Fury with Booktrope, I wanted to share the music. If you want a chance to win giveaways, chat with a bunch of fabulous authors, and have fun, then please drop by the Facebook event.
Every song for A Scarlet Fury was carefully chosen. They fit the scenes in my head and the characters perfectly. I could write an essay about all of them but I think only a few people would actually enjoy that, LOL! (Feel free to hit me up in an email or message me on social media if you are one of those few. We can chat for ages *grin*)
Here are the top eight songs from the soundtrack I love with all my heart.
1. Somewhere (Featuring Anneke Van Giersbergen) by Within Temptation
The book starts with Madalaina in a tight spot. She’s in need of serious help.
Mads side
Lost in the darkness
Hoping for a sign
Instead there’s only silence
Can’t you hear my screams?
Cleary side
I’ll find you somewhere
I’ll keep on trying
Until my dying day
2.Marathon by Junkie XL
Fierceness, rage, an unwillingness to quit until death. Cleary, Varian, and Bastian are the guys you want on a rescue mission. It isn’t a job, it’s family. You don’t take from them without forfeiting your life.
3. Hell and High Water by Black Stone Cherry
There was one particular lyric that screamed Cleary to me.
I could lose the damn war all by myself if you were on the other side.
He’s a dedicated kind of guy.
4. Hurricane by Ms Mr
A very Madalaiana song. She doesn’t get what Cleary sees to make him want more.
Welcome to the inner workings of my mind
So dark and foul I can’t disguise
Can’t disguise
Nights like this
I become afraid
Of the darkness in my heart
Hurricane
What’s wrong with me
Why not understand and see
I never saw
What you saw in me
5. Stardust by Gemini Syndrome
A very Cleary song. He’s not blind, Mads flaws and the wounds left over from her trials are visible to him but he’s all in.
I know this place
It smells like innocence lost
We left the traces of the sins we bought
But I wouldn’t change a thing
It’s just a waking dream
Look at the wake
From the stardust pouring from your eyes
It’s no mistake
You are perfect
You are perfect in my mind
And you won’t fade away
6. Men of Honor by Two Steps from Hell & Thomas Bergerson
The scene is heartbreaking but needed to have a powerfully respectful feel to it. I wanted there to be a sense of sacrifice, love, gratitude, and sorrow.
7. I Will Stay by We Are The Fallen
For all you #CainaWinter fans
If all of the days have no more light,
And all of our dreams are lost tonight,
The stars can all fall
And everything turns to grey,
I will stay.
DRUMROLL!
The reflection of the perfect moment between Mads and Cleary.
BTSK by Ms Mr
It doesn’t make us strong
It doesn’t make us weak
Tongue tied disservice
Like shy pre-teens
I could only breathe
Live to believe
I’m alone
It didn’t come easy I’m glad it was hard
Worth the wait to give you my heart
Big teeth small kiss
I turn to wax and melt like this
Melt like this
I found you in pieces you’d been torn apart
A million one reasons to end before you start
But deep down I knew
No matter what in the end, it’d be me and you
Lavender Haze
Djarum vanilla
Turkish jade
You and me
We have it made
We have it made
Caress my knees with your tongue
Teeth on my waist I come undone
It’s those hours in the night just before a light
Run your hand down my spine
We kiss the dusk goodnight
Goodnight
Rising Shadows: World in Shadows, book 1 is re-releasing with added content, more editing, and the integration of Winter’s Kiss (book 1.5) from my publisher Booktrope. Watch the trailer below…
Labeled an Arcane, Rachel Ryan wonders if she’s human anymore. After she’s thrown headlong into the world of The Preternatural Rachel learns Shapeshifters, Faeries, and Vampires aren’t legends. They’ve been living hidden in plain sight among humans. In her quest to save a child she will set off a cataclysmic chain of events. Her actions will disrupt the carefully balanced political chess board, casting once powerful pieces to the floor. A werewolf protector, a lost princess, a mad vampire, and an exiled Fae named Winter will rise up to challenge the status quo. A war that has been brewing in the shadows for centuries is ready to explode. Rachel must choose where her allegiance lies, tipping the scales, but who is an enemy and who is a friend?
Labeled an Arcane, Rachel Ryan wonders if she’s human anymore. After she’s thrown headlong into the world of The Preternatural Rachel learns Shapeshifters, Faeries, and Vampires aren’t legends. They’ve been living hidden in plain sight among humans. In her quest to save a child she will set off a cataclysmic chain of events. Her actions will disrupt the carefully balanced political chess board, casting once powerful pieces to the floor. A werewolf protector, a lost princess, a mad vampire, and an exiled Fae named Winter will rise up to challenge the status quo. A war that has been brewing in the shadows for centuries is ready to explode. Rachel must choose where her allegiance lies, tipping the scales, but who is an enemy and who is a friend?
Bridget Blackwood was born April 1984 and raised in East Texas where she met and married her high school sweetheart. In 2003 they moved to Southern Illinois, just across the Mississippi river from St. Louis, Missouri. Bridget juggles writing and being the mother of three rambunctious children.
Bridget has been writing and telling stories for as long as she can remember. She loves to read romance and watch horror movies, naturally the two came together in her writing. A social butterfly, Bridget loves talking to readers through email or social media. She is on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads.
I didn’t have a fitting picture or gif so you get a rolling raccoon. You’re welcome :0)
“I’m sure we can all work this out once the Underwoods arrive. No need to involve the authorities for childish nonsense.”
“Are you kidding me?” I pressed my eyes closed tight and counted to ten.
One, two, June is a dumbass, three, four, no one is gonna help Nola, five, six, she needs someone to take her to the police, seven, eight, I’m about to do something stupid, nine, ten.
Screw it. I’ll help Nola.
I blew out my breath and smiled sweetly at June. “You’re the boss. I’ll follow your lead.”
Here are 7 lines, starting on page 7, at line 7 of my current Work In Progress; Forever Home. I was tagged my JC Hannigan, who tagged all writers reading her blog. I will do the same. Are you a writer? Are you reading this? Tag, you’re it.
Forever Home? What’s it about?
It’s the first book in a contemporary series about a family of four brothers in East Texas. Forever Home tells the story of Ezra and Starice who come together to help Ezra’s young daughter when his ex-wife loses custody of her.
What the heck is going on in those seven lines?
Our heroine, Starice, is trying to get help for a little who came into the preschool where she works with bruises. Money and influence in a small town are a huge roadblock as her boss doesn’t want to anger the child’s parents over a “misunderstanding”. So what’s a good-hearted soul to do? Drive her to the police station yourself! Technically it is kidnapping but a girl has to do what’s right.
The Mending Mads Silent Auction closes tonight at 11 PM CST but you can continue to show support for Mending Mads & RAINN all year-long! DONATE the amount for the item you want from the picture below and them email me at BridgetBlackwoodAuthor@gmail.com to confirm.
Each book has a playlist with the songs that filled my head with scenes to write. I could tell you about each one because I love them all dearly but most people don’t want to read that long. I picked narrowed it down to my absolute favorites.
You can find a full listing of the songs that inspired me from each book on my webpage
Freak Like Me
by Halestorm
So shout if you’re a freak like me,
You were born to burn,
This is no disease you don’t need a cure!
It’s our time now to come out!
If you’re a freak like me!
If you’re a freak like me!
We’re underground but we will not surrender,
We’re gonna give them something to remember, yeah,
So write your name in gasoline,
And set that shit on fire
Why this song?
Rachel’s anthem. LOL! I always wanted Rachel to be the sort of person that takes the bad with the good and moves forward. If she wallowed in self-pity and woe is me the book would have never gone anywhere. She has an initial panic attack before accepting the changes inside her but ultimately she jumps on board the freak train. Scratch that, she hijacked the freak train. Instead of trying to get back what you lost, focus on what else you have to lose.
Not Strong Enough
by Apocalyptica ft. Brent Smith
I’m not strong enough to stay away.
Can’t run from you
I just run back to you.
Like a moth I’m drawn in to your flame,
Say my name, but it’s not the same.
You look in my eyes, I’m stripped of my pride.
And my soul surrenders, and you bring my heart to its knees.
And it’s killin’ me when you’re away, I wanna leave and I wanna stay.
And I’m so confused, So hard to choose.
Between the pleasure and the pain.
And I know it’s wrong, and I know it’s right.
Even if I try to win the fight, my heart would overrule my mind.
And I’m not strong enough to stay away
I’m not strong enough to stay away
What can I do
I would die without you
In your presence my heart knows no shame
I’m not to blame
Cause you bring my heart to its knees
Why this song?
Oh, Bastien. My first hero. I didn’t want to draw out the insta love angle of the plot but it’s there if you look for it. He feels a magnetic pull to Rachel he can’t fight. Doesn’t want to fight. It’s not a love that makes you weak but one that makes you stronger. Bastien was born to be an alpha. He’s been happy leading a care free life until Rachel crashes into his life. Almost literally. Besides the beautiful instrumental work by Apocalyptica there is also vocals by Brent Smith. I love his voice. The whole song is just beautiful.
When the Darkness Comes
by Colbie Caillat
Now the door is open
The world I knew is broken
There’s no return
Now my heart is not scared
Just knowing that you’re out there
Watching me
So believe I’ll be here waiting
Hoping, praying that
This light will guide you home
When you’re feeling lost I’ll leave my love
Hidden in the sun
For when the darkness comes
Why this song?
Gotta be cryptic here if you haven’t read Rising Shadows and Winter’s kiss. Winter’s Kiss isn’t a full book but rather a novella to tie up some loose threads in Rising Shadows. The couple in WK are lost without each other. They can’t be together the way they want to and nowhere else in the world feels like home. It’s a song for knowing the person you love is there even when you can’t be with them.
Running up that hill
by Placebo
‘C’mon, baby, c’mon, c’mon, darling,
Let me steal this moment from you now.
C’mon, angel, c’mon, c’mon, darling,
Let’s exchange the experience, oh…’
And if I only could,
Make a deal with God,
And get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
With no problems [x2]
Why this song?
Watching the person you love hurt or go through harrowing trials is rough. You wish you could take their place and bear it for them. In Winter’s Kiss the hero would give anything to be the one doing all the dangerous work. When I heard Running Up That Hill I could see him eagerly diving head first into the fray with a smile on his face if it meant she was safe.
Safe and Sound
Cover by Madilyn Bailey
I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said, “I’ll never let you go”
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said, “Don’t leave me here alone”
But all that’s dead and gone and passed tonight
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You’ll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I’ll be safe and sound
Why this song?
I know this song was a popular Taylor Swift song but I heard it for the first time as a cover by Madilyn Bailey. Her voice is soothing and the song is soothing. It’s a perfect fit. The words came out and smacked me in the face. “Hey! This is perfect Cleary and Mads song. It’s like Cleary freakin’ wrote if FOR Mads. Make a note, scribe.”
Yeah, my muse is kind of bossy and rude.
Cleary’s desire to make Mads comfortable, to be a part of her life, to keep her protected and happy for the rest of her life is very powerful. He feels like he failed her, of course he didn’t but it was a traumatizing experience for him too. Mads started out in the series so naive and a little immature. She ends up coming into her womanhood and maturity but only after suffering. Cleary wants to pack her up in bubble wrap and keep her at his house forever to make sure she never feels scared again. Mads ain’t going for that plan but a Lion can dream.
Stardust
by Gemini Syndrome
Look at the wake
From the stardust pouring from your eyes
It’s no mistake
You are perfect
You are perfect in my mind
And you won’t fade away
Why this song?
Another Cleary song. Mads doesn’t see herself the way Cleary does. Her own self image is damaged and she feels like people pity her. Cleary still sees the same Mads. Actually, that’s not right. He sees a stronger, braver Mads he couldn’t love more if he tried.
BTSK
by Ms Mr
I found you in pieces you’d been torn apart
A million one reasons to end before you start
But deep down I knew
No matter what in the end, it’d be me and you
Big teeth small kiss
I turn to wax and melt like this
Melt like this
Why this song?
When it came time to write the love scene for Cleary and Mads I had a very particular way I wanted it to go. You’d think steamy would be my goal but for these two I wanted more. They’d been through so much as a couple and I wanted to portray the tender side of intimacy. Hearts and souls connecting. What I learned was that level of commitment to one another is actually pretty hot to read and write. Ms Mr’s song BTSK has that slower, sensual feel to it and the lyrics are actually pretty great for what I wanted as well. There are some subtle lines and then you have the all out WOW lines that make you melt into a puddle.
Caress my knees with your tongue Teeth on my waist I come undone It’s those hours in the night just before a light Run your hand down my spine We kiss the dusk goodnight’
With likes the those who doesn’t need to fan themselves?
Through the Ghost
by Shinedown
So many silent sorrows
You never hear from again
And now that you’ve lost tomorrow
Is yesterday still a friend?
All the bridges we built were burned
Not a single lesson was learned
Everything that mattered is just
A city of dust
Covering both of us
Did you hide yourself away?
I can’t see you anymore
Did you eclipse another day?
I used to wake up to the colour of your soul
Did you hide yourself away?
Are you living through the ghost?
Did you finally find a place
Above the shadows so the world will never know?
The world will never know you like I do
Why this song?
Two friends face off in A Scarlet Fury. They were the very best of friends, the kind of closeness that people don’t fully understand. Then they find themselves on opposite sides of the divide. You witness their friendship crumble on the pages and realize they’ll never get back what they had. Looking at someone you knew better than yourself and suddenly seeing a stranger. *sniffle* Hits me in heart every time.
Under a very black sky
by The Sick Puppies
I have a dream you had a weapon
I couldn’t see it in the dark of the night
It’s easy to hide under a very black sky
Over the moon just beyond seven
I watched in vain as the missiles took flight
We lost our lives under a very black sky
Why this song?
Elisavet’s transformation into a vampire isn’t an easy one. Under a Very Black Sky is a somber and yet sweeping song that mirrors the turmoil in Elisavet’s last moments as a human.
Still here
by Digital Daggers
Every night, I dream you’re still here.
The ghost by my side, so perfectly clear.
When I awake, you’ll disappear,
Back to the shadows
With all I hold dear.
With all I hold dear.
I dream you’re still here.
I dream you’re still here.
Why this song?
Poor Varian. The things he wants are ever slipping farther from his grasp. In dreams you can pretend you still have the things you lost and when you wake up you spend a few seconds actually believing you got it all back. The dreams fade away into smoke and you’re left to go through the loss all over again.
Heart is a Hole
by Cherri Bomb
What do you do when
The truth was a lie all along?
Where do you turn to
When you find the rights were always wrong?
All this dying I went through to live for you
And now my heart is just a hole
An empty space
That used to belong to you
But now
Now that you’re gone
My soul’s turned cold
Nothing to fill this heart that’s a hole
Why this song?
Tsura. Girlfriend gets hurt bad. That’s not a spoiler because thus far in the series when hasn’t Tsura been hurt by the actions of others? I mean, she needs to lay down the law. Heart is a Hole is a last straw song. You’ve finally reached the point when your heart has been chipped away at until nothing is left. It’s a hauntingly beautiful song to listen.
The Story
by Brandi Carlile
All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true… I was made for you
I climbed across the mountain tops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you
Because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
You do and I was made for you
Why this song?
Manias is good at inducing the swoon. He knows when he’s found something special and Elisavet is special. Like many ballads that came before it The Story is laying it all out on the table. Everything in my life was leading me to you. BOOM! Bring the swoon.
Arsonist’s Lullaby
by Hozier
When I was a child, I’d sit for hours
Staring into open flame
Something in it had a power,
Could barely tear my eyes away
All you have is your fire…
And the place you need to reach –
Don’t you ever tame your demons
But always keep ’em on a leash
Why this song?
One chapter is told from the POV of Ianthe. If you’ve read the book you know the significance of the chapter I am taking about. Who is this song for? The only one who made it out. No spoilers! I can say no more.
The World in Shadows series is full of people, places, and things (nouns!) I need to remember in order to write the books. I found out quickly that I couldn’t keep it all straight in my head. This is how a typical conversation I have with myself goes:
What do I call my shifters as a group? Oh right, therians. Um, it’s latin for something. I should have written that down. Now I have to google it again.
Did I say werewolf or Lycan in Rising Shadows?
Why do I keep alternating the spelling of the hero? Is it B-a-s-t-i-A-n or B-a-s-t-i-E-n?
How old is Varian again? Math, I hate math.
I can’t remember anything!
As I struggle with the past information I’ve already given out to readers I need to lay the foundation for the books to come. Clues and history have to be added. Yay, more stress on my beleaguered brain! Do my characters take mercy on me? Nope. They throw me flaming curve balls at 120 MPH.
“Hey Bridget! Remember that guy Bishop we introduced you to at the end of A Scarlet Fury? I know he was meant to be a minor character but listen to his whole life story because it’s really cool. Think you have room up there in your brain for more?”
“Oh yeah, sure. Let me dig out this part about how to tie my shoes and walk without tripping. Who needs those? Pile on the new plots.”
Q: How do I keep my ideas organized?
A: Technology is my friend.
I have a series “bible” using Evernote. Google it. This is where I keep character profiles including photos. Detailed histories and lines from the books are kept together so I can easily pull them up anytime. I cannot tell you how many times I saved my own bacon with Evernote. Saves me the time of hunting down what I have a question about in previous books. Big chunks of research on various Fae are waiting for me to use them. I find this sooooo much easier than bookmarking a dozen different sites.
As useful as this is to me it is not my main tool. I need something linear to lay out and follow the series.
There is a timeline with all the secrets of the series. I keep it heavily guarded by a vicious, bloodthirsty bunny. Don’t be fooled buy his cute exterior. He wants you to think he’s precious but really there’s malice in his heart.
Bun Bun the Destroyer
I recommend starting a series bible somewhere to organize your thoughts. Evernote is one of many choices out there. You can even just use a word document but I personally like the internet accessibility if I want to look at something and I’m not on my own laptop.
Rachel Ryan wakes up with no knowledge of where she is or how she got there. Thrown into a world she thought only existed in myths, she finds more questions than answers. Shape shifters, faeries, and vampires hide in plain sight among humans. There’s a war quietly brewing in the shadows. Rachel stands between mankind and those creatures that live in the darkness. Enhanced with power she doesn’t understand, she’ll tip the scales, but who is the real enemy?
What Readers Think
“The first book in the World of Shadows series is a thrilling action packed read. ” – Evampire
“I really enjoyed this book it grabbed my attention from the beginning…” -Kathi
“I have to say that I don’t think I’ve read an introductory book that is quite as WOWing as this one.” – Kris
“I was only 5 chapters into this gem and decided to go ahead and buy the next two in the series.” – Linda
“I’m not usually a paranormal romance reader but I’m hooked on this series.” – Beverly
“Wonderfully made and carefully created to make the reader invest quickly.” – B.Sharp
“Human experimentation, Shape Shifters, Fantastic Characters and a Well written story line had me finishing this book in one night.” – Cricket
“Highly recommend this series if you are looking for a fresh outlook on paranormal. Definitely not your run of the mill series.” – Sara
” The pacing was just what you’d want – grabs you immediately and doesn’t stop til the end.” – Laurel
What are you waiting for? Go save a few dollars and read the introduction the the World in Shadows series for free!
Bridget Blackwood 