Nicky Charles Newsletter – February, 2013
His mate killed in a horrific explosion, ex-Enforcer Damien Masterson now lives as a rogue werewolf. Grief stricken and filled with rage, what depths will he sink to in his search for revenge? And who will be caught in the crossfire? Will it be Eve, a Fae just entering the Awakening stage? Or Rafe McRae, part empath and part wolf? It’s been said that a rogue Enforcer is too dangerous to be allowed to roam. A suspense driven story of love, betrayal and revenge, this latest addition to the Law of the Lycans series is a sequel to Bonded.
Yay! After several delays, the next installment of the Law of the Lycans series is ready. Betrayed: Days of the Rogue has finally been published!
Honestly, each book in this series seems to be increasingly difficult to write. Perhaps it’s because each story is becoming more complex with plots and subplots twisting together. Or maybe it is the returning characters all wanting their say. For whatever reason, this story gave me more grief than all the others combined and underwent extensive revisions. I could still be working on it – only a few days ago I added another chapter—but sometimes you just have to let go. The story is more than I ever expected it to be (it was supposed to be a novella) yet not quite all that I hoped (there are still parts I’m not completely pleased with). However, it’s time to send it on its way.
This story wouldn’t have been possible without the support my friends at TLS as well as Jan Gordon, who is my editor, friend, fellow author and main support in this crazy writing endeavour. I also want to thank my ARC readers (Shannon, Cheryl, Janet and Jennifer) for their honest feedback and for catching those final mistakes.
Betrayed is different than the previous Lycan stories. Jan says it’s darker and grittier than any of the others. I have to agree. In Bonded, you met the Purists and got a glimpse into the seamier side of the Lycan world. This story continues to explore the darker side of this universe and it isn’t always pretty. You’ll read about Damien and his reactions to Beth’s death and how the need for revenge…well…I won’t say any more but be prepared and don’t say I didn’t warn you!
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Contest Winner!
A few months ago there was a ‘name the character contest’ at Brandee’s Book Endings.
The winner was…Erika L
She choose the name “Aly” so be on the lookout for this character in Betrayed!
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As with my previous books, this is a free download. In lieu of paying me, please consider making a donation to your local animal shelter or food bank.
Am I planning another book in the series? Definitely! I have lots of ideas, it’s just time I’m short of. Be prepared to wait another year (or more) before you hear from me again. During that time know that I’m working on another story for you and possibly trying to re-edit my earlier books in the hopes of someday releasing them in paperback. I’m also investigating setting up an on-line store with a few products (mugs, mouse-pads, bookbags and the like). If and when it ever comes to fruition, I’ll be announcing it on my website and facebook page.
I’ll end with an excerpt from Betrayed, just to get you primed:
It was near dawn when Damien finally dozed off. He’d been unable to settle, his leg ached, and the bottle of whiskey he’d bought a day ago had been the human variety, much too weak and emptied far too soon to have any great effect. It had forced him to spend much of the night reliving memories that were best forgotten.
The months after Beth died were mostly a blur. Days, then weeks, blended together in a haze of grief and pain that had been almost debilitating. Sometimes human, mostly wolf, he’d traversed the land existing without a purpose; physically alive but in all other respects dead. It hadn’t mattered if he had taken another breath or eaten another meal. There’d been no reason to live, no will to survive. At times he’d despaired, begging the fates to take him so he could be with his beloved mate.
But fate had never been that kind. It had kept him alive, placing a rabbit before him when he would have preferred to starve, having him stumble into a warm, dry den when he would have fallen asleep in a snow bank with the hope of never awakening. On the verge of total despair, fate had kicked him in the ass and forced him to carry on.
Now he was left with a numb bitterness. This was his life; his efforts to speed his exit from it were futile. For some reason he was doomed to continue to exist. At least he had a purpose now. Too bad it meant he brokered in death.
On that gloomy note, he finally fell asleep.
He’d only been resting an hour or so when the phone began to ring. Cursing, he rolled over, the covers tangled about him.
“’lo?” His throat felt dry, his eyes gritty as he tried to peer at his watch.
“Morning. This is Wilf, from the front desk.”
Damien grunted recognizing the voice.
“Sorry to bother you, but the workers are here to replace the carpets a bit earlier than expected and I was wondering—”
“I’ll be gone in an hour.” He hung up without waiting for a reply and climbed out of bed.
Damien leaned against the wall of the shower, his hands propped on cracked tiles as he let the water cascade over his body. The bathroom was dingy and mildewed, barely a step up from the ponds he splashed in when in his wolf form, but it didn’t really bother him. Where he slept or bathed hardly mattered anymore.
Shutting off the water, he dried off then pulled on a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt, stuffing the dirty one his small backpack. All his worldly possessions were there: a change of clothes, a toothbrush and a razor. When it was time to leave, to return to the wild, he could easily ditch the bag and never miss it. There was enough money in his pocket to tide him over for several months if need be; his last job had seen to that. His needs were simple; he caught food when required, found a cave or den to sleep in. A rogue wolf could live for months that way.
He picked up his wallet off the table and checked the contents. It contained the only item of importance in his life; Beth’s picture. It had taken him ages to find one since everything had been lost in the explosion. When he’d finally come across a copy of her high school yearbook in a library, he’d had her picture scanned and enlarged. Even though she’d been much younger when the photo was taken, she looked almost the same as the day he’d met her. Sweet and shy but with a streak of stubbornness evident in her determined chin.
Slowly, he stroked his finger over the curve of her cheek and whispered his message. “I’m sending you flowers for your birthday, today. White daisies. I know they’re your favourite.”
Closing his eyes, he thought of how she’d smile, her grey eyes lighting up with joy at the simple gesture, her fingers skimming over the delicate petals. Then she’d stand on her tiptoes and press a kiss to his mouth. He exhaled slowly and tried to imagine the gentle pressure, tried to bring to reality the warmth of her lips, her hands sliding up his chest, her flowery scent wrapping around him...
Of course, it didn’t work.
Beth was dead.
The flowers would be placed on her grave by some anonymous delivery man. And then they, too, would wither and die.
Damien gave his head a shake and snapped the wallet shut before tucking it into his pocket. He’d order the flowers, and be on his way. Staying in town was never a good idea; it increased the chances of being tracked down.
They were looking for him—the Lycan Link Trackers—he’d known that since the moment he’d escaped the infirmary. Rogue Enforcers weren’t allowed. The authorities were adamant about that. Reform or be locked up; those were the choices he’d be given if he was ever caught. With the intelligence of a human and the strength of wolf in its prime, a rogue had the potential to be extremely dangerous. And an Academy trained rogue... Well, that was like a walking time bomb.
Tick, tick, tick... Damien chuckled darkly and wondered if he’d explode should Lycan Link’s posse ever catch up with him. Maybe he would. Going out in a blaze of glory held a macabre appeal at times. To let all his pain and hatred out, to finally be free of the blackness that had settled in his soul. To rip and tear, and to feel the impact of flesh hitting bone, as he attacked his enemy and made them pay.
Download Betrayed at Smashwords:
OR
at Feedbooks:
*download instructions for various devices can be found below.
I hope you enjoy the book.
Nicky Charles
P.S. If you were added to this mailing list in error and wish to be removed or need to change your email address, inform me through my website. Also, if you receive this newsletter more than once, let me know as some of you contacted me several times from different addresses and I might have you listed twice.
Download instructions copied directly from smashwords:
How do I download books to my Kindle or Kindle Fire?
You'll find links to all your purchased books in your Smashwords Library. There are two options for loading Smashwords ebook content to your Kindle or Kindle Fire:
1. USB Connection. Plug your Kindle into the USB slot (small rectangular slot) of your computer using the cable that came with your Kindle (the Kindle Fire doesn't come standard with the USB cable, so you'll need to obtain the cable separately, or, use the email option described in #2 below). When you attach your Kindle to your computer via the USB cable, it makes your Kindle appear as a hard drive on your computer. After you purchase the book, from the book's book page click to download the "Kindle" .MOBI format. Next, navigate to where you see the Kindle show up as a hard drive on your computer. Next, just drop the book's file (it should end in file name of .mobi) to the Kindle's "documents" folder. Then disconnect the Kindle from your computer and the book will be ready to read. If you already downloaded the .MOBI file to your computer, here's a helpful YouTube video that shows how to drag the file from your desktop to the Kindle's documents folder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UPOgXDYj3M (video not produced by Smashwords).
How do I download books to my Kindle from my Mac?
First, go to your web browser's Preferences and click Downloads. Make sure to click on the box that directs your browser to ask you where you want to save downloads. If you don't do this first step, your files may go to your Downloads folder, and then it will be difficult to move them to your Kindle. Next, connect your Kindle to your Mac using the USB cable that came with your Kindle. Next, click to your Smashwords Library to find the link for your purchased book. Then click to download the .MOBI file. When your browser asks where you want to save the file, navigate to your Kindle's "Documents" folder, and drop the file there. After a few seconds, unplug your Kindle's USB cable and you're ready to read.
How do I add an ebook to my Kindle App on Android?
Download the .mobi version of your ebook to your computer (remember where you put it). Plug your Android device via USB into your computer. On your Android device set it to 'USB storage' this may be a pop up query, but you may have to activate it from you device settings. Navigate from your computer to the /kindle folder and copy the .mobi file here. Eject or dismount your phone safely from the computer before disconnecting the cable. And don't forget to uncheck the 'USB storage' button on your Android device (Thanks to Smashwords customer Darold Dickey for contributing this FAQ).
I tried to download an updated version of a MOBI ebook, but only the old version is showing
Before you try to download a newer version of a MOBI file to your Kindle or Kindle for XX (XX= PC, Mac, Android, etc) app, delete the old MOBI file from your app or device, then try again.
How do I download books to my iPhone or iPod Touch?
Stanza is a great e-reading app that offers full integration with your personal Smashwords library. Just download the free Stanza app, then using the Safari browser, log into your Smashwords account. You'll see a convenient link on the home page that allows you to import your Smashwords library directly into Stanza. This way, whenever you purchase a book at Smashwords, it's instantly readable in Stanza. In addition to Stanza, you can also download the Kobo app, where you'll find thousands of Smashwords books available for sale (this, however, cannot integrate with your personal Smashwords library, as can Stanza).
How do I download books to my iPad?
Download Apple's free iBooks app, if you haven't already. You'll find it in your iPad's App Store. Next, use the iPad's Safari web browser to visit the Smashwords book page of the title you want to download, then download the EPUB version of the book. The iPad will give you the option to load the book into your iBooks library. If you have other favorite e-reading apps installed, it may also give you the option to open the books in your other e-reading apps as well.
I enjoy reading samples on my Aldiko reader on Android, but I'm getting an error on the purchased book
Before you download the full purchased version, try deleting the partial sample from your Aldiko reader. This usually solves the problem.
How do I download books to the Sony Reader?
Sony is an authorized Smashwords retailer, so you can find many Smashwords ebooks in their store. You can also purchase directly at Smashwords and download them to the Sony Reader. The Sony Reader supports the EPUB format. Here's the step-by-step:
1. Plug your Sony Reader into your computer using the USB cable that came with your Reader. You'll know the Sony Reader is connected when you see the Reader Library software pop up on your screen.
2. Go to your web browser, and click to the Smashwords
Library where you can click to the book page for the book you want to download. Scroll down the page to the table of download options.
3. Click to download the EPUB version.
4. Your browser should pop up a window asking if you want to open the file with the Reader software, or if you want to save the file.
5. Select the
save option, which will allow you to download it.
6. Next, navigate your system directory (PC users: Click
My Computer), where you'll see your Sony Reader appear as a hard drive labeled as
READER: E (or some other letter), then click
READER, then click the directory for
Database, then click the directory for
Books. This is where you'll save the file. After you save the file there, wait about 30 seconds and then you can unplug the Reader from the USB cable and your book is ready to read.
How do I download books to the Barnes & Noble nook?
Barnes & Noble is an authorized Smashwords retailer, so over 40,000 of the books you see at Smashwords are also for sale at B&N. For the nook, just attach the nook to your personal computer via the USB cable (makes it appear as a hard drive), and then download your books directly to your nook's My Documents folder. B&N calls the process "sideloading." Here's a video on the process:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/video.asp?bnit=H&bnrefer=EBOOKS&cds2Pid=30195#vid2
How do I download books to my Kobo Reader?
Connect your Kobo Reader to your computer using the USB cable and then drag and drop books to add them to your library. After you connect your Kobo Reader to your computer using the USB cable, tap Connect on your Kobo Reader screen. When Windows prompts you for an action, select ‘Open folder to view files.’ A window should open, showing the contents of your device. In another window, go to the location of your ebooks on your computer and drag and drop then into the Kobo library window. These instructions are excerpted from
Kobo's online documentation.
