Sales, Learning, and the Power of Free. It's a Stella Rose Progress Report!

Hey everybody,

So, I've been doing this for five weeks and I thought I'd give you all a progress report.

By the numbers:

January books published ~ 7*
January Books sold (USA only) ~ 43
January Profit (USA only) ~ $83.04
Most popular series ~ Taken to the Edge

Okay, so not a bad start but not the best start in the world either.

What I want to talk about is the power of free.

Taking Mercy... Sneak Preview!

Buy it now!

Attaching a bouquet of blue and green balloons to the railing of her long wrap around porch, Mercy considered the possibility that she’d lost her mind. She’d always thought of herself as a logical person.

No more.
In the last few days, she’d lost her ability to act rationally. Like breaking up with Hunter Greene. It had been necessary. Smart. They just wanted different things--she wanted a relationship, and he wanted a sex bunny who would follow his every command--there was no sense dragging out the inevitable.
But, what had possessed her to break up with him less than forty eight hours before she was supposed to cohost a special 'Welcome Home' barbecue in his honor?
It was insane.
A piece of fine white string slipped through her fingers, allowing a turquoise balloon to escape into the sticky air. Mercy's head tilted up slightly, watching it float free. If she could fly like that then she’d be gone already, miles away from Houghton heading someplace with a swift breeze.
Somewhere she could strip naked and go skinny dipping.
The worst part was the way he'd looked when she'd told him she was leaving. Like he didn't quite understand what was going on. He'd even asked her if she was going to be alright.
Tightening the knot holding the balloons, Mercy had the feeling that she was never going to be alright again.
Not when every time she closed her eyes she could see Hunter’s face the way he’d looked as he fell asleep beside her. Naked. Vulnerable. Thoroughly exhausted. Then he’d glanced in her direction, and his lips had pulled back into a full, warm smile unlike anything that Mercy had ever seen before.
For all his fine wrinkles and battle scars, he was still a beautiful man.
Mercy smoothed her hands on her jeans, stepping back to inspect her work. The Martin house was a fine thing, standing proud on the hill above Houghton like it had for the last hundred years. Her parents had painted it a buttery yellow. The porch railing she’d painted herself, cream with pear highlights. Green streamers and bright balloons made the house look cheery and welcoming.
Then there was the sign—dropped off by a bunch of good old boys in a pickup truck—that proclaimed in still slightly sticky barn red ‘Welcome Home, Hunter.’ The word was out, the barbecue was going to be huge and everyone wanted to help.
Not that they'd stuck around to Mercy set up. They’d dumped things in the driveway and left. Not that Mercy was bitter or anything.
It wasn’t like she’d just spent two hours working herself into a lather making the house look good while Hunter and her brother played basketball and drank beer.
The jerks.
Mercy edged across the porch until she was less than twenty feet away from the sports duo.
The ball clanged in the rusty metal hoop that her father had hammered to the top of the garage.
“When was the last time you got laid?” Max Martin demanded.
Mercy's breath caught in her throat. Her heart started beating double time. Hunter was going to tell Max that they’d been together. He was going to make some stupid off color remark, and her entire day was going to go down hill. Forget her day. Her year was going to be ruined. Her entire life. Her brother was never going to trust her again.
“That’s none of your business,” Hunter said.
“It’s obviously been too long.” Max’s laughter was bright and infectious. “You're back in town. You've got a good job. You're fixing up the house. You need to get a girlfriend."
“I don’t need a girlfriend,” Hunter responded. There was the banging of the basketball hitting the ground. It made a hollow thumping noise. "Women are too much work. They’re too flighty. They never know what they want.”
Was that comment directed at Mercy? It better not have been. She knew what she wanted. Maybe. Kind of. She reached out to grab a daisy from the closest arrangement. It was white and pretty, a symbol of youth and innocence. She started to shred it.
“Besides,” Hunter continued, “All the good ones are taken.”
The ball was moving faster—thump, thump, thump—obviously the game was ramping up a notch. Mercy leaned forward to peer around the side of the building.
“Depends on what you mean by good.” Max spun, left then right. He tried for a reach around, but Hunter was already there. “What are you looking for?”
“Someone sexy, good looking, and funny.”
Hunter obviously hadn’t played basketball in a while. He was depending on his height and the fact that he had an extra hundred pounds of muscle to help him get the ball. It wasn’t working--not against Max--but that didn’t stop the sweat from pouring down his back. One hand reached down, tugging his t-shirt out from the elastic waistband of his athletic shorts and pulled it off over the top of his head.
Hubba-hubba.
Muscles that looked like they’d been carved out of stone, golden skin, and a trail of hair that started on his abs and went south to—hoo boy! The remains of the daisy fell out of Mercy's hand.
“Smart too.” Hunter wasn’t done describing his perfect girl. “I don’t want some bimbette hanging around the base looking for a husband who’s away nine months out of the year. I want someone with a brain.”
“What about Mercy?” Max suggested, dodging around Hunter to take a shot at the basket. The net went clang. “She’s all that.”
Mercy almost fell over. Her brother had just suggested that Hunter date her. Her brother—the man who’d made it his purpose in life to make sure that she died an old maid with too many cats—had suggested that she date anyone.
Clearly the world was about to end. Up was done. Left was right. White was black. Reality was bending in on itself.
“Not a chance, man.” Hunter’s swift rejection burned Mercy's ears. He’d sleep with her, but he wouldn’t even admit to liking her in public. Great. Just great.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Hunter’s statement had ended the game. The ball was in Max’s hands, and he wasn’t letting go. Unless it was to bounce the heavy plastic off of Hunter’s thick head. “Mercy's a hell of a woman. You could do a lot worse."
"And she could do a whole lot better." Hunter stopped still, running his hands through his hair. His lips pulled back wryly displaying a set of strong white teeth. The action wasn’t quite a smile. Instead it was something fierce. “Of course, I could make an exception. If you insist. She’s sure grown up pretty.”
Max threw the ball at Hunter’s chest. “At least you realize that.”
“Hard not to.”

Buy Taking Mercy on Amazon today!

Excerpt for Taken by Him available now!

Taken by Him is available on Amazon now!

After a one night stand with Hunter Greene, Mercy Martin wants more. She fantasizes about being taken. Not once, not twice, but over and over again.

When Hunter comes to the Martin family house for dinner, Mercy's determined to confront him about his future plans.

How long is he going to be in town?

More importantly, when this sexy dominant sits down at the table will she be an appetizer?

Or, is he saving the best for desert?

Sprawled on the same twin bed she’d had since childhood, Mercy considered the possibility that she’d died and gone to hell. It was hot enough. She stared up at the fan that was turning slowly on the ceiling, going around and around. It didn’t make the air move, nothing short of a miracle could do that, but the old metal blades with the fancy designs cut into them sure were pretty to look at.
Mercy forced herself into a sitting position. From the window of the attic bedroom she’d commandeered on her tenth birthday, she could see all the way across the sleepy little town that she called home. She could even see the little white bungalow at the base of the hill where her brother's best friend lived. Hunter Green.
 
The man she'd been in love with since before she could remember.
 
The man who'd fucked her roughly the afternoon before. Taking her in ways she'd never quite imagined. Her sex life had always been vanilla--occasionally French vanilla--and Hunter was double fudge dark chocolate.
 
She licked her lips, hungry for another taste.
 
“Mercy Martin,” The phone she was holding in one hand jumped with the force of her best friend’s voice. “Have you listened to a single thing I’ve said?”
 
“Not really.”
 
Delilah let out an exasperated sigh. “I've got a date tomorrow night. His screen profile is fantastic."
 
“His screen profile?" Mercy was suddenly paying a whole lot more attention. “Why the hell are you dating online?”
 
“Every time I go out with a guy he spends the entire night looking at my boobs. I figure, with online dating I can get to know the guy before we actually meet."
 
“My brother tried online dating. He quit after the trial membership ran out.”
 
A short laugh. “Can’t the terminally sexy find their own dates?”
 
“Max isn’t that good looking. He's not Hunter--" A flash of red flickered in the breeze. The silk scarf Hunter had used to tie her to his kitchen table. It had been tied to the railing of his porch. Just high enough to catch her attention. Like a flag.
 
Like a challenge.
 
Heat flooded her belly. Her hand skimmed her full breasts--tweaking a nipple under her snug cotton t-shirt--before moving lower to move against her silk panties. Her wet silk panties.
She needed to feel something. Him. Only, Hunter wasn't there. He'd kissed her sweetly the previous afternoon when he'd released her out into the sunlight. He hadn't called since. It had been more than twenty four hours. She hadn't heard a word. There'd been no phone call, no discreet message passed on through her brother--Hunter's best friend--and now this.
 
"I--" her voice caught in her throat. "I've got to go."

 To find out what happens next... Buy it today!

Check out Taken by the Hero.... available now!

Available now on Amazon!

A beautiful woman saying ‘Take me, I’m yours.’ Wasn’t that every man’s secret fantasy? For Hunter it wasn’t much of a secret. He liked his women ready, willing, and eager. Panting for it.

Only this wasn’t any woman.

This was Mercy Martin, the puppy who’d trailed after him so many years earlier. His best friend’s little sister.

He slammed the trunk of his beat up Ford Mustang closed, swinging his government issued duffel bag up over one shoulder. “You want me to beat your ass, Mercy?”

“Only if it’s part of foreplay.” Mercy’s tone was light, flirtatious, her smile bright and inviting, but there was something off about her body language. Her shoulders were stiff, and her eyes were downcast. Her chin jutted out, defiant, like she was fighting him instead of trying to seduce him.

First time using Kindle KDP

Okay, I just used Kindle KDP for the first time. That was... deceptively easy?

So far I'm like "OMG, I can totes do this" and then I'm like "I promise never to talk like that again" and "Did I mess up somewhere?"

Here are my impressions so far:

1. That was totally easy. Everybody should publish a book.

2. I'm not sure about pricing. I wrote a relatively short piece. It's the first one in a series. So, the plan is to have Taken by the Hero (Taken to the Edge, Book 1) be $1.99 the subsequent Taken to the Edge books be 2.99 and the entire set be 4.99. Of course, I always take questions and comments below... if you have a better suggestion.

3. I took a peek at the cover creator, but I liked making my own better (approx. 45 min using Microsoft Word, check out the results below!).

Does anyone else have any thoughts about Kindle publishing???

Taken by the Cop ~ Sneak Preview!

Taken by the Cop ~ the third book in the Taken to the Edge series ~ Coming January 2014!

"What do you want?" Hunter demanded.

"I want sex. I also want a man who isn't afraid to be seen with me. It could be you. It could be someone else. I could go down to the Blackjack tonight and find a dozen men happy to fulfill my needs.”

“I’d like to see you try it,” his voice was a low ominous growl.

“Is that a challenge?”

“It’s a promise, Mercy. You go throwing yourself around like that, and there’s going to be a whole lot of trouble in Houghton. The streets will be piled high with dead men."

Thank Goodness it's Wednesday: Zombie Romance Teaser!

Here is your teaser! How do people feel about zombie romances? First person new adult zombie romances set in Detroit?

The dead man holstered his gun. “Did he bite you?”

“I’m clean.”

“Good.” He grinned, sending a flicker of electricity down my spine.

Hoo-boy. I really was in trouble if I was fantasizing about a Biter. I needed a boyfriend—fast—although I’d settle for a date who didn’t flinch every time I mentioned my job.

The dead guy reached down and grasped my wrist, hauling me effortlessly to my feet. His hand was cool to the touch. His fingers rough, callused. He must have done something physical when he was alive. “You going to thank me for saving you?”

“Thanks,” I said.

Then I pulled out my stun gun and sent 150,000 volts into his dead ass.