My blog will be moving to my new site soon! You can find it at akmorgen.com/blog

Thursday, October 31, 2019

A Halloween Treat for You!


Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love everything about it, from the costumes to the candy to the movies! I don't have any candy for you guys this week, but I DO have a treat!
A Halloween Outtake from Fight for You! 

JANUARY AND THE LOST BOYS

Cade has never been particularly good at telling January no, especially when she turns those big green eyes on him. Now he's agreed to don tights and brave the laughter of his friends just to see his best friend's baby sister smile on Halloween. 
But when a jealous classmate's cruelty wounds January's heart, Cade realizes that there just might be something more to his growing feelings for Titan's little sister than he thought.
You can claim this Halloween outtake for FREE via the link below!

Want more of January and Cade? You can now get Fight for You on Kindle Unlimited!

About Fight for You
The road to hell is paved with good intentions...but the path to redemption never hurt so good.
Some men deserve redemption. Some men are worthy of salvation. I'm not one of them. My name is Michael Kincaid, and I've got so much blood on my hands, I'll never wash clean.

For ten years, I've tried to outrun my gangbanger past by burying myself in my work with the DEA. I've tried like hell to forget the day I damned my soul and lost everything…my family, my home, and the only girl I've ever loved.

I still can't outrun it.

No matter how far I go, January James haunts me.

Now one of my enemies—a local gang member—has it out for her. He isn't going to stop until she gives him the territory I left her all those years ago.

She deserves better than me, but she's mine anyway. It's time to stop running and fight for her.

She's an angel. I'm the devil on her shoulder. And this is my swan song.

When it's over, I'll either be the monster at the end of this book…or I'll be the man she deserves.

AMAZON | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS



Reviewers are saying

"This book is hot, emotional, interesting, sweet, and intense and I wholeheartedly recommend it." ★★★★★ Amazon Reviewer

"Raw. Gritty. Amazing! As always, Ayden blows us away with her cutting edge, honest, emotion-driven novel."  ★★★★★ Jeanne McDonald, Author of the Truth in Lies Saga

"FANTASTIC! This was a really good book!! It captures you from the start and never lets you down." ★★★★★ Amazon Reviewer

"I cried, I laughed, and I loved with the characters! Romance and tragedy, Oh. My. Gosh!" Mary (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)

"You will not regret time spent on this novel and this author deserves a standing ovation."  Shontell (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)

"The way this book made me feel is indescribable. I felt like I was watching this whole book play out on a movie. I could not put it down." Grace (★★★★★ Bookbub Review)

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Media Kits: What to Include

Happy Writer Wednesday!


Media Kits are documents that contain all the relevant information about your book. They can be a HUGE time saver, especially if you keep them updated with current information.

At a minimum, your media kit should include the book cover, the summary, purchase links (and links to the book on Goodreads and Bookbub) and your author bio, links, and author photo. You can also include an excerpt from the book, teaser images, and reviews or accolades to really make it a "go to" document. There are many templates out there you can use to create yours, or you can do it from scratch in a Word document.

You can send the media kits along to bloggers, reviewers, fellow authors, and use it during other types of promotional and marketing work (ie: if you're reaching out to media outlets).

I use mine FREQUENTLY! I also try to update them every couple of months as new teaser images are created, for sales, etc.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Teaser Tuesday: Desire Me


Happy Teaser Tuesday! I have an excerpt from Desire Me for you guys today! Mila and Roman's final book releases December 17, 2019!



"Pull her detail," Octavio says. "Whatever progress I'd made with her, Sanders blew. If we can get her to talk now, I'll let you know. Until then, I'll keep an eye on her."

"Are you sure you don't want to put someone else on her?" Finn asks him as if he has another choice here.

"Even if you could manage it, she's scared enough already. Locking her in a room with someone else she doesn't know won't help her learn to trust me."

"Luke and Mila are going to help us keep an eye on her," I tell Finn.

"She's okay with this?" he asks, glancing between me and Octavio.

Frustration rolls through Octavio's expression. "She's not okay with any of it, but it is what it is. At least this way, she isn't alone with someone like Sanders." He glances at his phone and then back to Finn. "You need anything from me?" he asks. "I've got a debriefing in half an hour."

"You're good," Finn says, waving him off. "I'll let you know if IA needs to speak with you."

Octavio nods, bumps my fist, and then strolls out of the office.

Finn waits until he's gone to turn to me. "Sanders is as good as fired," he says with a disgusted shake of his head. "The little prick is lucky Hernandez didn't rip his balls off."

"Hernandez is too smart to do it with witnesses around," I murmur.

Finn snorts. "I probably would have let him do it."

"Sanders will get what he deserves," I remind Finn. IA does not take kindly to federal agents using their badges to prey on women. Especially when those women are in their custody.

"You sure you're good having Ms. Donovan around Mila?" he asks, pinning me with a no-bullshit look.

"Like Octavio said, it is what it is." I blow out a breath. "After seeing her again today, I'm not so sure Octavio's wrong about her. She's jumpy as hell, scared. Whatever she was doing with Fuentes, I don't think it was by choice. We need to know what she knows, and this is the best way to ensure she's safe while Octavio figures out why they want her back so goddamn badly."

Finn nods and then glances at his phone when it buzzes, his brows pulling down. "We're being summoned by the DEA. They want us at their offices within the hour."

"What the fuck for?" I ask, scowling. I've got enough shit to do today, thanks to Sanders. I've got to talk to IA, figure out how to keep Octavio from losing his shit, check in Kincaid, and stop in to see Tristan and Lillian. It's not even noon and I already know I'm not going to get home before dark. Again.

Mila's going to be pissed.

"Don't know," Finn mutters, shoving his phone into his pocket and grabbing his keys. "Let's go find out."

"Fuck, fine. But it better not be another goddamn press conference or I will start flipping tables," I warn him, stomping out of his office.

He chuckles like he thinks I'm joking, but I'm not.

About Desire Me (Her Best Friend's Father #4)

Roman Gregory and Mila Lawson thought the clouds hanging over their heads had vanished with the death of Jose Guerrero four months ago, but after Tristan Riley blew into town to take on el Demonio, their world imploded all over again.


With Mila pregnant and the gang war slowly fizzling, all Roman wants to do is focus on the future...but he can't do that when a man he worked beside for years betrayed him and their team in a major way. Now all Roman wants to do is find Remi Pledger and end the threat from Pedro Francisco once and for all.

Being back in Los Angeles after so long is exactly like coming home for Mila...except Roman is stressed out and ready to snap. All Mila wants to do is get on with the future they planned, but it's hard to do that when Roman's being pulled in a thousand different directions.

To ease his mind and soothe the pain of betrayal, she'll do whatever it takes. Even if she has to take on Remi Pledger by herself.

Desire Me takes place after the events in Rapture (The Teplo Trilogy #3). While this book can be read as a standalone, reading that one first is recommended. 

Pre-Order Desire Me for .99c on Amazon!

About the Series


Two weeks.
No strings.
No commitments.

Those are the terms Mila Lawson offers Roman Gregory when they find themselves living together in Santa Cruz.
With a violent gang gunning for him and a cartel threatening to go to war, the last thing the ATF agent should be thinking about is claiming his daughter's twenty-two-year-old best friend. But after four long years of lusting after the gorgeous little blonde from afar, once Roman has her, he's not willing to give her up. 
She may be off-limits, but something about Mila drives him wild. There's nothing sweet about the things he wants to do to her, and nothing gentle about the way he takes her. She makes him crave a future he never envisioned for himself…one so much better than he ever dreamed was possible.
To keep her, he'll be forced to face the daughter he adores. To save her, he'll break every rule in the book.
Nothing will stand in his way. Not his daughter. Not the gang hunting him. Not even the law itself.
Read the rest of the series on Kindle Unlimited!


Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Marketing for Authors

Happy Writer Wednesday!



Marketing my books is probably my least favorite part of being an author. I'm not particularly good at selling things. In fact, people in my life are often surprised to find out that I'm an author and that I have fifteen books published!

But I have learned over the years that marketing is a necessary evil. It's also not as complicated as everyone makes it seem. YES, it takes work. YES, it takes time. YES, it's important!

To make your life easier, come up with a plan. What are your goals? Where are you marketing your books? WHO are you marketing them to? What services are you using? What's working for you? What isn't working? Where are you at currently with marketing? Where would you like to be? How do you plan to get there?

Answering these questions will save you a lot of time and frustration. When it comes to marketing, you don't want to just randomly throw things together and hope it pays off. Put together an action plan...and don't be afraid to change things if something isn't working.

Do you have go-to service providers that work miracles? Do your ads get a lot of traction with a specific group? Keep notes so you can quickly find that information when it's needed. Your life will be SO MUCH EASIER!

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Teaser Tuesday: FADE

Happy Teaser Tuesday!

Today I have a little teaser from FADE (The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One) for you! FADE releases November 6, 2019 from Tirgearr Publishing!


I pulled off the headphones. "Hi, boy. Where'd you come from?"

He raised his head to look at me and scooted forward a few inches on his belly. He stopped and whined.

"Well, come on," I laughed, giving him permission to approach.

He bounded to my side in an instant, butting me with his head, demanding to be scratched.
I obliged, cooing and talking to him as his tail thumped happily on the ground. He didn't have tags, but that didn't mean much. In small towns like Beebe, seeing dogs with tags tended to be more notable than seeing them running around untagged.

The dog flipped onto his back, and I dutifully scratched his stomach. Almost instantly, he jumped to his feet with a sharp whimper.

I jerked my hand back, thinking I'd injured him somehow.

"What's wrong, boy?"

He spun away from me and growled low in his throat, his eyes trained on a point in the shadows on the other side of the trail. I tried to look around him to see what had his attention, but I couldn't see anything but shadows and undergrowth from my seat on the ground.

"What is it, boy?" I climbed to my feet.

My gaze landed on a solid gray wolf, half obscured by a massive tree on the other side of the trail. Unlike the animal I'd seen on the day of Mom's funeral, this wasn't the domesticated kind of wolf. This was the real deal. Big, gray, wild, and ferocious.

My heart stopped, then started racing.

The wolf stared in our direction, snarling at us. The warning sound coming from his throat screamed "I'm going to eat you" loud and clear. I suddenly understood what Little Red Riding Hood must have felt when she figured out her grandma wasn't her grandma.

I was shaking in my boots.

I looked around for something, anything, to defend myself with as the dog alternated between excited barks and low, warning growls. A menacing enough sound so far as it went, but I kind of doubted the wolf thought so. He looked curiously un-intimidated as he snarled. As per Murphy's Law of animal attacks, not a loose brick, rock, branch, or stick lay anywhere within grabbing distance.

I was so screwed.

The wolf paced forward.

The lab lowered his head and growled one long, continuous growl.

I held my breath.

The wolf looked at me and then at the dog and growled back. Unlike the dog’s, though, the wolf's growl actually caused real fear. Warning bells sounded in the far reaches of my mind, but they started too late. Of course.

Between one quick, panicked breath in and one sharp exhalation out, the wolf charged toward us. Bits of leaves and mud flew up to where his paws hit the ground.

The dog dove in front of me, snarling protectively.

I knew the wolf would rip right through him and land on me any minute. I'd been in town a whole week, and I was going to be eaten by a wolf.

Life really wasn't fair.

ABOUT THE BOOK

What do you do when you realize nothing in your life is what you’ve believed it to be?

When Arionna Jacobs loses her mother in a tragic accident, her world is turned upside down. She’s forced to leave her old life behind and move in with her father. Dace Matthews, a teaching assistant at her new college, is torn in two, unable to communicate with the feral wolf caged inside him.

When they meet, everything they thought they knew about life unravels. Dace has intimate access to Arionna’s mind, and something deep within her fights to rise to the surface. They don't understand what's happening to them or why, and they're running out of time to sort out the strange occurrences around them.

Their meeting sets an ancient Norse prophesy of destruction in motion, and what destiny has in store for them is bigger than either could have ever imagined. Unless they learn to trust themselves and one another, they may never resolve the mystery surrounding who they are to one another, and what that means for the world.

PREORDER AT:


ADD ON:

In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety (The Cecily Taylor Series) by Krysten Lindsay Hager




Krysten Lindsay Hager has a new young adult romantic comedy out from Clean Reads! You can check it out below and read an excerpt. 


Summary

Cecily wants a big life, but can she handle it?

Cecily feels like she has it all: great best friends, the beginnings of a career as a model/actress, and she’s dating her favorite singer, Andrew Holiday. Then Cecily’s best friend Lila begins to ditch her every time Lila’s boyfriend calls. Cecily feels lost, but she and Andrew begin connecting more and she’s never been in a relationship where she felt so understood. Andrew even begins to confide in her about his anxiety. Soon Cecily experiences her own anxiety on a magazine photo shoot, but she manages to impress the magazine staff. Just when it seems like all her dreams are coming true, everything comes crashing down when a photo of Andrew with another girl appears online. He swears nothing happened, but Cecily is crushed. She feels like she’s lost two of the people closest to her.

Was her perfect relationship real or was she in over her head?


Excerpt

 “They were talking about how they’re using unknown models right now and I mentioned how awesome you were in the video and they agreed. We started talking and they wondered if you’d want to come to New York and do a shoot for the magazine. What do you think?” he asked.

I almost fell off my bed. Me? Model? I wasn’t pretty enough for that and everyone would write in to let them know that just like they all felt the need to voice that opinion in the online video comments.
“Wow, it’s…wow.”

“I know, right? And I’m here for a few weeks recording so we could see each other. My manager said he’d talk to your parents and work out the details. You’d be working just to get exposure, so the contract would be about rights and not money—is that cool? It’s a great way to get your name out there and stuff for your book.”

 “My book?”

“Your portfolio. You know, the photos people look at to decide whether or not they want to hire you for modeling jobs.”

Was I going to be modeling enough that I needed a book? Did this magazine actually want me? It sounded too good to be true—going to New York to model and be in a magazine while visiting my pop star boyfriend. Was this my life?

“I don’t know if my parents will go for it,” I said.

“Let my manager talk to them and see what magic he can work. He wants to help this magazine out, too. You want to do it though, right?”

Part of me did—the part of me that wanted a big life and to be famous and adored. The reality side of me was an anxious mess just thinking about flying out there though.

 “Yeah, for sure,” I said hoping I sounded convincing. 

“Great, give me your parents’ number and I’ll have my manager give them a call.”

 I felt like I was having an out of body experience as I recited my mom’s cell phone number to him. 
My entire life could change in a phone call.

Purchase

Amazon AU:
Book Depository: https://bit.ly/2ZuKQun


About the Author

Krysten Lindsay Hager writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends...Forever?, Next Door to a Star,  Landry in Like, Competing with the Star, Dating the It Guy, and Can Dreams Come True. Krysten's work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the Bellbrook Times, Springfield News-Sun, Grand Blanc View, Dayton Daily News and on Living Dayton. 

Author links




Friday, October 18, 2019

Find out why readers are raving about Fight for You for only .99c!


 

"You think you weren't living without me? I was in hell without you. I'm still in hell."
Ten years ago, Michael Kincaid walked away from the only woman he's ever loved. Now, one of his enemies has it out for her. Can Michael and January find their way back to one another, or will the painful secrets lurking in his past tear them apart for good?
Find out why readers are raving about Fight for You for only .99c through 10/22 at all major retailers!



About Fight for You

The road to hell is paved with good intentions…but the path to redemption never hurt so good.

Some men deserve redemption. Some men are worthy of salvation. I'm not one of them. My name is Michael Kincaid, and I've got so much blood on my hands, I'll never wash clean. 

For ten years, I've tried to outrun my gangbanger past by burying myself in my work with the DEA. I've tried like hell to forget the day I damned my soul and lost everything…my family, my home, and the only girl I've ever loved.

I still can't outrun it.

No matter how far I go, January James haunts me.

Now one of my enemies—a local gang member—has it out for her. He isn't going to stop until she gives him the territory I left her all those years ago.

She deserves better than me, but she's mine anyway. It's time to stop running and fight for her.

She's an angel. I'm the devil on her shoulder. And this is my swan song.

When it's over, I'll either be the monster at the end of this book…or I'll be the man she deserves.

Fight for You is an angsty friends-to-lovers, second chance romance, and is not suitable for all readers. It is the first book in a series of interconnected full-length novels featuring law enforcement officers willing to do whatever it takes to protect the women who need them most. Each book has no cheating and a guaranteed HEA.





Reviewers are saying

"This book is hot, emotional, interesting, sweet, and intense and I wholeheartedly recommend it." ★★★★★ Amazon Reviewer

"Raw. Gritty. Amazing! As always, Ayden blows us away with her cutting edge, honest, emotion-driven novel."  ★★★★★ Jeanne McDonald, Author of the Truth in Lies Saga

"FANTASTIC! This was a really good book!! It captures you from the start and never lets you down." ★★★★★ Amazon Reviewer

"I cried, I laughed, and I loved with the characters! Romance and tragedy, Oh. My. Gosh!" Mary (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)

"You will not regret time spent on this novel and this author deserves a standing ovation."  Shontell (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)

"The way this book made me feel is indescribable. I felt like I was watching this whole book play out on a movie. I could not put it down." Grace (★★★★★ Bookbub Review)

"I loved this book and could not put it down. It's a page-turner, for sure. From the very beginning, Morgen draws you into the world of January and Michael." Gillian (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)

"Five stars says it all - what an amazing read, the characters are so well fleshed out and the storyline amazing." Angie (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)



Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Fight for You is LIVE!



Fight for You is now live! This book is probably my favorite that I've ever written. I am so, so excited to share it with all of you today. If you enjoy sweet and steamy romances with alpha males and strong heroines, plus a healthy dose of drama, laughter, and tears, Fight for You is for you! Cade and January's book is gritty, emotional, and intense at times...and laugh-out-loud funny at others.

About Fight for You

Some men deserve redemption. Some men are worthy of salvation. I'm not one of them. My name is Michael Kincaid, and I've got so much blood on my hands, I'll never wash clean. 

For ten years, I've tried to outrun my gangbanger past by burying myself in my work with the DEA. I've tried like hell to forget the day I damned my soul and lost everything…my family, my home, and the only girl I've ever loved.

I still can't outrun it.

No matter how far I go, January James haunts me.

Now one of my enemies—a local gang member—has it out for her. He isn't going to stop until she gives him the territory I left her all those years ago.

She deserves better than me, but she's mine anyway. It's time to stop running and fight for her.

She's an angel. I'm the devil on her shoulder. And this is my swan song.

When it's over, I'll either be the monster at the end of this book…or I'll be the man she deserves.
WARNING: Fight for You is an angsty and emotional friends-to-lovers, second chance romance and is not suitable for all readers. It is the first book in a series of interconnected full-length standalone novels featuring law enforcement officers willing to do whatever it takes to protect the women who need them most. Each book has no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

Get Fight for You for .99c through October 22nd!
BOOKS2READ UNIVERSAL LINK




EXCERPT


"I'm sorry about last night," I whisper, my heart pounding. Now that the moment's here, I'm not even sure where to begin unburdening myself. There's so much between us…so much I never got to tell him. So many things I've regretted for a long damn time.

"There is no other woman," he says. He fidgets, rocking on his heels and then running a hand through his hair. He looks out into the yard and then down at his feet. "Little Mama is like a sister to me. Her husband, Tristan, is probably the only real friend I've had since…well, in a long time. I had to come back. The guy who took her wanted to do some seriously fucked up shit. Letting that happen wasn't an option."

"Oh." I swallow and then lick my lips, feeling guilty for being jealous. It's such a petty, destructive emotion, one I promised myself I would never give into. But I did yesterday. That shames me. 

"Is…is she okay?"

"Not really, but she will be. She's got Tristan. He'll make sure she's straight."

"That's good then."

We drift off, both peering everywhere but at each other. I stare out into the yard. The flowerbeds will need to be weeded soon. Dandelions keep popping up all over the place. 

"Are you staying for long?" I ask to fill the silence and then peek up at him.

He's watching me this time, a furrow between his brows.

"Didn't plan on it, but who knows?" He shrugs, that furrow growing deeper. His face is so much more severe than it used to be. There's a darkness there, a wildness that I only ever saw once—the day he got into a fight with Cody Love in the park because Cody was talking shit about me. There was murder in his eyes that day, and I see it there again now.

He's not the same boy he used to be. He's all man now, with ten years' worth of history I know nothing about. It weighs heavily on him. The haunted weariness in his eyes leaves me with the distinct impression that he carries the weight of the whole world on his broad shoulders and has for a long time.

"I never hated you," I whisper to him, my heart hurting at the evidence that life hasn't been easy for him. It kills me a little to know I put some of that weight there. That he carries it because of me…because I was a selfish little girl who lashed out just so I didn't have to hurt alone. "I was hurt and angry, and I wanted you to hurt too. But I never hated you, Cade. I never wanted you to leave."

"You should have hated me," he whispers back, his expression so solemn and serious it sends tears slipping down my cheeks. "You should still hate me. I took everything from you."

"It wasn't your fault," I argue, shaking my head. "I never blamed you. You shouldn't blame yourself either."

He gives me a sad smile. "You always saw more in me than was there. I never deserved you." The self-loathing in his voice breaks me.

"You're wrong. I was the one who didn't deserve you." I dash away the tears blurring my vision and give him a watery smile. "You were always larger than life to me, my own personal hero. And now look at you. You're an honest to God hero."

Cade chuckles, the deep sound hitting me low in my stomach. Heat floods through me in a warm rush. "I'm no one's hero, sweetheart."

"I bet your friend's girl would tell you different," I argue, though I'm not sure why. Clearly, he doesn't see himself the way I always have. Back then, I never would have envisioned him as a cop, but it fits him. He was born to save lives and take down criminals. I'm proud of him.

"T saved his girl, January. I was just there to keep him from destroying himself to do it." His expression twists and he holds his hands up, palms facing me. He hits me with a look of such intense self-hatred it pins me to my chair and steals my breath. "I'm not the hero of this story or any other. I've got so much blood on my hands I'll never wash clean."


GET FIGHT FOR YOU AT: 
AMAZON |BN | KOBOAPPLE

Reviewers are saying

"Raw. Gritty. Amazing! As always, Ayden blows us away with her cutting edge, honest, emotion-driven novel."  ★★★★★ Jeannie McDonald, Author of the Truth in Lies Saga

"I cried, I laughed, and I loved with the characters! Romance and tragedy, Oh. My. Gosh!" Mary (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)

"You will not regret time spent on this novel and this author deserves a standing ovation."  Shontell (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)

"The way this book made me feel is indescribable. I felt like I was watching this whole book play out on a movie. I could not put it down." Grace (★★★★★ Bookbub Review)

"I loved this book and could not put it down. It's a page-turner, for sure. From the very beginning, Morgen draws you into the world of January and Michael." Gillian (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)

"Five stars says it all - what an amazing read, the characters are so well fleshed out and the storyline amazing." Angie (★★★★★ Goodreads Review)


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