One of the hardest post

It has been over a week since I lost my good friend, my mentor, and my editor. I thought in that time I would wake up and not have to write this. Monique's death has left me reeling. I can't even begin to focus on what this means for a few of my books because at this point, I just don't care. I know I should care about the fate of Dain, Bonnie, Akila, and Marco but I don't. 

Monique believed in me and she loved these character. I know she'd want me to keep writing but right now I just can't even sit down and begin to join their world again. I know some day I will be able to do it. Right now...right now, I just can't.

I am trying to pretend that I am okay but this is so crazy. SO CRAZY. One of the last things she said to me via fb messenger was "I'll be fine." How can she not be? How can she be gone?

I know that mourning takes awhile and I know I will be writing, the series that we worked on together, again. I just wanted yall to know that it is too hard right now so please excuse the delays. I promise I will be back!

Oh the things I have done...

Wow, last year I was sitting down probably bitching and moaning on how badly I wanted my stories to be published because more than anything, I wanted to share my stories.

Now here I am, sitting here still bitching and moaning over how happy I am that I am published because more than anything, I want to share my stories.

So I promote myself and I market myself. I do everything sans stand on that corner slinging my books at people.

 

Samuel

So what do I have coming up next for you guys? Well, a lot! Book two in The Reborn series should be out before the end of the year. I am also working on a new series about Reapers, also Angels because well I love angels. (I was trying to post a picture of one of the angels but things are going wonky.) The reaper series is New Adult. So smexiness will be done. A new werewolf or shifter is in the works. That is totally new to me. Last but not least Book 2 in when Lily's Fall!

For now I must go write.

 

These aren't any of my characters but it's just smexiness examples that might be had.

 

What nobody tells you

I haven't written a word since the release of my first novel. The Reborn is my debut novel but it isn't my first contracted novel so I am lucky enough to have TWO first time babies. My first book to get a contract (Death Knows My Name out in July) and the first to be out for the world to ravage (The Reborn out NOW.) But what nobody tells you is writing is different after your first release.

How you ask? Allow me to tell you. I have lost my mojo. Okay it is temporary but nonetheless, I haven't or I can't write since the first review came in begging for book two in the trilogy. Yay and Ahhh! Okay, yay because someone liked my book to want to read more. Yippee. Ahhh because now there is expectations. What if they don't think it is as good? The expectation, fear of disappointing and just the omg I have readers factor paralyzes me whenever I look at my plot board so I can start writing.

I have been assured that I will get it back. I don't want to write a story just with the hope that yall like it. I mean I do hope yall love it but I wrote The Reborn because it was Dain's story. I enjoyed it and I think that translated onto the pages. I just want that magic to repeat on Akila's tale.

SO that is what nobody tells you, writing after your first release is hard. :)

The Reborn Cover

Book Info-
Title-The Reborn: The Book of Dain
by Casse Narome
Genre -YA Paranormal Romance
Release date 3/21/13 from Bayou Brew Publishing

Blurb-
Dain has lived a total of ninety-nine different lifetimes and in every single one he has loved the same girl. But now Tara is gone and in her place there stands Bonnie, the complete opposite of Tara. Is Dain's shot at love over or has he lived all these lives because he has been loving the wrong girl?



EXCERPT-
Oh my God. I held my breath. This was going to happen. The giddiness was almost too much to take, but as she unzipped my pants, I heard a door upstairs open and close with a bang.
We both froze.
Bonnie’s eyes opened wide with obvious terror.
“Holy shit,” I whispered. “Your parents?”
She shook her head and pushed me off of her. “Worse. My brothers.”
I jumped up and scooped up our shirts before I tossed her one. I buttoned my jeans in a mad rush and shook out the shirt as the basement door opened. I glanced at the shirt in my hand, frowned at how tiny it looked, and groaned. Yes, I had tossed Bonnie a shirt, the wrong shirt. As the stairs creaked, I looked over at Bonnie and her enormous eyes widened even more.
“That’s mine,” she whispered, my shirt nearly drowning her body.
I groaned again as two boys stepped into the room and one pair of feet stopped just an inch from a condom that I must have abandoned when Bonnie had pushed me away.
I saw the guys soak in the scene—me with no shirt on, Bonnie swallowed by the wrong one. The taller of the two bent and picked up the condom at his feet. Where was the second condom? Collectively, our gazes moved to my hand where the second condom and Bonnie’s shirt still lingered.
I couldn’t move, other than to let the shirt and the partially opened condom wrapper fall from my hand. Bonnie shut her eyes tight as the condom, of course, landed on top of the shirt.
Both guys frowned angrily as they glared at me. The smaller one, who still stood at six foot something, spoke, “Your fly is open.”
I was dead.

Author Bio-

Casse Narome is the alter-ego of a self-proclaimed awesome weirdo who spent her childhood reading and daydreaming. As an adult that is also how she spends her time only now she writes her daydreams down for everyone to read. Casse is never serious, has been accused of wishing her life was a sitcom, laugh track and all, has a bad habit of talking out loud to herself and she is fine with being a little insane. She spends way too much time online, too much money buying books and laughing at her own jokes. You will find her on Twitter being very random and spewing her opinions. When you see her online, tell her to get back to her writing! Or just engage her in a hilarious random conversation. She blogs book reviews and the adventures of being a writer at
www.CatholicKittie.blogspot.com & www.CasseNarome.blogspot.com She is an avid tweeter www.twitter.com/catholickittie She is also on Facebook www.facebook.com/CasseNarome

It's been a long time.

I shouldn't have left you, without a dope beat to step to.  Teehee. I can't ever say the title of this blog post without hearing that song in my head.

Anyway, so to the point. Dain has found a home. I meant to announce it here last month but it seems to have slipped my mind. Bayou Brew Publishing accepted The Reborn. I must say, they are the best. Dain and I were accepted with open arms. There is no better company I would rather sign with. Such a talented group of ladies.



More to come soon. If you want more info check me out on facebook. Casse Narome

After Dain was Reborn and Akila Remade...Reawaken with Darkhan.

Darkhan

Reawaken will have three different POV’s. I decided this very early on because The Reborn and The Remade doesn’t really give the HEA or even the HFN ending of the main couples in the story. Bonnie and Dain in The Reborn, Akila and Marco in The Remade. I just felt that they deserve to get their ending in their words and in their heads. The POV’s will be Dain, Akila and…Darkhan. You have no idea who he is yet. I barely have an idea but he has been beckoning to me very stoically since a third through The Reborn. He is very mysterious but he seems willing enough to tell his story and I am a bit afraid to let him into my head and heart. His pain is crippling and very tangible. I can feel it just by thinking about him.




I think you will like him, I know Akila sure does ;-) *spoiler alert* lol I can’t wait to get to his story The Reawaken (It’s mainly Darkhan’s tell so The Ruined and The Shattered still fits but…I wanted a positive just like the rest. I cross my fingers I can SPIN his tragic tell into a positive.) We still have a long way until Darkhan can win your hearts so enjoy the end of The Reborn and The Remade will be ready soon. I hope!

No rest for the slacker

Hey all, I know it looks as if I am slacking since I have not updated my blog in awhile but actually a lot of work is being done.

1. After a shit load of form rejections I decided to redo my query letter and it seemed to have worked, it's still too soon to tell but I have received  request for a partial and a request for a full. I also received a rejection with and invitation to revise and resubmit. See no form rejection. I would consider the new query letter a success...kinda.
2. I am in the 2nd week of a Fast Draft. Fast Draft: 5k words a day for 14 days. So Remade is about half done. yay.
3. The Reborn is being edited and fleshed out and can be found on both Textnovel.com and WattPad.com
4.I decided on the name of the 3rd book in the Reborn series...I think. I will know for sure when I plot it out and write the first chapter. But all this will wait until after Remade is finished and after When Lily's Fall is re-plotted. When Lily's Fall is book two in the DKMN world and has been rewritten and deleted at least 3 times as DKMN is revised. lol

See no slacking here.
Casse

What inspired The Reborn Series *deleted scene*

A lot of people ask me how do I come up with the stories I write. I get my ideas from so many places. I already shared with you how Death Knows My Name was inspired by the movie Prophecy II. I guess it is time to share what inspired The Reborn series.

About a year and a half ago [edit: Wow more like closer to 2 years ago!] I use to be a huge blog surfer. My book blog roll was massive. Reviewers, writers, anything book related I was there. One day while I was surfing the Deadline Dames and they do this meme type thing called ROD ( Readers on Deadline) where they post a picture and us readers get inspired and write a little flash fiction. Well, I did get inspired and my flash fiction (which I did not even enter to the contest) turned into an entirely new animal.

I posted the fiction chapter by chapter on Textnovel.com (was huge into textnovel back then and the story even got editor's choice.) When I came to the end of my flash fiction one devoted reader demanded that it not stopped there. I also did not want to say goodbye to Tara and Dain, so I obliged.

That one ROD picture inspired a whole new world that includes two prequel short stories (both available now on Smashwords.com for free) and 3 novels (coming soon...I hope!)

The opening scene I wrote for the picture that was the initial first thing I wrote for the world, didn't even end up in the final version of Reborn which I am currently editing one last time (I hope. But 1 turns to 3 so quickly.) and then querying. *fingers crossed*

But I am deciding to post the cut prologue below and the picture. Also don't forget to download your copies of Lord of Requited Love and The Life That Ends here for free!

Forever- By Michelle Monique (click pic for her page)

Deleted Scene

I shouldn't be here. I know I shouldn't, yet, here I am. Sighing heavily I ran my hand through my hair which was a little damp from the sweat on my brow.

“Why are you here Dain?” I murmured to myself. That's right, I am a glutton for punishment. I can't have her. I shouldn't even want her since I had been purged not even a century ago, but I do.

Tara sat under the knotty oak tree, her dress flowering around her like the petals of the prettiest flower on earth. By God she was breathtaking in this light. The moon shined down it’s silver light over her skin and shone off her nutmeg colored hair. The wind blew slightly and tangled in the strands as it tugged at them softly. The stirring of the breezed brought her soft scent to me and I shivered remembering the taste of her mouth and the feel of her skin on my lips and tongue.

I sighed. No, that was another lifetime. Centuries ago. I couldn’t remember that now. Not with the danger it would now bring. We were the reborn they wouldn’t allow us to be together again. Only once and we had already lived that chance.

They had purged us both. Me more than once but unless they purged my soul and replaced my heart it would never last. My love for Tara was branded on my soul and my skin would never forget her touch. Not in this lifetime or my next. Damn-it we had a family together, though I shouldn’t remember them either.

Tara lay back on the grass eyes focused on the stars, mouth set in a soft pillowy pout. Oh to touch those lips once more with mine, to take them gently between my teeth teasingly and sooth away the sting with the tip of my tongue.

But this time they had screwed us. I turned away. Tara was a Fifty-six years old women and I was but a boy at Sixteen years old. Maybe in the next lifetime. I walked away with a longing heart.

I feel guilty about how mean I am...to fake people.

I just finished The Reborn 1st draft and though I did follow mostly the direction I wanted to go in I did one major change that is making me have to go back and rewrite book 2's opening. I mean that is no big deal, it sucked anyway. The main issue is I totally just screwed 2 characters over. On the upside the couple of characters I was supposed to screw over lucked out...for now at least.

One character, damn I feel like a bitch for what I'm doing with him. He is going a place that is going to take a miracle to dig him out from. Not sure if I can save him!

His poor heroine, he is going to put her in purgatory then drag her through hell because of one tragic mistake.

In the next book (the one I have to re-write the opening to) one guy's jealousy can cost him everything while another girl's past is haunting her and the one person she loves more than life just won't let her shake it. Can't he see that she has changed? He can't and makes her question if he even knows who she is anymore...the girl she was then has nothing to do with the woman she is now! If he can't see that...is he the man for her?

Oh and book 3...talk about dark places.

Oh the angst I putting these teens through. Sorry characters!



It's almost that time.

Hey folk,
  I have been hard at work lately and with Death Knows My Name off being edited, I am do for some major editing sometime next week when I get it back with what I am sure will look like the pages are bleeding.  I have found the perfect editor for me who is as passionate as the story I am telling as I am.  Which is awesome!
  So, any day now I will be ready to start the agent search.  *pulls hair out and screams*  It is so scary.  You hear so many whispered horror stories.  It is very intimidating, but I think I am ready.  I have been extremely bless thus far with surrounding myself with amazing people.  I found awesome critique partners, and now with my proof reader/personal editor...I am confident that I will find an agent who will do a spectacular job. 
  I am not delusional, I know, it won't be abracadabra, I get the call.  But eventually I am sure I will find the perfect one. 
  But the hard part will be NOT to sit back on my haunches and wait.  I have to keep writing.  I have a lot planned for my career.  I have the rest of the books in the DKMN world and I also have my YA story that was picked amongst the Editor's Choice last year.  In order to get all these first drafts done I am going to be doing a lot of Fast Drafts.  A lot.  December 1st I have one scheduled for the Remade.  Then I have to wait because I am planning a big move.  I know, I JUST moved to Missouri now I am going to Oklahoma?  Yes.  But I can probably squeeze in Devon's short story The Sun Catcher.  (I LOVE the title and once you read DKMN you will see why.) So I won't do another fast draft until most likely write after Christmas for When Lily's Fall re-do.  Immediately after (maybe 2 days break) I will Fast Draft working title: The Shattered (this title fits from my rough mind plot of hero but too many books have this title lately. Guess we like our men damaged aye ladies?)  It's the final book in the Reborn world.  Then I will go back and do some editing on all those fast drafts before I start picking through The Desecration Chronicles and making in one book with 3 parts (Born Through Desecration, Daughter of Desecration and Desecration's Queen).

Looks as if I am going to be one busy chick.
Keep reading,
Casse

And away we goooooooo!

I am so excited to be able to say that I have TWO, yes TWO free reads available at Smashwords.com that you can download.  I know that the PDF format is okay but I am not sure about the others so let me know.

The first super short story is called Lord of Requited Love.  It is the tale of Dain and Tara's very first lifetime.  It is heartbreakingly tragic and I love it.  I am such a huge fan of Dain.

The second super short story is called The Life That Ends.  This story takes place from Tara/Bonnie's POV in the lifetime just before The Reborn takes place.  I will confess, my feelings for Tara/Bonnie are interesting; I don't like her.  I think Dain can do so much better.  I have someone in mind and you guys will meet her in The Reborn and the mystery woman will have her own story in The Remade.  You will see why, although they are so perfect for one another, they just will never get together.  But before all that you HAVE to read these two super shorts and the best part they are absolutely FREE!!!!!!

Now, what are you waiting for?  Head over to Smashwords and download my "New Adult " (something like YA but with a bit more naughty bits) super short prequels:

The Lord of Requited Love: A Reborn Story
The Life That Ends: A Reborn Story

Keep Reading and Keep writing,
Casse NaRome

Another Reborn short story...

This novel is spawning more Shorts even though its not done yet. Sheesh. I write out the back story so I can have it while I am writing the complete story and they take on a life of their own. I think they are important because the two prequel stories I wrote are the very first life Dain and Tara lived and then the ill-fated 99th lifetime. (If you followed Reborn on Textnovel.com The Life That Ends is the chapter formally known as TWO. In the editing process it got cut out.) SO here it is. You saw the "fake" cover I did for Lord of Requited Love...here is The Life That Ends' "fake" cover. [Copyright reasons had to remove picture.]

Like I said, The Life That Ends isn't "Brand spanking new" but Lord of Requited Love is and its in the process of being edited and a new more YA cover being worked on. It's hard because now tha Dain is blonde I have to find new pictures. But Tara will stay the same. Here is the would be covers if Dain stayed brunette!

All pictures belong to artist Elizabeth May

My Favorite one!

Keep writing and keep reading,

Casse NaRome


NOTE: These pictures do not belong to me.  They are stock photos that must be paid for in order to be used.

Dastardly Dain

Here is the first 8 sentences of my Reborn short story. It's a prequel and it is the lifetime that started it all.  This isn't exactly the cover I am going with but it is lovely right?

Lord of Requited Love- Casse NaRome
“She is exasperating!” I fumed in my chambers to Christopher.
“Why do you even let her get to you my Lord?” He questioned me as he always did when he considered me unreasonable.
I shot him a glare.
“Sorry I mean, Dain.” The young gentleman amended knowing I hated titles among us. We were more friends than anything else.

That's all you get!

Keep reading and keep writing,

Casse

Let's take it back to before.

I have been working on a lot of short stories mainly prequel of the WIPS I am working on. It really helps with back story, especially when writing series and have to know every characters' motives. It is also completely fun.

I finished one SS a few weeks ago for Reborn series. Its the first draft but I think it is good. Now I am working on a prequel to a nanowrimo wip I worked on 2 years ago WHEN LILY'S FALL which is the book after DEATH KNOWS MY NAME. It's being called Accidental Jump-Off. *giggles* Thanks Twitter friend for the title ;-) I will let yall know when it's available to read.

Keep reading and I'll keep writing,
Casse NaRome

The Reborn- Editor's Choice

I am happy to be able to say that the YA I am working was picked as an Editor's Choice on TextNovel.  I am excited and completely shocked by this.  It came as a surprise.  This my first YA so I am pretty excited.  I had a feeling while writing the chapters that I had something good and it is my for fun novel.  I am so glad people are enjoying reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.  Dain and Tara pretty much tell me how they want things to go and if they misbehave I go all evil author on them.  It's a fun journey.

I need votes.  So please go check out The Reborn.  Read it and if you like it vote.  I also love comments on the story. 

For ninety-nine life times Dain has loved Tara and for only some of those ninety-nine has she love him in return.

Something has changed...Now Tara remembers...She is the only one...

With all the forces they are up against, Tara has to find away to make him remember so they can be with one another this one last time...
Because this is the only time that matters...

...This is the last time they will be Reborn.

The Reborn available on TextNovel

New Project TextNovel

I started a new short WIP and I am very excited.  It's a YA paranormal romance that I am for now calling The Reborn.  I wish I could show yall the picture that inspired it but right now I can't.  I will ask if I can link it and then share with yall. 

What I can share is the synopsis:

For ninety-nine life times Dain DuMarcos the Marquis has loved Tara Croix and for only some of those ninety-nine has she love him in return.


With all the forces they are up against, Dain has to find away to make her remember so they can be with one another this one last time...

Because this is the only time that matters...

                                               ...This is the last time they will be Reborn.

This is a total departure for me because for one it is YA and two most importantly, there isn't a bit of angels in it.  Just something I thought of because forevers always runs out.  Also it is a short story so it has to be fast paced.  I am hoping this will be like practice so I can get pacing down better when comes down to my Death Knows My Name edits.

I am going to update the chapters one a night hopefully every night until its done, so you can go to TextNovel.com/TheReborn to read the new additions.  Chapter One-See you next lifetime. is up already.

Thanks,
Casse