#GuestPost: The Day I Finally “Felt” Like I Was an Author By Skye Turner
About seventeen months ago, I started on this journey called self-publishing. One day in the summer of 2013, while my husband was offshore and my kids were running around my house like crazy little people, I sat at my laptop and decided to get the ideas that were living in my head… out.
I wrote like a person possessed that day. I think I wrote something like nine thousand words. It was like now that I was finally allowing the voices in my head to talk, they had so much to say.
My first book was written in ten days. I worked literally twenty to twenty-two hours a day. I didn’t sleep, I think I might have showered a time or two, but ten days later… I was done. My first book, Alluring Turmoil, the beginning of Bayou Stix, was written.
That was step one. I used to think that people wrote books and then people read them. I was so green. I literally had no idea what I was getting into, but I decided that if I was going to do it, I was going to do it like everything else in my life and do it big.
I researched cover designers and editors (though I was an editor). I thought I was going to format the book myself, but after countless YouTube videos, tears, and almost throwing my laptop across the room, I asked some friends for someone to rescue me from formatting hell, and got the name of my formatter.
I worked on Alluring Turmoil for months… writing, revising, editing, revising again, allowing betas to read it, talking to my cover designer, working with my editor, then formatting…
I reached out to so many people that I’d followed and admired and I promoted myself and my work. I did all of this for MONTHS before I ever published.
Then, it was time… time to push the button and release my book into the world. Feedback had been pretty good from people who’d received ARC’s. Certain blogs told me I stunk and that I shouldn’t release and they were sorry, but they couldn’t recommend the book. That stung, but I pushed on. I submitted the book to be published… and then I waited. I was a nervous wreck and I had this extreme urge to vomit or curl up into the fetal position in the corner, but I did it…
Alluring Turmoil went “Live” on September 11, 2013 (two days before it was supposed to). I didn’t know anything, but I started checking the sales numbers… holy smoke… people were buying my book. I think I did vomit at one point from the nerves and stress.
By September 12, 2013 I was receiving feedback… people for the most part LIKED my book… I couldn’t help but think this was some sort of cosmic joke. I mean people I’d once looked up to and read everything they produced, were now reading MY work. WHAT?! This was crazy. I’m just a wife and mommy with a dream from Smalltown, Louisiana. I was a tiny blip in the big world of authors.
The messages and reviews started coming in and while most were good, there were some bad, those hurt at first… as time went on, I realized… wow, I need to write another book.
So, I did. And then I write four more. The conclusion to the Bayou Stix series comes out this Friday, November 21. But the truth is… now seventeen months into this, I think I finally feel like an author.
I wake up every day and think to myself… I write books. I entertain people. I involve people in my stories. People travel to events to meet me and express their joy from my work. I receive messages from all over the world and every single day, I pinch myself and grin.
That is surreal. I’ve written six books in seventeen months. I generally produce new material every ninety days… but until recently I’ve never thought of myself as an author…
I do now and trust me… it’s the best feeling.
Alluring Turmoil: Book 1 Bayou Stix
Alexia Sloane is the 26 year old owner of the highly successful Louisiana coffee shop/bakery, Java and Sweeties. The past couple of years have been all she’s dreamed of and her business takes all of her focus. All of her heart.
Jude Delecroix is the lead singer of one of the most famous rock bands in the country, Bayou Stix and the man who broke Lexi’s heart.
Lexi and Jude have a past.
When Jude comes back to town 8 years after leaving to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a famous musician and comes face to face with Lexi, forces collide, old hurts are brought to the surface, and life as these two have been living it will never be the same.
There are 2 sides to every story, and what happens when the things you believed to be concrete suddenly crumble like ash and fade away?
Welcome to Louisiana where humidity and passion are high and things are not always what they seem.
***Contains graphic sex and language. Not intended for young readers.***
***This is a second chance romance novel and is nothing like a novel when strangers meet.***
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Alluring Seduction: Book 2 Bayou Stix
Warning: This book contains explicit language and explosive sex. It is an adult romance and not intended for anyone under the age of 18.
Jessie Adams is the womanizing, lead guitarist for the hottest rock band in the country, Bayou Stix. Seduction is his game. He does what he wants, when he wants, and with whom he wants. Women are playthings, but eventually meaningless sex with groupie after groupie gets old.
Blue Delaney has spent years working nonstop and cultivating her way to being the hottest rock reporter in the business and the lead reporter for Rock Hard Magazine. She’s confident, sexy, and has no time for games.
Jessie loves women and women love him, but something about Blue gets under his skin. She’s not what he’s used to.
Blue loves Bayou Stix and is friends with the guys, but something about Jessie pushes her buttons. It doesn’t stop her from wanting him.
When Blue is forced to go on tour with Bayou Stix and cover the band, tensions run high, chemistry is explosive, and Blue and Jessie begin to see each other in a new light.
Their attraction is obvious to everyone but them. But in the end… the question is who’s seducing whom and is chemistry enough to sustain a relationship?
Can this fierce woman tame this bad boy rocker? Does she want to?
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Alluring Ties: Book 2.5 Bayou Stix
A Bayou Stix Novella
Alluring Ties is a companion novella to the Bayou Stix series. It’s Book 2.5 Bayou Stix. In Alluring Turmoil, we were introduced to Lexi Sloane’s two best friends, Bradi and Erik. Alluring Ties will take you on a journey into their pasts and bring you to their present.
Bradi St. James is a force to be reckoned with. She’s strong, independent, and has something to prove. All of her life, she’s watched the world around her and is determined to have a different fate from what she’s grown up with. The path you’ve always believed to be the right path, may not be your destiny after all.
Erik Jenson is a kind man. A nurturer and the kind of friend everyone wants to have. Growing up surrounded by friends and family who support him, he’s a confident man. The choices he must make and the chances he must take as he lives and grows make him the strong, loving man he becomes.
Alluring Ties contains explicit sex, including some male/male, strong language and is not intended for anyone under the age of 18 or anyone who does not like M/M romance.
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Alluring Temptation: Book 3 Bayou Stix
Liam Christianson is the devil-may-care, rhythm guitarist for Bayou Stix, the hottest rock band around. He’s a playboy and likes to do things his way. No regrets. He knows that women love him, and he uses that to his advantage. He’s cocky and shallow. Or so it seems.
Clove Rodrigue is the baby sister of Liam’s bandmate and friend. She’s a sweet, fairly innocent young woman who was dealt a bad hand and became a victim of circumstance. After finishing culinary school, she returns home to Baton Rouge. She finds herself living under the same roof as Liam and they quickly realize they are like oil and water. He hates how perfect she is, and she can’t stand his treatment of women.
Both Liam and Clove are accustomed to letting others see only what they want them to see, each hiding behind false pretenses.
What happens when polar opposites realize that their hatred of one another is really attraction? Will they succumb to the allure? What happens when the things that you fight so hard against are the very things you need the most in the world?
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Alluring Infatuation: Book 4 Bayou Stix
Dade Rodrigue is the levelheaded, bass guitarist for Bayou Stix, the hottest rock band in the country. He’s the oldest member which often places him in the role of protector and mentor. Women love a rock star and Dade is no exception. When events in his own life become overwhelming, he takes a much needed retreat for some quiet and down time away from his “Dade the rocker” existence.
Melonie Bird is a well-respected OB/GYN with a successful practice. She’s beautiful, smart, and career focused. She likes things neat and orderly and her life is no exception. When her perfect life derails, she takes off on an island adventure to refresh and recharge.
An exotic location, a chance encounter, and two beautiful people -who aren’t quite who they seem- will have both of their worlds spinning.
What happens when the unexpected changes your life? When the things you never thought you wanted turn out to be exactly what you need, what do you do? What happens when the one you can’t forget isn’t exactly who you thought they were?
Can a spark of lust ignite the fire of love?
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Buy links for all Bayou Stix Books:
AMAZON LINKS:
ALLURING TURMOIL, BOOK 1 BAYOU STIX, JUDE, OUT NOW: http://www.amazon.com/Alluring-Turmoil-Bayou-Stix-Turner-ebook/dp/B00F4F08Z8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
ALLURING SEDUCTION, BOOK 2 BAYOU STIX, JESSIE, OUT NOW: http://www.amazon.com/Alluring-Seduction-Bayou-Stix-Turner-ebook/dp/B00HNE1TQ0/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=025VR7N6RD6BR26E09ET
ALLURING TIES, A BAYOU STIX NOVELLA, BOOK 2.5 BAYOU STIX, ERIK, BRADI, AND MICAH, OUT NOW: http://www.amazon.com/Alluring-Ties-Bayou-Stix-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IU23HZU/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1J73GMYPEWRMMP8ZQJ5M
ALLURING TEMPTATION, BOOK 3 BAYOU STIX, LIAM, OUT NOW: http://www.amazon.com/Alluring-Temptation-Book-Bayou-Stix-ebook/dp/B00KNGAX0I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401836006&sr=1-1&keywords=alluring+temptation
ALLURING INFATUATION: BOOK 4 BAYOU STIX, DADE, OUT FRIDAY, AUGUST 29: http://www.amazon.com/Alluring-Infatuation-Bayou-Stix-Book-ebook/dp/B00MQDVWL0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1408124422&sr=1-1&keywords=alluring+infatuation
ALLURING S URRENDER BOOK 5 BAYOU STIX (THE END), CRUZ, OUT NOVEMBER 21: http://www.amazon.com/Alluring-Surrender-Book-Bayou-Stix-ebook/dp/B00O3GPDKO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1412262966&sr=1-1&keywords=alluring+surrender
BARNES AND NOBLE LINKS:
Alluring Turmoil, Book 1 Bayou Stix:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alluring-turmoil-skye-turner/1116875207?ean=2940046255966&itm=1&usri=2940046255966
Alluring Seduction, Book 2 Bayou Stix:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alluring-seduction-skye-turner/1120140883?ean=2940046323320&itm=1&usri=2940046323320
Alluring Ties, Book 2.5 Bayou Stix:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alluring-ties-skye-turner/1120140885?ean=2940046332070&itm=1&usri=2940046332070
Alluring Temptation, Book 3 Bayou Stix:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alluring-temptation-skye-turner/1120140884?ean=2940046303407&itm=1&usri=2940046303407
Alluring Infatuation, Book 4 Bayou Stix:
Alluring Surrender, Book 5 Bayou Stix: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alluring-surrender-skye-turner/1120690081?ean=2940046293470&itm=1&usri=2940046293470
iBOOKS LINKS:
Alluring Turmoil, Book 1 Bayou Stix:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id909116688
Alluring Seduction, Book 2 Bayou Stix:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id909121134
Alluring Ties, Book 2.5 Bayou Stix:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id909220084
Alluring Temptation, Book 3 Bayou Stix:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id909118616
Alluring Infatuation, Book 4 Bayou Stix:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id909959894
Alluring Surrender, Book 5 Bayou Stix: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id937926309
KOBO LINKS:
Alluring Turmoil, Book 1 Bayou Stix:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alluring-turmoil-1
Alluring Seduction, Book 2 Bayou Stix:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alluring-seduction
Alluring Ties, Book 2.5 Bayou Stix:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alluring-ties-a-bayou-stix-novella
Alluring Temptation, Book 3 Bayou Stix:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alluring-temptation
Alluring Infatuation, Book 4 Bayou Stix: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alluring-infatuation
Alluring Surrender, Book 5 Bayou Stix: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alluring-surrender
Signed Paperbacks: http://skyeturnerauthor.storenvy.com/
