HEA, NC, and Piracy!

#indieauthors #writerslife #amwritingromance #RomanceReaders #paranormalromance

Happily ever after is the name of the game in romance. It kind of has to be right? If there is no happily ever after then you kind of feel as if the story did not end or it ended wrong. That always leaves me upset. So yeah I'm an HEA kind of girl. But in fantasy, things are different. There is usually some serious evil that needs to be destroyed before it can destroy the world and there is magic involved. (Science fiction too but more science and less magic.) With Draoithe, I blend the two. Each couple winds up with their happily ever after, but the adventure continues from one novel into the next as they join forces to fight against the shadowy evil of Peter Elliot. I tend to label the work as paranormal romance, but like as not Amazon is right in categorizing Draoithe as contemporary fiction as most of the story happens in the current time.

Then the No Cheating must be addressed. It simply does not work in this storyline. Cheating is the physical manifestation of the lie of love. If two people were truly soul mates, then cheating would never happen. Nothing would ever be more interesting than the one crafted for them by the powers that be. We all love the idea of being in love and having a forever partner to share life with, but there is a sad reality in our world. If you are in a relationship chances are good that one or the other parties has, is, or will cheat. Many times both do it. The crushing demoralizing after effects of cheating create serious trust issues that may never be overcome. So at Draoithe, because Eli suffered from that issue, the magic refuses to allow it. Whether it is because Luke wishes to protect her or because she herself wishes to protect everyone is never really clear. Does Draoithe exist for Luke's benefit ot Eli's? That argument continues to be debated throughout the series. But Griz may have the right of it above the other opinions. 

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Speaking of Griz, I wanted to let everyone know that the Storyboard Preview for The Ruiri Complete is now available for viewing. I have uploaded it to Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram and as always it is accessible from OpheliKee.com. I have been diligently working to get caught up on that front. I really like the videos even if I am not too sure if they actually help me sell my books. They are fun though. A new way to look at books that I had once never even thought of. Crafting the videos has made me think about creating short reads that could be crafted into storyboard videos as complete stories. I might try that next as my idea for audible books has taken a backseat due to my inability to actually record a read that is of any quality at all. LOL.

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Piracy! I have to address it even if it seems unbelievable. I have seen in my Facebook feed several posts recently discussing a pirate book site. Independent Authors in general rarely make $10,000 a year in royalties from book sales. Oh there are some who earn more, but they are the exception to the rule. The side hustle for Independent Authors is very real. I personally currently only have my books listed on Amazon. How these pirate sites even manage to obtain the manuscript is beyond me, but if you click on a book priced well below the general market value for that genre and that link does not take you to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Ibooks, or Google Books, I would not give out my credit or debit card info. If they will steal from the starving artists of the literary community, they will steal from you too. Play it safe. Collect your freebies from reputable sites and pick up books when an author runs a sale. That way no one gets hurt. (Also starving indie authors might eat.)

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​You knew it was coming. I must do the shameless self promotion. I really must. Filth and Death is on preorder now. The book drops on Feb. 24. This one will not be listed at the debut price for long. It is far too good and way too big. Frank Grimes is the man you love to hate. Find out how a blood demon attempts to turn him into something a bit less slimy. For all my Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this one will also be FREE to you. I hope you enjoy! 

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I have to run away. The nut milk ice cream will not make itself. Neither will the bread or the jelly. Believe it or not, I am also writing a novel or too. So just remember, if you read, please be kind and leave your review. They always help. One word or even an emoji will make an author's day.
Be Careful!
Happy reading,
​Ophelia Kee