Today is the day of my photo shoot to promote my upcoming novel, Crooked Fang. Why am I blogging at this hour? Perhaps to rid myself of some thoughts.

I will take my clothes off for a photographer. The photos will not show any ladybits, but it will be obvious all I am wearing are a killer set of blue platform heels and a 5-string ESP bass guitar. The very guitar that used to grace the sidebar of the elder crookedfang.com blog.

The blog that I started three years ago for the hell of it.

Everything has changed in the past year regarding Crooked Fang, and it is my greatest hope that the story will be well-received. Some readers may dislike or even loathe the book. That’s fine with me. They will have given it time and time is precious.

Back to the clothes-taking-off thing. I contacted large book blogs with a simple plea to give me a shot and a slot in order to promote my book. I sent out five emails. I received two rejections (I’ll get to those in a minute) and one approval. One person said, sure. I’ll give this crazy idea a whirl.

Book blog tours are painfully boring, except to avid fans. It’s the same interview questioning, the same “here’s how I know how to write a book” spill. It’s a dog and pony show, this business. The successes in recent times have been for the most part, surprising. Authors fighting incredible odds to have their book be The One that everybody wants.

I’m not sure what I want at this point. It’s the calm before the shitstorm and I’m a bundle of nerves. I’ve actually started on a novel of a different sort with not one vampire in sight. Shocked? Don’t be. I can’t get stuck in a rut. I have to keep moving, keep writing, and keep dreaming up new ways to amuse my brain with characters. People in my head. Non-writers are admitted for less. I do not take this exception lightly.

Back to the major book bloggers’ responses. One recommended I try YouTube. This isn’t about porn. It’s no different than walking for a cause, skydiving to raise money for research or a cure.

Another expressed that this photo series will not give me the reaction I’m looking for. Who says I’m looking for a reaction? My work speaks for itself. I’m content to let Xan do interviews more so than myself. It’s a love of music, grit, action and a fascination with immortal creatures, not just vampires. Those that live beyond the standard human lifetime. In Crooked Fang, Xan Marcelles has not yet reached the end of his natural expected lifespan, so he is forced to face issues such as old friends aging. His father’s death. Worries about when he’ll have to move on to another identity.

I’ve always had self-image issues, despite friends and loved ones reassuring me that I look fine. That may be, but I have a picture in my mind of who I am, and the person in the mirror falls short. I’m not afraid to admit this. I’ve been generally modest in pictures of myself distributed across the internet. I am a modest person. Not a prude, mind you, but a person that feels uncomfortable in self-objectification. This is how I arrived at what I must do to close the Crooked Fang production saga. Pose with Sasha, Xan Marcelles’ bass in the story. Give it love, much as I have given him love for years. Use these pictures in guest blogs to attract new readers, whether they be male or female. Crooked Fang is an adult urban fantasy written with both genders in mind.

I had my eyebrows waxed. I received my very first manicure. I bought new makeup and other accessories to enhance my appearance. I’ve been careful what I eat, when I haven’t been sick, which lately, has been quite often. I will pose and support a heavy guitar under hot lights. I will show you the love.

All I ask is that you, my reader, give me the chance to show you my beloved Crooked Fang.

With kind regards,

Carrie Clevenger