Skye by Nell Williams

In honor of Reality Check‘s upcoming launch (on March 16th) and newly available paperback edition, I’m throwing caution to the winds like Skye and giving away Blue Spirit Thursday and Friday this week (February 28th – March 1st).  Why am I doing it?  Well, let me tell you a story…

So I was just finishing up a story when one of my characters laid a hand on my shoulder.

“Hey there, handsome, whatcha got there? New edits to my book? More words on the sequels?” Skye MacLeod peered over my shoulder at the computer screen. She had on the slinky red satin dress she’d worn to the Danse Macabre. She wore high heels that made her taller than tall, at least from my elevation. Her hair held the scent of citrus and ginger.

Distracting…

I turned and covered the screen with a hand. “No… and don’t look, it needs editing. It’s a new story in the Road Ghosts series.”

She rolled her eyes. “I thought we were done with those guys. You moved on to a more interesting and sexy main character. You know…” she put a hand on one hip, one in the air and threw her head back with a grin, “me!”

I laughed. “Don’t worry, there will be more about you soon enough, Skye.”

She clapped her hands and kissed me on the cheek. “Yay! Thank you!”

Maybe I’ve got a soft spot for certain characters. “So, uh, what can I do for you, Skye?”

“You mean aside from writing more about me instead of farming me out to other authors?”

She meant her appearance in my buddy RJ Sullivan‘s upcoming novel. “Hey, that’s exposure, isn’t it?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Virtual Blue’s been a fun gig, I guess… Rebecca’s nice and all, but I’m not the star, you know? And you’ve been so busy with that scifi book that you refused to write me into…”

“Reality Check? It really isn’t your kind of story, Skye. Yeah, I’ve been busy, it’s been out in ebook form for almost a month now, and it’s in paperback this week, and I’m trying to get the word out.”

She paced the room, playing with her hair. “I’ve been thinking… Blue Spirit is going away for awhile, right?”

I nodded. “Yes, when Four ’til Late comes out this Spring, I’m pulling Blue Spirit for a few months until Seventh Star Press re-releases it, improved and with more material.”

Her eyes gleamed, her lips curved, at the mention of more material. “So… what if you gave Blue Spirit a boost before then? One of those giveaway things.  Get more people reading about me and Minnie and Annabelle…”

“You’re not… uh, tipsy, are you Skye? Give it away?”

She frowned. “Don’t you start with me, Mister Author Man. I’m not a drunk, I’m just written that way. You know I have my reasons.” She glanced around the room at things that weren’t there. I got a little chill, hoping whatever she saw that I couldn’t see was as fictional as Skye herself.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Cut it out. So… give away Blue Spirit? What’s in it for me? Is it going to be like profits at The Change Store… volume, my friend, volume?”

She grinned. “Kinda. Giving my book away gets me more attention, and YOU more attention, and therefore, the new book gets more attention. See?”

Skye did have a point. “Sure, okay, I’ll try it your way.”

I was rewarded by an awkward hug and a face full of her hair. My chair nearly tipped over backwards, but she caught me. “You’re the best!”

We’ll see…