Fallen angels and dark fantasy, anyone?

Well, it took years of patience, politeness and persistence, but a few months ago, I finally got the rights back to ALL of my previously published HarperCollins books! That means that I’m finally able to re-publish my Devil’s Bargain Series with the covers and titles I always envisioned for them, and THAT is how I’ve been spending my downtime during this stay-at-home period! (If you remember the character of Sammy Divine from my first series, you might want to visit him again within his Kingdom of Ashes, but if fallen angels and dark fantasy novels are not your thing, that’s okay. I understand.)

https://www.amazon.com/Terri-Garey/e/B002BM9AJW…

New Release in the Nicki Styx series!

...and they all lived happily ever after.

Or did they?

A few years ago, after releasing the first four books in the Nicki Styx series, my editor at HarperCollins asked me about writing a spin-off series based on one of my favorite characters, the sinister yet sexy Sammy Divine. I was thrilled to develop and share Sammy's world with my readers, but doing so meant that I had to put Nicki, Joe and Evan on hold for a while. Throughout the next few years of deadlines and short stories and group anthologies and the unexpected yet ever-present vagaries of life, I carried with me still the nagging sense of a story left unfinished.

Did Nicki and Joe get married, or did she choose Sammy in the end? Did Evan ever meet his own soul mate, or just give up entirely and start wearing white after Labor Day? :)

HAPPILY NEVER AFTER answers those questions and more, and I'm very happy to share "what happened next?" in this series with my readers. Thanks so much to all of you who've written me asking for more Nicki Styx stories, and I sincerely hope you enjoy this one.

Here's to love, laughter, and happily ever after,

Terri

New Covers!

It's taken a great deal of patience and persistence, but I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that I've finally gotten the rights back to most of the books in my Nicki Styx series!

What does this mean, other than my publisher finally got sick and tired of all those "I've met my all my contractual obligations, so please, please, please give me my rights back!" letters?? It means that I can finally give those books the covers that I always envisioned for them!

Here's Book #1, DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY. I've quite literally always had a vision like this in my head: Nicki, in a graveyard (looking cool, of course), sitting on a tombstone while the Light beckons eerily behind her.

I can't tell you how much I love this cover; my publisher wanted a more "cartoonish" look for the original, and while I didn't absolutely hate it, it wasn't what I had in mind.

Here's Book #2, which was formerly titled A MATCH MADE IN HELL. (That's another thing I get to have control over now, which is titles. Oh, the POWER! LOL!) I'll be very honest (now that I can) and say that I never liked that particular title, but my publisher did, and that was that.

Now, it isn't! :)

This book is about family secrets and spooky old mansion, so I'd always envisioned another graveyard scene, complete with tombstone and a skeleton key.

Makes you wonder what Nicki Styx might find in that spooky old mansion, doesn't it?

Here's Book #3, which I have to admit is secretly my favorite (I got my way with the publisher on the original title, which I've always loved. Now I get to love the cover, too. :)

This book is about temptation, and doing the right thing in spite of it. This is also the book where the reader gets to know the extremely complex character of Sammy Divine, and see how hard it becomes for Nicki Styx to resist the Devil when the Devil bares his soul, revealing the broken heart of the fallen angel within.

Oh, Sammy, whatever is the world to do with you?

There are more books and more covers to come, but I simply couldn't wait to share these. They were all done by the wonderfully fabulous cover artist Karri Klawiter, who was an absolute joy and pleasure to work with. She took my visions, and brought them to life; thanks, Karri!

Whistling Past the Graveyard (The Return of Nicki Styx!)

Many of you have written to me asking, "When is the next Nicki Styx book going to be out?" and I'm thrilled to be able to answer, "Now. Right now!"  :)

My brand-new release, WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD, contains an original, never-before-published Nicki Styx novella entitled "Personal Demons", as well as a collection of supernatural short stories about ghosts, demons, zombies, vampires, witches and werewolves. Some of the stories are spooky, some are funny, and some (like the Nicki Styx series itself) are spooky and funny at the same time.  :)

In "Personal Demons", Nicki Styx proves that she's willing to go to Hell and back to save a lost soul, even when the soul doesn't feel like she needs saving! A reluctant spirit has lingered too long in "Mrs. Beaumont's Room", and it's Fae vs. Brownie in "A Little Morning Magic". The practical issues of undead relationships are the focus of "Zombie Love", and a teenage witch comes into her own in "Does This Broomstick Make Me Look Fat?". Tempted to break out that Ouija board and play some parlor games? You might want to read what happens in "Ouija Wanna Have Fun". If ancient Celtic rituals are your thing, experience Samhain night the way it was meant to be in "Druid Moon". Meet some smokin' hot vampires in "Dead Sexy", and a lonely Lycan in "Lie Down With Dogs". Modern day witches wipe an unhappy woman's slate clean in "Tabula Rasa", and the mystery of a haunted house is solved in "Possession Is Nine Tenths". Not enough spookiness for you? Try "The Watcher", "All That Remains" or "The Eyes Have It".

For you die-hard Nicki Styx fans, I'm still working on the next full-length book in the Nicki Styx series, HAPPILY EVER AFTER, which will be available this summer.  In the meantime, take a little walk through the graveyard, and don't forget to whistle!  ;)


                  (Currently
                   available
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                     e-book
                 version only)

                     $4.99
                  
p.s. - If you should happen to read and enjoy WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD, or any other book I've written, please take a moment and leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.  Favorable word of mouth is the greatest gift a reader can give an author!

Hope that 2015 is a great year for you, and happy reading!

Never Trust A Skeleton In A Top Hat

It's that time of year again, my pretties!  Ghosts and goblins are calling my name (well, not really calling my name, because that would be creepy), but my spirits are definitely rising at the thought of Halloween!

 

I'm still hard at work on book #5 in the Nicki Styx series, HAPPILY NEVER AFTER, but I couldn't let October go by without some special Halloween treats for my readers.  Let's go back to the beginning, where Nicki Styx's story began, and re-visit some old haunts in DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY!

 

Those of you who read DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY may remember Nicki's midnight encounter with Baron Samedi, the cheerful but deceptive voodoo god of the dead.  "Eat drink, and be merry," says the skeleton in a top hat, "for tomorrow you be mine."  Well, I've turned the tables on the old bonehead, and decided that HE can be YOURS instead!  :) This is a very cool vintage-style decoration that says "Halloween Greetings" in black glitter.  It's box-shaped, and the perfect size and shape to contain a signed copy of DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY.  What better way to celebrate Halloween than with a quirky ghost story about a young woman who suddenly begins to see dead people, hm?  :)

 

Enter the drawing for Baron Samedi and an autographed book by CLICKING HERE or by sending an email to terrigareycontests@gmail.com with a subject line that says, "Never Trust a Skeleton in a Top Hat!" 

 

And speaking of untrustworthy devils, look who else showed up!  :)

 

Sammy Divine, High Prince of Darkness, isn't going to let Halloween pass while playing second fiddle to a skeleton - how about a DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE t-shirt (size XL), and a signed copy of the book, with matching bookmark?

 

Enter the drawing for the t-shirt and book by CLICKING HERE or by sending an email to terrigareycontests@gmail.com with a subject line that says "Sammy Divine Is One Sexy Devil!" 

 

And hey, if you know anyone who'd like to read something different this Halloween, or just enter a couple of cool Halloween contests, make sure you forward this newsletter. Go ahead, spread the word about the Nicki Styx series and the Devil's Bargain series!  Post a link on your Facebook page, Tweet about the contests, put a call in to your mother (you probably needed to do that anyway).  Word of mouth is an author's best friend, and 'tis the season to be spooky!  :)

 

           

 

Oo, oo, speaking of midnight encounters with dancing skeletons and untrustworthy devils, I almost forgot to tell you about the most fun you could ever have, alone in a darkened wood on Halloween night. (What? You don't want to hang out in darkened woods on Halloween night? Stop being such a baby.)  Steel your nerves, take a deep breath, and go play this fun little text adventure game, created as a companion piece for my last anthology, BLOOD BY MOONLIGHT!  (Don't forget to check out the "Hints" as you go exploring... you might live longer that way!)  Trick or treat, my pretties, trick or treat!  :)

 

  

 

 

 

 

And finally, one more treat before I go -- a super-simple and super-cute Halloween recipe that even a Mummy could love:  Frankenstein Pudding Cups!

  

1) Draw faces on clear plastic cups with a Sharpie.

 

2) Fill with vanilla pudding, tinted with green food coloring.

 

3) Sprinkle with crushed oreos or chocolate chips. 

 

There ya go... little green monsters for your little monsters.  Even someone as "cooking-impaired" as I am can't mess these up!  :)

 

I hope you enjoyed your Halloween tricks and treats, and don't forget - both drawings (Baron Samedi's "Halloween Greetings" and a signed copy of a DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY, or the t-shirt with a signed copy of DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE) will end on October 15, 2013.  You're perfectly welcome to enter both drawings... Halloween treats like these are hard to resist!  :) Winners will be notified by email.

Have a wonderful Halloween, and keep reading!

The Countdown Has Begun!

Time to get serious, people! Halloween 2013 is coming up! Here's a cute and spooky little countdown clock to enjoy while you wait, and don't be a wuss... go ahead and click "creepy sounds" in the lower right hand corner for the full effect!

Halloween Countdown at FlashBannerNow.com

An Upcoming Release, and some Goodies

To all who've written to ask me what I'm working on these days, I'm thrilled and happy to finally be able to show you. Take a look at the cover for HAPPILY NEVER AFTER, book number #5 in the Nicki Styx series!

I took a break from this award-winning paranormal series for a while to write about hot devils and steamy angels, but I just couldn't seem to let Nicki Styx die. :) I never gave Nicki and her fiancé, Joe Bascombe, their happily ever after, and neither character was willing to just quietly go away and rest in peace. (Ha!) Neither was Evan, or Grandma Bijou, or the myriad of spirits that need Nicki's help to cross over.

I'd hoped to release HAPPILY NEVER AFTER earlier this year, but what started out as a short novella centered around Joe and Nicki's wedding has blossomed into a full-length murder mystery. The troublesome spirit of an elderly soap opera star has decided that Nicki can't have her happily ever after until she gets hers, which forces Nicki to mingle with the strange yet moneyed members of the Atlanta-area country club set. Since a novel obviously takes longer to write than a novella, I hope you'll be patient. (Look for this one in early 2014.) In the meantime, I just couldn't wait any longer to show you the gorgeous new cover, and let you know that I'm working on a new Nicki Styx book! :)

Since I can't give you any pre-order links yet, I've got some early Halloween goodies to give away instead. (Oh, c'mon - you knew there would be goodies!) The most delightful night of the year is barely two months away, and I've already started my preparations! My annual Halloween bash includes a trip through "Madame Zelda's Haunted Graveyard", and I have lots of ghouls and goblins who stop by for candy and giggles -- I have to stay on top of new ways to tickle a few funny bones while sending a chill down their spines!

Look at these adorably awesome little Coffin Keepsake Boxes, which I couldn't resist filling with appropriately ghoulish treasure: a bottle of deliciously tart Decayed Bone Powder, a skull bracelet, skull and crossbones necklace, dark jewels, and a miniature skull. :) Each of these coffins has a glittery skull painted on the lid: one red, one purple, one green and one silver. They're the perfect little gift for the Halloween fiend in your life, especially if the fiend is YOU! I'm going to give three of these to three lucky readers, via drawing on Sunday, September 1, 2013. I'm keeping the silver one for myself, but if you'd like to win one of the other three, you need to answer a Nicki Styx wedding-related question. (Hey, no tricks, no treats!) :)

Go back to the day that Nicki and Joe got engaged in SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT (Book #4 in the series), and tell me what Nicki's engagement ring looks like. There will be an email link to enter the contest at the end of the excerpt. Good luck, ghoulfriends, and happy reading!