Claire Phoenix's Blog

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I know that the next book I intended to release was Surviving the Aftershock. 
However, due to where my head and heart are right now, I'm just not able to write sunshine and happiness.
Fade is a project I've been dabbling in all year, and it's one I am beyond excited about.
It is my debut dark romance. 
Blu, the heroine is a blend of one part Dexter, one part Pollyanna. 
Rhys, the hero, is one part Dexter, one part Jax Teller. (That's an SOA reference y'all. Get with it. LOL)
Here are some teasers, but be sure to head to the bottom to read an excerpt. :)
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Excerpt:
{Blu}I’ve always been secretly wicked.
I never really knew how to explain it to others.
The few times I tried I got greeted with strange looks, sometimes pity, and confusion.
They didn’t get it.
There was just something inherently wrong with me.
I watched Disney movies and identified with the villain. I was fascinated by serial killers, paranormal tales of evil, and going against the grain of what is acceptable all for the sake of experimenting with this biological flaw of mine.
It was like this tiny fog of darkness in the depths of my soul that nobody could really comprehend.
On the outside, I was Bonnet Michaels, the good girl who goes to church every Sunday and who volunteers at the nursing home after school. I was the straight A student. I dressed modestly and ate my lunch in the library.
Inside, though, inside I was evil.
Sure, I smiled for all the pictures, while secretly looking into someone’s eyes and just seeing their flaws and imperfections.
All around me all I saw were hypocrites, cogs in the wheel of society. Everyone and everything was damaged.
I wanted to break them down to their primal selves, to a place without the bullshit. A place not shrouded in conformity and societal norms. Underneath the years of cultural conditioning, were we not all a baser side? I wanted to know.
When girls at school made fun of me, I thought about what it would be like for me to shave off their hair if I was in a mild mood, but on the days where my flaw was at its peak, I would imagine holding a blade to one of their skinny throats and putting just enough pressure that a small line would form across the base and tiny droplets of blood would make their way to the outside of the cut, like condensation on a glass. I never wanted to kill them, just to break them down. Strip them of the masks they wear.
In my thoughts it made sense, but was also clouded with a fear that I was the damaged one, the one with flaws, and that I was damning myself by even allowing a part of myself to embrace the dark fog.
So on the day when my life ended, or my life as I knew it, I secretly thought I deserved it. I deserved it for internally ratifying my darkness. My penance for my years of sinful nature.
What I didn’t know was that it was the catalyst that was about to decimate the old me and awaken the dark.
Out of the darkness, Blu was born.
(c) Claire Granger, 2015

Click here to add Fade to your TBR today!!!
Want to join in the fun on release day with free stuff, giveaways, giftcards, exclusives, etc.?
Then click here to join the party!

Kenna's Musings is completed and set to release October 29th! 
Here's a sneak peak into the newest of the Daydreaming series:
Prologue
{Jax}
They say you never know what you have until it’s gone.
2 weeks earlier… Her toes always bounce when she reads in bed. It’s a strange, albeit fucking adorable, little quirk that Kenna has. She pulls the duvet back, but doesn’t cover up, leans back against a mountain of pillows, opens her Kindle, and then bounces her toes up and down while she reads. Sometimes she pulls her knees up to her chest when something horrible and traumatic is happening in her story, but usually, just the toes bouncing.
So tonight I was watching her toes when occurred to me. I never gave a flying shit about what a girl did in bed unless it was directly related to fucking, so why am I noticing her adorable fucking toes bouncing?
I must have had a look on my face because Kenna set her Kindle in her lap and tilted her head to the side.
“What’s up?” She asked, thoroughly confused by my confused look.
I motioned towards her toes. “You bounce your toes when you read.”
She frowned. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry, weird habit.”
“Yeah. It’s cute.” I said, then cleared my throat and resumed my typing on my laptop.She pursed her lips together trying to hide the smile forming on those perfect lips of hers.
The lips that just moments earlier were right on my-
Stop that, you pervert.
Well it’s true.
Anyway, moving on.
She reached her hand out and took my hand, small smile still on her face, her eyes twinkled in amusement. I closed my laptop and opened up the business report I had been reading, so that, you know, we could keep holding hands.
I’m looking at her cute toes and holding hands. In bed.
While not fucking.
Some shit had definitely happened to me.
And I liked it.
Present Day. Whoever said that is wrong. I definitely knew what I had. I didn’t need to lose her to find out. 





Add Kenna's Musings to your TBR on Goodreads now:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25853884-kenna-s-musings

Join us for the release party! Tons of giveaways and prizes with takeovers by M Never, Sam Destiny, Rhonda James, Terra Kelly, KJ Coakley, Samantha Rey and MORE! :)
https://www.facebook.com/events/1618592095068334/
Can't wait to see you there!!! :) 
<3 <3 <3 <3
Claire

Kenna's Reverie is HERE!
You can order your copy here:
Kindle Edition

Print Edition
Be sure to check it out on Goodreads!
I am giving away a copy of Kenna's Reverie as well as a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

A writers work is never done. :)
I bit off a lot when I set two release dates so close to each other, but of course, for my ADHD/borderline-manic brain, one project at a time is just not enough. :)
So, here are all of the projects I'm currently working on (including the Goodreads links):
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Surviving the Aftershock-  This is book 2 of the Faultlines series and the sequel to When Faults Collide. This story is from Blake's POV and is the continuing story about Blake working through his own history and navigating the waters of his future with Asha. 
This one has been really emotionally intense for me to write because Blake's story hits me so close to home as a foster parent. I've cried, laughed, and just had to step away while writing. If you could feel my heart in When Faults Collide, you will feel my very soul in this one. 
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Kenna's Musings- This is book 2 of the Daydreaming series and the sequel to Kenna's Reverie. This is the continuing story of Jax and Kenna and their story of trying to navigate and mesh together their two very different worlds. 
I haven't written as much of this one as I'd have liked but as with the first one, this is a fun story for me to write. It's sort of my version of therapy and my fun escape. The witty banter makes me giggle. ;)
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Fade- This is the first book of the Dark Harmony Trilogy, my first dark romance. It's the story of Blu and Rhys and is both a story of love and darkness. Having the ability to embrace your true side, even if that side is "bad" while also loving another. 
This story has been interesting to write, but has also been very enjoyable...in a twisted way. This one is probably my most intense to date with subjects of kidnapping, murder, and baser evil. If you are a fan of dark fiction, even if not typically a dark romance reader, I think you will enjoy this one!
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Offline- This is my first standalone and is the story of Collette and Bryson, two gamers who meet online and hate each other. Once they meet in real life, they have this intense connection that can't be denied, but once Bryson gets orders to deploy, can their relationship really survive offline?
I've really had a good time with this one. It's really funny, and I think any online gamer will enjoy it immensely, but it's also hard because it's my first time writing about a deployed soldier. I'm doing a lot of research along the way, but I think this is going to be one of those that will make you laugh, cry, and give you all the feels! 
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Here are the Goodreads links so you can add them to your want to read list!
Surviving the Aftershock
Kenna's Musings
Fade
Offline
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As always, I love my readers and thank each and every one of you for your support!
<3 Claire

Kenna's Reverie is book one of the Daydreaming novella series and it releases August 1st! :)
Check it out on Goodreads! 
Cover designed by Em over at EmBusyLiving! :)

With my new novella series, "The Daydreaming Series" jumping off in August, right after my debut novel from "The Faultlines Series" releasing, I've gotten several questions about the two series. 
I'm going to address some of those questions here! :)
What's the difference between the two? There is an enormous difference between the two series! I am always trying to challenge myself as a writer and push beyond the boundaries of my "norm". 
When Faults Collide (The Faultlines Series) is my heart and soul and while it is a love story, it is so much more. I really wanted to put a lot of messages about sexual exploitation, foster care, poverty, and other advocacy issues that I'm very passionate about. I also wanted to show this beautiful love story and how healing it can be just to love and open up to another human. I also opted to not use much as far as swear words, and I didn't want graphically sexual content to cloud the message of the book. (And I wanted my mother to be able to read it! LOL!)
Kenna's Reverie (The Daydreaming Series) is the polar opposite. It is absolutely meant to be comedy, the love story is very heavily clouded in lust, and I use a much more colorful choice of the English Language (meaning, there's a lot of swear words!). The idea for this one came to me when I told my friend that as much as I adore the "fantasy" a lot of romance offers me, it would never carry over into real life. That when you tack on children and the real world, the fantasy sort of dies. And how hilarious would it be if one of those Alpha-male personas fell in love with a single mom with a whole mess of kids. Hence, Kenna's Reverie was born. ;)


What are the differences between the heros? In When Faults Collide, you meet Blake, who is a flawed character, but is also the sweetest guy alive! (You learn way more about Blake in the 2nd Faultlines book!) Blake is respectful, well-mannered, and loves Asha with a ferocity. 
In Kenna's Reverie, you meet Jax. Jax is sort of the epitome alpha-male. My betas have called him quite swoon-worthy. I may have a little crush on Jax. ;)

Novel vs. Novella When Faults Collide is a novel. It is full length at 246 pages. The pace is steady and there's a lot of description of the characters, the setting, and the story. There are 3 books in this series, and each book is it's own story just continued from the first. 
Kenna's Reverie is a novella. It is a shortened novel (around 100 pages) that will have a slightly faster pace. There will be a total of 3 novellas in this series, all around the same length. Each novella combined will create one large story without gaps of time or breaks. 

What does a "crossover" series mean? Essentially what that means is that characters from one book appear in another, even though it's not a direct sequel. So, while I am well aware that the Daydreaming series is not going to be a great fit for all the readers of the Fautlines series, there are character's from When Faults Collide who appear in Kenna's Reverie. You could read one without ever reading the other, but for the fans of all my work, you will enjoy seeing some of your favorite characters making cameos. :)

It's finally here!
You can purchase your copy of When Faults Collide here:
Amazon
Createspace

Be sure to check it out on Goodreads!
I am giving away a free signed copy of When Faults Collide and a $25 Amazon gift card!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are three giveaways going on right now:

1. On Goodreads.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway When Faults Collide by Claire Granger Giveaway ends July 01, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway 2. On Facebook.

            -Go to Facebook and comment on the post for the giveaway with your favorite coffee drink

3. On EmBusyLiving.

            -Go to EmBusyLiving to check out the giveaway there!