I asked the question 'what was best for you in 2022' to our DarkSiders.
Kristin Silk
Completing Tempt Me, a steamy anthology which is now available for preorder and releases 6th January 2023. Some of you know I have been recovering from a concussion for the last four and a half years so it has often felt like my journey to publication has taken the (very long and winding!) scenic route. Davina Stone, Karen Lieversz and I each have three stories in this anthology and I am so grateful for writing friends who believed in me and my writing enough that they were willing to work within my brain limitations so that I could be a part of this.
Indulge your wildest fantasies with this steamy romance anthology.
Dive into paranormal, and fantasy realms, immerse yourself in contemporary and historical worlds. Fall for an underworld god, make a deal with the Angel of Death, get sexy with a satyr and be voracious with a vampire. (F/M,/M/M, and F/F). There's something to satisfy every craving in this selection of short stories from three award-winning authors of erotic romance.
Let the temptation begin…
Content warning: These romantic short stories contain explicit sexual content and are not suitable for young readers.
Mel Teshco
Bring on 2023 :)
The Sheikh's Secret Mistress
Sheikha Aisha Al Wahed might be the sister to Sheikh Hamid—one of the most renowned and unconventional Sheikhs on the planet—but it doesn’t mean she is cut from the same cloth. She wants what almost every girl wants: to marry the love of her life. That she’s had a crush on Tabari Usamah for so long makes her more determined for him notice her. So why is Dhamar, one of her brother’s many friends, distracting her beyond all reason?
Sheikh Dhamar Qadir desires one thing—Aisha Al Wahed. A pity she is besotted with another man not worthy of her affection. But Dhamar won’t give up, he’ll do whatever is necessary to make her fall in love with him, and he’s not above using every tool in his arsenal to make that happen, including removing Tabari from the picture and sending him away. But will his interference cost him the love and respect of the one woman he wants above all else?
Cover by Eleni Konstantine's alter ego, HelzKat Designs.
Enisa Haines
Then a callout appeared on social media for authors to join the Guarded Hearts Protector Romance Anthology with release day in November of this year. As I read, that minor character was there in my head. I knew then that here was where the minor character would come alive with her own story, 'When Darkness Stirs'.
And my story is in great company with stories by some fabulous authors. So fabulous that the anthology hit No. 1 in the Amazon Best Seller List for Romance Anthologies.
Guarded Hearts
Guarded Hearts anthology presents 17 passionate protector romances and captivatingly hot romantic suspense novellas.
Military heroes, undercover operatives, guns for hire, private security and first responders are the order of the day. This collection is action-packed with heroic men and the brave women who stand with them - then win them over.
Holding out for a hero? Here they are! 17 Sensational stories to set your heart on fire!
Sandra Carmel - Hearts In Danger
Linda Charles - Trusting The Hunter
Renée Dahlia - Driven To Protect
Izzie Duffield - Heat of the Moment
Debra Deasey - My Sweet Protector - no book links
Louisa Duvall - Between a Heart and a Hard Place
Nicole Flockton - Securing His Heart
S.E. Gilchrist - Endangered Heart
Enisa Haines - When Darkness Stirs
Sara Hartland - Her Cowboy Protector
H. M. Hodgson - A sword of Stone and Magic
Tanya Nellestein - The Safe Place
Erin Moira O’Hara - Silver Lies
Ruby Rare - Guarding Kat
Eliza Renton - Rush
Rosie Miles - Operation Take Back
Kat Chant
God of Summer
Since a banshee attacked her as a teen, Erin De Santos has been tormented by dreams of a boy she’s never met. Armed with a new identity, she returns to the Emerald Isle determined to face her nightmare. But her discovery turns fatal.
When the banshee strikes again, Angus surrenders his heart—and his hope of freeing his people—to save her. With his life now hers and his curse descending, Erin must make a terrible choice: kill her savior or share his doom.
Katrina Coll
Leisl Leighton
2022 was the year I decided to fully give self-publishing a go. I had a 4 book series that I’d got back from my publisher that I wanted to do a bit of a rewrite on and re-edit, plus, for the first time, I was in charge of formatting and publishing the books in the anthology series I’m a part of. I spent all last year working on learning what I needed so that I felt at least a little confident doing the marketing and advertising and formatting and how and when I wanted to publish, so at the beginning of this year, I took a deep breath and went for it.
The result? 1 novella published, 2 anthologies repackaged and republished, 2 anthologies published for the first time, my 4 book paranormal romance Pack Bound Series re-written, edited and published and the first book in the prequel series, Soul Bound, published. I learned I will never put this number of books out again in 1 year (basically 10 books self-published in 11 months), but the lessons I learned will help me to do better in the future and pace myself in a way I won’t wipe myself out. Plus, I earned myself some wonderful new fans and reached a wider community of readers through my growing newsletter and social media channels. I also did my first signing event and had a ball and will be doing more next year. All-in-all, a big, tiring year that was fully worthwhile.
A Perfectly Paranormal Christmas
Christmas is coming! Santa is readying his reindeer and sleigh with toys for all good girls and boys – but he’s not the only magical Being in town. Gods, Goddesses, witches, Fae and all sorts of magical creatures are gathering to celebrate the spirit of Christmas with a spot of tinsel-strewn mayhem.
But they better watch out what they ask Santa for … they just might get it!
The A Perfectly Paranormal Anthology authors are at it again, this time with a Christmas anthology to fill your heart’s desires – and your stockings! Whether it's making magic or making merry, these four novellas will jingle your bells and add a dash of spice to your egg nog.
If lost souls, wild magic, shifters, fated mates, action, mystery and sexy romance make you tingle, then this anthology is for you. So decorate your tree, curl up with some delicious cookies and magic yourself some holiday spirit with a copy of A Perfectly Paranormal Christmas today.
HM Hodgson
Sooo many things to be grateful for in 2022—releasing two novels and one novella, contributing to Hearts Talk in the Life In The Indie Lane column, the ARRA awards dinner, the Fremantle conference, my first ever book signing with ARRA (amazing!), taking up Amazon ads book coaching, Writing Wednesdays in the city library, new writing groups, creating new social media content (hello, midjourney!), a cover rebrand for my first series, treating writing like an actual business, and the best part … all the wonderful friends I’ve got to make, to know better and to spend some amazing times with throughout the year.
Evangeline is thrilled to kick off her professional spellcaster life protecting dangerous relics in Rome, Italy. After all, she just completed her studies of witchkind’s deadliest, most complex, and potent spells—and finished top of her class.
Except day one on the new job, Eve’s employer accuses her of stealing a powerful relic, and tries to lock her away in a creepy, dank Knights Templar dungeon. Forced to use her magic to escape, Eve runs into private investigator Raph Smith. Hiring the sexy, way-too-smooth PI seems like her best option—if not her only option. The fact she has zero way to pay him is a detail she’ll work out later.
Raph Smith always gets his missing person—though the reason why is a closely guarded secret—so finding a lost trinket box should be easy money. And while accepting multiple clients for the same job is a big N.O. in the PI world, when you’re being blackmailed, subject to a magical binding contract, and one client is a thief, you do what you must.
But the relic has a deadly secret too … and those who know the truth will do anything to find the artifact, including killing everyone who stands in their way.
With the Knights Templar, an international crime family, Daemons, and Eve’s own coven on their heels, Eve and Raph are forced to work closely together as they search for the missing relic. But as the sheets heat up, and with their hearts and heads on the line, can Eve and Raph really trust each other?
Relics and Legends – where witchcraft is a business and legends aren’t consigned to history.
Author note: This book is a steamy fantasy romance full of magical battle scenes where the body count is high, and with plenty of steam between the sheets (and out). Definitely one for 18+ readers!
I had a few highs in writing this year. My third Trinket Bay romantic suspense book, A Twist in the Tail, released in February. I placed in three international competitions with my second Trinket Bay book, An Ear to the Ground. I won this year’s KSP Spooky short stories competition and had two stories accepted in anthologies, one for crime, and the other for a contemporary Christmas romance. I’m currently writing a new adult paranormal romance series for next year.
2022 has been a year of up and downs, and I'm looking forward to starting fresh in 2023. A big high for me this year was winning a Ruby for my book The Powerbroker, and I never get tired of hearing from readers who are enjoying all my books!
He’s a hot British billionaire.
Battling brain fog from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an ongoing occurance in my life but this year I managed to not only start (I have started many) but completed a short story, Believe in Magic, for a Christmas anthology. I almost didn't make the deadline getting covid but somehow I managed. It was a good feeling to be invited to join these lovely authors, complete the story, and see my name on something again.
