The Latest from Jus

A long overdue update

A couple days ago, I got an email from a reader asking if I planned on writing any more books. My first thought was, Well, of course! That’s my job. I’m a writer. I write. And then I realized something. I’ve been a bit radio silent for the past year and I haven’t really given any updates. So I just wanted to pop in here and let everyone know what’s been going on in my world.

Obviously, the pandemic took its toll on all of us. Social distancing and reduced gatherings made us feel isolated and out of touch. Things like zoom and skype helped, but ultimately a lot of us had our own little bubble and stayed inside it. My mom being on chemo made us extra cautious with our outings and interactions.

What many don’t know is that my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018. He was actually doing fairly well until the start of last summer. Unfortunately the interruption in his routine due to covid restrictions really threw him for a loop. He started progressing at an accelerated rate. Add that change in habits to the fact that he had Guillain-Barre when he was a teenager, which apparently acts as an accelerant to Alzheimer’s, and my life changed seemingly overnight.

Luckily my parents live with my husband and I. I’ve been his main caregiver from the start. Last week, thanks to an extremely helpful paramedic, we started with hospice. Apparently, they do long term care (something I had no idea about). I’m so grateful to be in a position that allows me to take care of him, but some days are draining and my energy for social media is a bit lacking. Some days are horrifically bad. The kind of day that just makes you want to curl into a ball and hide in the dark. Other days, like yesterday, are great. There’s no arguing to get him to eat and drink. His mood is upbeat, and he mostly knows who we are.

Most days land somewhere in between.

Caring for my father is taking up a lot of my time, but I’m still here and still writing. I haven’t fallen off the edge of the world and I haven’t given up on my work. There are several projects in the pipeline, one of which I hope to be able to share more about soon.

The Denazen series is coming soon to audio, and The Big Bad Wolf, Darker Days, and Touch are on the KISS app, with the rest of my books (minus Untouched)  showing up in the coming months. (If you haven’t checked out the KISS app, do it. Trust me you won’t regret it!)

I really do want to try crawling out from under my little rock more. Being more present in the book community is something I truly miss.

CONTEST: 50 Coins to 4 lucky Readers on the KISS app to celebrate the release of the Big bad Wolf!

Today is the day.

Actually, it was yesterday, but I had no power till sometime in the middle of the night. *sigh*

The Big Bad Wolf is out now on the KISS app!

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Kensey Deaton comes from an elite werewolf lineage, but just because her family is royalty, doesn’t mean she’ll fall in line like some perfect little princess. She has plans and they don’t include an arranged marriage!

Slade McAlister has his own family drama. His Alpha father happens to be the most reviled wolf on the eastern seaboard, and it’s a stigma he can’t escape. So when his neighbor Kensey–the girl of his dreams and his nightmares–proposes a solution to solve *both* of their problems, he sees an opportunity he can’t ignore.

Kensey and Slade aren’t only from opposite sides of the tracks, they’re from opposite sides of the war. But if they can sell their ‘relationship’, they might just make it out of this with their freedom.

You know, as long as all that fake PDA doesn’t turn into more…

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So, what does this mean? It means, if you go to this link you’ll find The Big Bad Wolf. (make sure you download the KISS app : IOS and Android if you haven’t already!) The first three chapters are free to read. After that, you can pay as you go using coins. And, as it happens, I’ve got 200 of those bad boys to give away!

To spread the love around, I’m giving four lucky readers 50 coins each.

How do you enter?

Good question! Simply share this giveaway on twitter, facebook, or instagram, and tag me. (or, simply RT from the site that brought you here!) You can also share to any other social site. Just leave a link in the comments below!

The entries will be numbered and the winners will be picked using a RNG. Winners picked by five on Monday!

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A little bit about the KISS app!

KISS is a new and exciting way to experience Romance stories of all genres. Enjoy serialized quality content from NYT and USA Today bestselling authors, available right from your phone.

KISS has hundreds of titles and authors to choose from, including new and exclusive content from some of your favorite voices!

The coolest of all? You can choose just how much to read with our pay-as-you-go format!

Road Tripping With Entangled Teen – Welcome to Parkview

You know what sounds awesome right about now?

A road trip!

Each day, a different Entangled YA author will be hosting a stop on this crazy ride, along with an awesome giveaway. Make sure you visit each location so you don’t miss any of the fun.

For today’s destination, we’re hitting Parkview, home of the Denazen series. Its a small fictional town in upstate New York, home to a host of colorful–and powerful–characters. At first glance, Parkview is a sleepy suburban hideaway full of white picket fences and flocks of pink lawn flamingos. But dig deeper and you’ll find an underground rave scene that borders on dangerous, more deadly secrets than you can count, and an epicenter for people with extraordinary abilities. In short, Parkview is an exciting town to visit…but you might not want to live there.

Transcendent, the fourth and final book in the Denazen series came out earlier this month.

Want a peek at Transcendent? Read on 😉

“Come on,” I said, playfully pulling him into the shade of the large tree. “You’re living the dream, dude. Your girlfriend can look like anyone in the world. From porn star princess to sexy librarian in the blink of an eye.”

He pulled away and slid his glasses down a hair, eyes on mine. A spike of heat rocked through me. “My girlfriend is perfect. Body, face, hair”—his lips curled upward—“and attitude.”

I couldn’t hold back my grin. I knew that’s what he’d say, and holy shit was it hot. Glancing to the right, and then to the left, I let go of my mimic, standing in front of him as myself. The original, the one and only. “Better?”

Appreciation sparkled in his eyes, warring with the frown that creased his lips. “You shouldn’t look like that in public.”

I grabbed the front of his hoodie and tugged him close. “How else am I going to get you to kiss me?”

His lips twitched, blooming into a smile he reserved just for me. A little bit innocent, a little bit mischievous—and hella sexy. It undid me every damn time. I rose onto my toes and brushed my lips to his. Warm, soft, heaven on earth. He responded enthusiastically, tugging me farther into the shadows of the tree, then reversing our positions. With my back against the trunk, he brought both arms up, placing them next to either side of my head. A shield, I realized. So there was no chance anyone passing by could see my face.

God, I freaking loved this guy.

His hands were occupied, but that didn’t mean mine had to be bored. I slipped them around his back and beneath the hem of his hoodie, fingers searching for bare skin. I found it and Kale inhaled sharply, deepening the kiss and sighing in a way that brought new meaning to the word contentment.

My thumb nail grazed the center of his spine, just above his tailbone. It was where the edge of his new tattoo lay, the outer rim of dark mist that subtly spelled my name spilling from a reaper’s scythe. He’d gotten it in early March, two days after I’d been given the Supremacy cure.

Arms still against the tree, his fingertips played in my hair. The sensation as they moved, lightly grazing my scalp, brought goosebumps to my skin.

I sighed, melting against him, and he chuckled. “I love when you do that,” He whispered against my neck.

Make sure you join us on Entangled Teen’s facebook page Wednesday March 25th at 9 p.m. EST for the big finale! During the party, I’ll be giving away an ebook copy of one of the books in the Denazen series (winner’s choice!)

Be sure to check out A.K Wilder’s stop (bonus you get a peek at her awesome upcoming book, CROWN OF BONES)

Stops along the way…

March 16 – Jus Accardo
March 16 – AK Wilder
March 17 – Cookie O’Gorman
March 17 – Lindsey Duga
March 18 – Katie Delahanty
March 18 – T.H. Hernandez 
March 19 – Chris Cannon
March 19 – Barb Han
March 20 – Lisa Brown Roberts
March 20 – Marlene Perez
March 21 – Pintip Dunn
March 22 – Brenda Drake 
March 23 – Kelly Anne Blount
March 24 – Emily McKay
March 25 – Entangled Teen Facebook Event at 6 pm PST/9 pm EST 

Transcendent is here!

Today is the day!

Amazon * Amazon AU * Amazon UK * Amazon CA * Barnes and Noble * iBooks * Kobo *

The Denazen series is finally complete.

This book–this series–is so special to me. It’s the thing that started my career, and Dez and Kale will always hold a super special place in my heart. I appreciate your enthusiasm and support, and hope you’ll all agree that it was worth waiting for, and that you love it as much as I do.

If you still need to catch up on the other books, TOUCH, is currently free on Amazon, and the rest of the book are on sale!

The perfect time to catch up with Dez and Kale

Transcendent comes out on MONDAY and I can hardly believe it. It almost doesn’t feel real! I’m so excited and can’t wait to share it with everyone. But, in the meantime…

Need to catch up on the series so you can jump right into book four? Now is the perfect time. All the books in the series are on SALE, and Touch is FREE on amazon!

ARC Giveaway – TRANSCENDENT and I HATE YOU, FULLER JAMES

Happy Saturday! If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you should have gotten a peek at the first chapter of Transcendent last night. Not enough to satisfy your Kale-craving? How about getting to read the entire book?

What better way to kick off the weekend than with an ARC giveaway!

How about an ARC giveaway for TWO books?

TRANSCENDENT, the fourth and final book in the Denazen series releases on March 2nd along side the awesome I HATE YOU, FULLER JAMES by Kelly Anne Blount. Kelly and I are giving away an ARC of each book. To enter, go here.

I’m so excited to finally be able to share the next chapter of Dez and Kale’s journey with everyone. I’m so grateful to everyone for sticking with them (and me!) If you’d like to help celebrate by showing some release day love, fill out this form.

Denazen Series Group Reread (and new reader group)

So many said they’d be interested in doing a group series reread. I love the idea!

Since time is not on my side these days, and let’s face it, anyone who knows me knows my organizational skills are worthy of the Fail Olympics. I’ve put together something super simple, open to anyone who wants to join.

I’d been debating giving another go at the whole Street Team thing, but really don’t want anything too rigid. Instead, I set up a Discord channel and would love to treat it as a reader community. Discord is an awesome app, used a lot in the gaming community. It’s a simple text and voice chat (I only use the text as my mic has long been lost, but others can use it!).

The Discord app is free and works on both computer and cell phone. Its super easy to use.

If anyone is still interested in doing a group series reread, jump into the group! We’ll set the start date for Monday the 3rd, to give people time to get in and get settled. The whole thing will be super chill and flexible since everyone reads at their own pace. I’ve made several channels, you can post favorite quotes and theories about Transcendent. Really, it’ll be a place to hang and chat books and make new friends. If there’s enough interest, maybe we’ll do monthly reading challenges.

Since it will be kind of a Street Team (but not) member perks will include advance notice of ARCs, contests, giveaways, and general awesome news. Probably even some swag 😉

Join the Discord group

Cover Reveal – Denazen Series Recover

Remember I said that Entangled Publishing had recovered the Denazen Series (Novellas excluded)? Well, I can finally share!

Check em out!

How freaking fantastic are they? I love the colors, and I love that we got to keep our “Cover Kale” There’s only 35 more days to go!

If I had to pick a fave, It’s either TOUCH or TRANSCENDENT. Tell me which one you would pick!

Transcendent Cover and Blurb Reveal

Today is the day!

Take a peek at the cover and blurb for Transcendent, the fourth and final book in the Denazen series, releasing March 2nd

The boy she’d lost, and finally found again, is not the same boy she remembers. As one of the most powerful Sixes, Kale has changed in ways Dez can’t ignore.

He swore he’d never kill, and now he’s out for blood.

He swore he’d never harm her, and now he struggles to control his fatal touch.

They’ve been to hell and back, over and over, but this time they might not survive the fire.

When the truth at the root of the Denazen Corporation’s origins begins to unfold, those behind the scenes will do anything to keep it hidden.

Dez and Kale will be pushed to their breaking point. As long buried secrets come to light, they must fight for their freedom—and each other—as they never have before.

Kale’s destructive power could win the battle, if he doesn’t lose himself to it in the process. Or Dez will be faced with an impossible task—saving the world from the boy she loves.

Isn’t it stunning? The entire series has been recovered and I can’t wait to share, but for now, we can drool over this one! Tell me, which cover do you prefer? The original or the new?

I loved the original, but the new one is just SO damn pretty…

Add to your Goodreads TBR

Denazen Update

A few months ago, things started moving forward with the fourth Denazen book. I didn’t want to say anything at the time because we’ve had several false starts and I hate disappointing everyone. Publishing can move painfully slow, and there are a million tiny wheels that all have to sync up. For a while, that just wasn’t happening.

Now though, I can officially announce…

It Is Happening!

Yesterday afternoon I received edits for the book, and am currently diving back into the world of Dez and Kale. Like, I’m looking at the book on my other screen right now and it is beautiful!

Transcendent (there’s always a chance the title may change!) is set to come out early next year. I’ve been given an official release date, but because these things can fluctuate, I’m not going to share it just yet.  As we get closer, I’ll tell you. But, I think I can safely say to plan for around February. (That’s right around the corner!!!)

I’ll try to be more present on social media and promise to keep everyone updated going forward. I know I’ve been spotty on twitter, but I needed a break. Sometimes things get toxic and you just have to remove yourself and take a breath, ya know? But, I’m back and looking forward to reconnecting with everyone! If you’ve got instagram, I’m always active over there (mainly in the stories). Pop over and say hello!

I’ve said it time and time again—this book is the whipped cream and cherry on the series. My absolute favorite of them all! I cannot wait to share it with everyone.

If anyone has any questions (ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL) please ask. I want to be as transparent as possible. Thank you to everyone who hung in there with me. I can’t tell you how much it means, and how excited I am to be able to give Dez and Kale the ending they deserve.