New review for Amada on Amazon

Dear friends: the past few days had been hard on me. I came down with the flu and my asthma flared up really hard. I know I'm not a bestseller writer right now (and even if I was) so every review I read means a lot to me. I want to thank Jenny for the kind words and I hope she reads Gigi because I know she'll love her as much as she loved Amada. My books might not be up there yet, but I'm finding an audience of women who "get" me and my characters. To my surprise today I found this lovely review that gave me a renew sense of purpose. Thank you ever so much!!!

Customer Review

I feel in love with this book, July 18, 2014 By  Jenny Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Amada (The Protectorate Wars Book 1) (Kindle Edition) I feel in love with this book!...it had everything I look for in a book.. Alpha Hot alien muscular men, a different galaxy that's filled with amazing creatures, colors and technology. This book was incredible. The H was a strong woman who didn't take crap from anybody and even though she was kidnapped and then saved, still had a good attitude about it..( I hate it when the H is a whiny weakling who just keeps going on and on)) not the case here,, she had a great outlook!.. The sex was explosive every time they got together too!... Perfect book!!.

Gigi singing at outpost 0255

Gigi and briq at outpost 0255

Interview

Hi Nenites,  here's a link to my interview at authorisland.  Everything you wanted to know, plus more!

http://authorislandinterviews.blogspot.ca/2014/03/nena-duran-interview.html

Nena Duran Interview-Entrevista con Nena Duran

Hello Nenaites! First off thanks to all of you who read #protectoratewars book 1 Amada. Book 2 Gigi is coming soon on April! Second, I'm going to be featured on an interview on #authorisland at the end of the month. What's next for Nena and the Nenaites? Well, I'm working on a shifter romance I've tittled "Picking Candy" which I hope will turn into a series. This story will loosely tie with a trilogy I've been developing for quite some time. After I'm finish with it, I hope to go back to the Protectorate Wars. Not sure if I should create a short story in between Gigi and Mah'yanna's (book 3). I have an unresolve thread in the story that would be perfect as a 2.1 kind of short story. What do you think? I'll post a little totally raw and unedited excerpt of "Picking Candy" soon. Thanks!

!Hola Nenaites! Primero que nada gracias a todos los que leyeron #protectoratewars (Guerra del Protectorado) libro 1 Amada. Libro 2 Gigi saldrá pronto en Abril! Segundo, voy a ser introducida en una entrevista en #authorisland a finales de este mes. ¿Qué será lo próximo para Nena y sus Nenaites? Bueno, estoy trabajándo en una historia de shapeshifters o cambiaformas titulada "Picking Candy" que espero convertir en una serie. Este relato estará ligéramente vinculado con una triología que he estado desarrollando por un tiempo. Luego que finalize la misma, regresaré a Las Guerra del Protectorado. No estoy segura si debería crear una historia en medio de Gigi y Mah'yanna (libro 3). Tengo un arco en la historia que no he resuelto y pienso que sería perfecto como una historia corta 2.1. ¿Qué opinan? Espero publicar un extracto completamente crudo e inedito de "Picking Candy" pronto.!Gracias!

Protectorate Wars Book 2: Gigi

I'm happy to announce that I got a release date for book 2 in the Protectorate Wars series. Gigi will be release on April 18th. If you haven't read book 1: Amada now is the time to head over Amazon, Barns and Noble, Smashwords, Allromance and Forever More Publishing. For all of you who started this journey with me, I hope you stay a bit longer.


All my love

Another book comes to an end. Protectorate Wars Book 2: Gigi is done and submitted to my publisher. I got the contract today, Yeay! This whole week's been so weird like I'm missing something in my life. I think I felt the loss of Briq hardest because he is my favorite character. Briq is strong, a killer without a conscience, a brave warrior with an extraordinary sense of honor. For those of you who read #Protectoratewars Book 1 thanks. I hope you enjoy book 2 as much as I love writting it. The story is a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings. I hope you're willing to take this journey with me because there's more to come. If you like science fiction with smart diaglog, a dash of smut, and tons of aliens give it a try. I promise adventure, dashing warriors, damsels that can get themselves out of distress, but still appreciate a big guy. If you appreciate good imagination, then turn on your e-reader and search of the Protectorate Wars Book 1. I you read it and enjoyed it, read it again and refresh your memory. Thank you again for leaving a comment and rating the book on the differnt sites, even the bad ones. Just be a bit more considerate, writers are people too. Thank  you and TTFN!!!

Final read-out

I'm currently doing my final read-out on Protectorate Wars Book 2: Gigi. So far so good. I'm honing my craft and growing as a writer. I hope you take the journey with me! In the mean time check out my fan art!! You can follow me on twitter, facebook, wix and pinterest. If you read book 1 I would really appreciate any comment on the site you purchased it. Ratings are a must for a writer...like blood to vampires...keeps us alive!!

Fan art

My new profile pic is fan art by Josue Rodriguez based on Amada. I love the way this pic captures Amada's fierce spirit, Zaaq-niq is fab in his uniform. Of course you can't forget the critter that brought them together...Zu'thro!!!!


Josue and I are considering teaming up in the future for a graphic novel based on the Protectorate Wars. What do you think?

WELCOME 2014

Happy 2014, my wish for all of you is happiness and health because without these two nothing else matters. Wealth is just the value you subjectively place on things. Things are just material stuff that as time passes by lose their meaning. I always remember one of the lines in the movie Ghost when he is walking towards the light, something in the lines of the love that you feel you take it with you. So go ahead, love unconditionally...laugh often at yourself...be kind just for the heck of it...start something new...and for heaven's sakes....LIVE!!!!

Working on Gigi's grand finale...

I must confess that this book has given me some grief. Just when I think I have the grasp of the story and the characters, they gang up on me and tell me otherwise. There are a lot of revelations in this book, but also a lot of unanswered questions. I've mapped out the series in my head and journals, but my husband suggested I find some sort of program to help me keep things straight. I'm old fashion and I still enjoy my handwritten entries. Because the story is getting out of my hands I need to map out the events and characters (like a timeline) in detail. I think I'm going to create a little spreadsheet on excel to help me keep everyone straight. For example name, physical description, relation to other characters, personality, etc.

I'm very OCD (seriously I am) and can't function in chaos, I think this excel chart will serve me well in all my future projects. I've looke around but what's out there is not for me. My advice to any writer or aspiring writer out there is to keep things simple and organized. I wished I thought of all this when I was writing my first book Protectorate Wars Amada Book 1.

My plan is to spend a couple of hours here and there perfecting my chart. I know once the basic one is done it can be forever improved, but at least I'll have something visualy to work with. Believe me the amount of work I have spread around in my many journals will benefit from this. I have at least three more series I'm working on but don't have the time to rummage through my writings. I will keep you posted on the progress and I'm willing to help anyone that needs a little boost.

Well, this is it for now...I'll try to post some delectable excerpt from Gigi today or tomorrow. Till then this is Nena signing out...Adios, bye, chiao, aloha, auf, aurevoir...

Amada Unleashed

Protectorate Wars Book 2

I've been diligently working on Gigi (book 2 of the Protectorate Wars) for almost a month now. Well, working on all of them as they intertwined with each other and like my kids, they all want my attention. Big panic attack when my computer froze after a full day of writing and edits. Thank God for auto save! The prospect of losing good material is not pleasant for a writer...here's a little thing I put together today. Still a little rough. Enjoy...

“How dare you question my mate’s actions? What would you have him do? Allow himself be killed without a fight? Run and hide like a coward?” She faced the magistrate like a lioness defending her cubs-as Amada later told her.

“Who are you to question his loyalty and innocence? My mate is an honorable warrior, not some traitor hiding in the shadows. His covert operations had aided the Protectorate and Pendo’rahn countless times. Where were you when he sacrificed himself to save the Q’alor? Would you have taken the pain he endured without breaking, without losing your soul? It’s easy to look down on people from your high perch. You think warriors are disposable, things to throw away when they no longer work. You speak of honor or loyalty yet you condemn those who fight to keep you safe. If not for him, the Kreeh-nosh would’ve taken over my world and many more. While you dined and feasted with your loved ones, he was strapped to machines been tortured by T’zaal. While you lived in the lap of luxury, he was enduring pain so you wouldn’t. Who the fuck do you think you are to cast insults at him or my children? It’s you who has no honor. I would rather die than live in a place where one is judge not by the merits of ones actions but by ones appearance. You might see him as nothing but grotesque, but that warrior you see standing before you has given more to Pendo’rah than all of you combined. Don’t you ever disrespect him like this again or I’ll kick your ass to the ground.” Gigi was sobbing loudly, Briq tried to come to her but she shook her head. She needed to stand her ground against those who wanted to harm him.

Thank you

I want to thank all of you for downloading and reading my first book. I hope you're willing to take the rest of the journey with me. I'm still growing and learning as a writer, so I welcome all your comments. Yes I welcome the good and the bad. I understand that not everyone is going to love the story but that's how a writer learns and evolves. Sometimes the writer doesn't dictates how the story goes, but rather the story directs the writer. Your kind comments give me encouragement to keep in the right direction. The not so kind comments keep me humbled and centered. It's all part of the process, so thank you for the mean ones also!!! You guys are my "reality check"...hang there with me and help me grow as a writer because I do have a lot to say.

Working on Gigi Protectorate Wars Book 2

Just woke up trying to polish off this chapter. It's almost done, my goal is to write a least one and a half new chapters this weekend. Hard to do, all my friends are having Halloween parties and they insist I come. I'll just pick a random one and go for a couple of hours...oh-oh, just got an idea for a story...smh...