Thursday, November 06, 2008

Who said Alex is a guy's name?



Michele here. I have another book out this month. I'm not trying to inundate you all with promotional posts, but well, I promise to chill on them for at least another month. (Another release in January; due warning.) :-)

I'm very excited for the release of ROGUE ANGEL: SWORDSMAN'S LEGACY, which should hit stores November 11th. I know you're looking at the cover and saying to yourself, "But that's not her name on the cover." You're right. I've the incredible opportunity to write under the Alex Archer pseudonym. And you know what's cool about that? The Rogue Angel series has been around for two years, and is written by various authors. All of them men.

Until now.

Here's the details. The action/adventure series is bimonthly and the readership is both male and female. The stories feature the same heroine, Annja Creed, archeologist and TV show host, in exciting new adventures for each story. Annja's cohorts, Roux and Garin Braden are five hundred year old immortals who oftentimes are more nemesis than friends.

Why the pseudonym? Because readers of a long-running series like this are more likely to buy the book for the characters than for the authors. I'm sure you've seen the like in the Outlanders series and Max Bolan in the action/adventure section of your bookstore. Some of the sci/fi and gaming tie-in books are like that too, written under a single pseudonym.

Why, you ask, would I want to write a book that doesn't have my name on it? Because it's the ultimate fan fiction! And it's a great way to challenge my writing muscle by working with someone else's characters. (Although, I consider the characters my own after playing with them on the page.) I love this series, and have loved it since before it even hit the book shelves. The heroine is an average archaeologist until one day she inherits a magical sword that once belonged to Joan of Arc. Whenever she finds herself in a dire situation, and needs a little help—which, of course, is often—she can summon the sword to hand and defeat her enemies. The sword also gives her more strength, confidence, and while she can't leap tall buildings, she can deliver a knockout punch to even the nastiest of thugs. Oh yeah, she knows how to kick villain butt. How cool is that? Being a huge fan of action in my romances, I could not resist writing a story for this series. Hey, if you had a great story idea for your favorite TV show, wouldn't you like a chance to write it?

I've two more Rogue Angels in the works, and hope to do many more! So give Alex Archer a try! You may just like her. ;-)

And how about that cover art?  It rocks in so many ways.  The artist is Tim Bradstreet, who is a big name in comic book and graphic novel illustration.  


So have you read any stories in this series? Do you like a bit of action in your romances? Who's your favorite action hero/heroine?

Michele


ps - Are you a Follower yet? Go on! Subscribe to our RSS feed (to the right) and become a Follower!
pss - I'm also blogging at myLifeTimeTV today!  Stop by and give the Bellas some love.

24 comments:

AuthorM said...

I love that cover! And wow, what a cool opportunity for you. I haven't read any of the Rogue Angel books, but they sound great! I guess I have to start reading them now, huh?

:)

M

Keri Ford said...

You know, I was in the book section of wal-mart yesterday and I saw that cover. I kept telling myself that I'd seen it before. I looked at the authors name, looked at the cover. It was displayed in the Sci-fi section, so that didn't help jar my memory any. Finally I decided I must have seen a review of it somewhere!

I do enjoy reading and writing action/adventure. It seems to the story the extra kick.

Cindy Gerard said...

Michele. That is so cool!! is the book going to be available for you to sign this weekend when we have our sign-o-rama in the Twin Cities??
I want it. I think I need it!!
Congrats and see you Friday. The country girl's commin' to town :o)

Unknown said...

Michele, I ADORE the cover of this book and the series name-- I can't wait to get my hands on it! I'm sure after reading your Bombshells, that you're a FABULOUS action/aventure author!

Action adventure is one of my faves! And it's coming out on my birthday! Good luck and may it sell a million!

Playground Monitor said...

I'll admit I haven't read any of the books, and because I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this month, I'm not adding anything tempting to my TBR pile. It's difficult enough to write 1667 words every day without the lure of a good book.

Congrats on breaking into this until-now male-dominated series. That deserves a big "Squeeeeeeeee!"

Marilyn (who's been a follower for a while now)

Michele Hauf said...

M - uh, yep, that means you have to start reading them now. :-)

Keri, you already saw it out there? Cool!

Not sure if bookstores will have it this weekend, Cindy. Hope so!

Betina's B-day coming up! Remember that everyone!

Marilyn, sending good NaNo vibes your way. You can do it!

Helen Brenna said...

It's an awesome cover, Michele! And it sounds like an amazing series. I love to write action too. Really keeps ME turning the pages as I write.

Anonymous said...

The only book of this series, I've started reading was yours, or at least I started it. :) I had to put it down and read "normal" romances to get ready for NANO, though i do get back to it from time to time

KylieBrant said...

The cover is awesome, Michele. I think the artist does a great job depicting the tone of the book.

I've never done a book with various authors of a series. Sounds interesting!

Michelle Buonfiglio said...

Hi, Michele and TDers! Yeah, Michele, awesome cover. Totally appealing to men and women readers, especially cause we're so into the strong, hot chick covers now.

I'd love to hear what action heroines and heroes inspire you: movies? books?

mslizalou said...

Great cover! Can you start the series with your book or do you need to read the others in the series first?

Michele Hauf said...

Liza, each book in the series is stand alone, so you can pick any one and get a fresh, new adventure. If you find you enjoy the series, I would recommend checking out the very first book, DESTINY, because it has the background of how Annja actually came to have the sword.

what action heroine is my favorite? I do love Lara Croft. Smart, no nonsense, can wield any weapon and probably knows all the martial arts. Can kick a villain's butt and look darn sexy doing so.

as for hero, I go back to D'Artagnan in the THree Musketeers. He was a rogue, but he did have some great adventures.

Now, if I could write a story that would put D'Artagnan and Lara Croft together... Hmm...

Unknown said...

I'm with everyyyyyyone else. That cover rocks. And the book's really great too. You're awesome, M.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the cover. Very tough and sexy!

I had no idea that there were multiple authors behind that series. I thought it was just you writing under a different name! LOL

Good luck. I haven't read these yet but it goes on my TBR list!

Anonymous said...

Ive been reading for quite some time, and i didnt have a clue to differnt authors, till you, thank you for a wonderful story and im really looking forward to your other angel books!

blackroze37@yahoo.com

Fedora said...

Ooh, congrats, Michele! I'd seen some of the earlier books before, but hadn't picked them up. Now I might just have to! :)

Christie Ridgway said...

This is so cool, Michele. I've been looking at the cover on the blog for weeks and didn't notice the "Alex" name. Duh me.

Is there any romance between the characters?

Jane said...

Congrats on your upcoming release. I have not read any books in the Rogue Angels series. I love comic books, so some of my favorite heroes and heroines are the X-Men.

Michelle Buonfiglio said...

ooo, look at all the fun people here!!! Michele, I had a crush on D'Artagnon as a kid in all his forms.

Another question for Michele and anybody: What do you love about action heroines? What kinds of stuff do they make you feel when you read em?

Debra Dixon said...

Michelle-- I haven't read any of these. I love the cover. I was an anthropology major in college for a couple of years before I switched to business. Not because I didn't love anthropology but I realized I probably needed a "viable" degree and I didn't like the actual in-the-dirt work. Love the subject. Love the idea of field work. (g)

Thsi sounds great. I'll go pop one in my Amazon cart.

Michele Hauf said...

Christie asked about romance in the books. Well, it depends on who's writing the story. Romance from a man's perspective is very different than from a woman's. I do have Annja flirt with a handsome Frenchman (because who wouldn't?) and I think there's a kiss, but she doesn't have time for romance in this story.
Actually, the way the series works doesn't allow for her to get too involved. That would mean she'd have to carry a romance through more than one book, and it would get complicated for the various authors to coordinate that. So I hope I provided some good emotional conflict while she's swordfighting and chasing the bad guys. But for now, Annja will just have to suffice with the occasional lover. Nothin' wrong with that at all.

The relationship between Annja and the immortal dudes is interesting as well. The one guy, Roux, is almost a father figure. Garin Braden can sometimes be very romantic toward her (I do believe they'd kissed in a story), so it's intriguing to see what the authors do with the relationships, without going too far, but just enough to whet our desire to want more.

:-)

Dina said...

I love the cover also and she carries a sword, so cool.

Anonymous said...

i love rogue angel, have been reading them for quite a while. im happy to know women writes them too

looking forward to the others you write!
blackroze37@yahooo.com

Anonymous said...

Congratulations.