Get Transformed for Christmas on Black Friday!

I haven't had much luck with Amazon's pre-order system so far, but I'm going to try it one last time to release the holiday-themed book in the bestselling Transformed series:  Transformed for Christmas.

The overall story should be pretty familiar, as there are probably a billion different versions of A Christmas Carol by now.  In this case, Edward Scrouge is a greedy businessman putting profits before people.  Then on Christmas Eve night, the ghost of his former business partner visits him to tell him he'll be visited by three ghosts.

The twist on the old story is that the ghosts put Edward inside the minds of three women:  one from his past, one from his present, and one in his future.  The title is a little misleading as he doesn't actually become these women.  He's just inside their brains so he can see what they see and feel what they feel.  And through this he starts to realize the error of his ways.

The story is pretty mainstream, but so I could file this under erotica there are some sex scenes thrown in.  Viewer discretion is advised.

Provided Amazon doesn't screw it up, you should be able to buy it on Black Friday for only $2.99!  Here's a sample, where Edward meets the ghost of his dead partner:

He must nod off in the chair, because the anchor on the screen is Jackson Morley, his old partner.  The problem is that Jackson has been dead for ten years now.  He died of a stroke about two months after Edward bought him out and took his name off the stationary.

At first Jackson reads a report about falling crude oil prices, but then he stops, his eyes seeming to focus on Edward.  “There’s still time, Edward.  There’s still time to save yourself.”

Edward shakes his head and then flips to Bloomberg.  Jackson is in the anchor chair there too.  “Change your ways now, Edward, before it’s too late.”

Edward stabs the power button on the remote.  He chugs down the last of the Scotch.  He must be seeing things.  Tomorrow he should have Bobbi make an appointment with the doctor; it’s past time for his annual physical anyway.

“I’m not a figment of your imagination,” Jackson hisses.  Edward can’t resist letting out a yelp to see the spectral image of Jackson floating in front of him.  “I’ve come to warn you before it’s too late.”

“Too late for what?”

“To avoid this.”  Jackson’s Armani suit blazes with fire; Edward can feel the heat, but the flames don’t seem to affect the floor or carpet.  Like in the first Indiana Jones movie, the skin on Jackson’s face melts away, leaving a disgusting mass of charred muscles and bone.  A terrible howl escapes where his lips would be.  “The fires of damnation await you unless you repent now!”

Edward reaches out, trying to touch Jackson’s scorched suit, but his hand goes right through.  The heat, while uncomfortable, isn’t as searing as it should be.  “What is this, some kind of computer trick?  A hologram or something?  Whoever is doing this, you’ve got Jackson all wrong.  He’s not some fire-and-brimstone preacher.  Hell, he was Jewish.”

“I am not a trick!  Or a hologram.  Would a computer simulation know you wet your pants before your first presentation to the Lindt brothers?  You had to buy a new suit off the rack at Macy’s.”

Edward’s face turns warm with shame; that’s not a memory he’s fond of.  “All that means is you’ve done your homework.”

“Very well.  If you’re not going to believe me, then there’s another way to convince you.”  The flames on Jackson’s suit go out; the skin reappears on his face.  He points an accusing finger down at Edward.  “Tonight you will be visited by three spirits.  They will show you the error of your ways and the bleak future that awaits you.”

“Sure, three ghosts.  Past, present, and future, right?”  Edward blows out a raspberry.  “I’ve seen this movie before, buddy.  You should get some new material.”

“I have tried to make you see reason, Edward.  It’s a pity I couldn’t do so.  You can expect the first ghost at one o’clock.  Farewell, my old friend.”

“There’s where you got it wrong again.  We were never friends.  You used me to bring the company into the 21^st Century.  Then you whined like a little bitch when I pushed you out of the way to take what was mine.”

“Goodbye, Edward.  Consider what I’ve said.  There is still time.”  Jackson’s voice gets fainter as his spirit fades away.  The moment he finds himself alone again, Edward reaches for the phone to call security.

So after you endure the Black Friday crowds, wind down with a good holiday read!  And at $2.99 it probably won't break your budget either.

BTW, today is the last day to get my novella Race Against Time for free.   When I was writing the story, I consulted this handy diagram I composed on PowerPoint using Sims made for other stories so I could keep straight what the characters were supposed to look like for each chapter:

So there you go, some insight into the writing process.