Category: Upcoming Releases

News about the Surrender Trilogy for my UK and Australian readers!

Hi Guys,

I’ve been SWAMPED with questions from my UK and Australian readers about WHY they haven’t been able to buy and read LETTING GO yet since it released here in the U.S.

My agent sold World English rights to the trilogy just a VERY short time before the February  4th release date here in the U.S. So my UK publisher put it in high gear to get the manuscript through production, covers created etc so that they could publish the first book, LETTING GO, as soon as humanly possible.

The UK/Australian release date for LETTING GO is April 15th. HOWEVER, the second and third books, GIVING IN and TAKING IT ALL, will release in the UK/Australia on the SAME day as they release in the U.S.

The silver lining? Though it sucks to have to wait on that first book, when you ARE able to download it you’ll only have a couple of WEEKS until GIVING IN releases so you’ll have virtually NO wait time woot!

At any rate, the PREORDER links are UP in the UK and Australia! My publisher has assured me that all the preorder links for all the territories they distribute will be up SOON if they aren’t already.

AND be on the lookout next week for the UK cover reveals for the Surrender Trilogy :) My publisher (Headline UK) will be posting one cover a day starting on Monday, ending on Wednesday and of course I’ll be posting them on MY Facebook and website as well.

xoxo

Maya

How a deal began over “coffee”

Since I’m in story telling mode this week haha, I thought it would be interesting to post how a coffee date at RT with May Chen turned into a book deal!

It’s a well known fact that I adore Lisa Marie Rice’s books and May Chen happens to be HER editor and May is on twitter and she’s incredibly sweet, chatty and approachable so I totally emailed her and was all ballsy and begged her to send me an ARC of Lisa Marie Rice’s upcoming book. This was like a year or so ago..

She was nice enough to send it to me and then months later when it was time for the NEXT book, I emailed her again and asked very nicely if I could have the ARC of THIS book. She sent it to me and then asked if I’d be willing to give Lisa Marie Rice a quote which I happily supplied because again, I love her books.

So this last March, May emailed me and said hey I see you’re going to be at RT this year. So am I. I’d love to buy you a coffee as a thank you for the quote you gave Lisa and we could dish books (because many of our emails turned into book dish fests as we talked about books we loved or didn’t love lol) So I said sure because I love dishing books!

So we met in the lobby of the hotel and I was thinking this would be like a twenty minute chat at most. An hour and a half LATER we were still talking and we covered a variety of topics. She told me how much she LOVED RUSH and FEVER and asked ME for an ARC of BURN and then we started talking about storylines that I had on the back burner but had never had time to write and I told her about this idea that I’ve literally had for YEARS that I would LOVE to be able to write but didn’t see an opportunity any time soon since my schedule is so crazy.

After I told her about the idea she was like OMG I LOVE that idea you have to write it for me! And I was like yeah yeah whatever lol. I didn’t think anything about it but at the END of the conversation she says well go home and talk it over with your agent and let me know.

Picture me with a deer in the headlights look.

So I go home and never gave it another thoughts. Didn’t mention it to my agent because again, I expected NOTHING to come of this whatsover. Well, the day AFTER I got home, May emails me and says hey did you talk over your idea with your agent?

At this point I hit the panic button and I forwarded her email to my agent and said OMG what do I tell her? And then I said, I did NOT commit to ANYTHING and what do I do now? My agent said don’t worry about it. Just email her back, say how nice it was talking to her at RT and if she has any questions she can contact me.

So I did as my agent said and then promptly put it out of my mind again.

Until the next DAY when my agent emails me with the subject line of HOLY FUCK (seriously haha) and she then said that May Chen had just CALLED her wanting to talk about a book deal for the idea we’d discussed at RT.

Uhmmm okaaay. Not exactly what I was expecting. Because in reality this sort of thing happens a LOT as in an editor will approach my agent about wanting to work with me but nothing ever COMES of it.

May Chen has some BALLS y’all! haha. She totally made this deal happen. My agent and I were BOTH flabbergasted over how this came about and how hard May worked to MAKE this deal happen.

So by the end of May (the month lol) we had a deal in place for three books and a new series with Avon Books and May Chen is my editor. Wow!

And all because I had coffee to dish books at the RT convention. So you never know when an innocuous meeting will turn into a book deal!

The new series is called SLOW BURN and the first three books will be published in October 2014, Jan 2015 and March 2015. The titles are: KEEP ME SAFE, IN HIS KEEPING and SAFE AT LAST (of course they’re subject to change but right NOW those are the titles)

Theirs to Keep winners!

EDITED TO ADD: I’m SUCH a bubble head today I swear! First to answer the question of why only 9 winners. When my assistant came over to get the books so she can mail them on Wednesday we only found 9! I have NO idea where the other copy went to! Sorry guys!

SECONDLY! It would HELP if I gave y’all my email address so you can email me your mailing info. *sigh* I need to go back to bed… It’s maya@mayabanks.com

Ok guys here is the list of winners of the early copies of THEIRS TO KEEP! I’ve posted the entire comment with name and comment number so you can easily tell if it was you or not.

PLEASE REMEMBER! You MUST email me no LATER than NOON tomorrow to claim your book! Prizes will be mailed out tomorrow afternoon because in addition to having a root canal in the morning, I leave Thursday for the Emerald City Conference in Bellevue, WA so if you want your copy before release day (or at all) you have to check in and email me your mailing info by the requested time!

Without further ado, here are the winners!

Comment 551

Beth Johnson says:

I want to win one for my mom. She is a big fan of yours.

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Comment 264

Patti Fleming says:

Can’t wait!! Love all your books. Thanks for the great giveaway :)

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Comment 342

Amber H. says:

Thanks so much for the giveaway! Can’t wait to read it either way!!!

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Comment 174

Nancy Milligan says:

Would love to win a copy. Love the Colters, as well as Fever, Rush and Burn. I have too many of your books to mention them all!

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Comment 200

bree talley says:

Maya I absolutely love your writing style. It’s never boring and always keeps me on the edge of my seat. Would love to have an early copy of Theirs to keep.

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Comment 55

barb says:

I love your books and am reading BE WITH ME. You are a fantastic author and would love to win one of your books. Thanks for the opportunity.

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Comment 96

Debbie Lemon says:

Would love to win.Have a safe trip.looking forward to this release.Waited along time.

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Comment 501

Kaytee Hazlewood says:

Awesome giveaway!! Can’t wait to start on another fabulous series of yours!

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Comment 816

megan williams says:

I can’t wait to read this book. I already know its gonna be amazing!!

Theirs to Keep early giveaway!

I promised you guys I’d give away EARLY print copies of THEIRS TO KEEP and well the only way I’ll be able to fulfill that promise is if I have a QUICK contest and only leave entries open for ONE day so that winners have time to send me their info BEFORE I leave town on Thursday for a conference in Seattle.

So here’s the fine print. You have until tomorrow, Tuesday, October 15th at NOON to enter. At that time I’ll draw winners and you will then have ONLY until NOON on Wednesday, October 16th to claim your book so they can be mailed out Wednesday afternoon!

Otherwise they simply won’t get to you on time.

For those of you attending the signing this Saturday in Bellevue, WA at the Westin Bellevue, I’ll have early print copies of Theirs to Keep at the signing!

Good luck! Just post a comment to enter. Say whatever’s on your mind :)

xoxo

Maya

EDITED TO ADD: I forgot to tell you HOW MANY copies were up for grabs :) I have 10 copies I’ll be giving away, so I’ll be drawing 10 winners tomorrow at noon xoxo

Colters’ Gift ARC winners!

Sorry this is so late! I’ve been holed up in a hotel all week working on getting my deadline done and I hadn’t even realized what day it was!

Anyway here is the list of winners. This time, to avoid any potential confusion, I not only posted the name and comment number but the comment itself. So scroll down to see if you won. To compare the comment numbers and comments you have to look back at the ORIGINAL contest post and go to the comment number.

If you WON, please send me your mailing address to maya@mayabanks.com. The ARCs will go out in the mail Monday morning PROVIDED I hear back from everyone and all mailing addresses are submitted.

If I don’t hear from you by Monday morning, I’ll award the book to someone else.

Here’s the list and congrats to all the winners!

Comment 654–Rachel Morrell

Colter’s woman is my favorite, but Colter’s promise is a very close second. This was the first Maya Banks I discovered, other than a couple of Desire books by Maya – so I have a special place in my heart for that particular book.

Comment 304–Tara Duessel says:

Colter’s lady. I loved the dynamics with Lily and the boys!! Awesome!!

Comment 216–Lisa Boykin says:

Love them all, but the original, Colter’s Woman, is the one that hooked me. The way Holly got through Ryan’s walls….. *sigh*

Comment 164–Robin Priddy says:

I have read all of the Colter’s Legacy series and loved all of them. My favorite is Colter’s Woman. I can’t wait to read Colter’s Gift.

Comment 57–Heather Swanson says:

How can a person chose a favorite? I love all your books and fall in love with all your hero’s they are what fantasies and dreams are made of. :) can’t wait for more books from you.

Comment 252–Natasha House says:

Colter’s Woman is my all time fave!! It just caught me so unprepared and I loved it!! The character interaction, the story line – I just found no faults with this book! I could read about all of these characters forever! It will always be a favorite of mine!

Comment 506–Shay Brown says:

Colters Daughter is my favorite I love that callie has some fire in her

Comment 30–Lisa Sharpton says:

Colter’s woman is my favorite, but have and loved them all!

Colters’ Gift ARC giveaway!

Hey gang, I have several paperback ARCs of Colters’ Gift so of course I’m going to give them away :)

To enter, just drop me a line and tell me one of the two following things

What is your favorite installment in the Colters’ Legacy series OR

If you haven’t yet read the Colters’ Legacy series, tell me you’d like to start it with Colters’ Gift :)

I’ll leave entries open until WEDNESDAY of THIS WEEK (Sept 25) and you’ll have until FRIDAY to email me your snail mail address once I post the list of winners. The ARCs will then be mailed out by the following Monday. Sound good?

Then let’s get to it!

xoxo

Coming SOON news!

I’ve been promising you all an update on THEIRS TO KEEP, book 1 of the Tangled Hearts trilogy which I had originally planned to publish last fall. I’m happy to say that things have been finalized and that Theirs to Keep will release October 22 of this year! So not a long wait at all and definitely something to tide you over until the Surrender trilogy debuts next February :)

Since I am self publishing this trilogy, it gives me more control over pricing and distribution. I’ll be offering the book at a lower price than my trade editions of the past, and because I’m self publishing it, there will be no geographical restrictions. The book will be available worldwide in digital AND in print.

The print edition will be offered only through online retailers in print on demand. It won’t be stocked in the usual physical bookstores as my other books are, but it was important to me not to exclude my print readership so I ensured that you can at least order the print edition online.

If you saw the original covers on my website or last Fall when I had originally planned to release the first book, then please note that the covers will be different and redesigned. The story remains the same however and if you haven’t yet seen the blurb check it out below.

When Cade Winslow and Merrick Sullivan find Elle hiding in the cabinet of a gun store, they know they can’t just walk away from the fragile woman with no memory of who she is or who tried to kill her. Merrick is training for the title shot in the heavyweight division as a mixed martial artist and can’t afford distractions, but neither can he turn his back on the woman who tugs at his heartstrings.

Elle feels safe with her two protectors, and the longer she spends with them, the more she realizes that she has no desire to remember her past. Not when it could compromise her future with Cade and Merrick.

Cade has his own set of concerns when it comes to Elle, and it quickly becomes clear to the two men that for the first time in their friendship, a woman is coming between them. But what if they just kept her there? Between them. Where she belongs.

The Tangled Hearts trilogy will be written and published in ADDITION to all of my other planned books/series and will not affect the publication of those planned stories. And as such, since I’m fitting the trilogy into an already crowded writing schedule, I won’t announce publication dates for Always Mine (book 2) and Forever Ours (book 3) until I’m certain that the date won’t change. Also, it is my plan not to have long periods of time between the books. Since the books are closely connected, it’s my hope to get them out to readers in fairly quick succession. But also note, even though the books follow the same cast of characters, none of the books end in cliffhangers. Promise! Each story arc will have a definite end and resolution and won’t cut off leaving you to wait for the next story to find out “what happens”

The Tangled Hearts trilogy is a series of stories I LOVE. Theirs to Keep has been written for two years now and wasn’t written under contract. I wrote it because I loved it and it had to be written. My readers have been so utterly fantastic to me this year, and every year of my career to date, and so I wanted this to be a special treat for all of you. An “extra” if you will. And I wanted to set a lower price point, again, as a thank you for supporting me and my career since it began seven years ago.

It’s very much in the same vein as the Colters’ Legacy series. It has the same “feel” and “tone” but a completely different story. But the Tangled Hearts trilogy incorporates MANY of my very favorite tropes. It’s over the top and utterly cracktastic, my favorite kind of book to READ, so it follows that it would be my very favorite kind of story to WRITE :)

I want this to be a FUN and heartfelt read for my readers. It’s emotional and angsty and while it is erotic in nature, the focus is not sexual at all. The emphasis is on the story, emotion and the romance, and in fact, there are few love scenes in the first book. Though the stories follow an untraditional relationship, at its heart, it’s still about romance and falling in love. And it’s absolutely possible to write a story about a polyamorous romance without it being nothing but endless sex and kink. MANY of my “menage” stories are not highly eroticized at all! (Stay With Me, Amber Eyes, Love Me, Still, just to name a few!)

So my hope is that you enjoy the Tangled Hearts trilogy and that you will love it as much as I do :))

xoxo <3 <3 <3

Maya

HUGE thank you to all my readers!

This last week has been a little surreal for me. On Wednesday I learned that BURN was the #1 bestselling book on the USA Today as well as hitting the top spot on the NYT Trade Paperback list, the NYT digital list and the paperback/digital combined list. A clean sweep!

I’ll admit, I did NOT expect to hit the #1 spot on the USA Today or the NYT digital. I had some really TOUGH competition with JK Rowling in the top spot on the Trade Paperback list and her book under her other pen name was #1 on the USA Today last week and still going very strong! Not to mention James Patterson had a new release out on the same day as BURN and he is a very consistent top placing author on those lists! So I was STUNNED when I learned that BURN had earned the top spot.

But you know what? I should have had more faith in my AWESOME, AMAZING readers and for that I apologize! You guys are SO good to me and it’s solely because of YOU that BURN hit that top spot.

I say it every time, but as an author *I* don’t hit those lists. All I do is write the book and unleash it in the wild and hope for the best because once it’s out of my hands, it’s squarely in the hands of the READERS as to whether it becomes a bestselling book or not.

So THANK YOU. I owe you all more than I can ever hope to repay! But I hope to at least give back SOMETHING by continuing to write and give you stories that you enjoy and want more of. I am SO grateful to have such wonderful, supportive readers. Without you, I would not be living my dream of writing stories that fill my mind.

In the very beginning of my career, it was a dream, and in my mind a PIPE DREAM, to even HIT a list like the NYT and the USA Today. The very first time I ever accomplished that (because of YOU!!!) I was flabbergasted and so very grateful.

To a new author, reaching the top spot on ANY list is one of those things you kind of wistfully think in the back of your mind “oh one day… One day I’d love that” but you don’t really ever think it will happen!

So imagine by shock, amazement and utter gratitude when it happened! It finally happened!

I’ve written and published over 50 books in the 7 years I’ve been published. (My 7th anniversary was June 6 of this year) and with each one, I’ve been absolutely humbled and a little baffled at how wonderful my readers have embraced them.

If someone had told me back in June 2006 when I published my very first book that 7 years later I would have a USA Today and a NYT #1 bestseller, I would have laughed and said NO WAY. But it happened. And it happened because of YOU.

I will never be able to properly express my gratitude to my readers. I know it sounds corny, it likely doesn’t sound genuine. Simply because I’ve thanked my readers after every single time one of my books has hit the best seller lists. But you know what? I am one hundred percent sincere. *I* did not hit the best seller lists. YOU did that. YOU put the books there. And for that, I will be eternally grateful and so very humbled by your support.

xoxo

And PS: I’ll be posting news this week! New covers (OMG are they AWESOME) and blurbs for my next trilogy which will be releasing starting in February 2014 :)) So be on the lookout Tuesday for the reveal!

Love,

Maya

BURN ARC winners!

Ok as promised guys, here are the FIVE lucky winners of an ARC of BURN! If you see your name below, please email me at maya@mayabanks.com and provide your mailing address so I can ship your book out to you.

You have until Monday morning (early) to claim your book as my assistant will be popping everything in the mail Monday morning before we head off to Girlie’s World Series next week :)

I made my assistant write down all 1300 plus numbers and draw winners by comment number. I’m sure she LOVES me about now hahahah.

So here they are. And Congratulations!

Comment #26- Nancy Bozeman
Comment #711-Sandie Buckley
Comment #852- Marlo Whitfield
Comment #1101- Mistie M
Comment #1257- Kristina Longoria

As I said, you have until MONDAY morning EARLY to get your info to me. If you fail to provide your address by 10:00 am CST Monday then your book will be given away on twitter. So get to emailing me! :))

Thanks to everyone for playing! xoxo <3 <3 <3

BURN giveaway!

Hey gang!

Soooo, right before I left for Book Bash in Orlando, I received ARCs of BURN in the mail. We’re just a month away from release day! Anyway, I thought I’d give you guys a chance to win an advanced copy of BURN :)

To enter, simply post below and tell me who you’re favorite “guy” in the Breathless trilogy is. Granted you haven’t gotten to read Ash’s story yet, but you’ve gotten glimpses of him in the previous two books *g*

That’s it! I’ll leave the contest open until Thursday of this week and post winners by Friday morning. At that time you’ll have until Monday morning to claim your book by emailing me and providing a mailing address. Any unclaimed books will be given away on twitter next week.

I’m giving away FIVE copies. Ready? Set? GO!!!