LaurieLondon

TEMPTED BY BLOOD Six Sunday Excerpt #4

2012-02-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

Each Sunday on their blogs, writers share six sentences from their books or their works in progress. I'm sharing clips from the third book in the Sweetblood series, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, which comes out in print Feb 21 / digital Mar 1.

If you missed the last excerpt, click here.

A man (Jackson) steps out of the shadows and comes straight toward Arianna...

Obsidian irises were ringed by an iridescent green color so captivating that if she had any breath left to gasp with, she would have. An energy charge snapped in the air when he steadied her, snaking invisible fingers around her body.

She caught the faint smell of alcohol on his breath and noted that his square jaw was peppered with stubble. A small scar interrupted the slash of his dark eyebrow, similar to one she had from hitting her chin on the windowsill as a child.

All very humanlike—yes—but she knew what she’d seen. He’d morphed from a shadow, just like those men in the Jeep and just like the men who took her mother.

Here are some early reviews:

RT Bookreviews 4 stars: London’s Sweetblood series kicks into high gear with this third installment featuring a hero on the edge...London does a very good job of developing both her characters and their blossoming relationship, making this one terrific read.

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer: I will tell you that when I was about, one hundred pages in, I stopped reading and ordered books one and two for my Nook. Tempted by Blood offers a fast paced, action packed romance that I quickly absorbed in two sittings...Tempted by Blood had all the key elements I enjoy in a paranormal romance. Fans of vampires, romance and suspense will enjoy this novel.

You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

If you're in the US or Canada, you can enter the Goodreads contest for a chance to win a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD.

To check out Six Sunday clips from other authors, click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

My Book Boyfriend Blog Hop Winner

2012-02-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Megan Kyser who won a copy of Tempted By Blood!!! Random.org picked her comment as the lucky winner.

Megan, please check your email.

Thank you, everyone, for your comments about My Book Boyfriends. This was a lot of fun!

Don't forget that Tempted by Blood is coming out in print on February 21 and digital on March 1. Also, there's still time to enter the Goodreads contest, so head on over there and enter.

Happy reading and may all of you fall in love with a Book Boyfriend.

~Laurie

My Book Boyfriend Blog Hop

2012-02-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my stop on the My Book Boyfriend Blog hop hosted by As The Pages Turn and Reading Between The Wines Book Club. My book boyfriend is a mix between Tommy Dunn and David Beckham. These hotties are the inspirations I used for Jackson Foss in my upcoming release TEMPTED BY BLOOD, book 3 in the Sweetblood paranormal romance series, which comes out on February 21.

Tommy Dunn - From a Gap ad


Tommy Dunn- From a True Religion ad

Of course, Jackson does look a bit different than this. He's taller, has bulkier muscles, and has a colorful snake tattoo on one bicep. Sometimes he has crimson highlights in his hair, but in this book, he has green-and-blue streaks mixed in with the bronze. (He used to date a hairdresser.) Often, he'll pull just the top part back into a tiny ponytail ala David Beckham.

David Beckham


Print avail Feb 21 / Digital Mar 1

Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the battle for supremacy rages on between two Vampire coalitions: Guardian enforcers sworn to protect humanity, and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors….

He might be known for his effortless charm, but Guardian Jackson Foss is hiding a terrible secret. For months, he has battled the emergence of his dark nature—deadly urges that threaten to consume him. And those cravings only intensify when he meets Arianna Wells, the human he's been assigned to protect. Smart and perceptive, Arianna doesn't seem like a dangerous temptress. Yet she awakens in Jackson an unstoppable need that, if left unchecked, will brand him a traitor…a crime punishable by death.

But soon their bond may be Arianna's only hope. For stalking her in the shadows is a merciless enemy—one who will stop at nothing to claim her completely….

*****************************************************
Giveaway: A signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD

Rules:

1. Leave a comment below on whether you think my book boyfriends, the inspirations for Jackson Foss, are hot or not.

2. Leave your email address in the comment so that I can easily contact you if you win.

3. I'll be picking a random winner on February 6.

4. Open to residents in US/Canada.

5. Good luck!

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You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

If you're in the US or Canada, you can enter the Goodreads contest for another chance to win a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD.

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Be sure to hop to the next blog on this list for a chance to win some other cool book-boyfriend prizes.

TEMPTED BY BLOOD - #SixSunday Excerpt #3

2012-01-29T00:30:00.000-08:00

Each Sunday on their blogs, a number of writers share six sentences from their books or their works in progress. For the next few weeks, I'll be sharing clips from my upcoming book, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, the third novel in the Sweetblood series, which comes out Feb. 21.

If you missed last week's excerpt, click here.

Arianna has just witnessed something terrible and then another man steps out of the shadows...

The overhead streetlight illuminated bronze hair that reached to his chin, the top portion held back away from his face by a small ponytail. At well over six feet tall, he had linebacker shoulders underneath his leather coat and a formidable presence that seemed to suck the oxygen from the air.

He covered the distance between them in two commanding steps.

She wanted to pinch her eyes shut, block out the nightmare, but for some reason, she didn’t. Up this close, she noticed that his hair was streaked with green-and-blue highlights. She was vaguely disturbed that she noticed this innocuous detail about him when the thing that should be first and foremost on her mind was that he’d stepped from the shadows.

Be sure to check back next Sunday as I'll be sharing more of what happens when Arianna and Jackson first meet.

You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

If you're in the US or Canada, you can enter the Goodreads contest for a chance to win a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD.

To check out Six Sunday clips from other authors, click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

TEMPTED BY BLOOD - Six Sunday Preview #2

2012-01-22T00:30:00.000-08:00


Print Feb 21 / Digital Mar 1

The two-story apartmentbuilding sat at the end of a long narrow driveway less than a mile from whereArianna lived—too far for her cousin to walk home, though she did try toconvince Arianna it was no big deal. Maybe Krystal’s mother would’ve been okaywith that, but this wasn’t a tiny farm town in eastern Washington and Ariannadidn’t have substance abuse problems.

She definitely wanted to avoidrunning up to the door—shadows were everywhere. Along the shrubs at the base ofthe windows, underneath the spindly birch tree in the front yard, next to theminivan parked in the driveway.

In an argument repeated for years, her sensibleself said this fear was unreasonable, but the memories of her five-year-oldself were ingrained too deeply to forget. Most of the time, she was able topush past it—you couldn’t exactly be afraid of the dark and run a blog likeParanormalish, but tonight she felt on edge.

Be sure to check back next Sunday as I'll be sharing when Arianna and Jackson first meet.

You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

If you're in the US or Canada, you can enter the Goodreads contest for a chance to win a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD.

To check out Six Sunday clips from other authors, click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tempted By Blood Six Sunday Preview #1

2012-01-15T00:30:00.000-08:00

In Stores Feb 21/Digital Mar 1

I'm starting something new on my blog this week. Each Sunday on their blogs, a number of writers share six sentences they've written and I thought it'd be fun to join in. For the next few weeks, I'll be sharing six sentences from my upcoming book, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, the third novel in the Sweetblood series. It comes out Feb 21 (Mar 1 for digital).

It's Jackson and Arianna's story. I'm not starting out with the first six sentences of the book because I already posted the beginning as a Thanksgiving thank you to readers. If you missed it, you can check it out here.

Okay. That was Arianna.

Now, here's Jackson. Warning: He's not talking to Arianna in this clip.

"Sex with me was unlike anything you’ve experienced before,” he said, implanting a memory suggestion. “The only thing you’ll remember is that I’m an amazing lover and tonight was—” he searched for the appropriate dramatic word “—in-fucking-credible.”

Her eyelids fluttered briefly as the thought took hold. “God, that was mind-blowing."

“Why, thank you.” There had to be a special place in hell reserved for guys like him.

You can pre-order TEMPTED BY BLOOD here:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | IndieBound

To check out Six Sunday clips from other authors, click here.

Sweetblood series is heading across the Pond

2012-01-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a reader who spotted BONDED BY BLOOD on Amazon UK, I found out that my publisher's UK offices picked up the first two books in the Sweetblood series. Dom and the gang are crossing the pond!

They're coming out in trade paperback (the bigger size) but with the same covers as the North American versions. (When they came out last year in Australia, they had different covers.) BONDED BY BLOOD will be available there in February and EMBRACED BY BLOOD comes out in March. They're both available for pre-order.

Then, low and behold, what arrives in the mail today? Several copies of the UK version of Bonded. How cool is that? I did a little jig then got back to work on Santiago's book.


UK Version

Five copies of Tempted By Blood on Goodreads

2011-12-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

Five signed copies of TEMPTED BY BLOOD, book 3 in the Sweetblood series (Jackson's book), are being given away on Goodreads. Do you feel lucky?

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Tempted by Blood

by Laurie London

Giveaway ends February 15, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Tempted By Blood is available for pre-order!

2011-12-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's official! My third full-length novel and third installment in the Sweetblood series, TEMPTED BY BLOOD, is available for preorder on all the major etailer sites. The backcover copy isn't up yet, but here it is:

He might be known for his effortless charm, but Guardian Jackson Foss is hiding a terrible secret. For months he has battled the emergence of his dark nature—deadly urges that threaten to consume him. And those cravings only intensify when he meets Arianna Wells, the human he's been assigned to protect.

Smart and perceptive, Arianna doesn't seem like a dangerous temptress. Yet she awakens in Jackson an unstoppable need that, if left unchecked, will brand him a traitor...a crime punishable by death.

But soon their bond may be Arianna's only hope. For stalking her in the shadows is a merciless enemy—one who will stop at nothing to claim her completely.

I loved every minute writing about Jackson and Arianna. Both of them surprised me quite a bit. I'm excited to share their story with you. As we get closer to the date, I'll be posting little snippets to whet your appetite. If you missed the little snippet I posted as a Thanksgiving thank you to readers, you can read it here.

TEMPTED BY BLOOD goes on sale 2/21/12 but you can preorder it here:

Amazon | BN | IndieBound

Thank You Thursday - Alexis Morgan

2011-12-08T07:08:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Thank You Thursday, where I invite an author to answer a few questions about their book's dedication and acknowledgments. I LOVE reading these little snippets at the beginning of books and often find myself wondering about the story behind them. So I decided to ask.

Today, I'm so excited to have paranormal romance author Alexis Morgan here. She's the author of some of my favorite series, the Paladins of Darkness and The Talions, and my soon to be favorite series, Warriors of the Mist. And if you've read the acknowledgments in my book (Bonded By Blood), you'll know just what she means to me.

1. In the acknowledgements of Dark Protector, you thank several people. Can you tell us about one or two of them and how they helped you?
I dedicated Dark Protector, the first of my Paladin stories, to the men and women in uniform who serve our country. Since I was writing a story about warriors who fight to keep our world safe, it only seemed appropriate the acknowledge their real life counterparts.

In the acknowledgements, I thanked my agent, Michelle Grajkowski. She has been my constant support and biggest advocate since we started working together back in 2003. In late 2004, I nervously told her about my germ of an idea for a new paranormal series where a barrier separates our world from another, and that when there’s an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, we get invaded by crazies.

I had just picked Michelle up at the airport in here in Seattle. Right after her plane flew near a couple of our beautiful Pacific Northwest volcanoes and landed at SeaTac, Mount St. Helens actually erupted. As I was explaining the premise of the story, the televisions in the restaurant all started showing huge plumes of ash billowing up into the sky. I couldn’t have planned a better audio-visual aid as a backdrop to my story explanation.

One of the biggest thrills in my career came when she looked me in the eye and said this would be my breakout book. I was hoping to get to write at least three books set in my Paladin world. The ninth came out this fall.

  2. Was there anyone who helped you when you researched a plot detail? If so, who is it and what did you learn?  

My good friend Janice Kay Johnson (Superromance) patiently listened to all my excited ramblings about volcanoes and plate tectonics, both of which serve as the background for the Paladin world. She and I took a trip down to visit Mount St. Helens, so I could see the mountain up close and personal.

When we arrived at the visitor center, we were looking at one of the seismographs. Most of the recorded activity showed only small fluctuations, but there was a stretch where the lines had gone crazy. I talked to one of the naturalists and found out that quake had happened only a hour or so before we’d arrived. Scary stuff! He also talked to me about a piece of equipment they had on display that had been badly damaged in another quake.

All of that helped me understand the true danger of working anywhere near the mountain. Using the information I garnered at the center helped me make the world the Paladins live in more realistic.

 3. Is there a detail or major turning point in the story that would've been different without the input of someone who read an early draft? If so, can you tell us a little more?

Oddly enough, an editor who ultimately rejected my proposal gave me some suggestions that definitely strengthened the story. I had worked hard to bring the Paladins to life and to introduce the readers to their world. Her suggestion was that I needed to give the heroine equal time.

I knew who the heroine was, but I didn’t really know her, if that makes sense. I went back and considered Laurel’s back story and how she’d gotten involved in the secret world of the Paladins. I decided that she was from a small town, and that her parents wanted her to come back and settle down there. They don’t understand why she can’t practice medicine there as well as she could in Seattle. Sworn to secrecy, she can’t tell them about the importance of her work with the Paladins, and that added another layer of strain to her life.

Pocket Books

Devlin Bane: Born a Paladin, he is a member of an ancient band of warriors locked in a centuries-old war against evil.

His destiny: To die over and over again to protect mankind from the Others, only to be revived each time by his mortal Handler.

But his fierce strength and courage cannot save him from gradually becoming one of the monsters he was born to destroy.

Dr. Laurel Young, who has spent years training to become a Handler, must remain detached from her patients. But each time she revives the darkly compelling Devlin Bane, he claims a little more of her soul and incites in her desires that grow wilder and wilder -- even as he inches closer to losing his humanity. As the war against the Others grows more desperate, Laurel and Devlin can't help but give in to the fierce hunger that's sizzled between them for so long. Now they'll face the ultimate battle together -- to save a dark, passionate love that goes against every rule as they join forces to fight an enemy who is closer than they ever imagined....

About Alexis:

Alexis Morgan has always been an avid reader, and she loves spending her days with hunky heroes and gutsy heroines. By the end of this year, she will have published twenty-five books, novellas, and short stories, including contemporary romances, American West Historicals, and Paranormal Romances. Next year will see the debut of her first venture into fantasy romance with a series from NAL titled River of the Damned. She has been nominated for numerous industry awards, including the RITA© from the Romance Writers of America, the top award in the romance genre.

Find Alexis here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy DARK PROTECTOR here:

Amazon | BN | IndieBound

Ebook Sale at Harlequin Today Only

2011-12-04T09:13:00.001-08:00

Load up your ereaders for 50% off all ebooks at Harlequin today only (Sunday Dec 4) using the coupon code HALFEBOOK11 at check out. I just bought 8 novels I'd been meaning to buy and the damage was only $24.

Oh, and check out the ad for their Christmas stories. It made me chuckle to see our dark, steamy vampire anthology (A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS) listed as a "heartwarming Christmas title." Hearts aren't the only things being warmed between those pages.

Go forth and download!

Thank You Thursday - Gina Robinson

2011-12-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

St. Martins / Nov 2011

From Gina Robinson, America’s acclaimed master of the super-sexy spy thriller, comes a red-hot novel of top-secret missions, high-level intrigue, and drop-dead desire…

THEY WERE UNDERCOVER LOVERS

If there’s one thing that can ruin a vacation, it’s running into your ex. Just ask Treflee Miller. If she’d only known that her husband Ty would be here in Hawaii—muscular, sun-bronzed, and infuriatingly gorgeous—she would have brought the divorce papers for him to sign. But life is full of surprises when you’re married to a world-class spy…

NOW THEY’RE STRANGERS IN PARADISE

Ty Miller can understand why his wife is tired of playing Mrs. James Bond. He’s never home, he’s always on a mission, and he’s usually surrounded by exotic informants. He has to admit that the perfect spy makes a pretty lousy husband. But for the sake of Ty’s security and Treflee’s safety, they can’t blow his cover. Not here. Not now. Not when his longing is so strong, her lips so tempting—and his enemies so close…

The Spy Who Left Me from Visual Quill on Vimeo.

Buy THE SPY WHO LEFT ME here:

Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

Find Gina online here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Thank You Thursday - Exclusive Excerpt from TEMPTED BY BLOOD

2011-11-24T10:10:00.001-08:00

This Thanksgiving edition of Thank You Thursday, where an author talks in more detail about their book's dedications and acknowledgments, comes from yours truly. However, I'm deviating from my normal format.

First of all, I want to thank YOU, my readers, for taking a chance on a new author and for seeking me out online. I know that funds are tight and your time is limited, so it's the coolest thing in the world to me that you chose to read my books and found me online.

As a special Thanksgiving thank you, a treat with zero calories and no guilt, here are the opening lines of TEMPTED BY BLOOD, the next installment in the Sweetblood series, which comes out Feb 21, 2012. This is Jackson and Arianna's story and it hasn't been posted anywhere online until now.

HQN Books / Feb 2012

When she saw the number of vehicles parked in the second driveway on the left, Arianna Wells tensed and almost turned her car around. She hated having an audience for these things.

With her eyes forward, she drove past the house, then a dozen others in the neighborhood, and parked the old Cadillac under a streetlight around the corner. Out of habit, she scraped the wheel rims against the curb.

Her father had loved this car and was so proud of himself when he gave it to her for her sixteenth birthday. Problem was, she’d been nineteen at the time and he’d mixed up her birthday with one of his many ex-girlfriends’.

Adding a new scratch when she was frustrated or pissed off always made her feel better. She shoved the transmission into Park and it lurched into a rough idle.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thank You Thursday - Rebecca Clark

2011-11-17T00:30:00.000-08:00

1. On the dedication page of HER ONE NIGHT PRINCE, you mention a couple of people. Can you tell us about them?

One of those two people is you, LOL. For your readers who don't know, Laurie London is my sister. We're only 14 months apart in age. (I won't say who's older, but it isn't me. :) Laurie was always the popular, beautiful, skinny, social sister. I was not really any of those things. I wasn't a geek or a nerd, but I certainly wasn't popular. Laurie loved high school. I hated it. My book is about a woman who was also not in the popular crowd in high school, and now it's time for her 10-year class reunion. She wants to attend it as a changed woman. In my dedication I say how glad I am that I didn't meet my husband in high school, because he would have dated Laurie, not me. He was the baseball and football star, she was the hot cheerleader. He would have been nice to me, and I would've had a huge crush on him, but we wouldn't have dated.

[Laurie here. My sister has a warped memory. That's all I can say.]

2. Was there anyone who helped you when you researched a plot detail in HER ONE NIGHT PRINCE? If so, who helped you and what did you learn?

I have to thank my Twitter friends. I originally wrote this story when I lived in Boise (where the story is set). During revisions, I figured some of the landmarks I mentioned may have changed so I occasionally did a shout out on Twitter, using the hashtag #Boise, to get answers.

3. Is there a detail or turning point in HER ONE NIGHT PRINCE that would've been different without the input of someone who read an early draft? If so, can you tell us a little more?

My hero rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. As I'd never been on any motorcycle before, Harley or otherwise, I was just winging it when I wrote those scenes. Luckily, my husband happened to buy a bike during the time I originally wrote this book and I was able to get first-hand research on what it was like to ride on the back of a motorcycle. When he read the completed manuscript (yes, he reads all my books) he helped me make those motorcycle scenes more realistic and believable.


Siren BookStrand / Oct 2011

Her One-Night Prince is a Cinderella story about a woman's dream to be something she's not for just one night at her class reunion. As all fairy tales go, however, happy endings don't come easily.

Shy and sheltered Lydia St. Clair is uncomfortable around men, so she advertises for a gay man to be her date and revamp her style. Mitch Gannon answers Lydia's ad, and he's perfect for the job--he's handsome and, even more important, he's charming.

Unbeknownst to Lydia, Mitch is straight and answered the ad as the unwitting victim of a practical joke. Before he can reveal the truth, Lydia is convinced he's her fairy godmother, ready to transform her into the belle of the ball. And Mitch, prince that he is, doesn't have the heart to set her straight.

Buy HER ONE NIGHT PRINCE here:

Amazon | BN | BookStrand

Find Becky here:

http://rebeccajclark.com
http://rebeccajclark.blogspot.com
Shy Writers Blog
Facebook
Twitter @rebeccajclark

About Becky:

Rebecca Clark has wanted to write romance novels since she read her first Harlequin Romance at age 11. When she’s not writing, she works as a personal fitness trainer and group exercise instructor, where she teaches Pilates, Turbokick®, Zumba®, and yoga. She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of 24 years, two kids, a German Shepherd beast who thinks he’s a lap dog, two cats, two rats and a gecko. In her not-so-abundant free time, Rebecca enjoys reading, watching Criminal Minds reruns on TV, and doing absolutely nothing.

Thank You Thursday Winner

2011-11-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Tina! You won a digital copy of Stephanie Draven's Dark Sins and Desert Sands from last week's Thank You Thursday. Please check your email.

Thanks for visiting, everyone! And stay tuned for tomorrow's Thank You Thursday when my awesome sister, contemporary romance author Rebecca J. Clark is here.

Thank You Thursday - Stephanie Draven

2011-11-10T00:30:00.000-08:00

Harlequin Nocturne / Oct 2011

Wrongfully accused and broken by torture, an American soldier transforms into a mind-controlling minotaur bent on revenge…

Escaping a hellish Syrian prison, U.S. serviceman Ray Stavrakis emerges with uncanny powers and an eerie ability to morph into a mythical Minotaur, half-man, half-bull. Only one woman can prove his innocence and soothe the savage beast inside–the same woman who’d driven him to the brink of insanity with her cool-eyed interrogation and her hot-blooded sensuality.

But Vegas psychologist Layla Bahset has no memory of Ray or her past. Only a feeling of being stalked by a nonhuman predator. Is it Ray…whose eyes condemn her soul even as his hands ignite her body? Or is another evil force hunting her down like prey?

Now nothing can stop Layla from remembering what she really is…and what her evil creator has planned for her and her soldier lover…

Buy DARK SINS AND DESERT SANDS here

Amazon | BN | IndieBound

Find Stephanie here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Stephanie Draven is currently a denizen of Baltimore, that city of ravens and purple night skies. She lives there with her favorite nocturnal creatures–three scheming cats and a deliciously wicked husband. And when she is not busy with dark domestic rituals, she writes her books.

Stephanie has always been a storyteller. In elementary school, she channeled Scheherazade, weaving a series of stories to charm children into sitting with her each day at the lunch table. When she was a little older, Stephanie scared all the girls at her sleepovers with ghost stories.

She should have known she was born to hold an audience in her thrall, but Stephanie resisted her writerly urges and graduated from college with a B.A. in Government. Then she went to Law School, where she learned how to convincingly tell the tallest tales of all!

A longtime lover of ancient lore, Stephanie enjoys re-imagining myths for the modern age. She doesn’t believe that true love is ever simple or without struggle so her work tends to explore the sacred within the profane, the light under the loss and the virtue hidden in vice. She counts it amongst her greatest pleasures when, from her books, her readers learn something new about the world or about themselves.

Stephanie also writes historical fiction as Stephanie Dray and has a series of forthcoming novels from Berkley Books featuring Cleopatra’s daughter.

--------------------------------------------------------------

THE GIVEAWAY

Stephanie is giving away a DIGITAL copy of DARK SINS AND DESERT SANDS to a random commenter.

Giveaway Rules:

1. Leave a comment.

2. You MUST leave your email address in your comment so we can easily contact you if you win.

3. For extra entries: +1 Tweet about it. +1 Share on Facebook. (Come back here and post the links.)

4. Contest ends 11/16/11

Good luck!

Thank You Thursday Winner

2011-11-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Di! You won a copy of Elisabeth Naughton's MARKED and ENTWINED fom last week's Thank You Thursday post. Please check your email.

Thank you, everyone, for visiting!

And stay tuned for tomorrow's Thank You Thursday from paranormal romance author Stephanie Draven.

Free How-To-Write Books for your Nook

2011-11-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

I saw this awesome post on DailyCheapReads for six free how-to-write books from Writers Digest on Amazon. Well, I have a Nook, so here are the same books with their Nookbook links. I'm not sure how long these will be free, but as of the time of this posting, they were all free on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Thank You Thursday - Elisabeth Naughton

2011-11-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. In the acknowledgements of TEMPTED, you thank several people. Can you tell us about one or two of them and how they helped you?

I dedicated TEMPTED to two people: Tonia Wubbena, a friend who has been reading my work since way before I was published, and her mom, Rita Van Hee, who is one of my biggest champions. Both are beta readers for me who read my work way before it goes to my editor, tell me what works and what doesn't, and spread the word about my books when they release. They're invaluable to me and I'm so glad to have them in my life!

2. Was there anyone who helped you when you researched a plot detail in TEMPTED? If so, who helped you and what did you learn?

My critique partner – Joan Swan – is my go to person when I get stuck. If I can't figure something out, a few minutes brainstorming with Joan and I've got it. In TEMPTED, Joan was the one who convinced me not to kill off a certain character. I was all set to deliver the death blow, but she stopped me, and I'm so glad she did. That character is now the hero in the book I'm currently writing.

3. Is there a detail or turning point in TEMPTED that would've been different without the input of someone who read an early draft? If so, can you tell us a little more?

My mentor, Alice Sharpe, who writes for Harlequin Intrigue is a master at brainstorming. Not only did she give me ideas to make the witches in the opening of TEMPTED unique and dangerous, but when I got to the end she helped me come up with details that really set the entire ending apart from any other book I've ever read.

Sourcebooks / Sept 2011

DEMETRIUS—He’s the hulking, brooding warrior his fellow Guardians avoid. Too dark. Too damaged. And given his heritage, he knows it’s best to keep everyone at arm’s length.

Isadora is missing. The words pound through his head like a frantic drumbeat. For her own protection, Demetrius did all he could to avoid the fragile princess, his soul mate. And now she’s gone—kidnapped. To get her back, he’ll have to go to the black place in his soul he’s always shunned.

As daemons ravage the human realm and his loyalty to the Guardians is put to the ultimate test, Demetrius realizes that Isadora is stronger than anyone thought. And finally letting her into his heart may be the only way to save them both.

Buy TEMPTED here:

Amazon | BN | Indiebound

Find Elisabeth here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Elisabeth:

Elisabeth Naughton writes sexy romantic adventure and paranormal novels full time from her home in western Oregon where she lives with her husband and three children. Her work has been nominated for numerous awards including the prestigious RITA® awards by Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, The Golden Leaf and the Golden Heart. When not writing, Elisabeth can be found running, hanging out at the ballpark or dreaming up new and exciting adventures.

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THE GIVEAWAY

Elisabeth is giving away 2 books to a random commenter. One lucky person will get both MARKED (book 1) and ENTWINED (book 2).

Giveaway Rules:

1. Leave a comment.

2. You MUST leave your email address in your comment so we can easily contact you if you win.

3. For extra entries: +1 Tweet about it. +1 Share on Facebook. (Come back here and post the links.)

4. Contest ends 11/9/11

Good luck!

Thank You Thursday Winner

2011-11-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, VanillaOrchids/Pam! You won a copy of Dina James' ALL WOUNDS from last week's Thank You Thursday post. Please check your email.

Thank you, everyone, for visiting!

And stay tuned for tomorrow's Thank You Thursday from paranormal romance author Elisabeth Naughton .

Thank You Thursday - Dina James

2011-10-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new feature on my blog called Thank You Thursday. Each week, I'm inviting an author to answer a few questions about their book's dedication and acknowledgments. I LOVE reading these little snippets at the beginning of books and often find myself wondering about the story behind them. So I decided to ask.

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome paranormal author Dina James!
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1. In the acknowledgements of ALL WOUNDS, you thank several people. Can you tell us about one or two of them and how they helped you?

What an awesome feature this is! I always read the acknowledgements in books and sometimes wonder who the people are and what they meant to the author.

Let's start with the "real" Rebecca. I thank my dear friend Becky. She's an amazing artist (and has done the art for all of my tattoos AND the Healer's Mark symbol on the cover of the book) and has been a wonderful source of encouragement. She's from England, sends me fantastic tea (for I am a tea junkie and need it to function, not just write), is one of the first people to see my work and tell me what works and what doesn't, and understands me. I know that sounds trite, but really...understanding me is a feat, and Becky does it without even trying. She's wonderful and I'm very lucky to have her in my life.

I also thank the "real" Robin. Also an amazing artist and though not a cheerleader in the true sense like the one in the book, she's one of MY cheerleaders. She eggs me on and takes me out to decadent restaurants when I'm fed up with my writing and we gorge ourselves silly on food and tea. When I get down on myself and want to throw what I've written in the garbage, she looks at me like I'm crazy and tells me how it is.

When I was writing All Wounds, these two were essential in reminding me that I could do it, so I threatened to name the characters after them. So I did. Bwah-ha-ha!

Becky sent me a t-shirt that says, "Be careful or you'll end up in my next novel." She speaks from experience.

2. Was there anyone who helped you when you researched a plot detail? If so, who is it and what did you learn?

I generally like to work alone. If I'm writing something and I get it wrong, I want to get it wrong in private, however if I don't know something but know someone who does, I'll pester them about it. I didn't really have to pester anyone for this novel, but I did have to ask my husband more than once to stand or lie somewhere so I could see if the interaction I had written down worked. I mean, if you're trying to lift someone unconscious, where do you put your hands? And so on. I thank him, too, for feeding me late at night. My husband is essential to my creative process. I couldn't write if I didn't have his support and love. (He also buys me yarn. Knitting helps me work through plot. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

3. Is there a detail or major turning point in the story that would've been different without the input of someone who read an early draft? If so, can you tell us a little more?

Originally I had a lot more snark and sass from Rebecca, and it came off as annoying and whiny. She also had some semi-unrealistic reactions to things, and it wasn't what I was going for. After feedback from various people, I worked it around to how I wanted it to be. My Editor of Awesome, Skyla Dawn Cameron, was instrumental in this, as she knew what I was trying to do. Her suggestions in some of the rougher spots really helped me there.


Mundania Press / Oct 2011

It's said that when opportunity knocks on your door, you have only one chance to take it.

No one said what you're supposed to do when it kicks it.

All Rebecca MacDonnell wants to do is get through high school with grades good enough to win a prestigious scholarship so that she can finally leave her miserable life behind. One evening, after a particularly bad day, she finds out that people other than her aging grandmother need her help, and desperately so.

Well, not “people,” exactly. Vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, goblins, and other things thought only imaginary all need help sometime, and Rebecca was born with the unique ability to heal ethereal beings. She is about to turn seventeen, the age at which her talent will manifest in its entirety, and become a true Healer…if she lives through the event. A war between various ethereal factions is brewing, and Healers are a valuable commodity to any side. Those who wish to harness Rebecca’s manifesting healing powers for their own purposes must get to her before her seventeenth birthday.

Only two vampires and a rogue werewolf stand between Rebecca and those determined to make her serve them, and the fact that Rebecca has no clue what she's doing doesn't exactly help matters.

Neither does being seriously attracted to more than one of those just trying to protect her.

For a soon-to-be seventeen-year-old Healer-in-training, that's a lot to handle.

Especially on top of her homework.

Buy ALL WOUNDS here:

Amazon | Mundania Press

Visit Dina online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Dina:

Dina James is an unapologetic geek/gamer girl addicted to writing. She graduated from high school when she was sixteen, holds a college degree in nothing in particular in addition to multiple certifications in various things that captured her interest at the time, is an avid knitter and loves Darth Vader. She lives in Oregon with her husband and a menagerie of pets. She has website at www.dinajames.com which has a far-more-comprehensive biography than this one. It mentions sushi.

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THE GIVEAWAY

Dina is giving away one copy of ALL WOUNDS (digital or print) to one random commenter.

Thank You Thursday Winner

2011-10-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Alainala! You won the ARC of Theresa Meyers' THE HUNTER from last week's Thank You Thursday post. Please check your email.

Thank you, everyone, for visiting!

And stay tuned for tomorrow's Thank You Thursday from paranormal author Dina James.

Friday Roundup

2011-10-21T00:30:00.000-07:00

Since A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS came out in print on Tuesday (digital format coming Nov 1), I've been scampering around the interwebs. In case you missed my Facebook and Twitter postings each day, here's where I've been giving away books this week. As I type this, I think all these giveaways are still open, so go check them out.

10/17 Vampire Book Club (with all 4 authors)
10/18 Books N Kisses (includes a fang-tastic ornament)
10/19 The Qwillery (with all 4 authors)
10/20 All Things Urban Fantasy (Spooky Legend scene told from Kip's point of view)
10/21 Life Is A First Draft

Thank You Thursday - Theresa Meyers

2011-10-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new feature on my blog called Thank You Thursday. Each week, I'm inviting an author to answer a few questions about their book's dedication and acknowledgments. I LOVE reading these little snippets at the beginning of books and often find myself wondering about the story behind them. So I decided to ask.

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome steampunk and paranormal romance author Theresa Meyers!

1. In the acknowledgments of THE HUNTER, you thank several people. Can you tell us about one or two of them and how they helped you?

Actually, I'm glad you asked. Because the book is heavily set in Arizona, where I lived for eight years, I dedicated it to my Arizona family. However, there's a misprint in the dedication for The Hunter that's profoundly embarrassing. I don't know anyone named Marlon. What happened is they misspelled my mother-in-law's name, Marion. I thanked both her and her husband Marc because they've been such a huge part of our lives. She isn't just any grandmother, she's super-grandma to my children and we're so profoundly grateful, especially since my mother passed away when they were still in diapers. I've been married for over 20 years, so I've know her most of my life.

In fact if it wasn't for Marion Stephens, I never would have even met my husband. I began working in her flowers shop as a job after school my sophomore year of high school. That's where I met her son. And since it was getting close to PROM season, and I was a nosy kind of person, I asked him who he was taking. He asked me a few weeks later and that was our first date (which included having my brother ride between us in the backseat of the car while my parents drove. They were strict, what can I say?)

She's always tried hard to be there for us, no matter how far away we've lived, or what she was going through. She's an amazing woman, and I love her dearly.

One of the other people I thanked is Christine Eaton Jones. She was one of my dearest friends in Arizona when we lived there. She was also my mother's critique partner and business partner. She was the person who kindly threw my first baby shower (even when I didn't get to attend because my daughter showed up at 3 am that morning!) She always has a winning smile and is one of those individuals who forever leaves a positive mark in your life. She's part of my Arizona family.

2. Was there anyone who helped you when you researched a plot detail? If so, who is it and what did you learn?

I suppose you could say my mother helped me do research for this story post-humously. It was her collection of research books about the Lost Dutchman Goldmine, Arizona history, the wild west and gunfighters that helped me craft a story that included some real history, blended with my imagination. In particular the details about the Lost Dutchman and Tombstone were influenced by those books.

3. Is there a detail or major turning point in the story that would've been different without the input of someone who read an early draft? If so, can you tell us a little more?

The section about the giant spider and ghost miners wouldn't have happened without the influence of my editor, Peter Senftleben at Kensington. He felt something was missing from when Colt and Lilly got out of the Dark Rim Mine and wanted to know more. Of course, he was right. For pacing sake I'd just skimmed over how they'd gotten out. The extra detail added more flavor to the story and gave us a glimpse at some of the other types of Darkin that inhabit The Hunter's world.

Zebra / November 2011

They’re the Chosen—Winchester, Remington and Colt—brothers trained to hunt down supernatural beings using the latest steam-powered gadgetry. It’s a hard legacy to shoulder, and it’s about to get a lot more dangerous…

A DEVIL OF A JOB

Colt Jackson has gotten his name on many a wanted poster with success in the family business: hunting supernaturals across the frontier. Lately, though, there’s a sulfur stink in the wind and the Darkin population is exploding. A rift in the worlds is appearing. To close it, Colt will have to do the unthinkable and work with a demon to pass arcane boundaries no human alone can cross.

Except when he summons his demon, he doesn’t get some horned monstrosity: he gets a curvy redheaded succubus named Lilly, who’s willing to make a bargain to become human again. He also gets Lilly’s secret expertise on the machinations on the dark side of the rift. And her charm and cleverness help to get them out of what his silver-loaded pistol and mechanical horse can’t. Of course, when all hell breaks loose, he might have to sacrifice his soul. But what’s adventure without a little risk?

Buy THE HUNTER here:

Amazon | BN | Books a Million

Visit Theresa online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Theresa:

The progeny of a slightly mad NASA scientist and a tea-drinking bibliophile who turned the family dining room into a library, Theresa Meyers learned early the value of a questioning mind, books and a good china teapot. But it wasn’t until third grade that Theresa overcame her dyslexia and learned to read, going on to make words her life’s work.

With a degree in Mass Communications she became first a journalist, then a public relations officer in both the corporate and agency realm. But by far the most challenging has been using her writing skills to pen paranormal and steampunk novels in the turret office of her Seattle-area Victorian home. She’s spent nearly a quarter of a century with the boy who took her to the Prom, drinks tea with milk and sugar, is an adamant fan of the television show Supernatural, and has an indecent love of hats.

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THE GIVEAWAY

Theresa is giving away a signed ARC to one random commenter. One lucky person will be able to read THE HUNTER before it comes out. Whee!!!

Giveaway Rules:

1. Leave a comment.

2. You MUST leave your email address in your comment so we can easily contact you if you win.

3. For extra entries: +1 Tweet about it. +1 Share on Facebook. (Come back here and post the links.)

4. Contest ends 10/26/11

Good luck!

Thank You Thursday Winner

2011-10-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Random.org picked Sheila as the winner of a signed copy of Vicky Dreiling's HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL. Congratulations!!!! Please check your email.

Thanks, everyone, for visiting.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for another edition of Thank You Thursday with steampunk/paranormal romance author Theresa Meyers.

A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS releases in print today

2011-10-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

So excited that the anthology A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS, with my novella Enchanted By Blood, comes out in print today!!! If you have an e-reader, it comes out in digital on November 1.

Former Guardian Trace Westfalen is poised to take over his father's seat on Governing Council, but he won't be voted in if he's in a relationship with a human. Interior decorator/party planner Charlotte Grant is attracted to the handsome stranger who comes to her aid one night. There's something about him that she just can't put her finger on. She hasn't met him before...or has she?

I had a great time writing Trace and Charlotte's story. I hope you'll check it out. For a chance to win a signed copy, I'm doing a joint blog tour with the other authors. Check here for the schedule. Also, I'm doing a few blogs on my own, so be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter to see where I'll be each day.

Happy Fang-tastic Reading!

Thank You Thursday - Vicky Dreiling

2011-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Forever Romance /July 2011

SCOUNDRELS, RAKES, AND ROGUES BEWARE . . .

Lady Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother’s best friend—for whom she’s long nursed a secret tendre—agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz. But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for the Earl of Hawkfield to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear.

Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any recently discarded, wickedly witty young miss would do. She secretly pens a lady’s guide to enticing unrepentant rakes . . . and it becomes the hottest scandal in London.

Every honorable rake knows that friends’ sisters are forbidden. But suddenly Julianne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can’t resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter and his nights dreaming of her kisses. He’s always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match?

ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

Buy HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL here:

Amazon | B&N | Books a Million | IndieBound

Visit Vicky Online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Tumblr

About Vicky:

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.” A native Texan, Vicky holds degrees in English literature and marketing.

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THE GIVEAWAY

Vicky is giving away a copy of HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL to one random commenter in the US or Canada.

Giveaway Rules:

1. Leave a comment.

2. You MUST leave your email address in your comment so we can easily contact you if you win.

3. For extra entries: +1 Tweet about it. +1 Share on Facebook. (Come back here and post the links.)

4. Contest ends 10/19/11

Good luck!

Thank You Thursday Winner

2011-10-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Random.org picked @lolaraine09 as the winner of a signed copy of Erin Kellison's SHADOWMAN. Congratulations! Please check your email.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for another edition of Thank You Thursday with historical romance author, Vicky Dreiling.

A Vampire For Christmas - Animated UK cover

2011-10-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

How cool is this?! Check out the animated cover available in the UK for the anthology A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS! If it doesn't automatically load and show the animation, just click on the image and you'll see it. Wonder if it'll look this way on people's ereaders over there...maybe on the iPad or the Kindle Fire? (Those of you in Australia will recognize this cover as my cover for BONDED BY BLOOD.)

Thank You Thursday - Erin Kellison

2011-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

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First of all, thank you Laurie for having me! I thinkinviting authors to talk about their book Acknowledgements is an inspired idea.I’m happy to give away a copy of Shadowmanto one lucky commenter.

1. In the acknowledgements of SHADOWMAN, you thank severalpeople. Can you tell us about one or two of them and how they helped you?

I thank Nora Needham, Tes Hilaire, and KC Klein for giving me great feedbackand support while I was writing Shadowman.Nora writes gorgeous historical fiction. Tes’s debut paranormal romance, Deliver me from Darkness, releases fromSourcebooks next spring. And KC’s debut futuristic romance, Dark Future, releases October 11 fromAvon Impulse. I’ve worked with each a little differently, but in general, weexchange pages and look for everything from sentence level stuff to overallstory arcs. They are awesome, and I’m lucky to have worked with them.

2. Was there anyone who helped you when you researched a plot detail inSHADOWMAN? If so, who helped you and what did you learn?

Brian Anderson deserves a whole post of his own. Besides being a great guy, heis an amazing resource for anything weapons or tactical related. The guy knowshis stuff. He is a Desert Storm veteran and an ex-cop, so basically anyquestion I have about guns (magazines, not clips!) or tactical situations, allI have to do is send him a quick email or IM and he’ll send me back a massivedocument complete with photographs, charts, graphs, etc.

While I was writing Shadowman,I needed some detailed info on how an officer or soldier would take down anddisable an attacker. We were at a party at Brian’s house when I mentioned this,so he suggested that he demonstrate on my husband. A few seconds later, myhusband was face down on the floor, legs spread, with Brian standing on hisshoulder to pin him down. Still cracks me up thinking about it.

3. Is there a detail or turning point in SHADOWMAN that would've been differentwithout the input of someone who read an early draft? If so, can you tell us alittle more?

This is where the Dedication to Shadowmancomes in—to my husband, Matt. He’s an amazing sounding board and critiqueseverything before anyone else sees it.

There are a million details that would be different withouthim. I rely on Matt to do a lot of research on smaller items that may not beessential to the plot, but they give the story a depth and richness that itwould lack without them. Matt is a computer geek, so he helps with a lot of thetechnology details, especially within the Segue Institute (fingerprintscanners, etc); he had fun researching the Sikorsky X-2 helicopter thatShadowman travels in; he also helped with a lot of the location details, and hekeeps track of the series timeline, without which I would be lost.

About SHADOWMAN:


Kensington Books/Sept. 2011

Ghosts
They haunt the halls of the SegueInstitute, terrifying the living, refusing to cross over. But one soul isdriven by a very different force.

Love
Itsurvives even death. And Kathleen O'Brien swore she would return to those shewas forced to leave too soon.

Shadowman
Hebroke every rule to have her in life; now he will defy the angels to find herin death.

The Gate
Forgingit is his single hope of being reunited with his beloved, but through it anabomination enters the world. Leaving a trail of blood and violence, the devilhunts her too. Pursued through realms of bright fantasy and dark reality,Kathleen is about to be taken...

Visit Erin online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy Shadowman here:

Amazon | B&N |Books-A-Million | Indie Bound

About Erin:

Erin Kellison is the author of the Shadow Series,which includes ShadowBound and ShadowFall, and Shadowman(Sept 2011), and a Shadow world e-novella series, beginning with Shadow Touch. Stories have always been a central part of Erin's life. She attempted herfirst book in sixth grade, a dark fantasy adventure, and she still has thoseearly hand-written chapters. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree inEnglish Language and Literature and went on for a masters in CulturalAnthropology, focusing on oral storytelling. When she had children, nothingscared her anymore, so her focus shifted to writing fiction.

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THE GIVEAWAY

Erin is giving away a copy of SHADOWMAN to one random commenter. Open internationally.

Giveaway Rules:

1. Leave a comment.

2. You MUST leave your email address in your comment so we can easily contact you if you win.

3. For extra entries: +1 Tweet about it. +1 Share on Facebook. (Come back here and post the links.)

4. Contest ends 10/12/11

Good luck!

Win A Bunch of Signed Paranormal Romances

2011-10-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

How would you like to win a bunch of paranormal romance books from three of my favorite series? All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter (scroll down to the form on the left sidebar of my blog or on the My Newsletter tab on my Facebook page) and you'll be in the running to win these books from Erin Kellison, Elisabeth Naughton and Jessa Slade. Except for Shadow Bound and Shadow Fall, they're all brand new and signed. One lucky newsletter subscriber will be randomly chosen next month.

VampXmas Blog Tour

2011-09-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

It's official--starting October 17, all four authors featured in the anthology A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS are going on a mini blog tour together. At each stop on the #VampXmas tour, Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro, Alexis Morgan and I will be answering questions about our short stories and giving away some cool swag, which will include a signed copy of A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS, one of our other books and an ornament. Please join us! And don't be surprised if we throw in a little more, after all, the holidays are a time for giving.

Here's our joint schedule:

10/17 Vampire Book Club
10/19 The Qwillery
10/25 Tynga's Reviews
11/4 All Things Urban Fantasy
11/12 Literal Addiction

Feel free to post this button on Facebook and/or your blog to help spread the word. Mayhem is always more fun when there are a lot of people.

Also, we've got a few other fun events in the works, which may or may not involve pajamas, so stay tuned.

5 Things I Do Before I Start Writing a New Book

2011-09-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

While I wait for revisions on Jackson's book from my editor, I'm getting a jump-start on Santiago's story. But before I do that, I need to get into the correct mind-set. Here are five things I do before I start writing the next book.

1. Clean off my desk/writing space. Cluttered surroundings leads to clutter in my mind, and I want to be as clear-thinking as possible when I start a new project.

2. Print out monthly calendars to set goals and track my daily/weekly progress. Using the calendar template in Word, I start with the month I begin writing and end with the month I want to be done with the first draft. Taking into consideration how fast I write, I pencil in weekly word count goals for each of the Fridays, then each day I record my progress. I don't get too uptight if I don't make a daily goal, but I really try to meet my weekly goals. And I try not to be too ambitious either. Overstating how much you think you'll be able to write, and then failing, can have a negative effect on your attitude and confidence. Stretch a tiny bit, but not too much, and the continual success will be exhilarating.

3. Assemble all my tools. Because I plot the specifics of my story as I go (but I'd secretly like to be better organized), I have a plot board on my side table and add ideas on colored Post It notes.

4. Get to know my characters. I use a variety of character worksheets with my favorites being ones I've gotten from classes given by Linnea Sinclair and Cherry Adair. Here's a great set of online worksheets from Erica Ridley, and I've learned a lot about my characters' fears by diagramming/answering the questions posed at The Emotional Toolbox. Don't feel like you have to fill out every question, every box. Trying to fit Cinderella's glass slipper on her stepsister's foot will drive you crazy and shatter the shoe. Sometimes just reading or thinking about an element will spark an idea or get you to consider something you hadn't before.

5. Read a lot. Reading both inside and outside my genre refills my creative tank. I read for pleasure and I read to study technique. Right now, I'm studying how other authors handle chronology/passage of time in their stories and before that, I studied how they used transitions between scenes and chapters. Just because I'm published doesn't mean I'm done learning how to write. <g>

Writers: Do you have any routines before you start writing a new story? Readers: When you start a new project, do you have any routines that help?

Upcoming Appearances

2011-09-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Wanted to let you know of a few local places where I'll be speaking and/or signing books. On October 5, I'll be with the Tacoma Roundtable Readers for their Wednesday author lunch, talking about the Sweetblood series. Then, just a few weeks later, I'm on an author panel at the Emerald City Writers Conference in Bellevue and will be signing books at the book fair on October 29 with close to 100 other authors including...drumroll...Sherrilyn Kenyon and Cherry Adair!!!

If you're a fan of paranormal romance, you shouldn't miss this huge book signing. If you're in the Seattle or Tacoma area, I'd love to see you at one or both of these events.

Funny Twitter Handles

2011-09-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

As an author, I need to tweet under my author name. It's all part of building name recognition, even if I'm not tweeting about my books. While that all makes sense, I still think it's really boring. I yearn for the days when I could use a fun and funky Twitter handle. Before I was published, I learned the Twitter ropes under a goofy name, but, alas, those wild and crazy days are over. Today, I is a serios author. ;-)

I'm doing a fun Twitter contest right now, asking people to retweet a message for a chance to win a book and I'm seeing lots of cool Twitter handles. It got me longing for those days of fun names. Here are just a few that make me laugh (and a little jealous) when I see them in my tweet stream:

@DarkBloodyVamp
@BookLove101
@TheBookNympho
@FanGirlMom
@OfficeWench13
@SomethingBlue22
@YoungLibrarian
@TrishPickyme
@Darynda (like Cher or Bono - LOL)
@InkyElbows
@Lush26
@KSyrah
@Limecello
@Moonrat
@NocturnalBites
@TechTigger

What are some of your favorite Twitter handles?

Fright Night - ReVamped

2011-08-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

Anyone who read the Dear Reader letter in my first book, Bonded By Blood, knows I was obsessed with the movie Fright Night in high school. My sister and I saw it 8 times in the theater. In fact, if you read Bonded carefully and know the movie, you'll see where a line is quoted. Given what a fan I am of the original, I was VERY skeptical when I heard it was being remade.

How can anyone, even Colin Farrell, make a sexier vampire than Chris Sarandon? Turns out they played very different characters and the casting was perfect. Chris Sarandon was more sophisticated (he's into art and restoring old houses) whereas Colin Farrell was grittier (he wears a wife-beater and has dirty muscles). Both are verra hot...just different.


Chris Sarandon in Fright Night (1985)

Colin Farrell in Fright Night (2011)

Guess what? I LOVED the remake. It has a different tone (more horror-ish than sexy vampire-ish) and managed to spin the story into its own version with several AWESOME tips of the hat to fans who know the original. For instance, Colin Farrell faces the camera and says, "Welcome to Fright Night...for real," just like Chris Sarandon did. He also eats apples.

But there are also some very imaginative changes to the story, namely David Tennant's portrayal of Peter Vincent, who is a Las Vegas performer like Criss Angel. Check out this clip.

Anton Yelchin played a much less annoying Charlie. I don't think he once whined, "Aaaamy." Imogen Poots's Amy had a slight bad girl edge which was a nice change from Amanda Bearse's virginal Amy. Toni Collette portrayed a less neurotic mom and was more involved in the action than the mom in the original. And, thank God, they didn't have that dumb marshmallow/cocoa scene. McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) as Evil was also a nice surprise.

The car chase scene, which I won't detail here because it's spoilerish, had me squealing with joy.

I'm going to see it again tomorrow night and vow that I will watch the first part without my hands covering my eyes. I can't wait. But until then, I'm having fun making up tag lines. The first two are the official ones.

Original: There are good reasons to be afraid of the dark.
Remake: You can't run from evil when it lives next door.

Here are mine:
Living in the suburbs can really suck.
Your new neighbor wants to borrow more than your sugar.
These vampires don't sparkle.
Don't invite the new neighbor over for a beer. Even if he's hot.
He'll McLove to suck your blood.

If you saw the movie, did you like it? Got any tag lines you'd like to add?

Cover for TEMPTED BY BLOOD

2011-08-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure I had the okay to show the cover for Jackson and Arianna's story, Tempted By Blood, but it's showing up out there, so I wanted to make sure you all saw it. It's the third book in the Sweetblood series and it'll be out early next year. I'm loving this cover!!!

Originally scheduled for release in February (some digital catalogs have it listed for late January), it might actually get moved to March, depending on my publisher's schedule. I should have an official release date soon. And when I do, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I'm going to get lost in those eyes...

Missing Blog Photos - Don't Do What I Did

2011-08-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

When I started a Google + account a month or so ago, I was looking around, learning the ropes. I clicked on the photo albums that went along with my account and saw a bunch of random pictures...like 10 versions of my same headshot. Ack! How narcissistic! Thinking Google + was going the way of Facebook and defaulting to let everyone see your stuff, what do you think I did?

Yes, I deleted those albums.

Big mistake!!! Evidently, those were pictures tied to my blog and no one saw those albums but me. I went to my blog and saw that the pictures I'd uploaded in each post were now gone. So I put it on my to-do list to fix...at some point.

Okay, so that was 2 or 3 weeks ago.

Well, a friend on Twitter was griping just now about how Blogger arbitrarily changed the width settings of her blog, so I thought I'd better come check. (Yes, I'm a bad blogger and don't come here every day.)

WHOA!

Not only were my photos gone from my individual posts, but my blog header, background image, and all the photos in my side bar were gone! In their places were those ugly black warning signs.

Needless to say, I panicked and wondered how long it's been like that.

If you visited my blog and saw those black warning signs, I'm sorry!!! When Twitter friend Miranda told me about the problem with my pics, I assumed it was the initial prob, not this horrible, no-header, no-background prob. %^&#@!

I've rebuilt what I can, but I haven't gone back past June to dig out old photos for those posts. My computer crashed last month, so all my photos haven't been easy to find. Maybe in my spare time...like when I'm not on a book deadline.

So DON'T do what I did. Apparently, those photo albums weren't public, so I should've just left them.

Blog Hop Winner!!!

2011-07-11T00:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Krysta Bano! Random.org picked you as the winner of a signed copy of Embraced By Blood, a set of romance trading cards and a bookmark!!!!! I'll send you an email in the morning asking for your mailing address or, if you see this before I do that, send your addy to Laurie at LaurieLondonBooks dot com.

Thanks, everyone, for stopping by and playing. I loved reading your insanely goofy sentences. You kept me laughing all week.

Welcome Blog Hoppers!

2011-07-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping here on this leg of the Skyrockets in Flight blog hop. And thanks to Bells, Tigris, Danielle, and JoJo for hosting.

I'm the author of the Sweetblood series published by HQN Books. If you like free stuff, Hidden By Blood, an e-novella, is a free download on Amazon, B&N, and e-Harlequin right now.

For the blog hop, I'm giving away a signed copy of Embraced By Blood, the second book in the Sweetblood series, along with a set of romance trading cards and a bookmark to one random commenter who does the following:

Use these three f-words in one creative sentence:

fangs, firecracker and famous

I can't wait to read your sentences.

Happy blog hopping and happy Fourth of July! Good luck.

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Rules:

1. Open to US/Canadian addresses only.
2. Follow my blog. (Links are on the sidebar over <---- there.)
3. Leave your email address in the comment so that I can easily contact you if you win.

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When you've commented, click here and scroll down to get to the blog list to hop to the next one. (Sorry, the Linky isn't working here.)

ETA: Contest closes at midnight on 7/10/11.

Romance Writers of America Conference, Part 1

2011-06-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I leave for the Romance Writers of America conference in New York City. I've only been to NY one other time and this will be the first time I've attended the conference as a published author. If you're in the area, I'd love to meet you! Along with 400+ authors, I'll be signing books at the Readers for Life literacy signing which is free to the public. Here are the deets.

I'm also excited to meet my editor for the first time in person, as well as many writer friends I've known only online. I'm rooming with my sister, whom I know ;-), as well as historical author Vicky Dreiling, whom I know only through emails, tweets, and hours and hours of phone calls. I'm sure I'll cry when we meet in person.

If you're a fan of Twitter, I'll be handing out these buttons, so come find me to get one.

Have you met any of your online friends In Real Life? How was it? Strange to hear their voice and see their mannerisms as they talk? I talk with my hands a lot, so conveying everything I'm trying to communicate just with typed words is tricky for me! Vicky's probably going to roll her eyes. Becky is at least used to me.

Embraced By Blood Release Day

2011-06-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

The second book in the Sweetblood series, Embraced By Blood, comes out today! You should be able to find the paperback version at most major booksellers across the US and Canada. If you've got a Kindle, Sony, Nook, iPad, or other e-reader, the digital version will be available on July 1.

I had such a great time writing Alfonso and Lily's story. Not only is Alfonso a complex and tortured individual who goes through a lot in Embraced, but Lily is strong and vulnerable. One of my favorite scenes with Lily is when she kicks-ass all over the one of the bad guys.

I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Father's Day BBQ Recipe Update with Photo

2011-06-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

We made the BBQ recipes I posted yesterday and LOVED them. Here's how we'll adjust them the next time we make it.

With the ribs recipe, we'll leave them in the foil-wrapped stage for more than an hour to insure they're falling-off-the-bone-tender, otherwise...perfect!

With the sauce recipe, we cut back the liquid smoke to just 1 teaspoon and simmered it on low for longer than 2 hours to reduce it more, making it even thicker.

Purple Smoke's BBQ Sauce w/ a few changes *:

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

3 cups beef stock

1/2 cup prepared mustard

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke *

1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce

2 6oz cans tomato paste *

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Whisk together in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Father's Day and BBQ Recipes

2011-06-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

In honor of Father's Day, my husband got a new Traeger grill/smoker last week, so he's BBQing today and tomorrow. He's making these ribs (apparently, it's a popular recipe among people who enter BBQ competitions) and we're making this homemade BBQ sauce from Purple Smoke, link courtesy of my Twitter friend Stuart.

What are some of your favorite BBQ recipes that you've found online?

Cover art for A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS Anthology

2011-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Although we've barely had any spring or summer weather yet in the Seattle area, I'm already thinking about Christmas. Check out the cover to the anthology A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS, which comes out October 18, 2011. Isn't he mesmerizing??

I'm thrilled to be in the anthology with these awesome authors: Alexis Morgan, Michele Hauf and Caridad Pineiro.

Enchanted By Blood is the title of the Sweetblood story.