I started writing this as the typical author bio, and how I got into writing...and I then I chucked it. I wanna talk hunky Alpha Males. Why do you think women want to read about Alphas? My answer is probably totally unrealistic, but I'd love to be looked at by some incredibly hot laird, or werewolf, or vampire, and just be told "Woman, you are mine." Then he'd haul me over his shoulder and take me to his man-cave and we'd spend endless nights exploring each others' bodies and falling asleep sated and in love.
Riiiight.
In real life, if some guy told me that, I'd think "Stalker!" But in Romancelandia, it works. Why is that?
I got to thinking that it might be the whole fantasy thing. I read for both escapism, the chance to "be" someone else, if only for a few hours. And I read because it's more fun for me than TV (granted with 2 small kids, my tv programs are usually Spongebob and the Wiggles). But If you read some of those early bodice rippers (the kind with Fabio on the cover), you get a lot of forced seduction. And they would fly off the shelves! Why? What's the draw? And I truly think it's because in our fantasies, we are "safe." But in my fantasy, maybe I don't want safe...
Well, my fantasy started with me and some hottie Scottie hunky highlander (I'm known as the Highland Hussy after all). But I still want to be my snarky sarcastic lovely self with this chauvinistic Scottish Alpha male. Instantly I've time-traveled to Scotland. But I need him to not only believe me, but believe in me as well.
And that's how I started my book, Highland Destiny.
I'm not some super kick-ass heroine like Buffy, but I am a strong woman of the 21st century and I wanted my character to reflect that. I know we suspend belief when we read fiction, but I don't want it to be too "out there." So I made Mackenzie a believable girl from our time. But something has to tie her to my Alpha male's century. So I gave her a dream. A recurring nightmare that she's had since she can remember. And spoiler alert...it's not about our hero Connor.
So how does she get him to believe she's not just a nut job or a witch? How does she show him that she's not affiliated with his rival clan, as he is led to believe? All these things factor into how my Alpha hero is going to treat her, and how she's going to not only deal with the time-travel, but how will she survive?
Mackenzie Stewart’s inScotland for a much-needed vacation. During the castle tour, Mackenzie becomes completely enamored with a painting of one of the previous lairds. Two gentlemen come up behind her and, begging her pardon, they kidnap her, dragging her through time.
The men are sorcerers attempting to end a feud that has plagued their lands for years. Their patron has begun to dabble in the black arts, and between his irrational thirst for power, and his dark secret, the sorcerers are frightened. They believe Mackenzie can break the Stewart curse. They try to convince her to play along with their crazy scheme: marriage to the evilJohn Campbell.
Before Mackenzie can protest, her carriage is halted and the door thrown open. For a split-second she is arrested by the same beautiful piercingblue eyes that belonged in an oil painting.
Mackenzie then finds herself the victim of a second kidnapping!
Her new captor, however, does nothing but tempt her body and her temper. Believing her to in fact be the betrothed of his mortal enemy the Campbell, Connor originally sets out to capture his enemy’s betrothed. He never thought he would be so attracted to her that he’d want to keep her.
Giveaway time!! Please leave an email to let us know your entering.Giveaway ENDS Dec. 23 midnight!
So my questions to you are, what's your fantasy? Do you prefer an Alpha male? Or do you like the beta? One lucky commenter will be chosen to win a copy of my ebook Highland Destiny.
I started writing the first book in the series, Samson’s Lovely Mortal back in the spring of 2009. When I got stuck in the middle of it, I put the manuscript aside for a while and wrote some short stories in between until I was ready to get back to Samson.
After unsuccessfully trying to attract an agent to my manuscript, I finally took the plunge in May 2010 and published Samson’s Lovely Mortal on Amazon as a Kindle book. The second in the series, Amaury’s Hellion, was already finished at that point, so I released it less than two months later. Gabriel’s Mate followed in December 2010.
I often get asked how I come up with these crazy ideas. After all, a vampire with Erectile Dysfunction is quite a rarity. The idea for Samson and his ED actually came from watching the Sopranos. I figured if Tony Soprano could go to a shrink, so could my vampire. But I needed to give him some real problem, and what could be worse for an Alpha Hero than ED? So, Samson’s book was born.
The idea for Amaury’s problem came in the middle of writing Samson. I instinctively knew that the Linebacker-sized vampire with the huge smile and the brilliantly blue eyes was hiding a lot of pain and guilt inside him. Amaury is bombarded by everybody’s emotions which cause atom-bomb-sized migraines for him. And what better way to get rid of a migraine than by having sex? What a perfect remedy for Amaury.
Why I gave Gabriel a huge scar on his face in Samson’s Lovely Mortal, I really don’t know. But when I started plotting out his story, it was exactly what he needed. The scar on the outside mimics his internal scar and, in his own eyes, makes him seem like the monster he believes himself to be. I can’t reveal what his problem is because it is part of the mystery in Gabriel’s Mate, and I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t read the book yet.
When writing Scanguards Vampires, I always try to give glimpses of those characters, who will soon have their own book. I will definitely write one for Yvette, Zane, and Thomas – with Thomas’ book being a gay romance. Who knows, maybe even the villain from Amaury’s Hellion will get a shot at redemption in his own book. I definitely love my bad boys. They are so much more fun than the good guys. And some readers seem to think so too: I’ve received quite a few emails from readers, who wanted to know if Zane would get his own book. And Zane is one violent kind of guy. I’ll have a lot of redeeming to do there…
Knowing that many readers aren’t fond of e-books yet, I’m also putting all of the Scanguards Vampires books into paperback. Samson’s Lovely Mortal and Amaury’s Hellion are already available (only through Amazon.com) and Gabriel’s Mate will be out in a few days.
Since I also write a Greek God series called Out of Olympus and need to write the 2nd book in that series, the next Scanguards Vampires book won’t come out until the summer of 2011. So, please be patient. In the meantime, I do have a historical erotic novella being released today: Venice Vampyr. It’s very gothic, erotic, and about 1/3 of the length of my Scanguards books. I hope it’ll tide you over until the 4th Scanguards book will be released.
Many thanks to all my loyal readers, and to Laurie for hosting me on her great blog,
Tina
Giveaway time! Ends Dec. 18th at midnight Tina is doing two giveaways one for the US and One international winner. *Rules You have to be a follower of my and Tina's blog
1) One US winner will get all three paperbacks autographed (Samson, Amaury, Gabriel)
2) One international winner will get all three e-books (either pdf, Kindle or ePub)
To enter please leave comment or question for Tina along with your email and please state in your comment if you are a US resident or International.
I’m Felicity Heaton and I’m here today to talk about the holidays and what they mean to me, why I love them so much, and my latest paranormal romance ebook, Vampire for Christmas.
It’s that time of year again. The trees and decorations are going up. The stores are full of seasonal madness. The weather is turning colder (if you’re up here in the chilly northern hemisphere) and winter is embracing us. I love this time of year. I love everything about it, from fairy lights to tacky decorations that crowd the gardens and exteriors of overzealous homeowners, from the prospect of a white Christmas to clear blue skies on a crisp day. I get excited when Starbucks change to the red cups with the winter scenes on them and bring in the holiday flavoured drinks. I smile when I see that Regent’s Street and Oxford Street in London, where I work, have put up the Christmas lights and they’re beautiful, sparkling away and brightening my day. And we all know that there’s nothing better in this world than curling up on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate and a silly seasonal movie... or a hot hero. The holidays are always a time when I try to put down my tools and relax. I’m planning to read lots this Christmas holidays to make up for my lack of reading throughout the year. It’s been busy for me as a writer.
I’m like a kid at this time of year, and I love it all so much that I put up the tree the moment we hit December!
It’s amazing how different I feel as I put up the tree and decorate it. Everything seems so much brighter. The new year is coming and it’s a chance to keep making positive changes to my life and to the world. The lights, the tree, the celebration, all feels like a grand farewell to the current year and a big welcome to the next. To me, the holidays are about more than the sparkle though. Everyone believes that Christmas is getting more commercial, and I’m not denying that because I don’t like seeing Christmas advertising and presents in the shops around September, but I think they miss the point of the holidays. For me, it’s not about religion. It’s bigger than that now. It has become a global celebration. For me, the holidays are about getting to spend time with my family and about putting smiles on their faces. I love to see the happiness that giving a gift can evoke and I think that’s why I wanted to write a Christmas story this year, so I could warm hearts and put smiles on the faces of my readers.
As a paranormal romance author, it’s often difficult to get Christmas into a story. Vampires don’t generally put much stock in God or anything about the season. I could have written a werewolf story and had more luck with the protagonists, or an angel story, but vampires are my biggest love, so I wanted to write a seasonal story involving one as the hero. The key to it was having a human heroine, someone who would celebrate the occasion, although she has some good reasons not to. There are also traditions around Christmas that you don’t need faith to enjoy. Such as mistletoe... and the hero definitely tries to take advantage of that one. I wanted to keep it light, warm and funny, to fit the season, even though there’s a more serious side to the story too. It became a balancing act and an exploration of how a vampire would handle the season, especially if the woman he loved was human. The story is about the hero endeavouring to bring a smile to the heroine’s face, to give her back the love she used to feel around Christmas, and to make her face her own feelings so she will accept his and so neither will be alone during the holidays ever again.
So, Christmas is all about the warmth and the happiness that sharing time with our loved ones brings us, even if you are a vampire. It’s all about the smiles you can put on your loved ones faces, and I hope this story gives readers something to smile about this coming holiday too.
Vampire for Christmas
Felicity Heaton
It was one last mission. Shannon, a demon hunter with the agency, is looking forward to leaving behind the small town and the vampire she’s been stuck with for the past two years. Things are getting complicated fast and she wants out. A fresh start, free of her vampire partner, awaits her if she can survive their final mission and the lonely Christmas holidays.
It was one last mission. Rafe, a vampire doing time with the agency, watches it approach with dread weighing heavily in his stomach. Two years of working with Shannon has been difficult, especially since he started falling for her, but he doesn’t want their partnership to end. He has barely a few days to make her face her feelings and stop her from leaving, and he intends to do just that.
When a slimy demon threatens the season of peace and goodwill, it’s the chance Rafe has been waiting for and the moment Shannon secretly fears. Rafe’s determination to prise open her heart and her own resolve to keep it closed clash as violently as they do with the demon, and threatens to end as messily.
Can Rafe make Shannon see that his love for her is real and that she feels something for him too? Can Shannon face her fears and her past, and stop herself from running away from both? Will a wish on a star bring her what her heart truly desires—a vampire for Christmas?
Short Excerpt
There was a knock at the door. Shannon knew from the impatient clip it had who would be waiting on the porch, and she took her time because of it. It wouldn’t look good if she rushed to answer it. The last time she had opened the door within a minute, because she had been passing it at the time, Rafe had teased her the whole night about how she had been waiting for him on the other side, desperate to go out with him again, and how attracted to him she was.
Total crap of course.
She wouldn’t be attracted to him if he was the last man on Earth. Shannon smiled to herself. He wasn’t even a man. She would have to be down to the last vampire too before she would ever consider him in that way.
Shannon slipped a stake into the inside pocket of her thick black wool jacket and another into the back pocket of her dark jeans. It was always a good idea to be well armed when out on a hunt. She wasn’t about to let the holiday season lure her into a false sense of security. Wretched demonkind didn’t celebrate the occasion, and some of her busiest times had been over the Christmas period. Besides, the stakes weren’t just for use on the bad vampires. Sometimes she considered using them on the apparently good vampires too.
Shannon opened the door.
Rafe stood on the other side, six feet plus of dark handsome devil perfectly capable of pushing every right button in a woman.
At least, every woman except her.
The left side of his sensual mouth tugged into a half smile that revealed the tip of a canine and his deep brown eyes slid up towards the porch ceiling. Her eyes followed out of curiosity.
Mistletoe.
Her gaze snapped back to him. He had to be kidding. He stared at her, dark eyes locked on hers in a silent challenge, and rocked expectantly on his heels. He clasped his hands behind his bottom, the action dragging his long black coat back too, revealing the athletic physique that his dark shirt failed to hide.
Shannon stepped backwards into the safety of her house.
Rafe frowned.
She could almost hear what he was thinking, could read it in his eyes. She didn’t care if he thought she was rude because she had never invited him into her home. She had neglected to do so for good reason. It was handy at times like these when he was making her heart jitter and pulse race.
She was not going to kiss him.
There were a million reasons why, but she settled on the safety aspect because her heart couldn’t overrule that one.
If she abided by tradition and kissed him, she would be placing herself firmly within his grasp, and that was a place she didn’t want to be. What would start as a harmless festive kiss would end as a bloodbath with his fangs in her throat. Just the thought of it happening shook her deep inside, dredging up memories best left forgotten and pain she had fought to erase. She would never let anything like that happen again.
Never.
Rafe continued to stare, his dark gaze cool but demanding.
Sometimes, Shannon wished the agency hadn’t paired them together. She had never wanted to work with one of nature’s freaks. She just wanted to kill them and get revenge for what they had done to her and her family.
“Never going to happen.” Shannon pushed past him, slammed the door behind her, and locked it. She didn’t break her stride. Before he could respond, she was at the end of her garden path and walking towards the centre of town.
She didn’t hear him move. One moment he wasn’t there, and the next he was keeping pace beside her. Her heart leapt at his sudden appearance.
“I told you not to do that.” She drew her hand away from her back pocket. It had jumped to the stake on instinct. One of these days, he was going to surprise her and she was going to give him a nasty surprise of her own.
“No need for that.” He appeared on the other side of her, his hand slipping over hers and easing it away from the stake. He smiled at her, his cool fingers lingering against hers. “There is a no staking your partner policy at the agency, remember?”
Shannon snatched her hand back and wished she didn’t remember. It was the only thing stopping her from killing him. A quiet voice at the back of her mind whispered that it wasn’t the only reason she couldn’t bring herself to stake him. She shooed it away.
“So, where are we heading?” Rafe’s deep voice swept around her, bathing her in warmth she tried to deny, and she kept her gaze fixed ahead. If she pretended he wasn’t there, she might just make it through the next few hours, and then she was home free. It was one last mission.
For some reason, that caused a dull ache to settle inside her.
She had thought she would be happy. She should be happy. No more working with the enemy. They were reassigning her to warmer climes and a partner-free role. She had proven herself worthy of working alone, just as she had wanted from the start of her career with the agency, and she was finally getting that wish.
So why wasn’t she happy?
“Town,” Shannon said distractedly, frowning at the pavement and trying to piece together an answer to her own question. There had to be a reason and it couldn’t be the vampire walking beside her. She had grown used to him. That’s all it was. He had become a sort of friend. The only person she actually spoke to apart from her handler and a few people at the agency, and she had never told them a thing about herself. She had never talked them, not as she had to Rafe. Shannon cursed herself. She should have kept her distance and not gotten involved, just as she had planned, but two years was too long to work with someone without saying anything to them.
Rafe had slipped in unnoticed, had passed the first of her defences and somehow got her talking one night, and since then, she couldn’t stop her mouth sometimes. Sometimes it all became too much and she had to speak to someone, and he was always there, willing to listen to her silly troubles and doubts about her ability to hunt, her skill, and her future with the agency.
And he always reassured her, and made her feel better.
“Anywhere particular in town?” Rafe said and her attention snapped back to him. She stared up at him, still half lost in her thoughts, and found herself looking straight into his eyes. Windows to the soul. Rafe’s hid nothing from her. They betrayed everything that he was feeling, and sometimes it frightened her.
Not when he was showing his vampire side. His pale eyes didn’t scare her or the malice that she saw in them, the hunger for violence and bloodshed. It was this side of him that scared her. The gentle side. The one who looked at her with warmth and undeniable affection.
“Are you feeling alright?” He cocked his head to one side, his gaze holding hers, sparkling with tender concern.
Shannon forced her eyes down to the pavement and studied the cracks as she walked, unable to bring her voice above a whisper.
“I’m fine.”
There was a long pause, full of expectation and unspoken things.
Sometimes, when this feeling washed over her, she had a sense that he wanted to say something to her. He never had though, and she often found herself wondering what it was he couldn’t put a voice to.
“So, where are we going? Into town, or beyond town... perhaps you called me all the way out here on a freezing cold night just to make me go gift shopping with you. If that is the case, I have to say it is in poor taste, as I am a vampire... I do not celebrate Christmas as you do.”
“I don’t.” Shannon wished she could take those two words back. They were going to cause questions that she didn’t want to answer. She glanced at Rafe, briefly making eye contact, and then looked away to her right, her gaze eating the streetlamp lit grass and shrubs that she walked past. He sighed but said nothing. She waited a moment longer, afraid that he might just be building up to it, and then released the breath she had been holding. “The report states that there was a demon sighting in the local cemetery just outside the town centre.”
“Cemetery?” Rafe sounded positively disgusted.
She glanced at him again. He looked it too. He seemed to take it as a personal affront whenever they had to hunt demons in places like old churches, cemeteries and disused factories.
“Some demons have no taste.”
Shannon smiled. “Speak for yourself.”
He frowned at her but it didn’t stick. It melted into a smile that threatened to steal her breath and she averted her gaze again. What was she doing? Her heart skittered about in her throat and she knew he would be listening to it, and he would know that he was affecting her. She could do this.
It was just one more mission.
And then she would be able to escape these feelings.
She was not going to fall for him.
He was a vampire. She was a hunter.
Her gaze snuck back to him, studying his noble profile, and her heart thudded hard against her chest.
Biography:
Felicity Heaton is a romance author writing as both Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. She is passionate about penning paranormal tales full of vampires, witches, werewolves, angels and shape-shifters, and has been interested in all things preternatural and fantastical since she was just a child. Her other passion is science-fiction and she likes nothing more than to immerse herself in a whole new universe and the amazing species therein. She used to while away days at school and college dreaming of vampires, werewolves and witches, or being lost in space, and used to while away evenings watching movies about them or reading gothic horror stories, science-fiction and romances.
Having tried her hand at various romance genres, it was only natural for her to turn her focus back to the paranormal, fantasy and science-fiction worlds she enjoys so much. She loves to write seductive, sexy and strong vampires, werewolves, witches, angels and alien species. The worlds she often dreams up for them are vicious, dark and dangerous, reflecting aspects of the heroines and heroes, but her characters also love deeply, laugh, cry and feel every emotion as keenly as anyone does. She makes no excuses for the darkness surrounding them, especially the paranormal creatures, and says that this is their world. She’s just honoured to write down their adventures.
Thanks for having me here today and if any readers have any comments or questions, please feel free to voice them and I’ll answer them as soon as possible.
If you want to know more about me, or want to get in touch, you can find me at the following places:
Now for the giveaway. Felicity very kind enough to give one lucky some one a PDF copy of Vampire for Christmas. Please leave a comment or question for Felicity along with your email, so I know your entering. I will leave this giveaway open over the weekend. Ends Sunday 12th at midnight.
“The shuddering became violent, and sounds of rattling glass bounced off the walls. The French doors burst open, encouraging the white veiled curtains to dance in the ocean wind, and crystal chandeliers to rustle eerily.” Snippet - When A Mullo Loves A Woman – JoAnne Kenrick
I have a thing for old, black and white ghost movies, can you tell? I adore how they focus more on building atmosphere, rather than force-feeding you effects and gore. Well, they had to back then, due to lack of said effects. A new ghost movie is released from time to time that, even with the gore, manages to build tension as well as the oldies used to. Say, The Grudge, for instance. But mostly, they don’t scare me like the old ones do. I like to be on the edge of my seat wondering what horrors await, or what the unseen creature/ghost looks like.
Watching those older ghost tales, for me, is like cozying up with my favorite book. I adore the language used, the intricate twists and turns, and the settings; almost always a house on a cliff surrounded by an angry ocean. The opening scenes to these movies are poetic and spooky. *shudder*
I think my love for the classics began when I saw the 1944 version of The Uninvited. I had already endured a few unexplained experiences when I saw this. It was my first ghost movie, if you like, and the first time I realized this sort of thing existed…for real (hey, as a child, a movie is real. Leave me alone!). It served as confirmation that I wasn’t crazy, but I was also scared out of my wits; I remember the sleepless night that followed that viewing. It wasn’t nice.
Rebecca is another favorite of mine, again set in a mansion on a cliff top. I can see why the best ghost movies use that setting for a ghost story. There is something so very dangerous, and unsettling, about a beautiful, yet empty, house with beautiful views of the ocean. The ocean is a wild thing; unpredictable and horribly effective in setting up a spooky scene.
“My sight locked onto the bleak, never-ending ocean crashing against the rocky shore. There was something transfixing about the fluidity of the movement and the meeting of elements, water and earth.” Snippet -- When A Mullo Loves A Woman – JoAnne Kenrick
BLURB…She thought the mullo was just a myth…she was dead wrong.
Adam Flint's Gypsy visions always guide him to those who need his paranormal gifts. He gets more than he bargained for in Pearl Kizzy, a beautiful spitfire from Liverpool. Adam knows that to save Pearl, he must help her accept her own Gypsy heritage.
Although Adam and Pearl fight their burning attraction for one another, a night of passion sparks memories of their treacherous former lives. Unable to face the loss of Pearl in this century, Adam scrambles for distance from the love of his life. A rejected Pearl falls into the arms of a Mullo--a gypsy vampire--who lays claim to her heart--and her life.
To survive, Adam and Pearl must accept their tragic past, and find a way to kill the undead.
Introducing yourself to people who only know you through what you write is always a little difficult. If you met me in person, you'd think, "There goes another mom."
And you'd be right. I'm mostly another mom. One of the many millions out there. We all have common experiences. We make sure the kids get to school and activities and dentist appointments. We make sure there's dinner on the table every night and that the homework gets done. We make sure the bathrooms get cleaned on at least a semi-regular basis. We have our own styles and schedules, but daily life is daily life.
But during the day when I should probably be folding laundry, I'm writing. Putting pieces of myself on the page not just to get the voices out of my head, but to give other people a smile during their day.
People assume that they know who writers are because they've read our words. They project about what our lives must be like. And to a certain extent, that's true for me.
You'd probably be able to decipher that I'm Southern. A Texan, to be specific, but I've not written a specifically Texan heroine.
You'd probably figure out that I like to eat. I like sushi and Sonic drive-ins. I drink wine and have been known to bake muffins by the hundredweight. All of my characters eat what sounds good to me when I'm writing. Pizza, pasta, steak, creamed spinach and sweet potato fries have all made appearances. (This close after Thanksgiving, though, I'm still too full to read that sentence without a stomachache.)
It would be a no-brainer for you to assume I like to read, based on some of my books. One of my heroines nearly swooned when she walked into the hero's library. In my head, it was like the library in "Beauty and the Beast," or more accurately, like the one in Robin McKinley's glorious book, "Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast." In another book, my heroine was a librarian.
All of these things are true, yet I work to make sure that my heroines really aren't that much like me at all. I mean, if I met a werewolf in the dark, I'd probably pee myself and faint. If I turned into a Selkie, I'd sink. If a vampire chased me through a graveyard at midnight, I'd be exsanguinated in the time it would take me to spell "exsanginuated."
But not my gals! They're not just little bits and pieces of my experiences. They start out as a few words on a page or as faint images or sounds in my head, but by the end, they've become so much more. They've become fully realized individuals, separate and distinct from each other and very definitely distinct from myself.
So sure, they may read the same books I read and they may like sweet potato fries as much as I do, but they are entirely themselves -- and fun to get to know on their own!
Carolina Pearl is second in the Carolina Wolf series. Ok, so there are really only two books total. There might be a third someday if I can get it to come out right.
The truth is, I never set out to write a series. I always thought a series had to be something that was planned and plotted and outlines and...I don't. At all. The very thought gives me hives.
I wrote Carolina Wolf for a call for submission that Samhain was doing for paranormal romantic comedies. I'd already written two para-rom-coms (it takes a while to write it all out), so it was right up my alley.
It ended up in an anthology called Tickle My Fantasy and people seemed to like it. After a few months, my fellow anthology-buddies came up with the idea that it might be fun to try it again. Since I'd never planned for there to be another story, I struggled with writing Carolina Pearl.
I knew I wanted to keep the town a central part of the story. There were secondary characters who needed to make more appearances, and there was more life in this little town than could be contained in just one novella.
So I did a Google map search of the real-life Congaree Swamp in South Carolina. And there's a house there, just on the edge of the swamp. All by itself. The satellite image shows it to be pretty old and run-down, but the idea of it was all I needed.
Now, my husband is a real DIY kind of guy. I've spent more hours watching HGTV and Bob Vila and "Holmes on Homes" with him than I can count. I've lived through one major kitchen gutting, one minor kitchen remodel, and at least three entire bathroom re-dos since we've been married.
Now I had my town and I had my house. I closed my eyes and saw a man replacing siding by himself, standing on a scaffold and cussing in frustration. Voila! A hero is born! Ok, so maybe not too heroic, but he only needed the right woman.
I saw an opportunity for tying this story in with Carolina Wolf right off the bat, though. I loved writing the prologue for Wolf -- it encompassed so much sensory detail and really dropped people smack into the setting. So I used some parallels and my heroine appeared.
It sounds almost hokey when I write it out like that, but those were the sparks I needed to get the story going. Now it's the in the hands of the readers to decide if I did it right!
Sela is giving away a PDF copy of Carolina Pearl, to enter please leave a comment or question for Sela along with your email.
Everybody has secrets. In my latest novel, True Believers, the hero, Taelen Jessit is keeping a dangerous one. He can see his 'gods' in their ethereal state. Ordinarily that would be a pretty sweet deal, except for the fact that men with such a gift are summarily castrated. (Talk about a rough health care system.)
My heroine has a secret too. She's a near-immortal, a Nephilim who would be exterminated on sight if anyone knew of her existence.
Even Bubba, the Artificial Intelligence (which Ronda seemed to love) is keeping a secret. He's not just a super smart computer. Bubba has become sentient, and is beginning to understand the concept of free will. Can you imagine a computer with free will running our defense systems?
True Believers is a story full of secrets. I've discovered to my horror that life indeed imitates fiction. My very own husband had been holding out on me. I was stunned and a little nervous when Greg made his wicked confession.
Was it another woman? A secret bank account? A criminal record?
Ha! Nothing so mundane.
He wants to be a Zombie.
I thought he was kidding at first. But the clues were in front of me the whole time.
• His routine is mind-numbingly dull. Get up. Shower. Go to work. Eat. Sleep. (Sound familiar?) If that's not Zombie behavior, I don't know what is.
• He craves meat. Okay, so it's not human flesh. But I got a little worried once while he watched me get undressed. I swear that was the same look he wore when he eyed the pot roast I pulled out of the oven. Coincidence? I don't know.
• Lack of communication skills. He grunts a lot. What's worse is that I am beginning to understand his vocabulary of grunts.
• The Zombie Shuffle. Well, he limps. Does that count?
Being a good wife, I listened patiently (while I polished the shotgun) as he explained why he wanted to be a Zombie.
"For the TV show", he says. "The Walking Dead. There's a contest where you can win a walk-on role in The Walking Dead."
"You want to be on TV?"
"Sure! That would be so cool."
I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I wasn't going to find my brain half eaten on any given morning. But it was far worse than I thought. Greg didn't want to be a real Zombie. He wants to be an actor.
Hmm…now where the heck did I put that shotgun?
Your turn: Have you ever had a super secret desire to do something crazy? Should I be worried about Greg? I'll admit, I think he has the chops to be a great Zombie. He even comes with his very own Zombie Dog.
***
How could I not hold a mini-giveaway after a revelation like that? Leave me a comment, and if you'd like to win a copy of True Believers, add your email address. I will choose one winner from the comments on November 22nd.
Maria Zannini's latest release is a science fiction romance called TRUE BELIEVERS.
Mix one cynical immortal and one true believer and throw them into the biggest alien-hunt the world has never known. Rachel Cruz is a Nephilim masquerading as an archeologist and she's stuck with an alien who believes she can lead him to his ancestral gods. Black Ops wants to find these gods too. They want them dead.
Blog Tour Contest! Every time you leave a comment, tweet or mention "Maria Zannini" anywhere with a link to my blog, your name goes in the hat for a chance to win a Texas sized prize. Go here for more information.
STOP THE PRESSES! Round Two in Writing With The Stars has begun! Maria has made it to the second round of the Kensington Contest. She would be oh so grateful if you could vote for her novel, Mistress Of The Stone. (Maria is the one with the very cute puppy.) Every vote, tweet and nudge is hugely appreciated. Thanks, everyone!
Please welcome author Stephanie Julian. She is here with us today to talk about her new erotic paranormal romance release of Size Matters, so if you have any questions about Size matters or any other books she has written please feel free to ask.
Stephanie
As paranormal romance writer, it’s probably no surprise that I love paranormal TV shows.
When I was five, I had a babysitter who introduced me to “Star Trek.” It’s the first TV show I remember watching and I’ve never stopped.
As a kid, I couldn’t get enough of “In Search of” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker.” As a teenager, I fell in love with Vincent from “Beauty and the Beast.”
“The X-Files” confounded me and Fox Mulder made me believe. I mourn “Lost” for its intricate mythology and Matthew Fox’s tortured Jack Shepherd and “Battlestar Galactica” for Edward James Olmos’ stalwart Admiral Adama, the Romeo-Juliet love story of Helo and Athena and for its ability to address real-life challenges in a sci-fi setting.
I miss “Moonlight” for Alex O’Loughlin’s conflicted Mick and Jason Dohring’s cool Josef. Every now and then I pull out my “Farscape” discs and fall head over heels once more for Ben Browder’s smart-ass, ultra-cool Crichton. And who can resist the sexy banter of Capt. Jack Harkness in “Torchwood”? Certainly not me.
Joss Whedon’s “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer” gave us Angel and “Firefly” has Mal, the best space captain EVER. Mal fits Nathan Fillion as well as that brown duster.
The summer season is ending and so is “Eureka” (I adore Colin Ferguson’s sweet, hunky cop) and “Haven” (slow-building darkness, Stephen-King quirk and Lucas Bryant’s mysterious, wounded charm).
But fall brings with it the Salvatore brothers of “The Vampire Diaries,” the Winchester boys of “Supernatural,” Louis Ferreira’s conflicted Col. Young of “Stargate Universe,” and the heart-breaking, father-son dynamic between Peter and Walter Bishop of “Fringe.”
Noticed a pattern yet?
I tend to fall for the guy. Not that I don’t hold a special place in my heart for Uhuru or Buffy, Starbuck, Aeryn or Gwen (and if you can place that last character in her show without looking it up, you come sit by me). But when I connect with a TV show, it’s typically because of the guy. Make me fall in love and I’m hooked.
The same goes for books. If the hero is someone I can love, no matter how far-fetched the story, you’ve got me hooked.
In SIZE MATTERS, yes, the hero is Bigfoot. But he’s not a huge hairy apeman. Tim Sattazahn is gorgeous, hot and oh, so very…big. All over.
He rescues the damsel in distress (though Carrie won’t appreciate you calling her a damsel and she’s never in distress) and, well, you’ll have to read the story to get the rest.
Size Matters
Book Description:
Carrie Benton’s got the best job in the world working as a reporter for the Weekly News Journal. Chupacabra picnicking at the Jersey Shore? Check. Aliens in the White House? Absolutely. Bigfoot stalking the forests of northern Pennsylvania? Well, okay…but Bigfoot is so Left Coast.
Tim Sattazahn can’t believe his luck. The six-foot redhead who crashed into his forest during a snowstorm is gorgeous, funny and hot for him. Everything would be perfect except for the fact that she’s looking for Bigfoot.
Please welcome our guest paranormal and erotic author Suzanne Rock. Suzanne is wonderful to talk to so don't be shy. I had the privilege to review this book and loved it.
Welcome to my world…
I love the Star Wars saga, but not for the reasons you may think. Many people liked the battle scenes, the special effects, or the coming-of-age theme. I loved the world George Lucas created. More specifically, I loved how multiple types of creatures all came together in the Imperial Senate and tried to make agreements about how everyone could get along. I loved that there was a delicate balance holding all of these different creatures together and any disruption, no matter how small, had the potential to set the entire universe on its ear.
As the Star Wars series progressed, it was fascinating to watch the politics unfold in the Imperial Senate. The back-stabbing, lies, and deceit all got in the way of progress. What really struck me was how people were fanatical in their beliefs, even when it was so obvious that they were wrong. In the entire first movie, who could have guessed that Queen Amedala’s battle for her people’s freedom would be the catalyst that put Senator Palpatine into power? That he planned her struggles from the start? I knew after watching “The Phantom Menace” that I wanted to write a story like that. It was so complex, so dark, so interesting. It was then that the first seed for Dark Deception was planted.
A few years ago I was reading the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole. In it, she had rich world-building involving many different types of paranormal creatures. I loved how they all interacted, and how one person’s prejudices got in the way of another person’s happiness. I remembered the Star Wars saga and how everything was interconnected. Inspiration struck, and the Immortal Realm was born.
The Dark Deception world is a blending of these two things, with infusions of many more ideas I’ve gotten from media (TV, books, magazines) over the years. At its center, there is a world of immortal creatures that normal humans don’t know about. This, in of itself is not new or different from many paranormal books out there. The unique twist I gave my world was that each immortal clan was dependent on the others for survival. My story centered on an Immortal Council, kind of like a real-life United Nations. Here, representatives from each of the Immortal Clans: vampires, werewolves, and fey, met with some humans who were privileged enough to know about the Immortals. Together they worked to build a set of societal rules so that everyone could co-exist in harmony on Earth. Easy-as-pie, right?
Unfortunately, like most politics, things didn’t go very smoothly. At the beginning of Dark Deception, rogue vampires bled humans dry, instead of following the laws set up by the senate and taking just what they needed. This angered the other clans. It’s obvious why the humans were mad, but the fey needed human love to sustain their magick, and werewolves needed them to reproduce. Killing off humans essentially weakened the other clans and made them vulnerable to attack. Werewolves, fey and humans banded together and placed sanctions against the vampires. Special wards were woven for the humans for protection, essentially making their blood poison to vampires. With their primary food supply cut off, vampires were forced to feed from weaker creatures, such as pigs and cattle. Animal blood wasn’t as nutritious as human blood, so they became sickly and lethargic. It was from this depression that the vampire Carlos rose up and took charge. He swore to break the wards and seek revenge on the senators who devastated his people. He broke off from the council and prepared for war, using the vampires in his clan as pawns for the greater good.
Enter Maria, an innocent vampire under Carlos’ control, and Enrique, the human senator on the Immortal Council who was the most responsible for putting the sanctions in place. Carlos noticed how Enrique looked at Maria, and decided to use her in an elaborate plan to get his revenge on the senator. What he didn’t count on, however, was a heart-broken fey with nothing to lose, or Maria and Enrique falling in love…
I really enjoy complex world-building and had a lot of fun plotting Dark Deception. I’m currently working on the sequel, Dark Obsession. Here the vampire Javier returns to the Immortal Council to gain his former lover’s support for his people, and to reclaim her heart. Unfortunately, much has changed since he went into hiding, and what should have bean easy mission, ends up tearing apart the fabric of his very soul.
So, I need to get back to work. ;) While I’m writing, I’ll let you read some more about Dark Deception. Enjoy!
Buy it here: www.eredsage.com
Blurb:
After being plunged into a chaotic and deceitful society, Maria Guerrero finds comfort in the arms Enrique Torres, a man she believes is innocent of her world. She keeps him ignorant about her inner monster, and the blood oath she took to save her brother's life. Instead she prefers to use their sexual play as an escape from her supernatural world. When her secrets catch up with her however, Maria is forced to confess her sins. Will Enrique find it in his heart to forgive her deception? He must, before her vampire master demands her to pay him his due. With the help of a disillusioned fey warrior, she convinces Enrique that vampires are real, and danger lurks around every corner.
Enrique can’t allow himself to fall for Maria charms, or he’ll risk revealing secrets of his own -- secrets which would not only scare her, but put his mission in jeopardy. He hopes that by forming a physical connection with the young vampire, he’ll lower her defenses and earn her trust, for she’s the only one who could help him bring peace to the Immortal Realm. As they play out their sexual fantasies, her true identity is uncovered. On impulse gives her his trust, only to be repaid with her betrayal. Now he wants revenge… but what will be the cost? As the Immortal Realm descends into chaos, Enrique and Maria must choose whether to trust each other again, or fall victims to the dark deceptions that rule their world.
Book Trailer:
Excerpt:
Just outside of Barcelona, Spain 1812
“Bite it.” Enrique’s thick Spanish accent poured over her like warm chocolate -- dark, decadent and forbidden. The cherry swung gently from his hand as he waited for her to sink her teeth into its rich, juicy, center. He shifted and pressed his chest against her back, sending tingles of excitement up and down her spine.
Curling her fingers on the desktop, Maria moistened her lips in preparation. Her lover's heat and sweet scent enveloped surrounded her. Anticipation rippled through the room. She arched her back and pressed her backside against his groin, causing a hiss to escape his lips. The cherry slipped closer to her mouth. She reached for it, but at the last moment he pulled it away.
Maria loved the games they played when they were alone, each one carefully designed to torment them both and build their need. Enrique knew what she liked. Every night the man relentlessly stroked that spark of desire into a burning inferno. When they were together she felt warm, safe, and loved. Unfortunately, this whole relationship was nothing but a lie.
No. She refused to let her somber thoughts ruin the mood. Enrique wanted to play one of their games of passion and she wasn’t about to deny him. If things continued down this path he would soon lead her away from his study and up to his bedroom, where they wouldn't be disturbed. She preferred it there, away from the curious eyes of the staff. Down here any one of the other servants could walk in on them. What would they think when they saw one of their own cavorting with the master of the house?
It was better not to think about it. Maria rubbed against him, feeling the ripple of muscle through his waistcoat. The cherry wavered and he hissed out his breath. Lifting her hands from the desk, she reached behind her waist and rubbed her palms over his hips. He groaned and pressed his harden cock deeper into her flesh. The cherry bobbed toward her head.
The knock on the door chilled the temperature in the air. Maria straightened and smoothed her hands over her maid uniform as the door opened. Enrique crossed the room, clearing his throat as he met the head servant at the door.
“Señor Torres?”
“Si.”
“You have guests.” The maid handed him a card and frowned at Maria. “I showed them to the blue room.”
Enrique frowned at the card then handed it back to the maid. “Very well. I will be along in a moment.”
The servant's eyes flashed from Maria to Enrique and back again. Did she suspect? Maria arranged some papers on Enrique's desk in an effort to look busy.
“That will be all.”
“Yes,” The servant's frown faded as she focused on her master. “Very well, then. I will inform the cook to prepare tea.”
When the door finally closed, Maria breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the papers she was holding. They scattered on the floor. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She stooped to pick them up. With trembling fingers, she gathered them up and replaced them on the desk.
Enrique closed the distance between them and took her hands. “I'm sorry querida. I must see them.”
“But it's so late. Who would visit at such an hour?”
“Unfortunately, it's not a social call.”
“One of the senators, then?”
Enrique pressed his lips together for a moment in thought. “Yes, I'm afraid so.” He wrapped his fingers around her arms and kissed her forehead. “Wait for me here. I won't be long.”
Maria turned her head up to meet his gaze. “Always.”
He brushed his finger down the side of her cheek. “That's my girl.” After a chaste kiss, he moved to the door, then pausing with his hand on the knob. He turned back to glance at her, a worried crease forming along his brow. “Don't concern yourself about the servant gossip. I'll handle it.”
Maria turned her gaze away from his perfect angular features and nodded. No doubt that maid was already telling the others of her find. Not that it mattered. The other servants didn't care for her, anyway. Not really.
Enrique left the door and took a hesitant step toward her, then stopped. She held up her hand. “They’re waiting for you.”
“Right. This will only take a moment.”
When he left the room, she rushed over to the door and threw the lock into place. Why hadn’t she remembered to lock the door before? Leaning back against the cold, hard wood, she considered how on Earth she was going to get out of the mess she created.
Every living female within the Torres Estate had fallen hard for Enrique’s dark, handsome looks and giving nature. Maria was no exception. The kindness he had shown her and the other servants was more than what most noblemen had done for their staff. As a result, he was respected and admired by everyone. Many of the other women openly talked of the countless females he had refused to bed, and speculated whether they could change his mind. Maria however, didn't have time for such foolishness. There were more important things to think about than love or even lust -- like survival. Not a trivial task under the present circumstances.
“Got ourselves in trouble again, I see.”
Maria froze. “Carlos.” How did he get here? She was alone in the room and the door was locked. Her gaze tore away from the tall, lean vampire and settled on the open window. Damn, she knew not to be so careless. Knowing Carlos, he probably watched her whole exchange with Enrique. He would want a full report, but Maria was in no mood to give one.
The vampire crossed his arms in front of his chest. “So, you remember me. After not seeing you for two nights, I was beginning to wonder…”
She turned on her heel to face him. “I would never forget you -- or the kindness you’ve shown Frederick and me.”
He frowned, his perfect dark brow arching over his amber eyes. “You need to work on your lies, Maria.”
Her breath caught. Leave it to him to bring up her immaturity. She carefully schooled her face into a blank mask, as she was taught.
His features softened as he approached. “You're still a very young vampire and unable to hold you mask.” He stopped, his face inches away from hers. Crooking his finger under her chin, he turned her head first to the right, then to the left. A frown creased his perfect angular features. “You look gaunt.”
She jerked her head away from his grasp. “It is nothing.”
“I've heard that you haven't been going to the feedings.”
“They are innocent people.”
“They’re food, nothing more.” He sighed. “At this rate you are going to collapse before your second year.” Reaching out, he trailed his finger down the side of her face. Maria forced herself not to flinch. “It would be a pity to lose such wonderful vampire flesh.”
She bit back a retort. Arguing would accomplish nothing. Carlos was a master of words and would only use her arguments to manipulate her. An image of her brother appeared in the forefront of her mind and she strengthened her resolve.
At her darkest hour, Carlos rescued both her and Frederick from the brink of destruction. The vampire leader was now securing their future. Under Carlos' protection Frederick would remain safe. She would remain safe. Frederick's dealings with the underworld had put her in danger more than once before. Now that they had the protection of the vampires, they wouldn't be touched.
Carlos slipped his hand lower, catching the 'V' in her dress. “You can't keep denying our desire for flesh and blood, Maria.” He leaned in close, his warm breath gliding against her cheek.
Maria shivered as his icy fingers danced over her skin. She was grateful for his protection, but would never...could never...
“One night with me and I can take you away from all this.” His voice was soft and filled with promise. Maria resisted the stirring in her lower abdomen. “Think about it, no more accusing stares from the servants, no more chores...”
No more Enrique. She had always loved Enrique's handsome features, but now that she had spent more time with him her feelings ran much deeper than lust. He treated her like somebody -- somebody who mattered. He was so different from Carlos, who only wanted to use her body to further his agenda.
Maria stepped back from his touch. “Why do you have me stay here at all? I mean, you say you want to trap Enrique -- Señor Torres -- but wouldn't it just be easier to send in vampires to capture him?”
Carlos smiled, showing each of his perfectly white teeth. “Ah, my dear. It isn't enough just to capture him.” He took a step forward. “I want to humiliate him.” Golden flecks danced across his eyes. “Ruin him.”
Maria's back hit the wall. She was trapped. “Why?”
He stepped closer, his chest even with her head. Her skin tingled at the power before her. She felt her fangs lower in response.
“Why?” He tipped his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up to his gaze. “Because I loathe him, Maria.” He lowered his head until his mouth hovered inches above her own. “As every vampire should.” His lips brushed against hers. Maria felt the cold press all the way to her toes. “The fool will destroy us all.” He kissed one cheek. “If he knew your real identity...” He kissed the other cheek. “He wouldn't hesitate to put a stake in your heart.”
“No.” Enrique was kind and thoughtful. He loved her and...
And he only approached her after she became a vampire and used her charms on him. His caring words, his gentle touch, all of it prompted by the magik Carlos bestowed on her. Sure Enrique was always kind to her, but it wasn't until she became a vampire that his interest turned sexual.
Maria straightened and tried to pull away, but it was no use. The weight of her burden felt like an anvil on her shoulders. The only reason why she was even allowed at the Torres estate was because Carlos decreed it. At any moment the vampire lord could take the privilege away from her. Then what would she be left with?
Carlos' grip tightened. “You know it is true. Don't deny who you are -– or your destiny.”
Hunger, pure and raw blossomed in her core. Only a select few were allowed to feed directly from the vampire leader. Maria had no illusions as to why she was bestowed such an honor. Vampire feedings were steeped in sexual energy and it was no secret that Carlos favored her.
Her master tilted his head to the side. His long dark hair fell away from his shoulders and exposed the smooth ivory skin of his neck. “Now feed.”
Short Author Bio:
After over a decade in the scientific world, Suzanne needed a creative outlet. She tried scrap booking, cooking, crocheting, painting, and piano, none of which held her interest for very long. Then one of her friends suggested writing. Thrilled with the idea of creating her own worlds, she opened up her lap top and never looked back.
When Suzanne’s not writing, she can be found playing with her two daughters, testing her husband’s latest kitchen creations, or curled up with her favorite romance novel in her central Massachusetts home.
Backlist:
Spyder's Web, Loose Id (m/f, erotic)
Up on the Housetop (Book 1 of the Kyron Pack), Loose Id (m/f erotic)
Cria, Loose Id (m/f erotic)
Down on the Boardwalk (Book 2 of the Kyron Pack), Loose Id (m/f/m erotic)
Dark Deception (Book 1 of the Immortal Realm), Red Sage (m/f/m erotic)
Links: to find Suzanne
Website: http://www.suzannerock.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Suzanne_Rock
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suzanne.rock
Embrace the Shadows Blog: http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2982868.Suzanne_Rock
Youtube Channel (so you can see my other book trailers): http://www.youtube.com/user/SuzanneRock1
Suzanne will give away an eBook of Dark Deceptions. This giveaway will run for one week so it will end on Sept. 9th
Rules, you have to be a follower.
Extra
1+ for following Suzanne twitter and or facebook
1+ for twitter or facebook this giveaway
2+ for adding a post about this giveaway on your blog Please make leave links and make one comment or question. Suzanne will check in all week, so if you have a question or comment for her please ask!
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