Supernatural Sunday

Please help me welcome Darcy Campbell into the moonlight today! Darcy’s newest release is The Warrior, which was released by Lyrical Press. The Warrior is the third book in her Arienta Guardians series. To learn more about Darcy, visit her website: http://www.darcycampbell.net/

~~~~~

GRACEN: Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Why or why not? If so, please share one or more of them with us.

DARCY: No , not really. I used to but they never worked out and then I spent the remainder of the year feeling guilty and who needs that.


GRACEN: Now that the busy holiday time is over, what do you do to recharge?

DARCY: I really don’t have any downtime. I work one full time day job, have a consulting business that I jam time in for and then write in whats left over. The holidays were slow for me…day job is advertising sales so it was slow and the consulting business was closed till middle of January. Gave me lots of time to write and edit.


GRACEN: Do you prefer your hot tub inside the house or outside the house? Why?

DARCY: Outside….best memory I had was when I was younger….floating in the hot tub till I was all hot and pink then jumping out into the swimming pool just a few feet away….by the way this was done in the winter months…..really kicks your heart into overdrive


GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing, Darcy. Why the erotic romance/erotica genre? What was the draw for you?

DARCY: I started out writing short (3,000 words or less) for contests….lots more contests with erotica than regular… lots more commercial draw unless you are a major name author….look at all the grocery store paper backs….its all romance and hotter…..


GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words like hot, sexy, etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

DARCY: I love telling a story that has a twist in the tale or that has a moral issue to discuss.


GRACEN: Do the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode and what have you found that seems to help?

DARCY: Yes, they disturbed me to a certain degree..so much of my writing is done by transcription into a digital recorder when I’m driving during my day job…I use the evening and phone time at work to type up the transcriptions than I edit….holidays cut down on my driving time so I’m behind on finishing my latest book.


GRACEN: Who decides what characters/creatures you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

DARCY: I usually start out with somewhat of a clear idea of where I want my story to go….where it ends up is all decided by the characters themselves. Some just refuse to take my preplanned course of action and instead create their own. The story I dictate into my recorder is usually not the story that ends up being published. When I start transcribing, the characters take over and create their own dialogue and action.

BLURB:

How far will a lonely merman walk for true love?

Merman Cado has discovered just how much fun he can have with human women. In fact, they’re lining up to service him because this is something he’s very, very good at.

All is well until he begins dreaming of a woman he’s never met and his search for true love and his destiny as the Guardian of the Aquamarine stone send him on a quest far from familiar waters to another world.

Pursued by relentless enemies, can Cado save his lover, master his powers, and return to his home?

EXCERPT:

As Cado slept fitfully in the cove, his sleep was racked with dreams, dreams that seemed so real and so intent they burned into his memory. He had moved far beyond the visions of the battles though.

The message told was unbelievable, and yet it kept repeating throughout the night. According to the dream, he wasn’t really a merman, but rather an Arienta Guardian. Born into the Arienta clan, his destiny was not only to protect and defend the clan, but to repopulate its diminishing numbers as well. He had been teleported to the planet Mer as an infant, to be hidden and protected until it was time to assume his rightful place on Suha. What made the story difficult to fathom was the admonishment not to share this revelation with anyone. The purpose supposedly was for both his safety as well as those around him. Who could he share with anyway? He tried to talk with Nereus and the old sea witch before but got nowhere.

The story sounded just like that, a story, with a few exceptions. First was the aquamarine pendant that appeared around his neck when he transformed to a human. The pendant was the same color as the scales on his tail, but there was no explanation for its appearance. The second reason Cado felt the story might be possible was the feeling he had since childhood. Even as he was having fun racing around the ocean with his school friends, he knew there was something different, something that separated him from the rest of the merfolk. Cado’s entire childhood was filled with a longing to belong, of a desire to be understood.

He never fit in, which was never more obvious than during their battle training. The strength of the merfolk was built around the community, the support of others like him. His teacher was constantly correcting him, demanding that he learn to work with the others. Unfortunately, for all the commands Nereus issued, Cado never felt completely connected. He earned a reputation in the Mer community as a loaner. His fellow school mates recognized his abilities as a great warrior, but he was still considered something of an outcast.

Eventually, he learned to cope with this ever-present feeling, and as an adult, tried to find the solution in the arms of others. The only time he ever felt whole and completely understood was with the woman who appeared in his dreams. Since he had only seen her face and long flowing golden hair for a split second, he wasn’t even sure if she was a human, a mermaid or another creature all together. All he knew was she had his heart and somehow he was going to find her.

The dream also gave a note of caution. Evidently, the enemy of the Arienta clan would stop at nothing to prevent themselves from gaining an equal standing on the planet Suha. The Cerace were seeking out all the Arienta Guardians, intent on convincing them to switch allegiances, or if that failed, to kill them. The final message in the dream was that Cado would instinctively know when the time was right to return to Suha and how to transport there.

Big help that was…


Buy link http://www.lyricalpress.com/the_warrior

My website….. www.DarcyCampbell.net


here are reviews for Book one ---The Beginning and Book two –The Dancer in the series



book one – The Beginning
Her character really started to shine and I loved the way Darcy Campbell expanded on the video game aspect of the story. Another thing I loved about the latter two thirds of the story was Micah. Wow. That’s it. Wow. Manipulative, sarcastic, and egotistical, but aware of his faults, the author made a great move in having parts of the story from his prospective. There is a certain irony that is readily apparent from the first with his and Camille’s meeting, but it would probable be considered a spoiler if I mentioned it here *grin*.

……I cannot wait for the second installment in the Arienta Guardians series
Bitten by Books…….by Sarai http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=9854


ok two – The Dancer
I finished this book feeling a strong sense of emotional elevation and hope. The ending had a few “treats” in it, but after so much bitterness, the candy was well-deserved. Watching Wayne’s growth into himself was my favorite part of this book, which thankfully included a realistic psychological rendering of Wayne overcoming so much grief and frustration. Wayne’s pain was difficult to watch, however his blossoming purpose with the people of Arienta was a wonderful respite. Despite the discomfort, The Dancer is a sweet story that I would recommend to readers with one major caveat: some of the depictions of abuse might act as a trigger for some who have experienced the same, so be cautious. The abuse doesn’t detract from the story, but the warning is necessary. I look forward to reading the next installment in the Arienta Guardians series as well as the first installment

Reviewed by Elizabeth B at Bitten by Books.. http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=14769

Starlight Saturday

Weekly Book Review

PHANTASM FRIDAY

Please help me welcome Cooper McKenzie into the moonlight today! Cooper’s newest release, Love Bite, will be released by Red Rose Publishing. To learn more about Cooper, visit her website: http://www.coopermckenzie.webs.com/

~~~~~

GRACEN: Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Why or why not? If so, please share one or more of them with us!

COOPER: I gave up several years ago. Instead last year I declared 2009 to be “The Year of Me”. I was going to take better care of myself and write for my pleasure and if others liked it so be it. Turned out to be a great year all around. I lost 30 lb and wrote 14 romance ebook stories. All 14 were accepted for publication as well as two other books I’d written before.


GRACEN: Now that the busy holiday time is over, what do you do to recharge?

COOPER: I don’t recharge, I just keep going like the Energizer Bunny. Having 3 days off for Christmas and again at New Year’s was a lot of time off so I used it to write and get organized for 2010. When you run 2 home based business you need all the organization you can get!


GRACEN: What area of the country/world are you from? What are the average temperatures where you are? What type of clothing would most residents be wearing today? What tips do you have for people to “survive” the weather where you are?

COOPER: I’m currently living in New Bern, North Carolina, home of warm weather, except recently we’re freezing just like the rest of the country I think. My secret to surviving cold weather is to write about summertime, cuddle with my dog (a 14 lb rat terrier name Grizzly) under an old quilt on the couch and drink lots of tea.


GRACEN: Do you have any favorite outside hobbies? Can you perform any of these hobbies right now? If not, why not, and is weather a factor?

COOPER: I don’t have a lot of outside hobbies. I’m a couch potato. I read a lot and spend hours and hours knitting or crocheting. I make a lot of baby hats (about 300-500 a year) which I donate to hospital nurseries as well as hats for older kids, baby blankets and prayer shawls. I also sing in my church choir and volunteer a lot at church.


GRACEN: Do you prefer your hot tub inside the house or outside the house? Why?

COOPER: I prefer a hot shower in the house!


GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing, Cooper…Why the erotic romance/erotica genre? What was the draw for you?

COOPER: I’ve wanted to write romance since I read my first Harlequin in about 8th grade (many, many moons ago). I honestly didn’t think I could write erotic until January 25, 2009, when a vampire story grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let me go. I ended up writing that story (Love Reincarnate) in a single 24 hour period, then went on to write two more stories about Donovan and Jayne. Love Reincarnate, Love Bite and Love Choice will all be published by Red Rose Publishing. Since then the writing is taking over and I’m loving every minute of it.


GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words like hot, sexy, etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

COOPER: Joy. The joy of putting my daydreams into words and the words on paper. The joy of love, of finding that one person you click with.


GRACEN: Do the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode and what have you found that seems to help?

COOPER: December was a tough month for me because I was sooooo busy doing other things that I didn’t have as much time to write as I wanted or needed. I was also stressed due to outside commitments and I have a hard time writing when I’m stressed. So I gave myself permission NOT to write. As soon as Christmas was passed I relaxed and the writing flowed like water again.


GRACEN: Do you prefer hot chocolate with marshmallows or a hot toddy? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

COOPER: Hot chocolate with marshmallows is my choice since I’m not allowed to drink. I’m not sure it shows in my work as my characters do drink wine, beer, warm blood.


GRACEN: Who decides what characters/creatures you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

COOPER: My muse’s name is Ian and while he is a big influence on me, I hope that I’m the one in charge. At least until Grizzly decides it’s time for his walk, then he can be quite demanding!


GRACEN: What creature/character did you have the most fun creating and why?

COOPER: Donovan Richards. A 500 year old vampire who doesn’t drink blood straight from the source. He caught me off guard and I fell in love with him as soon as he walked into the restaurant. The fact that Jayne already knew him was also a surprise.


GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

COOPER: Of all the characters I’ve written, I’d like to meet Penn and Liam McKenzie, Scottish twins of Claiming Their Dream Weaver, Loving Their Dream Weaver, Marrying Their Dream Weaver from Siren/Bookstrand Publishing.

~~~~~

Love Bite – Vamping With Jayne #2 – due out from Red Rose Publishing on February 18th

REVIEW:

Claiming their Dream Weaver was a heartwarming story of fated love between three people who really deserved to be together. All three main characters were lovable and well written. Cooper McKenzie brought Suz, Penn and Liam to life for me. I really enjoyed this book and admit to wishing it were longer than 92 pages. This is a great little story to wile away the time in the waiting room or pickup line. I heartily recommend Claiming their Dream Weaver to everyone. Reviewed by: Nickie

BLURB:

They’d been together for a few weeks so when Donovan Richards wants to talk, Jayne Peters isn’t sure if she should fear for her life or just her heart. Though she tries to distract him, he demands she quit her job so he can take care of her. As an independent woman, Jayne feels she must work for her living, just like any man does.

Unexpectedly Jayne finds herself unemployed with no money and a stack of bills to pay. Can she give up her 21st century independence and let Donovan take care of her?


EXCERPT:

We need to talk.” Four words that send fear through any woman’s heart.

When the man saying them is tall, dark and built like a Greek god with a face to match, the words take on an even more ominous tone. Involuntarily shivers of dread whispered through me at the thought of losing this man who I had become addicted to. It had been exactly three weeks since we had rediscovered each other and had our first mind blowing, up against a brick wall, coupling. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say, but I could hardly run away. There was nowhere to run to. We were naked, post coital and sprawled across my queen-size bed. I couldn’t even cower under the covers. The sheet and comforter were in a heap on the floor. My clothes and his were strewn across the floor. There was nowhere to hide.

I closed my eyes, hoping he would think I was asleep. After all, he couldn’t see my face, but I knew that he knew that I was awake. I never slept when he was around. Not that I was afraid he might drain me of my bodily fluids, but like a small child when company was visiting, I was afraid of missing a minute of the action. Which may be one of the reasons why I was not looking forward to whatever he had to say. No good could come of any conversation that started with “we have to talk”.

My shoulders twitched when two cool fingers brushed the hair away from my neck. Then his fingers began to trace a path down the center of my spine. He started at my hairline and paused to circle each vertebra before continuing further south. I raised my head to look at the bedside table. The green numbers on my digital clock glowed with the numbers 4:47.

I swallowed hard. “You have to go.” My words weren’t a question, but an acknowledgement of fact.

His leaving was the last thing I wanted, but having a vampire as a lover there are some things one just has to accept.

~~~~~

My author's web page is http://www.coopermckenzie.webs.com/

My author's page at Red Rose with all the buy buttons -

http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=235&osCsid=cec737fced0b5669f44217da6a0d662b


My author's page at Siren Publishing with links to the individual books

http://www.sirenpublishing.com/coopermckenzie/

TWILIGHT THURSDAY

THE MOONLIGHT SHINES ON SANDRA SOOKO

Thank for having me here! Guest blogging is always a great chance to get the word out to other readers who don’t normally come into my web circle. As an incentive to get you to read to the bottom of the post, I’m giving away a goodie bag to a random commenter. The name will be selected and posted here by 8:00 pm EST.

My name’s Sandra Sookoo and I write romantic fiction. Whether it be paranormal, historical or contemporary (and sometimes a blend) I love to write it, but I will say the bulk of my work centers somewhere within the paranormal genre. Visit my website for more information http://www.sandrasookoo.com

Recently, I’ve been excited over my first two releases with Liquid Silver Books. The first is entitled Safe from the Flames and is a contemporary story involving a hunky fireman and the woman he becomes interested in. It’s got a paranormal twist wherein the heroine can burst into flames in an instant.

I wrote this book for two reasons. One, I live just down the street from a fire station. Every day the hardworking guys in blue risk life and limb and my imagination started to wander. Two, one of my friends suggested I write a book about a fireman, so after so research, Darren was born and pretty much took over the pages.

Here’s the blurb: Darren Kaestle wants nothing more than to do his job. Putting out fires and keeping the community safe is his idea of a good time until he finds an unconscious woman in an abandoned house fire. Only then does he get a glimpse of her paranormal abilities.

Hadyn Bernson has harbored anger and fear deep inside herself until it manifests in a rare phenomena. She can burst into flames whenever her emotions get out of control, and they threaten to do just that when she opens her eyes and finds a sexy firefighter staring back.

Together, these two people from opposite ends of the spectrum must find a way to settle their differences and quench the flames inside before the real terror of a dangerous blaze ends one, or both, of their lives.

Book video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Iy7z8xsRso
Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/ygzzgh8

My second offering is one of the favorite pieces I’ve written to date. It’s a historical novella set off the Florida Keys in the time of pirates called Angel’s Master. The American Navy is trying to eradicate the sea rats and the pirates are fighting for their lives. In this tale, my heroine doesn’t take any flack from the pirate and gives him a run for his money. This has a paranormal twist at the end, but I won’t reveal it here.

I wrote this piece because I’ve always been fascinated by pirates of any kind and I was hankering to do an historical piece. Combine them both and you have a powerful tale of love, surrender and redemption that you won’t soon forget!

Here’s the blurb: The year is 1822 and life on the high seas just became more complicated for Ethan Williams. He’s a pirate with a conscience, and even though killing and plundering are his way of life, he’s searching for much more—and he’s tired of being alone.

Jacqueline Massey is connected with the American Navy. It’s her job to trick men into revealing they are indeed pirates. The guilt she feels about sending them to their doom is equaled only by her longing to be loved. But Jacqueline has a secret—one that has intertwined her fate with Ethan’s for longer than he’s known.

Can destiny bring together a pirate and an angel during the season of miracles, or will a watery death by Davy Jones locker drown their love?

Book video: Book Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhDhYTImA8M
Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/yl7kb8q

Thank you for reading! I must warn you that both of these pieces are very sexy and steamy and may cause overheating and wishing the man in your life was more like a hero in a romance novel!

I hope you’ll consider adding them to your electronic library!

Wistful Wednesday

Challenges

It is an undeniable fact that life is nothing more than a series of challenges that are either met...or not. Everything we do involves some sort of challenge. Some are big, some are small. Some are insurmountable, some only seem that way. But what really defines a challenge is how we deal with it. And in a way, that defines us, too.

I've been thinking a lot about challenges lately. Probably because I have been dealing with my fair share in my personal life. This makes me think about challenges in my writing life and how the two often intersect. You see, I get a lot of the ideas for my stories from things that happen in my personal life - and with a family like mine, that's a lot of inspiration! One little incident can expand into a full-bodied story with a little tweak here and there. A dream could develop into a book series. A bad mood could lend itself to a fight scene. Somehow or another, little aspects of my life find their way onto the pages of my books.

One of the blessings of writing is that it is therapeutic. Just writing about something that is challenging to me and noting how the character handles it helps me to handle it. Strange but true. Another blessing of writing is that it helps me to connect with others, to share my ideas with others and get their impressions, too. This is especially true of blogging. Blogging is a wonderful way of interacting with readers, sharing ideas, and building a community. I really treasure the input from our readers and appreciate the support you have given me during these challenging times.

How do you handle the challenges life throws at you? Do you ever wish you could handle it the same way a fictional character does? Feel free to share your thoughts - and which fictional characters you wish you were more like.

TANTALIZING TUESDAY

Please help me welcome Karenna Colcroft into the moonlight today! On January 7, 2010, Karenna's newest book, Deep Down, was released by Siren Publishing. To learn more about Karenna or enjoy a free read, visit her website: http://karennacolcroft.com/

BUY LINK: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/karennacolcroft/

~~~~~

GRACEN: Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Why or why not? If so, please share one or more of them with us!

KARENNA: I don’t make resolutions, exactly. However, I do set goals for myself that I hope to reach in the new year. This year’s goals are mostly about writing, and include having 8 new contracts by the end of the year. I like to aim high.


GRACEN: Now that the busy holiday time is over, what do you do to recharge?

KARENNA: I just take a deep breath and remind myself that it only happens once a year. Then I dive back into writing.


GRACEN: Do you have any holiday memories from 2009 that you would like to share with us?

KARENNA: This was the first holiday season since my daughters and I moved in with my fiance, so it was definitely a special time. We didn’t really do anything special; it was just being together.


GRACEN: What area of the country/world are you from? What are the average temperatures where you are? What type of clothing would most residents be wearing today? What tips do you have for people to “survive” the weather where you are?

KARENNA: I’m from New England, so it gets pretty chilly in the winter here. Average temperatures at this time of year are in the lower to mid thirties where I live, and in the summer they’re probably around 75 to 80. Today, people are bundled up in jackets, scarves, etc. As for surviving the weather, in winter, keep warm!


GRACEN: Do you have any favorite outside hobbies? Can you perform any of these hobbies right now? If not, why not, and is weather a factor?

KARENNA: I don’t really have any outside hobbies. I prefer to stay indoors.


GRACEN: Do you prefer your hot tub inside the house or outside the house? Why?

KARENNA: I wish I had a hot tub! If I did, I’d have to say inside, because as I said above, I prefer to stay indoors.


GRACEN: If you could be any character/creature, who/what would it be and why?

KARENNA: A mermaid, because I love the ocean.


GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing…Karenna, why the erotic romance/erotica genre? What was the draw for you?

KARENNA: I started writing erotic romance as a challenge from a friend, who dared me to write something that showed sex in a positive way. When I finished the scene, I was surprised at how good it was, and I was hooked on writing it.


GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words like hot, sexy, etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

KARENNA: Thought provoking.


GRACEN: Do the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode and what have you found that seems to help?

KARENNA: They do a little bit, in that I have to spend more time with family during the holidays, but since I don’t have a set writing schedule, it isn’t hard to adapt.


GRACEN: Do you prefer hot chocolate with marshmallows or a hot toddy? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

KARENNA: Hot chocolate with marshmellows, definitely. And I think it probably does show through, because my writing is warm and comforting rather than hot and spicy.


GRACEN: Who decides what characters/creatures you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

KARENNA: I have a pretty good collaborative relationship with my muse, fortunately. We spend a lot of time chatting about what’s going to happen and why, and if we disagree we usually find a way around it.


GRACEN: What creature/character did you have the most fun creating and why?

KARENNA: I’d say I had the most fun creating Alec in Beginner’s Luck, because he’s based on my fiance and it was interesting to see how close I came to his real personality. It was fun putting in little mannerisms and phrases that my fiance uses, too.


GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

KARENNA: I’d like to meet Boreas, the Greek god of the North Wind, who’s a character in my short story Who Can See the Wind, because he’s a god and is one of the few characters I’ve written who isn’t based on someone I know. I wouldn’t want to meet Nyssa’s boss in the same story, because he’s a predatory jerk.



BLURB:

Courtney Southard moved from a small town to the big city expecting fun and adventure, but has found neither and wants to go home. Tanner Wohl is still recovering from a broken heart and doesn’t want to open up to anyone. When an attempted mugging brings the two together, can love overcome their fear?


EXCERPT:

“Want to go wading?” he called back over his shoulder.

She gave up trying to figure out what had upset him and hurried to catch up with him. “I don’t know,” she said. “I’d feel kind of weird. It’s a kids’ wading pool.”

“Other adults are in there.” He knelt and untied his sneakers, then slipped them and his socks off and rolled up his pants. “Come on. What are you, chicken?”

“No.” She watched as he stood and took a few steps into the water. What the hell. She couldn’t just stand here. If he could do it, so could she. Even if people did give her weird looks.

Tanner apparently had no concerns about what people might think. He turned and looked at her for a moment, then waded farther into the pond. Crouching, he scooped up some water in his cupped hands, then dumped it over his own head.

Startled, Courtney broke into laughter, as did several children who played near Tanner. “Hey, dude, you’re wet!” one of the kids shouted.

“It’s a hot day.” Tanner reverted to the monotone he’d used when Courtney met him, but even with some distance between them, Courtney could see the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He’d soaked himself to entertain her, she was sure.

He walked back to her. “Figured I could use some cooling off. How about you?”

“All set, thanks,” Courtney assured him.

She spotted one of the kids sneaking up behind him, but pretended not to see. Tanner seemed unaware. The little boy, who looked about eight or nine, waited until he was so close, Tanner’s shadow fell over him, then splashed.

Tanner jumped when the water hit his back and whirled around. For a moment, Courtney thought he was angry at the boy, and from the frightened look in the boy’s eye, he thought so as well. But Tanner’s chuckles rolled over the pond, and he gently flipped a few droplets of water in the boy’s direction. “You looking for a water fight?”

“I just thought you needed to get wetter,” the boy said innocently.

With Tanner’s back to her, Courtney couldn’t resist. She crouched at the water’s edge and watched a moment to be sure he wouldn’t turn around. Then she splashed water at him.

Tanner yelped at the feeling of the water against his thighs, and the little boy cracked up. So did Courtney, almost losing her balance in the process, which would not have been good, given that she was in a short skirt. She recovered herself enough to stand again. Tanner spun around. “You—You—” he sputtered through a grin.

“Me what?” Courtney put her hands on her hips. “Got a problem?”

“Yeah. People keep getting me wet,” Tanner muttered.

He moved close enough to her that his breath touched her face. She thought he planned to splash her back and prepared herself to be soaked. Instead, without warning, he scooped her up into his arms. “Should I drop you?” he growled softly into her ear.

“N–no.” She couldn’t help being just a little frightened. He’d picked her up as easily as a child. But at the same time, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, and she couldn’t stop laughing at his reaction.

“Oh, all right,” he murmured. “But get this straight. You don’t get to make me wet. It’s supposed to be the other way around. Got it?”

A shiver of arousal ran through her at his clear meaning. “Got it.”

BUY LINK: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/karennacolcroft/

Mystic Monday

The Sex Demon

I struggled all week with what I would write today, and then last night, it hit me, the incubus.  Okay, so if I had my idea last night, why did it take me so long to post this?  Well, it was too late for my brain to think beyond the one word when the idea came to me, so I opted to sleep and chose to wake up early, so I could continue my recent trend of being awake during the day and asleep at night, when it's dark out.  As much as I love the moon, I do enjoy being awake in the house when my husband isn't home so I can be noisy.  Enough chatter though, let's get to the good stuff, the incubus.

For centuries, men and women have been suffering from strange, unexplained, sexual experiences.  Because little was known or understood about the human body, there wasn't a clear way to explain the body's spontaneous release of sexual tension.  Because sex was so taboo and in some cases considered an evil deed, the incubus and succubus evolved to explain it.  Unfortunately, they were considered demons that needed to be eradicated by whatever means necessary.

On a much sadder, and sicker note, the instances that lead to the creation of the incubus and succubus may have come from a much baser explanation - unwanted sexual intercourse, also known as rape.  Yes, it is quite possible that people attributed rape by a family member or friend while they were sleeping to demons rather than admitting the truth.  The clergy may have been behind this as well.  While this may be true, it is also true that a woman's body can have the same spontaneous sexual release that a man's body has, also called a wet dream or spontaneous orgasm.

There's just one other problem here, there's still no reasonable understanding of why these nocturnal emissions occur, so the existence of the the incubus and succubus remain as popular an explanation as ever.  In fact, we wouldn't have the movie, The Entity without this belief, a movie supposedly based on a true account of a woman's experiences with an unknown demonic entity.  Yes, some of the experiences were sexual, but not all of them were, according to accounts anyway.

Why do we experience these nocturnal emissions?  Where do they come from?  Are they a result of sexual repression or is it more than that?  Do our bodies long for the touch of another so much that it is willing to fabricate the feeling during the midnight hour or are we really feeling a paranormal being such as an incubus or succubus? 

What's your theory? 

SUPERNATURAL SUNDAY

Please help me welcome Jane Toombs into the moonlight today! Jane’s newest book, Null and Void, was released by Red Rose Publishing on January 21st. To learn more about Jane visit her website: http://www.janetoombs.com/

~~~~~

GRACEN: Thanks for joining us, Jane. It’s a pleasure and an honor to have you in the Moonlight. Now, on to the interview…Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Why or why not? If so, please share one or more of them with us!

JANE: Some years I do, some not. This year I did make one concerning my writing. I resolved to finish everything I’ve started. Which will amount to about five years of work, if I keep it. Of course if the doomsayers are right about 2012 I won't have to worry about ever getting done. But I'm an optimist, so figure I'll still be plodding along in 2013...


GRACEN: Now that the busy holiday time is over, what do you do to recharge?

JANE: The older you get the less you have to do during the holiday season. Why? For one thing. younger relatives invite you to celebrate Christmas with them instead of the other way around. These holidays happen to include my birthday. Since we were more or less snowed in on that day, I called an old friend of both of us who lived nearby to join us for home-cooked chicken enchiladas and apple crumb pie, which made it a birthday celebration But recharge? What’s that? If I get a good night‘s sleep, I‘m always charged.


GRACEN: Do you have any holiday memories from 2009 that you would like to share with us?

JANE: All my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren live much too far away to visit during the winter. So do the Viking’s. But we enjoyed Christmas Eve with my oldest niece and her family and Christmas Day with the Viking’s sister-in-law (His favorite brother died two years ago) and their family. Since both live in our tiny village, this made it easy to get to , and we were able to be with relatives.


GRACEN: What area of the country/world are you from? What are the average temperatures where you are? What type of clothing would most residents be wearing today? What tips do you have for people to “survive” the weather where you are?

JANE: We live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the south shore of Lake Superior. Literally. From my writing room window I can see the lake , the water now way out because of the ice that’s formed near shore. I also can see a couple of ice volcano’s that spout water instead of lava--quite dramatic. In the winter we often get snowed in , sometimes with temperatures below zero. The spring is usually cool, but very welcome. Summers are delightful, in the seventies and eighties . Falls are gorgeous because of the changing leaves and we often have an Indian Summer then. We no longer participate in winter sports, but we did when younger--ice-skating, skiing, snow machines, snow-shoeing--also sledding when we were kids.


GRACEN: Do you have any favorite outside hobbies? Can you perform any of these hobbies right now? If not, why not, and is weather a factor?

JANE: I garden a bit in the summer--you ought to see my healthy rhubarb plants. But, of course, winter prevents anything like that. I’d hardly call snow-shoveling or building fires in the fireplace “hobbies” for the Viking, but he does seem to enjoy the latter. Spring, summer and fall, we walk. The Township Park is right up the road from us about a half-mile, with benches to sit on along the way. In the winter I use the exercise machine.


GRACEN: Do you prefer your hot tub inside the house or outside the house? Why?

JANE: We don’t own one. But I do use a removable bubbler called a bath spa
in the bathtub. When I lived in San Diego we did have an outside hot tub on the deck outside the bedroom. I never used it, though I did use the swimming pool out back. And worried every time we had an earthquake (at least one minor one a year) in case it cracked the pool.


GRACEN: If you could be any character/creature, who/what would it be and why?

JANE: I think I’d like to be a were-cat--cougar, preferably. I love cats. They’re so gracefully lethal. I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to actually be one.


GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing, Jane…Why the erotic paranormal romance genre? What was the draw for you?

JANE: Since I don’t write or read erotica, obviously it doesn’t interest me. Not because I‘m a prude--I can write a sex scene as well as anyone. But I admit that becoming an RN somehow totally turned me off from all the slang names for body parts. Another reason maybe that I‘m an old bat now. When I was younger I always preferred actually living the sex in person rather than virtually. But I find it’s still now, even though we’re golden oldies. If I’m reading a book with a lot of sex scenes, I start skipping them to find out what happens next. Because that’s why I read--to find out where the story’s going. And too many sex scenes actually spoil it for me. I want more plot, not more sex, because I already know about sex. But I certainly have nothing against authors who write that way--they‘re some of my best friends. Or readers who prefer lots of sex--I have friends there, too. If an author writes gripping stories otherwise, I do read them, but I admit I skip.


GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words like hot, sexy, etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

JANE: Mysterious, at times spooky, if I’m writing gothics or paranormal. Otherwise, even in a sweet romance, I do like to create high tension.

My aim is to make a reader eager to know what happens next.


GRACEN: Do the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode and what have you found that seems to help?

JANE: When I still had kids at home, yes, I did take time off from writing during the holiday season, but now they’ve scattered to the four winds and, though I do take writing time off then, it’s not as much. It’s never been difficult for me to get back into writing. Maybe the first paragraph or two comes slowly and painfully, but then I’m into the story again. But, yes, I do have to force myself through those first few paragraphs


GRACEN: Do you prefer hot chocolate with marshmallows or a hot toddy? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

JANE: I love hot chocolate, but don’t care for marshmallows--too sweet. I have one vodka tonic mixed with cranberry juice, plus a twist of lime during our happy hour which lasts from five to six. I never have been a fan of hot alcoholic drinks. So we’re certainly moderate drinkers. Still, I have no trouble writing about alcoholics or substance abusers. Working as an RN much of my life, I’ve seen it all.


GRACEN: Who decides what characters/creatures you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

JANE: Since my characters pop into my head as soon as I start planning a story, I assume my muse delivers them full grown. But once alive, they pretty much flow with the story. I’ve learned to know when I’m trying to force a character into an action because the flow stops. I no longer try to go on when that happens, because I’ve learned that means rewriting later. I just stop writing for awhile until I realize what the character would do instead.


GRACEN: What creature/character did you have the most fun creating and why?

JANE: The Volek twins in the first book of the Moonrunner Trilogy, where one suspects the other of being a shapeshiifter, not knowing until too late that he’s wrong- because HE is the shifter. In this trilogy it’s no fun being a shifter, because when back in human form you have no knowledge of what happened when you were in beast form.


GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

JANE: Since my vampires are always villains, I certainly wouldn’t want to meet any of them. And though I love shapeshifters, I don’t think in real life I’d care to meet any of them, either. Maybe the djinn who was the hero of The Turquoise Talisman. He was one neat guy.





NULL AND VOID, the first book in the new SHADOWED HEARTS gothic series from Red Rose Publishing, comes out in January.

BLURB: Two ten-year-old girls, Mandy and Air vanish from the grounds of Null House one evening. The next day one is found so traumatized she can’t remember what happened and doesn’t even know her name. A barrette in her hair identifies her as Ari. Her Uncle and Aunt take her to live in another state, but her memory never returns. Twenty years later , she‘s invited back to Null House, but is afraid to go. The child‘s voice that whispers in her mind, though tells her she mist. Because “It‘s time…”

EXCERPT:

"Home. I'm going home." Ari London said the words aloud as she drove along the narrow black-topped county road on a cool June day. Yet it wasn't the truth. Null House had never been her home, not exactly. Still, she'd lived in Michigan's Upper Peninsula until--the bad time. Until whatever it was had happened. The first ten years of her life were closed off to her, inaccessible. Uncle Matt had told her what he knew about those years, but it wasn't much. She really didn't want to come back here. Maybe she wouldn't have if the child's voice hadn't whispered in her head so insistently the past few nights.

Time to go back. You need to go back. Now.

Ari's chest grew heavy. What could Henrietta LaBranche want from her after all this time? Mandy, Henrietta's granddaughter, had been dead for twenty years. True, Ari and Mandy were supposed to have been together when Mandy was killed. But surely Mrs. LaBranche knew Ari had no memory of the terrifying experience that had shut down her mind and wiped out the first ten years of her life.

She took a deep breath as she turned her beloved old Beemer off the county road and into a narrow drive between huge trees that looked to be virgin pine and hemlock. Glancing at the June sunlight slanting through their branches, words popped into her head. Harpers hoar. She frowned. Forest primeval? Longfellow?

A sudden clear vision came without warning. She remembered being in fifth grade, of Ms. Gorney reading his poem to the class and her romantic idea of Null House's big trees as giant harpers using their branches as strings to play wind melodies. She waited for more memories to flood in, but that was all. Everything else about that time was still locked inside the dark closet of those missing years.

Obviously coming here, though, and seeing the old trees was the reason the harper memory had returned. Was it possible being at Null House might unlock that closed door and give her back more of those lost ten years? Ari swallowed to relieve a throat gone dry with apprehension. Uncle Matt had told her no one knew what had happened to her and Mandy. Did she really want to find out?

She swung around a final curve in the long drive and Null House loomed before her--three stories of Victorian extravaganza wrapped in what looked to be worn cedar siding. Balconies thrust out here and there, along with two cupolas at the top. She recognized the place from photographs Uncle Matt had shown her, sent to him by her mother before what Ari always thought of as the bad time.

Nothing about the house seemed familiar to her, even though Uncle Matt had said she'd spent much of her time here with Mandy because Ari's mother had been Mrs. LaBranche's cook.

She sighed, sad that she had no memory of her widowed mother, who'd died of a heart attack shortly after hearing Ari had been found alive. Uncle Matt, her mother's brother, had come to the hospital and taken her to live with him and Aunt Connie in Illinois. He'd shown her photos of her mother with Henrietta LaBranche, but if he hadn't pointed out her mother, Ari wouldn't have known which was which.

What did Mrs. LaBranche want from her? What did she expect? The letter inviting her to stay at Null House had said only that something had come up she hoped Ari could help her with. What?

She parked the car in the circular drive. Before she climbed the wide curving steps to the open porch, she muttered, "I'm here, for better or worse. I hope you're satisfied." Shaking her head at the folly of speaking to the disembodied child's voice that sometimes whispered to her at night, she mounted the steps to the massive front door. No doorbell. She grabbed the bronze knocker, belatedly noticing, half hidden in the twining metal leaves, a satyr face with mocking eyes. Grimacing, she let the knocker drop against the plate. The door opened.

Ari blinked at the man who opened it, only now realizing she'd expected him to be an old man, dressed somberly in black. Expected him to be Arthur, the LaBranche houseman, who always greeted her with a welcoming smile. Another bit from her childhood had surfaced, unsettling her.

While the dark-haired young man did wear black jeans and T-shirt, his unsmiling gray eyes were cold as November rain as he blocked her way in.

“You shouldn’t have come,” he said.

~~~~~



What's going on with Janet Lane Walters (Dame Amber)? Pop over to Jewels Of The Quill http://www.jewelsofthequill.com/ where we have a monthly newsletter and prizes galore!

My website: http://www.janetoombs.com/

2010 January releases:
Nightingale Man from Champagne Books
Null and Void from Red Rose Publishing's new Shadowed Hearts Gothic Series

Starlight Saturday

Weekly Book Review

PHANTASM FRIDAY

PIRATES

I'm not talking about the "Arrgh" type of pirates, with the eyepatch, or even the swash-buckling Johnny Depp type of pirate, but rather Book Pirates. Yesterday I learned my e-book, Elfin Blood, had been uploaded to a pirate site. Do the copyright laws not matter to anyone anymore? Does a sense of justice and morality even exist these days? Us writers work hard pouring our souls and lots of time into our books only to have them stolen and passed around for free by folks who think the law doesn’t apply to them, or by folks who just don’t give a damn about others, or the law, or how stealing someone’s creation makes them feel naked and violated. I can’t decide which of these apply, maybe all, either way it ticks me off!

Grrrrrr….

I did a search on pirates and as an argument FOR piracy one person wrote that they’d purchased the book, therefore it was theirs to do with as they pleased and it was no different than sharing their print book with a friend. My response….@#$%&!...with a little bit of kicking mental furniture around. That’s plain and simple BS! A print book would be passed around to maybe a handful of pals, but uploading an e-book to the net is sharing it with the entire freaking world! I’m not condoning the passing of print books, but how can this so-called logic be justified? In my mind, it’s like comparing apples to oranges. It just doesn’t compute. A handful of friends or the entire world? Which would you prefer? I mean hello pirates just because you can do it, doesn't mean it's legal. It's no more legal than keeping money that was accidently deposited into your checking account. With this attitude no wonder some print authors refuse to allow their books to be published as e-books.

To all of you that think you have the right to upload an e-book after you purchase it, check out the first page or two of that book. I bet on one of those first few pages, they all say something like what is on page 2 of Elfin Blood:

“This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any existing means without written permission from the publisher.”

Clearly uploading a book to a pirate site is copyright infringement. That means it is against the law and those guilty of the crime can face legal punishment! That means the owners of the site and the uploader are both guilty of the crime.

What's frustrating for me, if someone stole an artist's artwork, the law would be gunning for the thief. But pirate an e-book and even many in the industry shrug and say, 'That's just a necessary evil of this industry.' *SCREAMS* That doesn't make it okay, that doesn't mean something shouldn't be done about it and that is not an attitude I can embrace.

So, my wish for you pirate sites and all you immoral uploaders…I hope you pour your heart and soul into something, I hope you spend hours creating something…and then I hope it is stolen from you and passed around for free just as you have done to others, so that you can experience the horror of that violation too. I hope you learn that karma is a bitch and justice does eventually come to pass.

And with that, I’ll shut up…for now. Have a good weekend everyone.

TWILIGHT THURSDAY

Please help me welcome Keta Diablo into the moonlight today! Keta’s most recent release is Sin Eater's Prince and was released by Ravenous Romance. Keta is multi-published and has joined us here in the Moonlight more than once. To read her other interviews and learn more about her books, click on the following links:

April 14, 2009 Interview:
http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009_04_12_archive.html

April 21, 2009 Interview: http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009/04/please-welcome-authorketa-diablo_21.html

April 23, 2009 Interview: http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009/04/please-welcome-authorketa-diablo_23.html

October 1, 2009 Interview: http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009/10/keta-mixes-up-some-mayhem-with.html

My review of Keta’s book, Carnal Cravings: http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009/07/review-of-carnal-cravings-by-keta.html

My review of Keta’s book, Decadent Deceptions:
http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009/04/review-of-decadent-deceptions-by-keta.html


~~~~~

GRACEN: Now, let’s get to the juicy stuff…Keta, do you make resolutions for the New Year? Why or why not? If so, please share one or more of them with us!

KETA: Hi Gracen and girls! Yes, I did make a New Year’s resolution this year and it has to do with reading of all things. I’ve promised to read at least two chapters every night from the huge TBR pile sitting in my bedroom.


GRACEN: Now that the busy holiday time is over, what do you do to recharge?

KETA: I just went away for three days to a local hotel, very nice with every accommodation you can think of, Jacuzzi, latte coffee shop, in-room Internet, quiet hallways (lol) and I spent the three days reading, eating and sleeping and writing. What more could I ask for?


GRACEN: Do you have any holiday memories from 2009 that you would like to share with us?

KETA: Every holiday is special to me providing my kids all show up. We eat, laugh, play board games and sometimes Texas Hold-em!


GRACEN: What area of the country/world are you from? What are the average temperatures where you are? What type of clothing would most residents be wearing today? What tips do you have for people to “survive” the weather where you are?

KETA: This is a great question. I’m from the Midwest – the COLD part of the country. This winter has been icy once again with 22 below wind chill. When I must go out I look like a penguin with layers of clothing and only my eyes are showing. Picture it. We survive by buying a ton of groceries all at one time (so we don’t have to go out) rent hundreds of movies, and hunker down in bunkers until April. Actually, I’m rather fond of this type of life.


GRACEN: Do you have any favorite outside hobbies? Can you perform any of these hobbies right now? If not, why not, and is weather a factor?

KETA: I love gardening so living in the Midwest takes that enjoyment away for six months of the year. You learn to really appreciate the color of flowers by the time spring finally arrives.


GRACEN: Do you prefer your hot tub inside the house or outside the house? Why?

KETA: See number 2 above. I’m strictly a hotel junkie when it comes to Jacuzzis.


GRACEN: If you could be any character/creature, who/what would it be and why?

KETA: A time-traveler. This is an easy decision for me because I adore history. My only regret – I only get to read about it, not experience it in person. Oh, all my dreams would be answered if I could travel backward or forward in time.


GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing. Why the erotic romance and gay fiction genres? What was the draw for you?

KETA: I think many writers write what they enjoy reading. That’s one way they learn how to write the genre and learn about the trends in the market. That’s not to say that authors should switch genres every time a new trend comes out, but it seems like many have in the past.

I like writing gay fiction because I’m very intrigued by the male body, their muscles, texture of skin and movement. It’s so very different than ours. It intrigues me to read about two men making love and imagining what it MUST be like for them. Alas, I will never know.


GRACEN: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words like hot, sexy, etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

KETA: Bold and audacious. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been accused of being “politically incorrect” in my writing. I write characters as I see them in my mind, including all their warts and flaws. This doesn’t always sit well with readers because I think some live vicariously through the character and like to imagine them as perfect. I don’t write perfect characters because I don’t think that would be true to real life. Sorry to those I have disappointed.


GRACEN: Do the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode and what have you found that seems to help?

KETA: Major. But I think one of the signs of a “balanced” writer is to be able to accept that she/he is not just a writer, but also a mother, an aunt, a friend a companion or whatever. People need us just like we need them, and you can’t become so obsessed about your writing that you don’t take time to smell the roses. Keta repeats this phrase at least ten times every day.


GRACEN: Do you prefer hot chocolate with marshmallows or a hot toddy? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

KETA: I don’t drink either. I know, I’m boring. I have nothing against alcohol or those who drink it. I’ve never acquired a taste for it. Now, if someone took away my iced tea or my coffee, you’d see the Scotch-Irish in me come out. It could get ugly.


GRACEN: Who decides what characters/creatures you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

KETA: I decide what I’m going to write about and imagine the characters in my mind. Every now and then something pulls me in another direction when I’m writing, something unexpected. If you want to call that my muse, I suppose we could, but I don’t think I have a “real muse”. One time I was going to kill off a main character and when it came to time to do it, my fingers froze . . . literally. I don’t know who made that decision, but the character went on to appear in the next book. I guess he felt he had more to say.


GRACEN: What creature/character did you have the most fun creating and why?

KETA: Most definitely the main characters in my most recent book, The Sin Eater’s Prince. The concept fascinates me. A sin eater, which was a viable profession (although not much admired) back in Wales, England and Ireland meets the vampire (a good vampire) and the relationship between the two men still baffles me. How does a sin eater, a man considered most unholy by his neighbors, and a vampire find enduring love? Guess you’ll have to read the book . . . hint . . . hint.


GRACEN: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

KETA: I would love to meet Morgan from Decadent Deceptions, another fascinating character. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him except Olivia, the heroine. He’s dark, dangerous and I suppose some would say rude at times, but never with his woman.




Decadent Deceptions, Noble Romance, http://www.nobleromance.com/

About the book:

A 2008 Molly Contest Finalist – Erotica category

Daring and desperate to win Morgan’s love, Olivia Breedlove embarks on a reckless folly. But everything backfires when Morgan remains one step ahead of her and the game ventures down a path of duplicity and murder.

A decade ago, Morgan was a heartbeat away from taking Olivia’s virginity. Her father, Thaddeus, intervened and threatened to meet him over pistols if he so much as looked at his daughter again. But now, Thaddeus is dead and Morgan has no intention of ignoring the ravenous hunger he’s harbored for the blasted woman for ten years.

One way or the other, he will quench this burning desire and make her his forever.

Special Content Alert: Voyuerism

For your convenience, once again, here's the link to my review of Decadent Deceptions:
http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009/04/review-of-decadent-deceptions-by-keta.html

~~~~~



The Sin Eater's Prince, Keta Diablo
Ravenous Romance, http://www.ravenousromance.com/
Male/Male/Vampire set in historical Wales


About The Sin Eater's Prince:

Owen Rhys, the sin eater of his village in Wales, has been shunned by the local villagers his entire life--except by Andras Maddock, the local physician. In love with the one man he thinks will never return that love, Owen is shocked when Andras saves him from death at the hands of a vampire and admits he cares deeply for Owen.

Dagan, son of Traherne, the vampire Andras killed to save Owen, will stop at nothing to avenge his father’s death and obtain the Prince of Wales’s mystic sword from Andras. The divine claymore holds the power to grant immunity from the sun’s harsh rays—the one exemption the dark Lords of the Underworld has sought for centuries.

Star-crossed love, sorcery, and bloodlust collide on a vengeful path where only one side can remain victorious. Revenge and redemption. Dark versus light. Good versus evil. The Sin Eater’s Prince

Video Trailer Embed Code:



Video trailer url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h46kQK9a6k


Excerpt from The Sin Eater's Prince:


Setup: Owen pages through one of his tad's (father's) history books to learn about vampires.

Excerpt:
An innate sense of curiosity drew Owen to the hearth, and specifically to the nearby wooden crate. Shortly after his father passed, he’d relegated the man’s meager possessions and his collection of cherished books to the trunk and hadn’t looked at the contents since. If memory served him, he’d find not only several volumes on Welsh history, but another on legend and lore of Wales.


Removing the lid from the crate, he sorted through the books until he found what he searched for, Demons and Other Mystical Creatures of Wales. Thumbing through the pages quickly, he found the chapter entitled Lords of the Underworld: Vampyres.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and scanned the page, his eyes settling on a passage in the middle: The vampyre is the most dreaded and feared creature of the supernatural world. He’s not only obtained immortality, but has the ability to alter his appearance, fly through the night sky, and traverse the ground under the guise of the wolf or a wisp of smoke. After seducing his victims through hypnotic measures or mind control, the vampyre will drain them of their blood thereby bolstering his strength and power. A vampyre might possess beauty beyond one’s imagination or be hideously marked.

Owen’s heart launched into a triple beat and a fine bead of sweat broke out on his forehead. The mouth is thought to be the way the soul leaves the body, and also the way evil spirits are allowed to enter. If one has slain a vampyre in Wales, it is advised the mouth be stuffed with a consecrated object or stitched shut and sprinkled with holy water.

Owen turned the page with an acute sense of trepidation and read his third and final passage: Spiritual vampyres draw the life energy from their victims and at times, their very souls. This species of vampyre does not merely feed on blood but the victim’s essence in order to survive.

He slammed the book shut, tossed it back into the crate and replaced the lid. Then he rose and paced the cottage, the words from the tome tumbling through his head. He didn’t need to read the passages to know Maddock was a vampire; the man had admitted it. What he wouldn’t give to have known Andras before he arrived in Pembrokeshire. Had he always possessed such unearthly beauty or had he accrued it since Traherne turned him?

And what species of long tooth was Traherne? Had he not only fed on Andras’s blood, but sucked the very soul from the man? Andras, soulless? Nay, it could not be. He’d witnessed innumerable acts of compassion from the man while ministering to the sick, watched his eyes flood with empathy when they passed into the other world.

His intestines wound into a reef knot. Had Maddock played him false with his words of coveting him from afar and holding a place for him in his heart? Were those the words of a demon possessed of hypnotic capabilities or the words of a man who cared deeply?

The questions festered and churned until Owen knew only one thing: Maddock was a very dark and very beautiful vampire.

~~~~~

Find Keta here on the Internet:

Author Home: http://ketadiablo.blogspot.com/
Keta’s Haunt: http://www.ketadiablo.com/
Keta’s Keep: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com/
Gay Fiction Blog: http://thestuffofmythandmen.blogspot.com/
Keta on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ketadiablo

Wistful Wednesday

Thinking About The Future

As I sit here trying to compose my thoughts into some semblance of sense, I am distracted by thoughts about the future. A future with a new senator who could possibly change the whole political landscape with his vote. A future where traveling by plane means wondering if the person next to me is wearing a bomb in his underwear. A future where nothing is quite certain and it's hard to plan for anything because it can all change in an instant.

These are just some of the things that concern me this morning. So what do I do about it? What I always do - write. Whenever I feel troubled by something, I write and once I get the words on paper, the fear is somewhat lessened. In light of what I've already written here today, it might surprise you that these are not the things that I'm most concerned about right now. No, there are things that concern me even more that I need to write about to lessen the sting of fear.

One is about my sister, who suffers from Crohn's Disease. In the last few years, she has broken her left left leg three times, the last time while it was still in the cast from the second break. On New Year's Eve, she fell again and broke the right leg - a corkscrew break, which is worse than when she broke the other one in three places. During this time, she has also broken a finger - just by opening a cabinet door. Recently, she went for a bone density test and they discovered an issue with her right hip. She goes in for more testing on it tomorrow. We are all concerned about what this means. What if it is osteoporosis? She can't even absorb the medicine for her Crohn's, so how could she absorb it for osteoporosis?

The other thing that really concerns me right now is the ongoing health issues of my younger daughter. Last summer, it was discovered that her spine was literally curving into her right shoulder - like train tracks that were re-routed around a land mass - and that she would need surgery to correct it. But she had issues with her teeth that had to be dealt with first that could be a threat to the surgery(the infection in her gums could be disastrous to her spine once the rods are put in). Those issues were finally cleared up last Thursday and she got the go-ahead from her dentist; she is now healthy enough, orally, for the surgery. So Monday, we go in for a consultation with the doctor before we schedule the surgery.

As you might have guessed, these two things have made me crazy with worry and that is why I decided that it was time to write them out. I needed to take the sting out of the fear. I needed to take the power back so the fear and the worry couldn't hurt me any longer. I guess I am just the type of person who needs to confront things head-on. I would rather know than not know because you can do more with knowledge than mere speculation. And herein lies the power of words. Just by writing them down, they can put things into perspective, release tension and replace it with hope.

My hope today is that all of you who read this will take it to heart by giving your sibling or parent a call and tell them that you were just thinking about them, or give your child a big hug and let them know how much you love them. Don't waste the opportunity to let the people in your life know how you feel about them. You never know what could happen to them. Eight years ago, my sister didn't have Crohn's, I didn't have Multiple Sclerosis, and my daughter didn't need surgery. Think of the future and what it would be like if you didn't take every opportunity you could to tell them you love them before they're not there anymore - before you're not there anymore. I know I would hate it if the legacy I left for my children was that I didn't tell them enough, or show them enough, how I feel about them.

Okay, that's the end of my little rant today. Thanks for bearing with me.

TANTALIZING TUESDAY

PHYLLIS CAMPBELL'S HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO

Coming Out Of The Closet…sort of…


No, I’m not making a big announcement. heehee Instead, I want to tell you about a project I started thinking about two nights ago. One of my published books, Holding Out For A Hero, will be out of print at the end of February. This is one of my favorite stories, and I’m sad to see it unavailable after four years. But all good things must come to an end. Right? WRONG! Not if I have anything to do with it.

So here is my wild-hair brain idea. I thought about turning my historical western into a contemporary western. In other words, I’m bringing my contemporary muse out of the closet. It’s been a while since I’ve written a contemporary story since I’ve been focusing my voice on historicals. Yet for some reason, I can’t let this idea rest. I realize the hard work it’s going to take practically rewriting this fun story…but I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to the challenge. Yeah, go figure, huh?

When I first wrote Holding Out For A Hero, I wanted it to be an inspirational romance, but after the first few rejections from Christian publishers, I added more steam to the story and sold it that way. It was my first historical romantic comedy. I received wonderful reviews, too. The book was publisher’s best seller for three months in a row!

So tell me… Do you think I’m crazy to want to do this? Do you think I should just let it go and be glad it was published and did so well? As a reader, do you like to read other genres from authors? If you have read some of my historicals and liked them, would you be tempted to buy my contemporaries as well?

Because my story is still available until February 28th, 2010, I’m going to tempt you historical lovers to want to buy my book with a little excerpt. (grins)

Watch the cute book trailer – http://www.blazingtrailers.com/show.php?title=304

5-Roses! Ms. Campbell has written an exciting western that will have you rapidly turning the pages for the shocking climax. This book will have you laughing out loud with Summer’s antics. She is feisty to the core. Her and Jesse’s banter brings humor one minute and the next minute you want to cry because the book is so emotional. I love this kind of story that takes you on an emotional roller coaster. And you feel a part of the Wild West, filled with bank robbers, Texas Rangers and life on the western frontier. This book will have western lovers like me clamoring for more stories to come and waiting for your perfect hero. ~~ My Book Cravings / Sherry

**excerpt**

The cloud of darkness parted in Summer’s mind, opening a small light of awareness. Every muscle in her body screamed in pain, and she clenched her jaw. But protective arms surrounded her, and the swaying motion let her know she was on a horse, curled against a firm body. The man’s musky scent enveloped her. Comforted her.

As the fog lifted, she shifted closer, her hand resting on a solid chest. Gentle fingers stroked down the side of her cheek and she nuzzled closer. A sharp pain shot through her head, throbbing with every beat of her heart.

She groaned and forced her eyes open, squinting against the sun. The full brightness of a Texas autumn afternoon flowed around her. Her head pounded, but she struggled against the soreness and the fog in her brain. Suddenly, her memory came rushing back. The stagecoach, the bandits, and especially the archangel of mercy who had come to her rescue.

The Ranger must be the one holding me. She let her body relax against the contours of his hard muscled body. Not too often did she like being protected and cared for by a strong, virile man, but at the moment she was reluctant to break the spell.

She dared a peek at his face. His deep blue eyes grabbed her attention. Kind eyes. Sunlight glinted off the golden tones of his light brown hair, his thick mustache, and long sideburns. He must have sensed her watching, for his square jaw changed shape and a soft smile bracketed his mouth.

Handsome.

Yes, very handsome. She couldn’t have dreamed a better vision of a hero, and dream it must be because things this good just didn’t happen to Summer Bennett. Safety and security spread over her like a warm blanket and she melted against him, closing her eyes while his long fingers continued their tender exploration. It was the first time in her life she had allowed a man to touch her like that--a soft stroke, a gentle caress--and the first time she had ever really relaxed in a man’s presence.

She sighed. Wonderful.

“How do you feel, Summer?”

The soft baritone voice rumbling in his chest seemed oddly familiar. Summer frowned and took a second peek at his hair, his mustache, that incredible mouth. He gave her a full smile. Awareness tugged at her memory and a large knot formed in the pit of her stomach. When recognition came, it struck like a thick piece of wood right between her eyes and ripped through every nerve in her body like venom from a rattlesnake bite.

She jerked, moving off the comfortable nest she had made of his chest. “Jesse Slade?”

A crafty smile claimed his face. “The one and only, darlin’.”

She widened her eyes. “Darlin’? I’m not now, nor will I ever be your darling, Jesse Slade.” She couldn’t believe her rotten luck. Her temper snapped, and she fought to move from his grasp. She batted his hands away. “Get your hands off me.”

“Be still Summer or--”

“Let me go,” she demanded.

“Tarnation, Summer.” His hands moved to her waist. “You’re as slippery as a wet weasel.”

“Quit touching me and put me down.”

Although he held onto her, she managed to slither from the horse.

“Of all the confounded-stupid-female stunts.” He pulled to a halt and dismounted.

The moment her feet touched the ground, dizziness overtook her and she plopped down on her bottom. When Jesse reached for her, she slapped at his hands.

She glanced up at him from her undignified position and clenched her teeth. “You. Of all people, it had to be you.” Holding onto a stirrup, she pulled herself to her feet and gazed into the heavens. “Why Lord? Why me?”

“There’s no need to get your feathers ruffled,” he snipped, looking at the blood oozing from her shoulder wound. “Look what you’ve done. You’re bleedin’ again.”

She glanced at her shoulder. It was worse than she thought, but she’d die before admitting it to him. She was not riding into town perched on Jesse’s lap for everyone to see.

“It’s just a scratch.” She lifted her skirts, grabbed an edge of her petticoat and ripped off a piece. It was bad enough that he had to rescue her, but why in heaven’s name did he have to look so gol-darned handsome? This certainly wasn’t the skinny, ill-tempered Jesse Slade she remembered. Well, the ill-tempered part still fit.

Jesse stood by the horse, arms folded across his chest as he tapped his foot. She brought up the strip of fabric between her free hand and chin and awkwardly fashioned it around her shoulder. Her head pounded worse than ever. She kept on, but the makeshift bandage tore apart. Out the corner of her eye, a self-assured grin stretched across his mouth.

“Oohh.” She stomped her foot, causing another throbbing burst of pain in her head.

“Would you like some help?” Jesse offered with a self-assured grin she’d liked to slap right off his face. She knew the man enjoyed every second of her struggle, but she just couldn’t ask this arrogant no-good for help.

“Course, I’d have to touch you,” he needled.

She tossed him a murderous glare, but he ignored her. She tore off another strip of petticoat and began again, but fared no better.

“Summer, if you’d just use your head for once, you’d admit you need help.”

She scowled and tried to think of another solution, but nothing came to mind. It galled her, but plain and simple, he was right. She couldn’t bandage her shoulder by herself. Letting out a sigh, she nodded.

Jesse took the flimsy strip of fabric and covered the wound while she stood stiff as a board. The enticing scent of cedar and leather emanated from his body and stirred flutters in her stomach. The gentle touch of his hands as he bandaged her shoulder sent warm tingles over her skin. Her chest constricted, making it difficult to breathe. When he stepped away, the feeling disappeared and she wanted to sigh with relief, but she didn’t for fear he’d hear.

He smiled. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

She inhaled deeply and gave him an indignant look. “Maybe not for you.”

“I was just trying to help.”

“After making my life miserable all these years, why do you want to help me now?”

A mocking grin touched his lips. “Well now, I couldn’t just let you bleed to death, could I?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve grown a conscience?” She brushed the dirt off her skirt.

His eyes twinkled. “Actually, I promised Violet I’d find you. When the stagecoach was late, we knew somethin’ was wrong. After all, I had to rescue my future sister-in-law from harm.”

Summer sucked in her breath. Oh! If not for her injured arm, she’d have socked the rotten polecat in the nose. “Well, you’ve found me, so go back and tell my sister I’m fine.”

His smile faded. “You’re not fine.”

“I’m fine enough. Waco isn’t that far. I’ll walk the rest of the way. I’ll not let the whole town think I’ve been rescued by the great Jesse Slade.”

Another wicked smile tugged at his lips. “But I did rescue you, Summer.”

She propped her hands on her hips. “You most certainly did not. You um…you just happened to arrive the exact moment I lost consciousness.”

He sighed and tipped his hat back from his forehead. “Actually, the bullets from my gun dismounted three of the bandits.”

She scowled. “I had things under control. Besides, I’m very capable of walking to town on my own now.” She took several steps forward and dizziness blurred her vision. She swayed, and tilted toward the ground. Two strong arms grabbed her by the waist and pulled her upright.

“You bullheaded little twit. That does it.” He picked her up and carried her to the horse, then let her feet drop to the ground and held her by her uninjured shoulder. “You ain’t walkin’.”

She slapped at his hand. “I’m not going into town with you.”

“You’re as ornery as an old mule.” He paused, his heated gaze boring into hers. She liked neither the look, nor the silence. “You listen to me, Miss Persnickety. I don’t care what you like or don’t like, I’m takin’ you to town.”

“I--don’t--like.” She grinded her teeth with each word.

“To--damn--bad.” He mocked her. “You have two choices. You can get on that horse willin’ly, or I’ll hog-tie you and put you there myself.”

Her mouth dropped open and her mind scrambled frantically for several seconds.

He produced a cocky grin. “Time’s up.”


Paperback –
http://www.amazon.com/Holding-Out-Hero-Phyllis-Campbell/dp/1897261357/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216093710&sr=1-1

Ebook - http://www.champagnebooks.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=84

Mystic Monday

Editing and Voice

I was all set to write about something else today, but an email that I stumbled upon last night made me change my topic.

To say that the email was a surprise was an understatement. Yes, when you are part of an author blog, interview and write reviews for authors that you connect with them. When you contact an author to mention some errors you've found, and that author asks you to be more specific, that's really super cool, but when an author wants your opinion on her next WIP, that's something more. This is a whole new level for me, that an author would respect my opinion enough to seek my advice.

Yep, that was the email I received last night. An author contacted me because she wanted to know what I thought of some new proposed edits for the second book dealing with a specific character. I read the previous book about this character and really liked the book and the character.

What was this author's dilemma?

Well, she has a different editor and she felt that the new edits were awful. However, she wanted to be sure that her feelings weren't biased (at least that's my take on it, or she wouldn't have asked me) and wanted to get an outside opinion.

So, I read an excerpt of her original story and compared it with the edited version of the same section. It was an "author vs. editor" problem.

So, which side did I fall on?

I did take the writer's side in this, but not because I am a writer, but because it was the right side to be on, for the sake of the character.

Let me elaborate: Yes, I've read about this character before, but it had been awhile, so I couldn't remember every little nuance when I started reading. I was glad that the author's original version was first because it helped me to reconnect with the character that I really liked and appreciated. This connection is important because it helped me to make an unbiased decision.

In my opinion, the person who edited the piece isn't necessarily a bad editor, just someone who didn't know the character. The changes to the character's thoughts made it seem like the character was possessed or something. It was a total 180 spin in personality.

But that wasn't all. The personality of the character wasn't the only thing lost, the author's voice was too. That was what was most disturbing to me. The editing that took place wasn't to fix word choices and stuff like that, but it changed the perspective to someone else's or what someone else thought it should be.

It's one thing to contact an author and say, "It would be (have been) really cool if this (had) happened to that character (or set of characters)!" I know, I've done that, but it was usually saying that I would have liked to see the secondary couple in a story have a book of their own. But it's a completely different animal to go to an author and say, "I didn't like what you did, it should have happened this way."

To me, that's what this editor did to this author when they edited the book the way they did. They didn't take the time to get to know the characters, the author's voice or the product in their hands before taking a red pen to it, they just wanted to say what they thought was wrong.

Is there more than one way to say a sentence? Sure, but not from the same person/writer/author. From my experience, people are fairly consistent in how they speak (with or without an accent), talk (eloquently or street slang), act and think. [Yes, I know that speak and talk can be the same category, but I classify it differently because one is something they can't control (dialects, stutter, accents, etc. - for the most part, but anyone who knows their stuff can spot a fake) and ones that they can control (how eloquently they do or don't speak - this can be a conscious choice. The most educated person can still use poor English when alone or with closest friends).] So, a character isn't going to change much from one book to the next, especially when there hasn't been that much time elapsing.

In the technical editing courses I took, the first thing we learn is the importance of editing a piece without altering the author's voice because when all is said and done, the document needs to reflect the author's voice and not the editor, unless of course you are contracted to "ghost write," compose, or completely revamp the document. My philosophy as an editor is to make sure things are working, that the words are flowing, and that they are the correct words for the situation. However, if I find mistakes, I don't change them, I suggest and offer explanations for my suggestions. If something sounds awkward or doesn't quite roll off the tongue when reading, I mention that too and offer suggestions, but I do not rewrite. That's for the author to do.

Now that you know my theories, what are yours?

Have you had a similar situation with an editor? What happened? How was the situation resolved?