Felicity Heaton's Blog, page 63
February 4, 2013
Teaseday – Excerpt from Love Immortal – Vampire Romance Novel
Today’s tease comes from the book Love Immortal, which is a stand alone vampire romance novel, and my longest single novel to date.
Lauren kicked the hem of her dark jeans so they covered the tongues of her black trainers and then tugged on the sleeves of her plum long sleeve kimono-style top. She smoothed the thin material over her breasts, allowing a modest amount of cleavage to show. It was cold in her top but she wanted to look good. She wanted Julian’s attention.
She combed her fingers through her red hair, twisting the ends so they flicked up and out.
She only wished that she could straighten out her nerves as easily.
Julian had left when she’d been dressing. He’d told her to pass the day away with Kuga, Leo and Piper if she couldn’t sleep, and to come to Duke’s office the next night. Piper had kindly gone out and bought her some beauty products and other necessities. She’d used all of them to make herself look more presentable and as pretty as she could manage. It had taken a while, giving her time to see the night fall and to think about why Julian would want her to go to Duke’s office. Now she stood outside it, trying to get her feelings into order and still wondering what awaited her on the other side.
Only one way to find out.
She opened the dark wooden door and stepped inside. The first thing she noticed was Astra talking to Julian. He stood to her right near the bookcases, with his hand resting on the hilt of his katana where it hung at his side, hidden beneath his coat. Astra glanced over at her and then smiled at Julian with bright red lips, touching his shoulder as she did so. She moved closer to him, a sway in her hips that Lauren didn’t like. It caused the slit up the side of Astra’s long black dress to open and reveal her thigh. Her smile widened and she ran her fingers through her glossy black hair, pushing it out of her face. A flicker of jealousy flared into life inside Lauren when Astra’s fingers slid slowly and sensually over the black material of Julian’s coat and she laughed, high and very feminine, about something.
“You’re looking better.” Duke came out from behind his large mahogany desk and crossed the room to Lauren. “Are you feeling better?”
Lauren threw a furtive glance Julian’s way and saw that Astra was now smiling right into his eyes.
“I was,” she muttered and turned her back on Astra.
Duke frowned. It didn’t suit him. It made his face dark and vicious, and gave him a menacing look when combined with his backdrop of the huge gun collection mounted on the dark red wall behind him. Lauren smiled, hoping to alleviate whatever was bothering him. She touched his arm.
“I’m fine.” Her hand slid down his arm. His gaze followed it intently. She was about to withdraw it when his hand came forwards so they touched. She went to take her hand back but he caught hold of it and turned it palm upwards. His fingertips grazed the lines on her hand, tickling her. “Are you going to tell me my future?”
He laughed—a rich deep sound that made her smile and made his intense brown eyes sparkle. While Astra’s laugh had been forced, Duke’s one had been real, like Kuga and Leo’s. It seemed all the male Ghosts enjoyed a good laugh. Lauren didn’t have the energy to laugh with her heart. She could only manage one as fake as Astra’s.
“I don’t tell fortunes.” Duke’s thumb brushed hers again, a caress that was both sensual and alarming. She stared wide-eyed at him, not knowing what to do. Julian wasn’t watching, and so what if he was? He probably wouldn’t do anything about Duke’s over-attentiveness. She probably meant nothing to him. Her life was a mere blip in his and when she died, another would come along to take her place. “But I could try… for you.”
“That’s fine.” Lauren extricated her hand from his. “I was just joking anyway.”
Duke swept the pad of his thumb over his fingers. Lauren stared at the roses on his palm.
“They’re beautiful tattoos.” She tried to get a closer look but Duke curled his hand up and lowered it.
“They would be if they were tattoos.” He smiled but this time it was as phoney as hers were recently and it didn’t touch his eyes. They were cold and empty, fixed on his fist where it hung at his side.
Another peal of laughter from Astra made Lauren’s fists clench. What on Earth was Julian saying to her that was so funny? Lauren glanced over at them. Julian said something she couldn’t quite hear but his look was serious, no sign of humour in it. When Astra touched Julian’s hair, brushing a rogue black strand from his eyes, Lauren’s temperature shot up.
She couldn’t believe that Astra was openly flirting with Julian, acting as though she wasn’t even there. Not that Julian was hers.
“Are you feeling alright?” Duke said with a look of concern.
Lauren shook her head, cursing the hot tears that burned her eyes. She hated how confused her feelings were, especially when it came to Julian.
Unable to bear hearing Astra with Julian, Lauren looked around her. To the left of the three arched windows was a white door with a green fire escape sign on it. Escape sounded good.
“I need some air.” Lauren went straight out of it and climbed the black metal spiral staircase to the flat roof.
The night was cold, a bitter wind blowing, but it was fresh and soothing, and it cleared her head. Astra’s flirting had hurt her more than she’d thought possible and she didn’t want to think why.
Lauren gripped the black metal railing that edged the roof around the fire escape and stared up at the sky. It was cloudless and inky, but it did nothing to make her smile as clear starry winter nights normally did. She felt as though she was drowning in it, pulled under by feelings that were out of control and that she didn’t understand.
There was a laugh from the room below. Astra.
Lauren’s grip on the icy railing tightened and she glared at the sky. Why wasn’t Julian coming to her? Hadn’t he seen her leave? Had he even noticed that she’d arrived or was he too busy with the beautiful Astra?
She almost laughed at herself. She’d come out into the cold for a reason other than the fresh air. She wanted Julian to come to her. She wanted him to choose between her and Astra. Where had it gotten her? Five minutes had passed and he wasn’t coming. All she’d gained for her stupidity was heartache and misery, and probably the start of a cold.
The door below opened and that same heart jumped for joy until Duke appeared on the staircase. She turned away again. The old warehouse opposite was full of people working. She watched them, remembering that today was Friday and that it was only just gone five. Soon everyone would be going home for the weekend. She wished she could go home.
Her gaze tracked the people. Normal life was going on around her, unaware of the monsters that lurked in the darkness or even walked amongst the office workers. Werewolves appeared human at times. How many of them had jobs? Was one of them down there now, in that office working amongst innocent people?
How many had she met during her life?
“It’s best that you’re not alone right now.” Duke leaned against the railing beside her.
Lauren didn’t look at him. She stared into the office, trying to spot any unusual behaviour that might give someone away as a werewolf and trying to ignore the creeping jealousy and anger in her heart.
“I want to be alone,” she whispered. A man walked past the window on the floor down from her in the office building. He seemed inconspicuous enough and he didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to her. In the darkness, he probably wouldn’t be able to see her. The moon wasn’t strong tonight. It was nothing but a sliver in the sky, surrounded by bright twinkling stars that not even the city lights could drown out.
“So you didn’t come out here to get Julian’s attention then?”
Lauren tensed. Was it that obvious? If it was, why hadn’t Julian come? Didn’t he want to be with her?
She laughed, more at herself than at what Duke had said. “Not at all.”
Duke sighed and ran his fingers back and forth along the black railing, his short fingernails scraping at the paint.
“Astra can be incorrigible and Julian is too polite.” He paused and turned around so his back was resting against the bar. Lauren looked over the edge and wondered how Duke could be so trusting of the balcony railing. It was a long drop to the quiet road below and the rail didn’t feel that sturdy under her fingers. Wasn’t he frightened of death? “Come back in.”
“I’m fine out here.” She wasn’t. She was freezing and miserable, but it was better than being around Astra. In the office, people were coming and going, some were leaving for the night. Life was going on without her. This past day she’d lost touch with the world and had felt as though only her, the Ghosts, Julian and the werewolves had existed. She’d forgotten that people still had lives to lead.
Lauren expected Duke to go back inside but he didn’t move. He hummed a tune for a while, a melody that she didn’t recognise, and then sighed. Her eyes shifted to him. He was watching her. When he saw her looking, he smiled.
She wished that it was Julian with her.
“How are you holding up?” Duke’s words were quiet and cautious, giving Lauren the impression that he felt as though he was handling fragile glass that was likely to smash at any given moment.
She was stronger than he thought then, but weaker than she needed to be.
“This wasn’t exactly what I had imagined when I had wanted to know who I was and what I wanted out of life.” Lauren smiled back at him, genuine and heartfelt, amused by how she’d longed to discover who she was and now that she had, part of her wanted to go back to her old life. “It isn’t what I wanted.”
Duke placed his hand on her shoulder. The weight of it against her was comforting, the warmth of his hand noticeable through her top. He frowned, removed his dark grey suit jacket and placed it around her shoulders. It warmed her through and she took hold of both sides of it, pulling it as closed as possible, and smiled her thanks at Duke.
“There isn’t a person here who hasn’t been through this moment of disbelief and fear.” His voice was low, intimate. It unnerved her slightly but she didn’t pull away from him. Instead, she looked up at the moon, feeling drawn to it tonight. “None of us felt more than a shadow of what you must feel though.”
It was hard to drag her eyes away from the moon but she managed it. Duke’s brown eyes were black in the low light, dark pools that were bottomless and empty but shining with feeling. Was he flirting with her again? She was never sure whether Duke was just being friendly or whether he was after something more than that. Just a few days ago, she would have said that he was too old for her because he was in his forties. Now she couldn’t use that excuse, not when she wanted a man who was three thousand years her senior. Duke touched her chin, making her jump, and slowly tilted her head back.
“I never imagined that you would be so—”
The sound of sliding metal sent ice racing over her nerve endings. Duke’s hand fell from her face and the corners of his lips lifted into a smile. His eyes slid to the side, towards the staircase.
“All yours, big man,” he said with an easy, unaffected air. “I was just giving her a little needed company.”
He walked away, taking his jacket with him. Lauren’s gaze followed him but halted when she saw Julian. He blinked slowly. The tiny trace of moonlight made his eyes shimmer. He’d changed into whatever state it was that he normally fought in. His sword was slightly drawn, a sliver of blade reflecting the moon. He slid it back and looked at the staircase with a frown as the door below closed, and then back at her.
Did he perceive Duke as a threat?
Lauren dragged her courage up to her chest and turned to face Julian. He stared at her, his silver irises eerie but beautiful. She stepped towards him, until she could feel the heat coming from him. Her heart sped, driven by her rising fear, but she reached up towards his face. His gaze shifted to her hands but she didn’t stop. Not this time.
This time she was going to seize the moment.
She was going to be strong.
With trembling fingers, she unclipped the two bands of metal that held the thick funnel collar of his coat closed. She sucked in a sharp breath of anticipation that he stole when the collar fell open to reveal the defined line of his jaw and his straight nose—all masculine and classical beauty. Her gaze fell to his sensual dusky lips. They tempted her, begging for a kiss that she would all too willingly give him. Her tongue swept over her dry lips and she swallowed. Her whole body warmed when she thought about what she wanted him to do right now, and the things she dreamed he would do in private.
“Show me.” Her eyes locked with his.
A flicker of a frown creased his brow and his eyes searched hers, as though he was trying to read her mind.
Now that he was unmasked and she’d leapt the first hurdle with relative ease, she found the strength to continue. It was a shame that she couldn’t find her voice. It failed her, but where it did, a touch could succeed, and it would be a far sweeter form of success.
Her thumb caressed the line of his jaw, as light as she could manage, running over scratchy dark stubble until she reached his chin. A momentary shiver danced through her along with a sense of concern. Her eyes widened as she stared into Julian’s. Not her feelings but his. They were all there in his silver eyes. He was worried. He’d realised what she was asking of him.
Did he think that it would frighten her? She wanted to see what would happen to her. She’d seen the scars on his wrist. Bite marks. When his lips parted, she would see fangs instead of teeth. And she needed to see them. If he showed her, if she saw them with her own eyes, then maybe she would finally totally accept that this was real and that it would happen to her soon.
“Let me see,” she whispered, low and coaxing, no longer nervous.
His lips parted to reveal the barest hint of pointed canines. Caught in a trance, transfixed by the sight of them, she rubbed the pad of her thumb across his lower lip. It was soft and warm. He breathed in sharply, his reaction empowering her, and his mouth opened to reveal his fangs. They glistened in the moonlight, white and sharp, but they didn’t frighten her.
What did was the fact that his gaze shifted to her neck.
Her heart hammered against her chest, blood rushing through her head. She shifted her eyes upwards to his and froze, mesmerised by the way he was staring at her neck with such forceful hunger glowing in his eyes. The silence stretched between them, his eyes locked on her neck and her thumb against his lips. His breath was warm against it, coming out in short heavy bursts that matched her racing heartbeat. She licked her lips again, couldn’t stop herself from imagining what it would feel like to have his mouth on her throat, his teeth in her flesh. The very thought made her tremble and prickly heat scorched her body.
“Do you… need to… need… blood?” Those words were harder to say than she’d thought they would be. Her fingers shook against his jaw.
Julian’s gaze snapped to hers as though she’d startled him and he stepped backwards, leaving her standing with her hand held in the air. In an instant, his eyes were pale blue again.
“Go inside,” he said, tone commanding and urgent at the same time. His fists shook at his sides.
Lauren edged towards the staircase and then stopped, looking back at him. “Are you coming too?”
He shook his head. The muscle in his jaw twitched as though he was grinding his teeth. Clamping them shut? His body language screamed of restraint. Had her touch triggered this internal war she was witnessing? He seemed to be fighting something.
“Where are you going?”
“To hunt.”
Her heart missed a beat. He was hungry. She hesitated and then moved back towards him, her throat tight again. She didn’t care how he would react. She had to know.
“Can you feed without killing?”
He nodded and then his gaze dropped to her neck again. She touched it. His eyes switched briefly to silver and he backed away another step.
“Go inside.” This time his voice was strained, his eyes showing the struggle that she could now feel in him. They switched again, flashing between silver and blue, darting between her throat and her face. “I cannot be near you. Not when I am hungry. Go… stay with the others.”
“Why?” Lauren ignored him and took a step towards him. He countered it with another step back, keeping the distance between them steady. Sheer agony filled his eyes and his expression changed to one of pleading, as though he was silently begging her to do as he’d asked. She trusted him. He wouldn’t hurt her, not even when he was hungry. She believed that.
His eyes melted back to silver and, when he spoke, she saw his canines had extended again. “They will keep you safe.”
“No,” Lauren said with a frown, unwilling to go until he’d answered her real question. “Why can’t you be near me?”
His eyes went to her neck. He frowned. When he met her eyes, he looked pained.
“It is forbidden.”
Before she could ask why, he leapt over the edge of the building. She gasped and leaned over the railing, only to see him land on his feet in the street far below and then disappear. Her heart started beating again. He could have told her that he could fall that far and not be hurt.
Lauren stared in the direction he’d gone.
More importantly.
She touched her bare neck, his hungry look burned on her memory.
He could have told her why it was forbidden.
Did you enjoy today’s tease?
Caris Roane is also posting a Teaseday snippet, so be sure to check out her blog and read it! http://www.carisroane.com/2013/01/teaseday-2-5-2013/
Love Immortal
Felicity Heaton
Rescued from werewolves by the most breathtaking man she’s ever seen, Lauren is dragged into the fight of her life and a dark world she never knew existed. There, she discovers that she’s the latest reincarnation of a goddess and must drink the blood of her immortal protector, Julian, in order to reawaken and continue her three thousand year old mission to defeat Lycaon, the original werewolf.
With the help of Julian and an organisation of people with supernatural abilities, Lauren fights for her life, their future and the fate of mankind against Lycaon and his deadly army, but can she succeed when Lycaon has killed all of her predecessors?
Can she crack the armour around Julian’s heart and seize her happily forever after with him? And can Julian bring himself to trust Lauren with the fragments of his heart after everything he’s been through?
Available in e-book from:
Author’s website
Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Amazon Kindle Germany | Amazon Kindle France | Amazon Kindle Canada
Apple iBookstore USA | Apple iBookstore UK | Apple iBookstore Australia | Apple iBookstore Canada | Apple iBookstore New Zealand
Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Barnes and Noble
Month in Review – January
I used to write month in review posts but it sort of fell by the wayside, and it’s something I enjoyed doing, so I’m bringing it back. Think of it like a catch up on all that I did in the previous month that was important or interesting.
January was quite a productive month, although it had its ups and downs. I managed to get the first draft of Unleash written, which I’m sure will please all the Snow fans out there, as it’s his book. It’s also the final book in the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series, but I can’t bring myself to say goodbye to that place and those characters. I’ll be saying catch you later, and finding a way to continue to play in that world. The first draft of Unleash came in at almost 94000 words, which is a full length novel. Writing it was quite stressful but I got it done, and all the little bits and pieces I have my doubts about will get fixed up when I get around to editing it.
I also got all my figures completed for my sales in 2012, and I’ll be talking about that more in another post in February. I sold more books in 2012 than I had in 2011, so I think I did well. My aim for this year is to match my sales last year. I was quite fortunate with a chunk of those sales though, having used Amazon KDP Select at the right time in January 2012, back when downloads on free days counted well towards the book’s sales rank when the book came off free. Not the case anymore. I’m still confident I can match 2012′s sales figures this year, even with less releases.
Back to January this year… Once I was done with the first draft of Unleash, I got straight on with completing the world-building for a new series, Eternal Mates, and completing the outline for the first book. I managed to get it done in a few days, but it was hard work, and I started writing the first book on Friday. I’m now 18500 words into that first book. I’m guessing it’s going to be 90000 words, and it will probably take up most of my February writing time. The original plan was to just write the amount I had to write in order to put together a series proposal for my agent, and give her what she needed to approach NYC about the series. I can’t bring myself to do that though. I know it will add a few weeks on to the release date of Unleash, but I have to write this book all the way through. I think if I write just the first third of it, I’ll be setting myself up for a situation where I come back to write the rest and I’m no longer writing in the same style. It’s better to go with the flow. Plus, it’s better to give Unleash longer to rest before I edit it. I was only allowing a 2 week break, and personally, that probably isn’t enough for me to then edit the book with fresh eyes.
Away from writing now, and I was getting really frustrated trying to figure out where all my time went, and I felt I wasn’t being as productive as I could be, so I investigated time tracking applications. After looking around a few, I found a really good one called Toggl. I’ve had a few of you ask me about it and I can say that I’ve been using it for a week now and it’s really helping me see where my time goes, and it’s helping to keep me off the social networks when I should be working. I can use it via my browser, online and offline, and I can use it on my Android smartphone too, which is really useful. Again, online or offline. Once I go online, everything synchs up. It’s very cool.
I’ve split my time into several projects, and keep adding some as they come up. I can add tags to my items in my projects too, so I can track how much of what I’m doing. My hours for this week were all over the place. Normally I clock closer to 7-10 hours a day, but I had other stuff I had to do this week too. These hours don’t include things like breaks for coffee, etc. I tend to stop the timer then. Here’s a look at my weekly report, showing the hours I spent doing what:
As you can see, I spent around half my time writing, and spent a lot of time on my Book Tour for Bewitch and on Admin work. Admin work for me is dealing with emails, checking my sales stats, dealing with my finances, updating my schedule / planner, and dealing with pesky pirates.
Most of the screens in the browser version also show me a nifty pie chart version so I can see at a glance what I’ve spent most of my time doing:
I’ve hovered over writing to show that I’ve only spent a shockingly low 55% of my time writing. Considering I worked a 47 hour week (quite low for me because I was doing non-work stuff that week too) that’s a bit poor. I’d prefer that I spent closer to 75% of my time writing. A girl can dream, right?
One thing I have decided it’s really useful for is showing me where I spend time and how long things I normally do take. It’s a bit like seeing where I could possibly get someone to help me out, taking that task off my hands, and I can just get on with more writing. I’m sure I would hear no complaints if that happened!
If you’re looking for a time tracker to help you keep tabs on a project or your work life, then this one is pretty good. I’d definitely recommend it.
Of course, it can’t handle my multi-tasking awesomeness, so right now this blog post hasn’t been tracked, because I’m updating all my books at the Apple iBookstore at the same time, writing this while each individual book uploads.
:D
ETA: I forgot to mention… I also challenged myself to stay off chocolate in any form in January (after a rather wicked holiday period) and I managed to do it… and celebrated in style on Saturday by making my famous refrigerator cake. Yes, just a few calories per slice, but it’s oh-so-yummy! If I was going to break my chocolate-free lifestyle, it was going to be with something worth breaking it for! My husband has been completely amused by this affair, and asked me on Friday whether I’d broken yet. I couldn’t honestly decide what I wanted. Nothing in the stores took my fancy. Then I decided to go artisan and special, and make something.
February 3, 2013
Manday Hotties – Kick off February with hot new mancandy!
It’s time for the Manday Hotties Hop again and I’m determined to give you lots of new hotties this year. I have weeks of sexy new hotties to come yet so here’s some hot new mancandy to help kick off February…
Which shot is your favourite? It’s a tough decision for me this week. I’m quite torn…
Visit the other blogs in the hop:
February 2, 2013
Sensual Sunday – Read a teaser from my new release Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series book 5)
Sensual Sunday is brought to you today by Bewitch, which is the fifth book in my popular Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series. Bewitch is now available on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBookstore, Kobo Books, and other retailers.
Sensual Sunday always features a hot excerpt from one of my paranormal romance books and for the next few weeks it will focus solely on Bewitch. It’s another shorter one today, but I’ll have a longer one next week. Read on…
“You’re in luck.” Those words stopped him dead and he turned back to her.
“I am?”
She nodded, looking very bright and cheerful. It set him on edge. He didn’t like that she was smiling at him. It made him feel as though she was up to something, was plotting behind those beautiful eyes. He could almost see the wheels in her mind turning.
“I can help you better than Verity could have… but I have a price.”
He knew it. She was up to something. “What?”
She nibbled her lower lip and crossed the room to him, moving so close that personal space became an issue and he had to take a step back to avoid her body pressing into his. She looked up into his eyes, hers surrounded by sinful black kohl that highlighted how silver they were and enhanced the devastating power they held over him. He couldn’t look away, even when his gut instinct was to run before she answered because he already knew he wasn’t going to like her reply.
“I want a taste of you, Incubus.”
Did you enjoy today’s hot sexy snippet?
Bewitch
Felicity Heaton
A vampire with a past stained with blood and a soul tainted with darkness, he is perfect in his self-control, never surrendering to his darkest desires. Now a beautiful witch in the shadowy fae underworld threatens to reawaken long denied hungers and tempts him with carnal pleasure.
Payne despises the incubus side of his mixed genes and refuses to give it free rein, but when the wickedly sexy Elissa offers him a possible way to help a friend, he finds it difficult to resist paying the price, even if it will be his undoing—one night of passion at her command.
Elissa is a witch down on her luck until Payne comes crashing into her life. The dangerously handsome male is the key to fulfilling a promise she made, but he is also forbidden, and surrendering to the wildfire passion he stirs within her means risking ruin and death.
When one incredible night of fulfilling their deepest fantasies leads to more than just a pathway to keeping a promise and saving a friend, will they be able to overcome the barriers that stand between them and forever?
Available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Germany | France | Canada
Apple iBookstores:
US | UK | Canada | Australia | New Zealand
Other Retailers:
Author’s website | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks
(Coming soon to Barnes and Noble Nook and Sony Reader Store)
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
If you haven’t had a chance to read any of the books in the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series yet, they’re all available at major ebook retailers and in paperback, and you can find the links and samples of the books at my website:
Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1)
Crave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #2)
Seduce (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #3)
Enslave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #4)
Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #5)
Caris Roane is also posting a Sensual Sunday snippet, so be sure to check out her blog and read it! http://www.carisroane.com/2013/01/sensual-sunday-2-3/
Snippet Saturday – Emotion – Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series Book 1)
I’ve joined the fantastic Snippet Saturday run by Lauren Dane. Each week has a theme or is author’s choice. This week the theme is Emotion.
I thought about this one long and hard and decided, who better to do a snippet about emotion that Javier and Lilah in Covet? Javier is the king of emotion. So, I’m taking us back to the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series and the first book, Covet.
It’s another long one this week…
Javier remained still as Lilah stared down at the black towel slung low around his hips, telling his body not to start getting the wrong idea. It wasn’t a good time for it to slip free of his control. He needed to keep a firm grip on it even though the sight of Lilah in the tight short black dress and the scent of him on her was driving him closer to the edge with each passing second.
“Were you going to shower?” The tremble in her voice along with the agitation in her blood gave away her muddled feelings and when she finally raised her golden eyes to meet his, he could see the edge of hurt in them and knew what she was really asking.
Was he going to wash away her scent?
He didn’t want to wash the smell of her off his skin. He wanted to keep it on him until the passing of time rendered it beyond his senses, wanted to lose himself in her so that moment never happened and so he would forever smell of Lilah’s sweet fragrance.
He needed it with a ferocity that astounded him. He longed for her to belong to him even when it was impossible. Her master would have known the moment he had given up his fight for control and touched her tonight. He had violated the sacred law and sentenced himself, and nothing he did now could save him.
Nothing he did now could make things worse either.
Javier stepped aside, holding the door for her. “Come in before someone sees you and wonders what you’re doing here. I’m in enough trouble as it is.”
Lilah remained standing on the threshold of his room. He sighed, reached out, took her hand and pulled her into the room. He felt her tense when he slammed the door and she remained with her back to him, her wrist held tight in his grip, so fragile beneath his fingers.
So delicate.
She was a rare flower and he felt as though she had bloomed for him tonight, had filled his dark world with the scent of her intoxicating fragrance and given it colour for a brief moment.
He wanted that again.
Needed it.
Needed her.
“Where is your master?” he whispered and turned towards her, his gaze on his hand where it held her wrist. The sight of his fingers locked around her, touching her at last, fascinated him. He had wanted this for so long that he couldn’t deny his desire for her. Even this simple touch was too much for him, filled him with hunger and flooded his veins with the heat of passion.
He wanted to pull her against him, twist her into his arms, and kiss her. His gaze dropped to her rosy lips and he realised that he hadn’t touched them yet. They were virgin territory, too pure to taint with his. He feared he would ruin them, would lose control of himself and his need and would cut them so he could taste her delicate blood in the kiss. He wasn’t worthy of touching them. He was a beast and no matter how much he desired this beauty, she was beyond his grasp.
She belonged to another.
But neither of them were worthy of her.
Javier fought the desire to fall to his knees before her and beg for her forgiveness, to confess now before her master came to claim his head that he had loved her from afar for these two years, that she had captivated and ruined him to all others from the moment she had walked into his life.
So innocent.
So pure.
So beautiful.
He needed her to know that he wasn’t a beast, that whatever she thought of his kind, he was different to them and would do all in his power to protect her from the cruelty and darkness in his world. He would free her from it if he could.
What good could he do for her now though? He had sealed his fate tonight.
It was over.
He had killed himself and hurt her in the process. He was a beast.
Javier’s legs gave out and his knees hit the wooden floor, the force of impact jolting his spine. Lilah gasped and was before him in an instant, crouching close with her hand on his shoulder.
“Are you sick?”
A mirthless chuckle escaped him. Perhaps he was. He had been so cruel to her, and he had said that he loved her. A man in love would have thought about her and placed her first, would have protected her even from himself and spared her the pain of his touch.
Her soft hand shifted to his face, settling against his cheek, and he closed his eyes and leaned into the caress. It was too much to hope that her master was so far away that he wouldn’t have sensed what Javier had done tonight. It was too much to hope that he had more than a few hours left on Earth. If she would let him, he would spend his last hours with her.
It would hurt her.
Javier lifted his eyes to hers and the concern in them healed some of the pain in his heart. Could she feel something for him too? It wasn’t possible. Her bond to her master saw to that.
Did you enjoy the snippet?
The first five books in the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series are available now!
More about Covet:
Covet
Felicity Heaton
They’ve burned for each other for two years, the forbidden attraction between them growing each night. Now resisting the sinful desires of their hearts is becoming impossible.
Javier knows better than to succumb to his hunger for Lilah. The mortal female belongs to a powerful aristocrat patron of Vampirerotique, the theatre he runs with three other vampires. A single touch is all it would take to break the sacred law of his kind, sentencing himself to death, but his passion for her has become too fierce to ignore and he will risk everything to make Lilah his.
Lilah has fought her desire for Javier since arriving at his theatre as a servant but each glance he has stolen, his eyes promising pleasure that will satisfy her longing for him, has chipped away at her defences and she can no longer deny her need and her forbidden feelings for the powerful vampire male.
When they find themselves alone in a private box during one of the erotic performances, will they surrender to their passion and live out their wildest fantasies in a night of wicked pleasure or will the threat of Lilah’s master keep them apart forever?
Available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
USA / International | UK | Canada | Germany | France
Apple iBooks / iTunes Stores:
US | UK | Australia | Canada | New Zealand
Other Retailers:
Author’s website | Barnes and Noble | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com (Covet and Crave in one book) | Amazon.co.uk (Covet and Crave in one paperback) | Barnes and Noble (Covet and Crave in one book)
Don’t forget to visit the other authors who are participating to read their snippets…
Lauren Dane
Shiloh Walker
Mari Carr
Delilah Devlin
TJ Michaels
Leah Braemel
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Felicity Heaton
Eliza Gayle
Caris Roane
Myla Jackson
January 31, 2013
Chocolate, Roses and Handcuffs Giveaway Hop – Win Hot Paranormal Romance Ebooks
It’s time for the Chocolate, Roses and Handcuffs Giveaway Hop hosted by Full Moon Bites, Cari Silverwood and Kallypso Masters. The hop runs from February 1st until 7th, and my giveaway is international.
Because the there’s a bit of kink in the theme of this hop, I thought I would offer two ebooks with handcuff scenes in them as prizes!
Here’s more about the books on offer:
In Heat
Felicity Heaton
A heat wave isn’t the only thing making London too hot for lawyer Kim. She’s been spending each night with a man who sets her body and heart on fire. The problem? He’s a man that always sprouts black fur and purrs, and he’s only a dream. Walking into work on the hottest day of the year, the last thing she expects is to meet Erik, a man who sends her temperature soaring and who resembles her dream guy exactly.
A black panther shape-shifter, Erik Blackwell has been searching for his mate for twenty-seven years. The visions they share each night are getting hotter but finding her is proving impossible as he’s never seen her face. That is, until it turns out she’s working as his lawyer on his contract negotiations with his brother, Alistair.
Kim can’t deny her attraction to Erik. The heat she feels with him is intense and it’s only a matter of time before they surrender to their carnal desires.
When Kim discovers Erik’s secret, will she turn her back on him, or will she complete the mating and become like him so they can be together forever?
Seduce
Felicity Heaton
Bloodlust runs in his veins, a dark master waiting for the day it will reign over him. Now a woman with a pure soul and wicked intentions has him in her sights and is determined to crack the ice around his heart, and she might save or damn him.
Antoine stands apart from the world around him, a dangerous and broken soul who must maintain rigid control at all times or risk his dark addiction finally seizing hold of him. The shadows of his past haunt him and he sees his bleak future each night when his brother wakes screaming, his blood addiction turning him savage. He cannot allow himself to feel, but when Sera walks into Vampirerotique, the erotic theatre he runs with three other vampires, to audition, she awakens dangerous desires in him—hungers that could spell the end of both of them.
Sera has wanted Antoine since the night she first saw the gorgeous aristocrat vampire. She can’t ignore the deep carnal hunger he stirs in her or the ache to know the heat of his touch. With the help of her sire, an ex-performer at Vampirerotique, she sets in motion a game of seduction, one designed to thaw the ice in Antoine’s veins and make him burn for her.
When Sera discovers the shocking truth about his past and the darkness that lurks within him, will she be strong enough to seize his heart with both hands and win him forever or will she lose him to the ghosts that still haunt him?
PRIZES
1 x Ebook copy of In Heat by Felicity Heaton.
1 x Ebook copy of Seduce by Felicity Heaton.
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January 30, 2013
WIP Wednesday – Working on a new hot paranormal romance series
It’s a WIP Wednesday post with a difference this week. You may have noticed the big shiny, but unfamiliar graphic up there. That’s my holding graphic to give you a taste of what I’m working on. Rather than talking about a series or book you’re all aware of, I’m going to be talking about a new paranormal romance series that I’m working on right now. I’m writing this as a proposal for my agent and hopefully she’ll think it’s good enough to tout around the publishing houses.
I know that many authors wonder why I’m interested in having an agent and breaking into NYC on a traditional publishing contract when I’m doing so well as an indie author. I’m a very cautious person, who prefers to deal in calculated risks, and I like to have my fingers in lots of pies. On top of that, one of my dreams has always been securing a big publishing deal and seeing my books in print with a major player, and I’m working to make that dream a reality. It doesn’t mean I’m giving up on being indie. It just means I’m extending my reach by choosing to play for both Team Indie and Team Contracted (I was going to say Published, but technically I’m published… so went with Contracted, as that’s the only major difference between the two really).
Back to the series. Originally, I was going to write the Guardians of Hades series for this proposal, but I had my reservations about using a series I definitely want to be seven books in length as material for approaching a publishing house in these unpredictable and rocky times. Basically, I was damned if I was going to risk my baby being butchered if the series didn’t do well in print and the publisher wanted it cut short.
I went back to the drawing board to come up with a series dreamed up solely for this proposal. I ended up with two. The Bonded by Blood series and the Eternal Mates series. I spoke about the fundamental differences between the two in this post, but didn’t mention the name of the series: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/blog/2012/12/wip-wednesday-a-new-series-plus-updates-on-bonded-by-blood-and-unleash/
I thought hard about which to go with first and decided that I would take a shot with the Eternal Mates series as I was really into that world and I had three books straight off the bat, and knew very clearly what would happen in each.
I’ve spent this week so far, since Monday, working on the series. It’s mostly gathering notes together at this stage and splitting them into different files. We have a file for the world, including the species involved and other details, and one file for each of the first three stories with the scenes I had written down in those, and then one file for other story ideas. I already have another three bare-bone ideas on top of the fleshed out three I’ll be using in the proposal.
Tuesday was a wash out because I wanted to get most of the Vampirerotique Winter Tour posts done and sent out. I had really wanted to continue working on Eternal Mates in the evening, but was tired. Today, I set about pulling the notes for the first book together.
I wrote up what I like to call my plot checklist that I had scribbled down the other day, listing the protagonists wants, why they want it, what the crux of the story is, what the antagonist is after, etc. I typed up a rough outline of the main events and other ideas I had scribbled down during a brainstorming session about the book on Monday. Then, I had to pull those together with the 7000 words of notes I had in the book’s word document in my folder, lacing in those scenes with the events, and forming a complete outline I can work from. It’s done now, and I have it split into 17 rough chapters at present. It will probably expand closer to 20 or more. In the end, it’ll be around 90,000 words when written. I won’t be writing the whole thing right now. I just have to write around a third of it and polish it up, and add it to my proposal.
I’d love to write it all the way through, but with everyone baying for Unleash in my Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series, I don’t have the time. It’s a shame. I’ve never had to stop part way through a book before, and I just hope that if it gets picked up, I won’t have lost whatever style I had flowing when I was writing that first third of the book.
I suppose what you really want to know is who is the hero and who is his heroine, and what are they up against? I know how your mind works.
The hero is a dark elf prince. Elves in this world are the progenitors of vampires, and share traits with them still, such as fangs and a thirst for blood, but they’re far more powerful and don’t have corrupted souls. The elves do have pointy ears, generally all have black-blue hair, and have a tendency to mask what they are when in the mortal realm by changing eye colour from their natural purple and making their ears appear normal. They’re all rather tall, dark and very handsome, and have some pretty nifty tricks up their sleeves.
The heroine is a doctor working for a hunter organisation, who also happens to be the hero’s eternal mate, but neither know it until they’re thrust together and he unwittingly bonds them by taking her blood to heal himself.
That’s all I can say right now. It’s a very big world though, packed with demons, fae, elves, angels, fallen angels, vampires, werewolves, sorcerers / warlocks and sorceresses / witches, and shifters.
I’ll have more about the first book and the series next week. Hopefully, I’ll have all the character profiles and world-building work done by Friday and I can begin writing the first book on Monday.
What do you think about the sound of the series so far though?
January 28, 2013
Teaseday – Exclusive excerpt from Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series book 5)
Today’s tease comes from the book Bewitch, which is the fifth book in my very popular Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series and is available now from Amazon Kindle, Apple iTunes, Kobo Books and other retailers. Read on for your Tuesday tease from…
He reached another crossroads and was in the process of deciding which route to take next when a huge cloud of sparkling grey dust exploded into the air off to his right. People ran from that direction, pushing past him. He braced himself and frowned over their heads. There was a shape in the dust, small and curvy, and she wasn’t alone. Four larger shapes surrounded her.
That didn’t seem like a fair fight to Payne.
He ran towards the fray and broke through the dust. Storeowners screamed at the fighters, some of them ferrying their wares inside where it was safe and others standing in front of them, physically protecting them.
The female he had seen through the cloud of dust stood her ground before him, feet spread shoulder width apart beneath the hem of her drab black dress, the long chestnut waves of her hair tangled in the pieces of straw sticking out of it. Grey dust sparkled across her backside. She must have hit whatever had exploded and sent the dust into the air.
Four large males stood opposite her, each of them hunkered low, assessing her.
They were witches too, judging by the coven emblem stitched onto the breast of their loose white shirts and the fact they were all wearing matching dark brown trousers, like a uniform. Payne raised an eyebrow at the elaborate lacing down the front of their shirts, and on their trousers. Where had their coven bought their outfits? Or when for that matter? They looked like something straight out of the eighteenth century. Although, the female of their species didn’t exactly dress in modern attire either. His gaze slid back to her, slowly taking in her dull black dress, trying to pierce the material to see what curves it concealed.
One of the men shuffled, bracing his feet shoulder-width apart on the cobblestones, preparing to attack.
What did they want with the female?
Her heartbeat was frantic. Frightened.
One of the males lunged at her and she turned on the spot, threw herself forwards and rolled towards Payne. She found her feet just a few metres in front of him and her eyes widened as they met his. Smudges of black ash dotted her pale face but Payne didn’t notice them.
She was beautiful.
Entrancing.
Her silvery eyes sparkled like stars.
The male grabbed her from behind and leaned back, lifting her feet off the floor. She unleashed a low growl of frustration and landed a series of devastating blows on him. Her foot slammed into the man’s left knee, hobbling him, and then she jammed her elbow into his face, right into his eye. Payne winced when the man howled and dropped the petite firecracker and she turned and landed a hard kick to his balls. The man hit the deck, clutching himself and groaning.
The sight of her so easily dispatching their comrade didn’t stop the other three. They attacked as one with magic, hurling colourful sparkling orbs that caught her right in the chest and sent her flying. She tumbled through the air, the skirt of her dress hiking up to reveal sinfully red knickers. Payne had intended to catch her but the sight of them froze him right to his boots. His incubus purred. The vampire in him purred too.
The female landed hard in the baskets outside one of the stores to his left, scattering their contents. Snakes slithered over the cobbles and frogs hopped, making a break for freedom. Payne lifted his left boot to allow a black and red snake to pass. The elderly witch who owned the store added insult to injury and beat the poor female with a broom. The beauty got to her feet by rolling unceremoniously into the cobbled street, her dress still tangled around her middle, flashing her knickers and a lot of smooth creamy leg.
He wasn’t the only one the sight of her had enchanted. The three males were all dumbstruck too, staring at her exposed skin.
She got to her feet, grabbed a length of thin silver rope that had fallen from one of the baskets, and brandished it like a whip.
She lashed out at the males, cracking the end of the rope across their chests and legs. The males reacted then, each making vain attempts to close the distance between them. Even teleportation spells didn’t help them. She struck them before they could fully disappear, stopping them.
Payne stared. The sight of her with the makeshift whip, dominating the more powerful males with it, was arousing to say the least. He knew his eyes were glowing blue and gold, and he knew he should get his hungers under control before they took him over and made him do something he might regret, but by god almighty he wanted the little witch.
Did you enjoy the snippet?
Bewitch
Felicity Heaton
A vampire with a past stained with blood and a soul tainted with darkness, he is perfect in his self-control, never surrendering to his darkest desires. Now a beautiful witch in the shadowy fae underworld threatens to reawaken long denied hungers and tempts him with carnal pleasure.
Payne despises the incubus side of his mixed genes and refuses to give it free rein, but when the wickedly sexy Elissa offers him a possible way to help a friend, he finds it difficult to resist paying the price, even if it will be his undoing—one night of passion at her command.
Elissa is a witch down on her luck until Payne comes crashing into her life. The dangerously handsome male is the key to fulfilling a promise she made, but he is also forbidden, and surrendering to the wildfire passion he stirs within her means risking ruin and death.
When one incredible night of fulfilling their deepest fantasies leads to more than just a pathway to keeping a promise and saving a friend, will they be able to overcome the barriers that stand between them and forever?
Available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Germany | France | Canada
Apple iBookstores:
US | UK | Canada | Australia | New Zealand
Other Retailers:
Author’s website | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks
(Coming soon to Barnes and Noble Nook and Sony Reader Store)
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
If you haven’t had a chance to read any of the books in the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series yet, they’re all available at major ebook retailers and in paperback, and you can find the links and samples of the books at my website:
Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1)
Crave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #2)
Seduce (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #3)
Enslave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #4)
Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #5)
Caris Roane is also posting a Teaseday snippet, so be sure to check out her blog and read it! http://carisroane.com/2013/01/29-gates-of-rapture-4/
January 27, 2013
Manday Hotties – Sexy new hunks for you to drool over!
It’s time for the Manday Hotties Hop again and I’m determined to give you lots of new hotties this year. Here’s some sexy new hunks for you to drool over…
Which shot is your favourite? I love #1!
Visit the other blogs in the hop:
January 26, 2013
Sensual Sunday – Read a sexy teaser from Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series book 5)
Sensual Sunday is brought to you today by Bewitch, which is the fifth book in my popular Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series. Bewitch is now available on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBookstore, Kobo Books, and other retailers.
Sensual Sunday always features a hot excerpt from one of my paranormal romance books and for the next few weeks it will focus solely on Bewitch. Read on for this Sunday’s sensual and slightly shorter than usual snippet…
His smile widened into a grin when her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks turned rosy.
She disappeared into the bedroom again and slammed the door behind her. Payne listened to her stomping around the room and muttering about him. He cast a glance around the messy room, studying the piles of books, the vials and beakers, and bottles of coloured liquids and jars of herbs and other more questionable things. A witch’s home was disappointingly close to what he had imagined.
Elissa emerged from the bedroom.
The witch however, was nothing like he had pictured.
She had changed into a pair of tight black jeans and a sexy purple halter-top that gathered beneath her breasts, and by god, she wasn’t wearing a bra. He could see the soft buds of her nipples pressing against the material. The chestnut waves of her long hair curled around her milky shoulders and a black choker with a silver star in the centre ringed her throat. Payne swallowed, desire surging through him, hot and heavy, burning up his blood.
Was she trying to kill him?
“I thought witches wore those dull black dresses?” he said and was that his voice that had sounded squeaky and tight?
He cleared his throat.
She smiled wickedly, her lips a glossy pink now, enticing him more than ever. “I was on duty… now I’m off duty.”
“I need you on duty.” And not just because off-duty Elissa was hotter than Hell on a summer’s day and had all his blood rushing to his cock.
“Why?” She twirled the ends of her hair and stared at him, her silvery eyes bright with curiosity again.
Did you enjoy today’s hot sexy snippet?
Bewitch
Felicity Heaton
A vampire with a past stained with blood and a soul tainted with darkness, he is perfect in his self-control, never surrendering to his darkest desires. Now a beautiful witch in the shadowy fae underworld threatens to reawaken long denied hungers and tempts him with carnal pleasure.
Payne despises the incubus side of his mixed genes and refuses to give it free rein, but when the wickedly sexy Elissa offers him a possible way to help a friend, he finds it difficult to resist paying the price, even if it will be his undoing—one night of passion at her command.
Elissa is a witch down on her luck until Payne comes crashing into her life. The dangerously handsome male is the key to fulfilling a promise she made, but he is also forbidden, and surrendering to the wildfire passion he stirs within her means risking ruin and death.
When one incredible night of fulfilling their deepest fantasies leads to more than just a pathway to keeping a promise and saving a friend, will they be able to overcome the barriers that stand between them and forever?
Available in e-book from:
Amazon Kindle Stores:
US/International | UK | Germany | France | Canada
Apple iBookstores:
US | UK | Canada | Australia | New Zealand
Other Retailers:
Author’s website | Kobo Books | Smashwords | All Romance eBooks
(Coming soon to Barnes and Noble Nook and Sony Reader Store)
Available in paperback from:
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
If you haven’t had a chance to read any of the books in the Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series yet, they’re all available at major ebook retailers and in paperback, and you can find the links and samples of the books at my website:
Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #1)
Crave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #2)
Seduce (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #3)
Enslave (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #4)
Bewitch (Vampire Erotic Theatre Romance Series #5)
Caris Roane is also posting a Sensual Sunday snippet, so be sure to check out her blog and read it! http://www.carisroane.com/2013/01/sensual-sunday-1-27/
