Liza Street's Blog: not your grandma's romantic fiction, page 3
March 16, 2021
Announcing a Fun New Anthology
One day, I was innocently scrolling around Facebook, minding my own (and everyone else’s) business, when my friend Skye MacKinnon tagged me with this:
Like…what?
It turns out, Skye had found some funny food-related stock images, and she went on a tear, making covers and putting her friends’ names on them. I lucked out to get celery. 
And without much time passing at all, we had an anthology in the works!
This is one of those projects that you really cannot plan because they take on an energy of their own.
Because we’re all just having fun, we decided to make this a charity anthology, with all royalties going to The Hunger Project. All of the stories are romance. Some are hilariously funny! Mine fits in with my Fierce Mates world, with some suspense, a little comic relief, and steamy sexytimes.
They tell you not to play with your food…
Eat Your Heart Out, brought to you by New York Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling Authors, is a food-inspired romance anthology with all the proceeds being donated to The Hunger Project.
Roll up your sleeves, grab your forks and knives, and feast on this eclectic collection of 20 fun short story romances. From paranormal, to sci-fi, to contemporary, there’s something tasty for everyone!
Preorder your copy today from your favorite ebook retailer! Tap the cover below to go!
March 9, 2021
This Fierce Mates Series Got New Covers
New covers, and a new name! Formerly the Fierce Mates: Corona Pride series, this is now the Fierce Mates: Cougar Pride series. Because 2020, y’all. I named the series originally because “corona” means “crown” in Spanish, and I thought it would be the perfect name for a majestic, fictional mountain range where this group of fierce mountain lion shifters resides. Well, 2020 changed the flavor of “corona” for almost everyone. So, I set out to rename it with the input of the fantastic folks who subscribe to my newsletter, and Keira Blackwood made me new covers for the whole series, as well! However, the name of the actual pride within the books is still “Corona Pride,” because that’s who they originally were, and I don’t want to let some virus dictate everything about our fierce mates!
To celebrate, I’ve made the first book, Savage Yearning, free! Tap the cover to go!
March 2, 2021
Exes and Exorcisms is Out Now!
Let’s take another trip to Forbidden, Kentucky, where mates meet, and monsters make mayhem! In Exes and Exorcisms, “Clairvoyant” Kelly gets the surprise of a lifetime when her ex literally jumps back into her life…and nearly shoves a stake through her heart.
That’s right, friends. He’s a vampire hunter. She’s a vampire.
You can get Exes and Exorcisms wherever you buy ebooks! Tap the cover to go!
February 23, 2021
Thank You for the Charmslinger Love!
It has meant so much to me getting reader notes and seeing reviews on Blood Beast! I had so much fun writing it, although it made me tear my hair out a fair few times, haha.
Full of action and intrigue, this story will pull you in and keep you hooked as you sort out the lies and treachery from the truth. —Darla (BookBub review)
This unique PNR/Western series kept me up from the start until I finished with both books…I have to admit when I first saw the blurb I wondered. I am SO glad I went ahead and read it and this one. The worldbuilding is rare and wonderful. —cghm (BookBub review)
In addition to reader reviews that made me smile, Blood Beast was recognized as a Top Indie Favorite by Barnes & Noble, and was included in Kobo UK’s Best Books of the Month in the Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror category!
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To see the Kobo page, click here and make sure you’re in the UK store (click the flag at the top if you’re not). I also took a screenshot because I was tickled to see my book next to Sarah J Maas’s. 
Thank you to everyone who has given my Charmslinger series a chance, and double thank-yous to the folks who leave reviews for it! 
If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you can find it on your favorite ebook retailer!
February 16, 2021
Blood Beast is Out Now!
I couldn’t be more thrilled to announce that Blood Beast is now available from all major ebook retailers!
With hexes in their holsters and spells in their saddlebags, Gracie Boswell’s posse is on the hunt for supernatural outlaws.
Ornery as a rattler, and just as dangerous with her charmed pistol, Gracie is settling into a cautiously friendly routine with her new partners, Sam Carson and Levi Boone. When Carson’s hometown sends out word begging for bounty hunters to handle a calamitous shapeshifter, Gracie knows they’re doomed to accept the job. The bounty is everything they usually handle: it’s personal, it’s dangerous, and no one else in their right mind would ever go after it.
Gracie’s posse soon ends up in the business of sorting truth from lies, however, as the local shapeshifters and fae fling accusations at one another. A supernatural gang war is brewing—and they’ve accidentally inserted themselves right in the middle of it.
I hope you love this new adventure for Gracie, Boone, and Carson as much as I do!
February 9, 2021
6 Reasons Why I Love Big Cat Shifters
Reason #1–I mean, look at this guy.
How about you? What do you love about big cat shifters?
February 2, 2021
Loving Libraries
My love of public libraries has been nurtured from a young age. Our library was small, but we’d visit fairly regularly. I had my own card and everything, and I’m old enough to remember card catalogs and signing the lined paper in the little pocket inside the book I wanted to check out.
(Side note: it is an adult dream of mine to someday have an old card catalog in my house. I have no idea what I would put in it. But when I’m rich and famous, I’m finding one. Harder would be finding a place to put it, but where there’s a will, there’s a way!)
My love for libraries has only expanded as I’ve gotten older and had kids of my own. Before Covid-19 came around and changed our lives, we went to our public library fairly regularly, where my kids also have their own cards.
Also, I discovered Libby/Overdrive, and I could borrow audiobooks for the kiddos! (They love audiobooks; I am indifferent, mostly preferring to read on my own because it’s faster.) Then, the pandemic came along, and I fell even harder in love with the library! I could get ebooks through it, without even having to leave the house. Totally free, and the authors get paid–it’s a win/win situation.
If you haven’t figured this out already, here are the steps!
Get your library card out and have it ready.Download the Libby app on your phone (or Overdrive on your Kindle tablet. Overdrive automatically comes with a Kobo e-reader, as I just learned when I got mine for Christmas).Follow the prompts through Libby, choosing your library, entering your card number, all that good stuff. (I don’t know if things have changed, but this wasn’t 100% intuitive when I did it a few months ago.)Browse books, select “Borrow” when you find one you want to read.Choose how you want to read it. If it’s Kindle, you’ll be taken to Amazon’s website to finish the process. Kobo has a different system, which you can read more about here.Enjoy your library book!If you’re looking for a specific book (like one of mine!) and your library doesn’t have it, you can request that they purchase it. Libraries have funds for purchasing requested titles, and I’ve taken advantage of that several times.
I think that’s about all! If you have trouble, do contact your local library and ask questions. I’ve had to do this, too, and they’re super helpful and patient. I librarians.
January 26, 2021
New Releases in Paranormal Romance
I have a treat for you today! Behold, a collection of new paranormal romance titles! All of these books have been released this month. And even better: they are endorsed by the authors’ pets (pictured at the bottom of this post), those faithful friends who watched us slave away at our respective keyboards…and may have jumped on said keyboards, thereby enriching and excitifying (yes it’s a word, no don’t look it up) our lives!
Filthy Cowboy, by Liza Street, mom of furbabies Tiny TinderMcSpanks and Luna. When a naive little librarian named Dew comes to the Junkyard, jaguar shifter Stetson cannot resist checking her out and learning about her personal Dew-y decimal system. Because their love is OVERDUE. (Terrible library jokes! But I have no regrets!)
Banshee Power, by Jen Katemi, who is mom to Bobby, a black cat, and Meika, a torty girl. She is determined to ignore her banshee power… until the magic she despises becomes the only thing standing between death, and life, for herself and everyone she cares about.
Noxx: Alien Adoption Agency #1, by Tasha Black, mom to Sookie, a German Shepherd. The Alien Adoption Agency is going to make all of Luna’s dreams come true. At least, that’s what Luna believes when she boards a rickety space craft headed for a frontier moon to meet the child she will raise in exchange for 100 acres of land and a modest stipend. But she doesn’t count on the dangerous animals, the short but lonely nights, or the big blue dragon warrior who informs her he is on permanent security duty for the baby.
Jericho (Hybrid Chronicles is the boxed set paperback, released at the very end of December), by T.K. Eldridge, owner of dogs Ace & Bear and cats Moushie & Mitchie. He had made the ultimate sacrifice…only he wasn’t really dead. Jericho and his team may be a different kind of soldier, but they still hold to their moral codes and honor. Going against a direct order is not something they would normally consider… But nothing about this team is normal.
A Warlock’s Storm, by Marie-Claude Bourque, who is mom to Lucy. Stranded on a boat in a haunted New England harbor, a rugged warlock and a sassy female panther shifter battle sea-monsters and revenants as they try to survive the night.
Heart of the Goddess, by Laura Greenwood, owner of Treacle. Trapped in the last place she wants to be, Hathor risks losing her sense of self. Between convincing Seth there’s nothing going on between her and Amun, plotting her escape, and trying to find out information for the other gods, Hathor has her hands full. But if she can’t work out how to stop Seth’s plan, then the world is doomed.
Annnnd here are the pets! Looking at those beautiful faces, I think it’s pretty safe to say they endorse our books. (Also please note: Liza’s Luna and Jen’s Meika could easily be sisters!)
January 19, 2021
Why I Love Second-Chance Romances
I was thinking about my favorite tropes (I have many!) and why they appeal to me so much. One that I really love is second-chance romances. This strikes me as odd for a pretty big reason: I used to not believe in them! I truly thought that if a couple broke up, it was a sign they were not meant to be together, and it was ridiculous for people to keep getting back together and breaking up again.
To be fair, my frame of reference was high school relationships. It wasn’t until I started gathering adult-relationship data that showed me that the second-chance romance could really work.
What I love about the second chance in romance novels is that the two characters already have a frame of reference for each other. There’s a history there, and it is so rich, so explosive, and so poignant that it’s impossible to ignore. I especially like a second chance romance if several years have passed. It’s usually given the characters enough time to allow the pain to dull somewhat, and nostalgia to creep in. It’s also given them time to grow beyond whatever didn’t work out for them in the past.
Their chemistry has to be pretty high, too, if they’re willing to risk that pain to give each other another try. So I love that, too.
And there’s occasionally groveling. And pining. And a bit of angst. So those, with the chemistry and the shared backstory, are probably what I love most about second-chance romances.
How about you? Do you like or love the trope? Hate it? I’d love to know your thoughts!
Want to read one of my second-chance paranormal romances?
Exes and Exorcisms (out in February)
January 12, 2021
Filthy Cowboy is Out Now!
I have been waiting and waiting for this book to come out, and I’m so thrilled to finally be able to give it to you! Stetson has intrigued me from the very beginning of the Junkyard Shifters series. He was a reader, he wore a cowboy hat, and he wasn’t very talkative. To be honest, I knew very little about him until I started writing Filthy Cowboy. It was only through writing his and Dew’s story that I truly discovered who he was–and the man surprised me in many wonderful ways!
And Dew, our quiet librarian heroine, has a frisky side.
Here’s my love list for Filthy Cowboy:
poet herocowboy herolibrarian heroinereferences to The Bachelora dark backstoryscary bad guy!the Junkyard settingI hope you love Stetson and Dew’s story as much as I do!
